Virgil Grissom Weekly Newsletter

Greetings Grissom Families!

Thank you to all of the families who took part in Parent Teacher Conferences this week. It was wonderful to be able to share the progress of our students with their families. Report cards were sent home with students today so please be sure to check backpacks.

Reminder that next week (March 17th-21st) is Spring Break. We will resume school on Monday, March 24th. We hope everyone enjoys their break and we look forward to seeing students when we return.

Calling on former Grissom Grizzlies in the Class of 2025! As graduation gets closer we at Grissom want to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of our former Grizzlies by creating a "Senior Wall". If you know a senior who attended Grissom, please encourage them to fill out this form so we can include them in this year's recognition.

You are invited to Caregiver Night Sponsored by Special Education Advisory Committee Informational Meeting

Caregiver Night is your chance to explore the ACHIEVE Family Portal! We're excited to show you how this user-friendly tool can empower you to stay connected and informed about your child's special education needs. Come demo the software and see how it can make a difference. Feel free to bring a device to learn how to set up and navigate your account.

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

5:30 - 6:30 pm

Regional Innovation Center

Contact Heather Shults for more information at 563-285-4810 or heather.shults@north-scott.k12.ia.us

If you did not receive an email invitation to create an account please email, achievesupport@iowa.gov for assistance. For more information about ACHIEVE Family Portal, visit the Iowa Department of Education ACHIEVE Family Portal webpage.

Thank you for your patience as the North Scott Service Club and National Honor Society have worked to reestablish the North Scott Dance Marathon. Student leaders have worked very hard to organize this event and have learned so much in the process. Thank you for giving our students opportunities to strengthen their leadership, communication, and financial literacy by working with you.

This week, Central Office staff worked to clarify a few important details about reestablishing this event. Here are some important FAQs that you may want to have on hand if you receive questions from community members:

1. If you are looking for general information about this event, please look at the FAQs page on our updated website.

2. If someone would like to directly donate money online, they can find our Miracle Network page here.

3. Tickets for the event can be purchased on Bound here.

4. T-Shirts for the event can be purchased from GT Sports here. If someone wants to pick up their shirt from GT Sports before the event, they must make their purchase by April 2.

5. A press release should go out in the next week or so.

6. If someone would like to have their family or child honored during our Honor Walk, please have them fill out this Google Form. We will only honor 5-7 families this year; however, we would love to have more contacts for future events.

Finally, if someone would like to write a check to this event, here are the codes for the accounts:

• Sponsorship revenue (to help run the event) should go to 21 0109 1790 910 6303
• Donation revenues (to go directly to UI Dance Marathon) will go to 21 0109 1790 910 6302

Please feel free to reach out to me or Michelle Skadall if you have questions that your Dance Marathon student representative is not able to answer.

We are excited to get started on registration for the class of 2031 and their 7th grade year here at North Scott Junior High School. Mr. Jones and Ms. Woods visited with 6th Graders on Wednesday to assist students in the registration process. If you have any questions regarding Junior High registration, please feel free to reach out to our Principal Mr. Chad Jones at chad.jones@north-scott.k12.ia.us or our building secretary Chantel Woods at chantel.woods@north-scott.k12.ia.us

Vaccination Letter to Guardians

25-26 Activities Physical Forms

25-26 BOUND Activities Registration Instructions

Order your 2024-2025 Virgil Grissom Yearbook Deadline is April 1st! Get your 16 page full color yearbook full of Grissom's Special events and your favorite faces!

Please see the letter below from Dr. Nicole Litterer (Curriculum Director) regarding new initiatives in piloting math curriculums.

Dear Caregivers,

We are excited to inform you about an important initiative in our district’s mathematics program. This year, we are piloting two new math resources as part of our continuous effort to enhance all students' education quality. The purpose of this pilot is to evaluate these materials for their effectiveness in supporting our mathematics instruction and their alignment with the Iowa Core Mathematics Standards. Materials were reviewed by a team of North Scott educators using rigorous criteria, and two were selected to pilot. Several classrooms across the district, K-11 will be working with the materials. Regardless of the resources being used, our students’ learning experience will remain rigorous, engaging, and aligned with the high standards we uphold in our district.

After the pilot, we will carefully analyze teacher input and other data to determine which resource best supports our goals for mathematics education at North Scott. The review team anticipates making a final recommendation to the school board in May for adoption in the 2025/2026 school year.

We value the partnership we share with our families and understand that you may have questions about the pilot. We will host informational sessions at each building to provide more information and address any questions (see schedule below). During these sessions, we will share details about the pilot process, the considered resources, and how they align with our district’s instructional goals.

Your support is vital to the success of this endeavor, and we encourage you to share your thoughts and ask questions. If you cannot attend the informational session, please feel free to contact your building principal or me directly.

Thank you for your continued dedication to your child’s education. Together, we can ensure that every student receives the best possible learning opportunities in mathematics.

Warm regards,

Nicole Litterer
Director of Curriculum and Instruction

Junior High Monday, March 24, 3:00 - 4:00

High School Tuesday, March 25, 3:00 - 4:00

In order to keep our end of day pick up line moving and allow easier access to vehicles, please be sure to pull all the way forward to open spots and pull to the side of the road so that other cars may pass. If you are parking and getting out of your vehicle, we ask that you park on the right side of the road. Please avoid parking in neighborhood driveways.

Please join us in donating in March so we can raise money for the school!

Saturday, March 29, 2025

07:00 am - 11:00 am

Boll's Community Center

428 River Drive
Boll's Community Center
Princeton, IA 52768

VIP Day at Virgil Grissom on April 17th, 1-2:30, doors open at 12:30.

Support your PTO by purchasing a NS Tumbler for just $20! The office has one at the front desk for you to check out and will request them as they are ordered. You can pay with cash or check in the office also.

The North Scott Community School District believes that good attendance is essential for students to fully benefit from the educational opportunities available to them. Frequent absences can hinder students' ability to develop important skills, impacting their success in academics and beyond. Unfortunately, students in this situation may struggle to achieve their full potential, and some may even drop out of school.

Please click this link to access Mr. Stutting's video explanation.

With the passing of Senate File 2435 and changes to Iowa Code Chapter 299 Compulsory Education, we want to provide you with our updated procedures for responding to student absenteeism.

• 5 days of absences (5% of a semester): A courtesy letter will be emailed to inform caregivers of excessive absences.

• 9 days of absences (10% of a semester): The state defines this 10% mark as "chronically absent." An email and certified letter will be sent to caregivers to notify them of "chronically absent" status and the county attorney's office will be notified.

• 14 days of absences (15% of a semester): The school will contact caregivers to schedule a required School Engagement Meeting, where an Absenteeism Prevention Plan will be created.

• 18 days of absences (20% of a semester): The state defines this 20% mark as "truant." The school will notify the School Resource Officer, who will consult with the county attorney's office. Truancy charges may be filed.

What Parents/Caregivers can do to foster good student attendance?

• Establish consistent daily routines for your student, including having dinner, completing classwork, getting a good night's sleep, and eating a healthy breakfast.

• Discuss with your student the importance of attending school every day and how regular attendance positively impacts their well-being.

• Whenever possible, schedule nonessential appointments outside of school hours to avoid disrupting their learning.

• Encourage your student to participate in meaningful after-school activities, as this can boost their engagement and sense of connection to the school community.

• Maintain open communication with the school to understand attendance policies and seek support when needed.

• Support your student's mental and emotional health, and collaborate with the school to address any concerns.

• Remember, school is about more than academics; regular attendance helps students develop social skills and access valuable resources.

Students are discouraged from bringing cellphones and smart watches to school. If it is necessary to bring a cellphone or smartwatch, they must be off and kept in the student's locker at all times. If it is not in a locker or not turned off, the phone or watch shall be turned over to the teacher or principal.

Virgil Grissom and the rest of the North Scott schools are looking for people to sub as teachers, aides, and nurses. If you have any interest in learning more about how to become a sub, please contact Deana Sorensen at 563-285-3102. We would love to have your support when our staff is out of the building.