Crocker Chronicles

The Crocker Chronicles is a monthly e-newsletter for parents and guardians of students at Crocker Elementary School. Our goal is to keep you informed of the news and information you need in order to be involved and engaged in your student's education.

Our Lost & Found continues to GROW!

Please check out our Lost & Found in the atrium for items that your students have left at school!

Students should also check the bins in their grade level pod area.

Spring Lifetouch Picture Day is Monday, March 4th!

Your student should have received a picture day envelope that can be returned with payment if you choose to purchase or you can also purchase online at Lifetouch.com using the Picture Day ID: EVTMRRHBP.

On Tuesday, March 5th, 1st Grade Students will be taking a field trip to the Des Moines Playhouse to watch a live performance of Dragons Love Tacos.

Please login to your Parent Infinite Campus account to complete the Field Trip Consent Form if you have not already completed.

On Tuesday, March 5th fourth grade students will be taking a field trip to the Civic Center to attend the Des Moines Symphony youth concert.

Please login to your Parent Infinite Campus account to complete the Field Trip Consent Form if you have not already completed.

Guests from Costa Rica came to share in Mrs. James' 4th grade class and Mrs. DenBeste's 5th grade class about different foods, animals, landscape, places to visit, customs, and what it's like living there. They are guests of the Sullivan family.

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. 2.8 million people in the US sustain a brain injury each year. These brain injuries can be the results of a trauma from a fall or vehicle accident, or can be from illness, seizures or strokes. At school we teach your students to be responsible and safe while on the playground, and wear helmets when doing activities like roller-skating in PE. I’d like to encourage you to talk to your students about wearing proper protective equipment when riding their bikes, scooters or hover boards and while playing sports. You can rest easy that if your student suffers any kind of head bump while at school, I will always check them over and contact you so you can keep an eye on them at home!

It has been a long winter with lots of illness, hopefully March brings health to our student body. Thank you so much for continuing to monitor your students for illness and keeping them home when they truly do not feel well. No matter what virus they may have, students should stay home for 24 hours after having a fever, vomiting, or having diarrhea. If your student has a sore throat or cough from spring allergies and needs cough drops, remember those need to be stored in the nurse’s office in their original package. You can contact me for a medication permission slip at julie.maile@ankenyschools.org

I’d also like to encourage you to pack some extra clothes for your student– no matter how old they are! Spring brings a lot of mud, and kids can get wet and dirty during recess. A change of clothes is also appreciated if your student has a bathroom accident. The nurse’s office has a limited supply of extras, so please put a change of clothes in your student’s bag! Thank you!

Hello Families! This month in classroom guidance students will learn about bullying prevention through our Second Step curriculum. Students are taught to recognize, refuse, and report bullying behavior.

Lesson 1: Recognizing Bullying: What is bullying? The definition is: Bullying is when someone keeps being mean to someone else on purpose. Bullying happens over and over again and the person it’s happening to hasn’t been able to make it stop. Repeated bullying can happen through hurting someone else on their body or belongings, through mean words, or excluding others.

Lesson 2: Reporting Bullying: Students will identify trusted adults they can report bullying to. Students review the importance of using their assertive voice and reporting to an adult when they are being bullied or they see bullying happen.

Lesson 3: Refusing Bullying: Refuse means being assertive and standing up to the person doing the mean acts by telling the person(s) to stop.

Lesson 4: Up-stander Power: Students learn they have the power to help stop bullying by being an up-stander to bullying by reporting, telling the person to stop, or helping the person who is the target of bullying.

The staff at Crocker Elementary strive to promote a safe and caring environment. Teaching the students to be up-standers when they see mean things happening is one way we can continue to promote a positive culture at our school.

Mrs. Kennedy, School Counselor

marisa.kennedy@ankenyschools.org

Below are important dates for current 5th Grade families to get on your calendars for students entering Middle School in the 24/25 school year!

Crocker Cruisers will start up again after spring break!

Volunteer opportunities to cheer on our student and staff runners and walkers are available to sign up for. Become a volunteer by completing the 3 steps on our Ankeny Schools Volunteer Page or login to your MyImpact account and look for the Crocker Cruiser activity.

Please follow this link to the Ankeny Schools Registration page to register your student/s for the 2024-2025 school year!! This applies to new and existing student in grades Preschool - 12th and also new for 24/25 Transitional Kindergarten.

Please scan the QR Code below for eligibility information and application forms. Forms are available online in English and Spanish.

Please contact the school if your child will be absent from school, arriving late or leaving early. You may call Crocker at 515-965-9710 or email cr.office@ankenyschools.org and include your student's teacher or enter in the Absence Request tool in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal . We do need a reason why a student is not in school.

To enter an absence request in the parent portal please follow these simple steps:

1. Log in to your Infinite Campus Parent Portal account.
2. Select your child's profile.
3. Navigate to the Absence Request section.
4. Fill in the required information, including the date and reason for the absence.
5. Submit your request.

Visit this Absence Request Guide for detailed information on how to report absences.

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Per the student handbook, students who know they will be absent for a reason other than a school-sponsored trip or school-sponsored activity must have a parent notify the school’s office in advance of the absence.

If the school is not notified of an absence, the office will attempt to contact the Parents/Guardians at their primary number listed on Infinite Campus.

Stay informed with what is going on with Crocker PTO by visiting their website CrockerPTO.org

You can connect with us on Facebook and Instagram for information and updates about "Life at Crocker"! Tell your family and friends, too!

Use this link to find our Back-to-School Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
These Back to School tips, are helpful all year long!!

Unforeseen accidents in the classroom, lunch room and playground can result in wet or soiled clothing. Please make sure your student(s) has the following back-up items in a grocery sack or large ziploc that can be kept in their locker for those unforeseen accidents.

Appropriate back-up clothing suggestions:

• Shirt
• Long pants
• Underwear
• Sock
• PE shoes

While it is encouraged for students to have appointments outside of school hours we understand that at times this is not always possible. When you know your student has an appointment and will need to be picked up from school during the day please call the Crocker Office to let them know you are coming. When you come to the school, ring the Aiphone doorbell and state who you are here to pick up. We will ask for you to remain outside to wait for your student.

If your student forgets to bring something needed that day for class, we ask that you ring the Aiphone doorbell and we will ask for you to put the items on the table just inside the door. Please label item with the student's name and teacher.

Please remember that delivery's of flowers, candy, balloons, or presents are not accepted for students as stated in the parent handbook and will be sent back with the delivery driver.

Please remember to send a water bottle with your child everyday! This promotes hydration throughout the day and fewer classroom disruptions by cutting down on the student need to leave class and visit the drinking fountain.

The Ankeny Elementary Physical Education Department recommends that students keep an extra pair of tennis shoes at school to use. This promotes better safety and full participation in all physical education activities.

The information distributed in the Virtual Backpack (vBackpack) is provided as a community service to inform members of the community of available activities or services. The majority of information included in the vBackpack is from community organizations. Community groups can submit their information within certain guidelines, governed by Board Policy #1004.25.

Virtual Backpack

Email: cr.office@ankenyschools.org
Website: crocker.ankenyschools.org
Location: 2910 Southwest Applewood Street
Phone: 515-965-9710
Facebook: facebook.com/CrockerElementarySchool
Twitter: @AnkenyCrocker

Ankeny Community School District does not discriminate based on race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, physical attributes, physical or mental ability or disability, ancestry, political party preference, military affiliation, socioeconomic status, or familial status. Inquiries or grievances may be directed to Kenneth Morris, Jr., Equity Director, 306 SW School Street, P.O. Box 189, Ankeny, IA, 50021-0189, (515) 965-9600, kenneth.morris@ankenyschools.org; or the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, Grimes State Office Building, Des Moines, IA, 50319-0201, (515) 281-4121; or the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 500 West Madison Street, Suite 1475, Chicago, IL 60661.