Lynx News

Dear Loess Hills Families,

Welcome to a new school year! We are excited to have our students and families back in the building. We are looking forward to a year filled with learning, growth, and lots of opportunities for our students to LEVEL UP! We are having a lot of fun with our district theme this year, and you will see it throughout the school year.

This year, we are focusing on two important academic goals:

📖 Goal #1: Reading

Loess Hills will increase the percentage of students meeting literacy benchmarks, as defined by the Iowa i-Ready cut scores, by 2% from spring 2026 to spring 2027.

For students with IEPs, our goal is to increase proficiency by 3%.

As we increase literacy achievement, we also expect to see growth in student achievement in the ELA domain of the ISASP.

➗ Goal #2: Math

Loess Hills will increase the percentage of students meeting mathematics benchmarks, as defined by the Iowa i-Ready cut scores, by 2% from spring 2026 to spring 2027.

For students with IEPs, our goal is to increase proficiency by 3%.

As we increase mathematics achievement, we also expect to see growth in student achievement in the mathematics domain of the ISASP.

We are excited to work together with our students and families to help every child LEVEL UP academically this year!

Thank you for helping us keep arrival and dismissal safe and efficient for everyone.

• Please drive slowly through the parking lot and around the school.

• The fire lane is for quick drop-off and pick-up only.

• If you are using the fire lane, you should not leave your vehicle.

• If you need to get out of your car to help your child, please park in the parking lot.

• Please follow staff directions during arrival and dismissal.

• Most importantly, please be patient and watch carefully for students and families.

Your cooperation helps us keep our students safe!

Please remind your student of our cell phone expectations:

When students are on school grounds, cell phones should be put away.

Students should not access or use their cell phones during the school day. We appreciate your support in helping us maintain a focused learning environment.

Please remember to complete a Free and Reduced Meal Application for your family. Even if you are unsure whether you qualify, we encourage families to complete the application.

Complete the Free & Reduced Meal Application

Title Meeting for Parents

📅 September 18
⏰ 8:15 a.m.
📍 Loess Hills Library

More information will be shared as we get closer to the meeting. We hope to see you there!

We are excited about the year ahead and all that our students will accomplish. Thank you for partnering with us, supporting your children, and helping make Loess Hills a wonderful place to learn.

Here’s to a fantastic 2026–2027 school year!

Go Loess Hills! 🎮📚⭐

All 5th grade students have received a letter with information on joining 5th grade band from our 5th grade band directors. More information is available at: https://canva.link/zcz5sp0bylon4vl

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. My email is: wanderw@live.siouxcityschools.com, or you can message me on TalkingPoints.

Thank you for everything you do for your children!

Miss Wanderscheid (Miss W)

🌟 Vision
Collectively as a staff, we will create a safe environment, building strong and positive relationships among students, staff, and community to positively impact students.

The Loess Hills Elementary PTO belongs to our school community, and we want you to have a voice in what it looks like this year!

How would you like to connect? What would make it easier for you to participate? Are there activities, projects, or ideas you’d love to see? Maybe you’d like to attend a meeting, help with an event, volunteer occasionally, share an idea, or simply stay connected. There is no one right way to be involved.

Before we make plans for the year, we want to hear from our families about what works for you.

Email us: LoessHillsElementaryPTO@gmail.com

Message us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1C1kmRuygg/

Have a little time, a great idea, or just something you’d like us to know? Reach out. This is your PTO, too, and we’d love to hear from you.

Students will be dismissed two hours early every Friday during the 2026-2027 school year for staff professional development. There will be no school on Monday, September 7 due to Labor Day.

Make sure you receive important messages from our school by updating your contact information in the Parent Portal. This will ensure you do not miss calls, texts, and emails about school closings and cancellations, announcements, and other information. Visit the Parent Portal today!

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 2026-2027 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!

Connect with your student’s teacher! TalkingPoints is a communication tool that allows you and your student’s teacher to easily communicate via text message. Text messages will be sent to you in your family’s primary language. Watch for a text from your student’s teacher or contact your student’s school if you have any questions.

We would love to collect your Hy-Vee receipts from the Sioux City or South Sioux City Hy-Vee stores. For every $100 dollars collected the school will receive $1 dollar!

Eligible receipts for groceries, prescriptions, floral, photoshop, and catering are accepted.

(No fuel, gas, postal, money order, Western Union, lottery, Quest, Mid American, bottle refunds or gift card receipts will be accepted.)

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