Northwest News

Greetings NWMS Families!

I want to start by extending my deepest thanks to each of you for helping us kick off this school year with such warmth and positivity! It’s been a wonderful start, and seeing our students enjoy themselves as they settle into our beautiful new building is nothing short of heartwarming. With all three grade levels here, it’s been exciting watching everyone connect, learn, and grow together.

Tonight, we have a special event—the first West High game of the season! I know our students are looking forward to cheering on our team. Just a quick reminder: if your student is planning to attend, they must bring their photo ID and a Parent/Guardian to enter the game. All NWMS students should sit together in the designated Northwest student section, ensuring we enjoy the game in true NWMS spirit and create some great memories!

A huge thank you as well to everyone who participated in our first PSTO meeting of the year. Your involvement is what makes our school community so strong, and I truly appreciate the time and energy you all bring. If you missed it, don’t worry—there will be plenty more opportunities to get involved.

We’ve also made the updated student handbook accessible on our school website for your convenience. You can find it [HERE]. Be sure to take a look when you get the chance, and if you have any questions, we’re always here to help.

As we move through the year, one of my personal goals is to get to know each of you better. I genuinely want to hear your thoughts, experiences, and ideas. Feel free to reach out to me anytime, whether you want to meet in person, chat over the phone, or send me an email. Together, we can make this school year an extraordinary one for all of our students.

Here’s to a fantastic school year full of learning, joy, and community!

Warmly,

Kimberly D. Fitten

Wednesday, September 18th: PSTO Meeting, 12:00pm, https://iowacityschools-org.zoom.us/j/97724895418#success

Tuesday, September 24th: Picture Retakes (after lunch)

Wednesday, September 25th: Back To School Night, 6:00pm-7:15pm

Week of September 30th-Spirit Week

Reporting Absences:
If your child will be absent, please notify your school’s attendance office before the start of the school day. You can do this by creating an Absence Request in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal or by calling the school attendance office. If we do not hear from you, the school will reach out to confirm your student’s safety and ensure you are aware of their absence.

State Attendance Requirements:
The Iowa Department of Education has implemented strict guidance that requires schools to address absenteeism. As part of this, schools will send notifications to guardians when a student has missed a certain number of days each grading period.

• First Letter: A written notification that your child has missed a certain number of days.
• Second Letter: A certified letter sharing that your child has reached 10% absenteeism in a grading period and that the district was required to inform the county attorney.
• Third Letter: If your child reaches 15% absenteeism, a School Engagement meeting will be scheduled, and an Absenteeism Prevention Plan will be created. If these steps are not followed, the county attorney may initiate legal proceedings.

Additional information about the State’s attendance requirements and absence exemptions, as well as district guidance, is available on the updated Attendance Page of our District website.

Regular school attendance is crucial for your child's success, both academically and socially. Thank you for your partnership in making this a successful year for all our students.

Sincerely,

Matt Degner
Superintendent
Iowa City Community School District

• Infinite Campus automatically sends a message if your student is marked absent from a class. If you know your student is at school, this is most likely an attendance error. We encourage you to contact your student regarding the absence.

• If you have forgotten to report your student absent, call (319) 688-1060.

• If you know your student is in the school but has been marked absent, ask your student to communicate with the teacher their whereabouts during the absent period.

Please note that all absences will appear as "unexcused" in Infinite Campus.

When a student is going to be absent from school, a guardian must email or call the school the morning of the absence or at least two hours prior to the absence. Please email your absence to: Pagan.Grace@iowacityschools.org OR call (319) 688-1060. Voice messages are checked throughout the day. Students leaving early will receive a pass to be excused from class. We appreciate advanced notice as it reduces the amount of classroom interruptions.

Instructions for Using the Parent Portal on Infinite Campus or the App.

• Access the Absence Request from the home page

• Click on the menu in the top left corner

• Click on More at the bottom of the list

• Click on Absence Requests

• Choose your student

• Pick the Excuse from the pull-down menu

• Pick the Absence Type

• For Full Day absence pick the date(s) of the absence

• For Arrive Late pick the date and the time of arrival

• For Leave Early pick the date and the time of departure

• Please remember this is the time the student will depart the classroom

• A brief comment is required

Press the Submit button to complete the form

• Office hours are 8:00 AM-4:30 PM on school days.

• Phone calls to the main office may go to voicemail when office staff are helping people in the office or on another call, please leave a message and they will return your call as soon as possible.

• Access to teachers during the school day is limited, please use email to communicate with teachers when possible. Teacher email address can be found on our website.

• All items brought to the office intended for your student or someone else should have a detailed label with the student's first and last name. Items may be left on the table in the entry by the office door. Students will be called to retrieve items during passing time.

We are excited to announce that the 2024-2025 Northwest Middle School yearbook is now on sale. The Yearbook Staff will start meeting in the next few months to create a spectacular book! They will work towards capturing the events, activities and memories of this school year. Place your order for the yearbook at this Link to purchase. This is one you won’t want to miss!

8th Street Entrance: (Front of the Building)

The bus lane is for buses only. This lane is the closest to the school building. No driving, pausing, or stopping for any reason.

The middle lane and lane closest to the street are for car line drop off/pick up. Please be mindful of other vehicles, buses, and pedestrians.

9th Street Entrance: (Back of the Building)

At the back of the building, the lower parking lot may be used for student drop off/pick up. The upper parking lot is reserved for staff parking and construction vehicles. Please be mindful of other vehicles, buses, and pedestrians.

Donate to PSTO: MySchoolBucks

Thank you for your support!

THE IOWA YOUTH WRITING PROJECT PRESENTS:

WEEKLY WRITING CLUB AT NORTHWEST!

The NWMS Writing Club will meet on TUESDAYS, from 4-5pm in Room 214, starting Sept 10th. If you would like to participate in the club, please fill out the sheet below!

The Northwest FIRST Robotics Team will meet weekly on Tuesdays from 4:15-6:15pm in Mrs. Robinson's room (204). The season begins in September and ends in December. The team is open to 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. Practice starts on Sept 10. If you are interested in receiving more information about the team, please fill out this form.

Order pictures here: https://shop.imagequix.com/g1001135057

This school year, students will be signing into the health office with their student IDs. Please make sure your student has theirs to ease the process in the health office.

Illnesses

• Keep your student home from school when they have a fever of 100.4 (F) or greater and for 24 hours after the fever has gone away, without taking Tylenol or Ibuprofen.

• Keep your student home from school when they have diarrhea and/or vomiting and for 24 hours after these symptoms have occurred.

• When your student returns to school after an illness they should be able to participate in the total school program including physical education. Your student will be excused from physical education after an illness or injury only by a written recommendation from your family doctor or primary health care provider.

• Please be sure the school has a telephone number where you can be reached in case your student becomes ill at school. Please ale sure your contact information is up to date in Infinite Campus.

• Please notify the school if your student will not be attending school because of illness.

• If your student is not feeling well while at school please have them come to the health office so they can be assessed before calling home.

• Students will be sent home if they are vomiting at school or if they have a temperature 100.4 or greater.

Medication Administration at School

Medications are administered to a student in school by trained school staff in the school health office. Parent/guardian must provide the medication to the school in a labeled bottle as well as a signed consent form. Medications may not be carried around by students and must remain in the health office.

• A consent form must be signed by a parent/guardian for prescription and non-prescription medications to be given to students at school. These forms can be found on the district website under Health Services. We also have copies of these forms at school readily available.

• All medications should be taken at home before or after school hours whenever possible. However, it is understood that certain medications may be required during the school day.

• Over the counter/non- prescription medications are to be provided by the parent/guardian and sent to school in the original medication container with the student’s name attached. The medication will be given according to package instructions unless otherwise directed in writing by the student’s health care provider/prescriber.

• The parent/guardian is responsible for notifying the school when a medication has been discontinued or changed.

I am looking forward to working with your students this school year.

Andrea DeLarm, MSN, RN
Northwest Middle School Nurse
delarm.andrea@iowacityschools.org

A School Bus Tracking App for Parents

Iowa Central School Bus offers a free app, Here Comes the Bus, that enables parents to track their child’s bus in real time!

Here Comes the Bus features:

• Shows the real-time location of your child’s bus
• Tracks multiply buses if your children don’t all ride the same bus
• Provides push and email notification when the bus is near
• Provides password protection for your account
• Can be downloaded by App Store or Google Play

All you need is an account with Here Comes the Bus and you can track the bus using your computer, smartphone, or tablet.

The app requires parents and guardians to register and provide specific security information, including:

• Username
• School district code (29216)
• Password
• Each child’s Infinite Campus identification number and last name
  

Questions?

Iowa Central School Bus
(319) 688-1900

Email: fitten.kimberly@iowacityschools.org
Website: https://www.iowacityschools.org/Domain/1106
Location: 1507 8th Street, Coralville, IA, USA
Phone: 319-688-1060
Twitter: @NWJHVikings

It is the policy of the Iowa City Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status in its educational programs, activities, or employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy, please contact Eric Howard, Director of Equity and Employee Relations, 1725 N. Dodge St., Iowa City, IA 52245, 319-688-1000, howard.eric@iowacityschools.org.