Hip, Hip Hooray, You've Won Breakfast at Judy's Cafe!

Mrs. Grice joins us with over 15 years of experience in education. She has served as a community educator for the University of Illinois Extension, Registrar at Black Hawk College East Campus, and for the past 10 years teaching elementary students at Kewanee Central.

Mrs. Grice is a 2001 graduate of Galesburg High School, and received her Bachelor of Arts from Monmouth College in 2004. She attended Western Illinois University, where she graduated with High Honors receiving her Master of Science in Education. Most recently, Dede graduated with Highest Honors from Grand Canyon University in 2022, receiving her Master of Education in Elementary Education. She is a current member of Kappa Delta Pi and Alpha Chi Honor Societies.

Mrs. Grice loves to spend time with her family, especially her husband and two children. You can find her watching her kids play sports, golfing, reading, and continuing her love for education through lifelong learning. Dede is so excited to return home and be part of the District 205 family to serve her community. She is looking forward to fulfilling an integral role at Steele School, assisting with student growth, and being a vital resource for students, teachers, and staff.

Mrs. Coate led the first assembly of the year to talk about Steele Star expectations and the Zones of Regulation. Both of these things will help students succeed at school. Ask them about box breathing!

Do you have a student who rides the bus? Make sure you have the FirstView School

Bus App installed on your phone! The FirstView app allows you to see the location and

direction of your student's bus, your student's stop schedule for the current day, and

timestamps for school arrivals and departures. Register today at web.firstviewapp.com

SUBMIT YOUR POEM TODAY!

Calling all poets. Whether it’s a lyric, sonnet, limerick, haiku or free verse, put on your creative writing hat, and submit whatever form of poem you’d like before September 28. Contact Meghan Angle with any questions. Let the writing begin!

Complete this form to enter your poem today.

Transportation Reimbursement is available for custodial guardians of current Kindergarten through 12th-grade students who are eligible to ride the bus to and from school. This is an option for current and eligible bus-riding students. Please visit the link for more information: https://forms.gle/HD9MizaVvEBBasMs6 #Thisis205

Among the District's top priorities is the development of a strategic plan. The plan is designed to help create a common vision and direction for the District.

CUSD #205 has partnered with Hazard, Young, Attea, and Associates (HYA), to develop this strategic plan using a three-phase process that includes conducting research, developing the plan, and identifying implementation steps.

• The first phase focuses on documenting the current state and desired future position of our school district
• The second phase is the creation of a framework for broad direction and priorities for the future outlined in a formal strategic plan document
• The final phase is the identification of specific steps that will be taken to implement the plan and execute the identified objectives in the strategic plan

During the final phase, HYA will conduct Board interviews, conduct focus groups with students, parents, guardians, employees, and community members across all corners of the school district. Next, they will administer an online survey to collect additional input from our stakeholders about the direction of the district. The online survey will be available during the month of September.

The community focus group will be held at Silas Willard Elementary on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, at 7 p.m. We hope you can join us, your voice is important as we work together on the future vision for all current and future CUSD #205 students.

Each day our arrival and dismissal routines are getting smoother and quicker. As a reminder, for:

• Kiss-n-Go Line - pull up as far as possible, drop all students off at once so they can walk to their specific door
• Parent Park Lot - you must park your car in a spot, exit your car and come up to the cafe doors to meet your child

Early dismissals are strongly discouraged, but we do know that sometimes it is needed. Anyone showing up at 3:30 or later to pick up their child will be directed to wait in the parent park lot. Thank you.

Quarter 1: August 10 - October 12, 2023

Quarter 2: October 24 - December 20, 2023

Quarter 3: January 9 - March 14, 2024

Quarter 4: March 18 - May 23, 2024*

*May 30 - June 5 are emergency days if needed

How do we grade at the elementary level? We use a standards-based report card instead of a report card with letter grades. Elementary report cards are issued at the end of each grading period. They are intended to give an evaluation of the scholastic achievement and work habits of each child. Parents should examine all cards carefully since each child is rated not only on academic progress, but also progress in development of social attitudes and work habits.

We use a 4,3,2,1 system to assess a student's mastery of standards.

4 = Exceeding State and District Standards

3 = Meeting State and District Standards

2 = Approaching State and District Standards

1 = Not Meeting State and District Standards

Our district takes student attendance very seriously and we are committed to seeing that every child is at school unless there is an excused reason for absence or tardiness. “Helping Students Achieve Their Dreams” is our district’s mission. Studies have shown that when students are consistently at school they are more likely to achieve their dreams.

What Parents and Students Can Do:

• Ensure children arrive to school on time.

• When absent, be sure to make up missed work.

• Communicate with school and seek support when needed.

• Call when your child is absent from school or unavoidably late ASAP at 309-973-2016.

• Know attendance is required on early dismissal days.

• Return to school after appointments.

• Plan appointments outside of school day.

• Call within one hour of the start of school or send a note within 48 hours of the return to school.

• For minor health issues—come to school.

Contact the Steele School office to request your free student pass to district activities.

Mrs. Grice, Dean of Students

Mrs. Knuth, Nurse

Mrs. Hickey, Family Engagement

Mrs. Mowen, Outreach

Mrs. Fones and Ms. Patch, Front Office Assistants

Email: kcoate@galesburg205.org
Website: https://steele.galesburg205.org/
Location: 1480 West Main Street, Galesburg, IL, USA
Phone: (309)973-2016
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steele205/
Twitter: @wearesteele