Lynx News

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to the start of a new school year! We are excited to begin this journey with you and your children as we strive to make this academic year one of growth, learning, and achievement.

The Importance of Attendance Regular attendance is vital for your child's success in school. When students attend school consistently, they gain a better understanding of the material, engage more deeply in classroom activities, and develop the essential habits that will serve them throughout their education. We kindly ask that you prioritize your child's attendance and ensure they are at school every day.

Arriving On Time Punctuality is equally important. Arriving on time allows your child to start the day with a positive mindset, ready to learn. Late arrivals can disrupt the class and cause your child to miss important instructions or activities that set the tone for the day. Please ensure your child arrives at school by 8:30 AM so they can begin the day with their peers.

Leaving Early We understand that there may be occasions when your child needs to leave school early. However, leaving early can result in missed instructional time, which can impact your child’s progress. We encourage you to schedule appointments or other commitments outside of school hours whenever possible.

New Reading Curriculum: Benchmark This year, we are excited to introduce a new reading curriculum called Benchmark. This program is designed to support our students in developing strong literacy skills through a comprehensive approach that includes reading, writing, and critical thinking. We believe Benchmark will provide our students with the tools they need to become confident and proficient readers.

New Grading Scale With the new school year, we are also implementing a new grading scale based on a 4-point system. This system is designed to provide clearer feedback on your child's progress:

• 4: Exceeds Expectations

• 3: Proficient (Meeting Expectations)

• 2: Approaching Proficiency

• 1: Not Yet Proficient

A score of 3 indicates that your child is performing at grade level and meeting the expected standards. We believe this new scale will help you better understand your child's academic achievements and areas for growth.

Communication with Parents: Talking Points

This year, we are excited to introduce Talking Points as our primary tool for communication with parents. Talking Points allows us to send important updates, reminders, and messages directly to your phone in your preferred language. This platform ensures that all families receive timely information in a way that is convenient and accessible. We encourage you to stay connected with us through Talking Points to keep informed about your child's education and school events. If you need help getting started with the app, please reach out to us for assistance.

Thank you for your continued partnership. Together, we can ensure that this school year is successful and rewarding for all of our students.

Tami Voegeli

Please do not have your child arrive too early for school. This is a safety concern, as we do not have adults to supervise children if they arrive too early.

Children eating breakfast may arrive at 8:00 or after (school doors are locked until 8:00).

Students not eating breakfast should not arrive until after 8:15.

Students will be considered tardy if they arrive after 8:35. Please have your child to school on time each day. Starting the day off on time with their class is very important!

Student attendance is very important. Vital instruction is given on a daily basis and anytime your child is absent or late to school they are missing out. We kindly ask that parents limit appointments and vacations to outside of the school day as much as possible.

All absences, for any reason, require a parent/guardian to call the school by 9:00 A.M. to notify us of the absence (712-279-6843). If calling after hours, please leave a message with student's first and last name and the reason for the absence. Any time no call is made the absence is entered as a truancy.

**Please refer to the new Chronic Absenteeism guidelines under the "News from the District " headline below.

Picture Day is coming up on Wednesday, September 18! Order before Picture Day to receive free shipping to the school. Order online at inter-state.com/order.

The school fees for the 24-25 school year are $34 per student.

Payments can be made online or at Loess Hills Elementary. For online payments go into My School Bucks at https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/getmain.action?clientKey=&requestAction=home and use your credit or debit card. Payments made at the school must be made via cash or check only.

Fee Waivers can be filled out online or you may pick up a form in the school office. https://fs2.formsite.com/siouxcitycommschools/form5/index.html. If you think you qualify, a new waiver MUST be completed each year regardless of whether you qualified in the past.

We sincerely appreciate it when fees are taken care of in a timely fashion. Thank you so much!

Free Breakfast & Lunch - Loess Hills is one of the elementary schools that qualifies for free breakfast and lunch for each student regardless of the family's income.

**If a student brings a cold lunch and wishes to purchase a milk, the cost is $0.55 cents.**

We have a lot of new faces at Loess Hills this year. Please welcome the following staff to our school:

• Tessa Jackson - Kindergarten Teacher
• Janelly Isaac - 4th grade Teacher
• Sarah Robinson - VBC Teacher
• Kari Mozak - Title 1
• Ashley Clasby - Art Teacher
• Julie Johnson - Nurse
• Aaron Clark - MTSS Specialist
• Jennifer Villatoro Jimenez - ELL Tutor
• Chase McInnis - Instructional Assistant
• Isaias Martinez - Instructional Assistant
• Elizabeth Mullins - Instructional Assistant
• Roci Munoz - Instructional Assistant
• Melissa Stephens - Instructional Assistant
• Elle Wegher - Speech Therapist

• Andrea Vazquez - 4th grade teacher
• Kyle Timmins - Title 1 Teacher
• Chauntee Vergith - Instructional Assistant
• Alexa Rodriguez - Instructional Assistant

September 18: School Picture Day

Click the Translate Newsletter button to the right of this page to view this newsletter in over 100 languages.

Haga clic en el botón Translate Newsletter para ver una traducción automática de esta carta de noticias en más de 100 idiomas.

Loess Hills is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program which allows our school to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to our students. Loess Hills students will not be charged for breakfast or lunch during the upcoming school year.

A complete list of CEP schools in our district can be found on our website. If you have a student attending another school that is not a CEP school, we encourage you to complete the 2024-2025 online application for free and reduced meals. This will help ensure other students in your family receive the meals they need during the upcoming school year.

For questions or assistance with school meals, please contact the District’s Food Service Department at 712-279-6860 or 712-279-6862.

Have you reviewed the 2024-2025 SCCSD Parent/Guardian – Student Handbook? The handbook includes important information to help students reach their fullest potential at school. Families are encouraged to review the handbook with their students to make sure they are aware of what is expected of them as a student in the Sioux City Community School District.

Click here to view the 2024-2025 Parent/Guardian – Student Handbook.

Safe + Sound Iowa offers students and families a convenient way to anonymously report safety concerns related to our school. Trained dispatchers will share the information with appropriate school administrators and/or law enforcement so help can be given to those in crisis or at risk.

Visit Safe + Sound Iowa for more information.

The safety of our students and staff is paramount. The District uses Standard Response Protocol or common terms to communicate our actions and response to an emergency situation. The terms Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter are used so students, staff, and first responders understand the situation and how best to respond.

We encourage families to become familiar with these terms to better understand our school’s response and what to expect in a crisis situation. For more information on safety preparedness within the District, visit siouxcityschools.org.

The District and our school are continuously updating families on important school information, closings and cancellations, and other announcements. Information is shared through email, phone calls, and text. Make sure we can connect with you by keeping your contact information updated in our records. If you need to change your contact information, please contact the school office.

The District has cell phone protocols in place to ensure an engaging and distraction-free environment for our students. The protocols restrict the use of electronic devices during the school day.

If you need to contact your student during the school day, please contact our school office. Alternatively, if your student needs to contact you, they should come to the office.

For more information on our protocols for electronic devices, please review the 2024-2025 Parent/Guardian & Student Handbook on the District website.

Volunteers are needed to join the District’s Grassroots Advocacy Committee. As a volunteer, you will receive email updates about important legislative events that could impact public education and be asked to contact local and state leaders to advocate for our schools. Volunteer today and let your voice be heard! Contact Communications@live.siouxcityschools.com to volunteer.

Looking for a part-time or full-time career with flexibility? Instructional assistants, bus drivers, and food service staff are needed to join our amazing team! Check out the District’s openings today!

You now have a more convenient way to connect with your student’s teacher! The District has partnered with TalkingPoints, a communication tool that allows you and your student’s teacher to easily communicate via text message. Messages will be sent to you in your family’s primary language. Watch for more information on this exciting tool coming soon!