Welcome Back, SIS!

Welcome Back, SIS!!!

Hey, SIS Families!

Allow me to reintroduce myself for all of our incoming 3rd (That's right! 3rd grade is HERE!!) & 4th grade families. My name is Melissa Holtz and I am the principal at Solon Intermediate School. This is my 5th year at Solon, my 9th year as a principal, and my 22nd year working full-time in the field of education.

My family and I live in Solon. My husband, Dan, works at Wilton Precision Steel in Wilton, Iowa and I have two kids. My son, Austin, just moved to Florida where he took his first "real" job as an assistant coach for Victory Rock Prep. My daughter, Sara, is entering her junior year at UNI, majoring in Athletic Training & Rehabilitation with a minor in coaching. We have two dogs, Champion and Chipper.

I look forward to seeing many returning faces as we welcome back our 5th grade students and can't wait to get to know our incoming 3rd & 4th grade families! Learning names is important to me. Please stop in and introduce yourself on Unpack Your Backpack night! I may not remember your name after night one but I promise to be diligent in getting it locked into memory!

Moving forward you can expect a monthly newsletter communication from me. I will send this out via text and email. It will also be posted to our social media accounts. Teachers will also be sending monthly communications to classroom families. If anything else pops up that needs to be shared prior to the monthly newsletters, we will email you. Please make sure you updated your email when you registered your child so that you are receiving these communications. If you are unsure how to do this, please see the directions below this letter.

Be sure to take a peek at some upcoming important dates and extra information to follow including pick up and drop off procedures, meeting our new team members, and the all important lunch menus!

Parents, if you have any questions or concerns as the first day draws near, please let me know. I can be reached via email at mholtz@solon.k12.ia.us or via my office phone at 319-624-3401, ext. 1502.

Ready or not the school year is just around the corner!

See you soon!~

Mrs. Holtz

SIS Morning Arrival Routines and Procedures

Because we know the beginning of the school year can be a little bit chaotic, we wanted to share our pick up and drop off procedures with you so you can feel confident sending your child to school knowing he/she is ready to tackle the day.

KEY TIMES:

7:45 am: Doors Unlock

If students need breakfast they should proceed to the gym, otherwise they can report directly to their classroom.

8:00 am: Student Day Begins

3:00 pm: Student Day Ends, Bus, Parent Pick Up, and SLA Students Dismissed

3:05 pm: Walkers & Bikers Dismissed

WHAT TO EXPECT:

Doors unlock at 7:45 am.

We do not have supervision prior to this time. If your child is dropped off early he/she will be unable to enter the building until the doors unlock at 7:45 am.

Bus Students

Buses arrive at SIS beginning at 7:45 am. Once off the bus, students will enter the double-doored entry area and proceed to the gym for breakfast or, if they do not need breakfast, head directly to their classroom..

At the end of the day, students will exit the double-doors to load their respective buses.

Parent Drop Off & Pick Up

Students who will be dropped off by their parents should utilize the 5th Street circle drive. Please drop students off at the front doors near the crosswalk. Please note: Our doors do not unlock until 7:45 am. Students should not arrive prior to 7:45 am as we do not have staff available for supervision and they will be unable to enter the building.

Parent-pick up students will be dismissed at 3:00 pm. Parents wishing to pick up their child, may line up single-file on the circle drive and drive through to pick him/her up. If you are first in line, you should pull all the way around the drive to the white sign that says, "End of Drop Off." Staff will direct traffic to aide in efficiency. If you prefer to park in the front parking lot and wait in your car for your child to come to your car you may do so, though spots are limited. School staff will help supervise the crosswalk. In order to keep the process as efficient as possible, we ask that parents remain in their cars.

Walkers & Bike Riders

In order to maintain student safety, students who walk or ride their bike to school will be released after the buses have left the parking lot at roughly 3:05 pm. Students should exit the front of the building (west doors) to retrieve their bike from the bike rack or use the sidewalk to head home.

Change of Plans

Should you need to change your child's end of day plans, you will need to contact the office. You can do so by calling our school secretary, Mrs. Tiffany Hale at 319-624-3401, ext. 1500 or you can email sisoffice@solon.k12.ia.us. In order to ensure your message is received it is recommended that you contact the office at least a half hour before the end of the school day.

SIS works hard to make the transition from Lakeview a seamless one. Many of the details can be found in our school handbook. I just want to highlight a few things for you to ensure success as students move forward. These are topics that have historically been questions and tidbits parents appreciate knowing ahead of time.

1. Early Dismissal -- SIS is the first school to dismiss each day. When we have an early dismissal, students are released at 1:30 pm. Please take note of this time and plan accordingly if your child is parent pick-up.

2. Cell Phones and Smart Devices -- According to the new update policy, cell phones and smart watches must be in kept in student backpacks during school hours, 7:45 am - 3:00 pm. Please inform your student so he/she is prepared to put these items away and silence/turn them off during the school day.

Here is the policy from our handbook:

Cell Phones/Smart Watches/Gizmos

All phones/smart watches/gizmos and other communication devices will be silenced or turned off and placed in backpacks throughout the school day. Students may not wear their smart watches during the school hours (from drop off to pick up – 7:45 am to 3:00 pm).

Students caught using their phones, smart watches, or personal communication devices during the school day will have their devices held in the office until the end of the day. Repeated offenses will result in additional consequences for students in line with current district and building policies.

3. Classroom Food Items -- Please be aware that some of our students do have severe food allergies to peanuts and eggs. We also want to keep wellness in mind when sending snacks and treats for special occasions. Our school handbook lays out all the details and offers some nice options and ideas for healthy snacks. Check it out:

Wellness Policy

SNACKS: During daily snack time, families will send snacks for students on an individual basis. These snacks must meet the requirements of the district wellness policy. Pop will not be permitted.

LUNCH: Lunches brought to school must meet the requirements of the district wellness policy. Pop, sports drinks or energy drinks will not be permitted.

CLASSROOM CELEBRATIONS: (i.e. birthday and holiday parties) In order to protect our students with allergies and food intolerances, treats brought for celebrations must be commercially prepared food with an intact ingredient label or fresh, uncut fruit and vegetables. Items not meeting these requirements will not be used and will be returned home. No homemade treats will be accepted. (Note: Snacks are also available upon request to purchase from the school food service program. Non-food celebration items are great, too!)

To review the entire SCSD Wellness Policy please reference (Board policy 507.9).

Check out the list below for health snack ideas

Cheese sticks
Gogurt/Yogurt
Yogurt Smoothie
Granola Bars (not including those dipped in chocolate)
Clementine/Orange
Banana
Goldfish crackers
Cheez-its
All-Natural Fruit Leathers (not including fruit by the foot or fruit snacks)
Apple
Carrots
Pretzels
Trail Mix
Raisins
Graham Crackers
Peanut butter/cheese sandwich crackers
Beef sticks
Popcorn

For a more comprehensive list of ideas check out this Healthy School Snacks list.

Healthy Schools Snacks list URL: https://cspinet.org/protecting-our-health/nutrition/healthy-school-snackshttps://cspinet.org/protecting-our-health/nutrition/healthy-school-snacks

4. Classroom Parties, Treats, and Birthdays

PARTIES/CELEBRATIONS: On occasion SIS will hold classroom parties to celebrate holidays or special events. At certain times of the year, SIS may hold building-wide celebrations. Classroom parties will be scheduled by the classroom teacher and approved by the building administrator. On occasion, teachers may ask parents to furnish treats for parties or celebrations in which case items must meet the wellness policy guidelines mentioned above.

BIRTHDAY TREATS: If your child wishes, he/she may bring birthday treats during the year. If treats are brought, a treat should be brought for every child in the homeroom. Please follow the required SCSD Wellness policy guidelines as defined in Board policy 507.9.

BIRTHDAY INVITATIONS: If your child wishes to pass out birthday party invitations at school, invitations must be sent to all students in your child’s class. If a child does not have an invitation for each student in the class he/she will not be permitted to hand out his/her invitations.

5. Lunch with Your Child

We welcome parents to come have lunch with their child. If you plan to eat school lunch, we will need to know your order before 9:00 am and will require you to have an account in Meal Magic. You are also welcome to bring lunch for yourself and your child if you so choose. Please remember we do not allow pop, gatorade, sports drinks, etc. during the school day.

We do have assigned seat at lunch and limited seating available however there is a small group table where you, your child, and one friend may enjoy lunch together if you prefer to not sit with students in the lunch room.

Lunch times are as follows: