Knights News
Unity Elementary School
Dear Families,
As we begin December, I look back to think how quickly this school year has gone so far. Throughout these first few months, in my new role, I thank each and every one of you for your patience and support. I truly love the wonderful families and community that we have at Unity.
We know that the holiday season is a hectic one, where people can be coming and going- always in a rush. However, as a community, we must be sure that we are paying attention to what matters most - the safety of our children. That is why we wanted to take some time to remind our families of a few of the protocols we have in place to help us do so. We know that they may take a few extra moments, but in the end - they are worth the time they take.
- First, please be prepared to answer a few important questions when entering your child’s school - and be prepared to show identification if you are not already in our recording system.
- If your child is going to be absent, please inform the school, as soon as possible. If we do not hear from a parent or guardian, the school attendance specialist will be calling to gather some information.
- With the temperatures starting to drop, I wanted to share our recess policies for outdoor recess. We believe it is important and healthy to get students outdoors whenever possible. When the outdoor “feels like” temperature is above 15 degrees we hope to be outdoors. Please help us by making sure your children have coats, hats, and gloves for this time of year.
- Any weather-related announcements about school times, releases or closures will be sent out by way of the districts “Thrillshare” app. If you do not currently, have it, please download this free app. Alerts will also be broadcast by the media and posted on our website.
- Finally, as the weather begins to change to snow, please exercise extra caution when driving to and from the school. The parking lot and crosswalks get slick, and snow often covers the safety markings. Our precious little ones are often in a hurry to get to school, or get home and don’t always look for vehicles, please keep an eye out for everyone.
For everyone at Unity Elementary, I want to let you know how grateful we are to have the opportunity to work with your students every day. We hope that you all have a very special holiday season and get to spend time with your loved ones.
Mr. Finkey
Thursday, December 5th - Holiday Spirit Day (Dress as your Favorite Holiday Character)
Friday, December 6th - Tree Topper's Day (Wear a Hat)
Monday, December 9th - Winter Wonderland (Wear White)
Tuesday, December 10th - Holiday Color's Day (Wear Red and/or Green)
Wednesday, December 11th - Baby it's Cold Outside (Wear Stocking Caps and Scarves)
Thursday, December 12th - Candy Cane Day (Wear Red and White)
Friday, December 13th - Light Up the Holidays (Wear something Shiny, Sparkly, Silver, or Gold)
Monday, December 16th - Fill up your Stockings Day (Wear Holiday Socks)
Tuesday, December 17th - Whoville Day (Crazy Hair or Grinch Day)
Wednesday, December 18th - You are a Gift (Wrap yourself like a Present)
Thursday, December 19th - Holiday Morning Day (Wear pajamas)
Friday, December 20th - Ugly Sweater Day (Wear your Ugliest or Most Gaudy Sweater)
Attention Parents of students in TK, K, and 1st grade, it would be very beneficial if you would pack an extra change of clothing to keep in your child's backpack or classroom. We do not have much clothing available in the office in the smaller sizes in case a student has an accident or perhaps spills their milk or water at lunch. Also, with the cold, wet, weather season approaching, sometimes students get their clothing wet at recess and need to change into something dry. Hopefully, this will keep us from having to interrupt you work day to bring a new set of dry clothing to your student. Thank you
Just a reminder from Mr. Chapman, our attendance specialist that Attendance Counts Every Day!!
His favorite saying is: "In School, On Time, Everyday!!"
He has noticed that many students have been arriving to school tardy in the mornings. Please be aware that with the new Attendance Policy, minutes arriving late to school each day can add up to days being gone, and count against your student's attendance record.
Just an FYI, if you send a cold lunch with your child and they plan to purchase a milk to drink with it, the cost of each milk is .55. Please be aware that we are unable to give back any change, so please send the exact change with your child. Any amount given over the cost of the milk will not be given back to the student, but will instead remain on their account as a credit.
There will be no school for students on the following days:
Thursday, November 28th (Thanksgiving Break)
Friday, November 29th (Thanksgiving Break)
Monday, December 23rd - Friday, January 3rd (Christmas Break)
Thursday, January 16th (Teacher Workday)
Monday, February 17th (Professional Development)
Thursday, March 27th (Conferences)
Friday, March 28th (Exchange Day)
Thursday-Monday, April 17th - 21st (Spring Break)
Monday, May 26th (Memorial Day)
If you are willing or interested in joining Unity PTO next year, we would really appreciate your willingness to help out! Unity PTO meets once a month and plans fun and exciting things for our staff and students. If you are interested, you can send an email to Unitypto@yahoo.com or contact us in the main office at the beginning of the school year. Thank you!
The next PTO meeting will be held on Thursday, December 12th, at 6:00 pm, in the library!
Winter is an active time for head lice outbreaks as children have more close contact - often sharing coats, scarves, and hats with one another. Encourage your child to put their coat in their bookbag to prevent contact with other students’ coats. Effective prevention and treatment can help you be prepared as students return to the classroom.
- Assume that head lice is always present in our community. It is good practice to check school children regularly. If one person in the house has head lice, everyone else should be checked. Only those infested should be treated. Lice are reddish-brown wingless insects. Nits (eggs) are grayish-white, oval-shaped, and glued at an angle to the hair shaft.
- Watch for signs of head lice, such as frequent head scratching. Anyone can get head lice... mainly by head-to-head contact, but also, less likely, from sharing hats, brushes, and headrests. Lice do not jump or fly.
- Consult your physician before applying or using lice treatment pesticides if you are not seeing improvement after two treatments, or if the person involved is pregnant, nursing, has allergies, asthma, pre-existing medical conditions, or has lice or nits in the eyebrows or eyelashes. Follow all directions carefully and repeat the treatment course if/ when indicated (usually 10-14 days). Never use pesticides near the eyes.
- There is no scientific evidence that home remedies (i.e. mayonnaise, tea tree oil) are effective treatments.
- Manual removal is a safe alternative to the use of pesticide treatments and a necessary component to any head lice treatment regimen. This requires great diligence and patience. Separate hair in sections and remove all attached nits with a lice comb. Start at the nape of the neck and behind the ears and work up from there.
- Wash bedding and clothing in hot water and dry in a hot dryer for at least 30 minutes. Combs and brushes may be soaked in hot water for 15 minutes. Vacuum floors, rugs, upholstered furniture, mattresses, and car seats to remove lice or fallen hairs with attached nits.
Happy December Unity families!
In December, our Character Strong focus will transition to empathy. As students get tired and we get into the middle of the year they can sometimes forget to act with understanding, so we hope to reinforce the wonderful things that students do for each other.
Last month in counselor lessons, students learned about their stress responses of fight, flight, and freeze and how they might show up in a classroom. We then discussed four strategies to get back in control of their emotions, including deep slow breaths, splashing cold water on their faces, giving themselves a massage at their shoulders, jaws, and foreheads, and speaking calmly to themselves like they would a friend that was upset or angry.
As always, if your student is showing signs of depression, anxiety, or anger outbursts at home, please reach out to me, and I can meet with your student and get them some emotional tools and support you. My email is niehusc3@live.siouxcityschools.com, and you can always select me as a recipient on Talking Points. We can set up a goal together, I can share what I am teaching, and I can talk to your student about setting up goals.
Happy December,
Caitlyn Niehus
Parents and guardians have the right to decide to keep their child home on any day they feel it is unsafe for their student to be in school because of weather conditions. If you believe the weather provides a sincere reason why you may have to keep your student at home, or take your student home when classes are scheduled to continue, you as a parent or guardian will simply need to contact our school office to let us know.
With the cooler temperatures upon us, please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the colder winter. Even during the winter season, the District allows recess and outdoor activities to continue as usual, so it is important that students have the right winter weather clothing. When the temperature feels like 15 degrees or lower, students are kept inside for recess and activities. Students should be prepared for the cooler weather with a warm coat, hat, scarf, and gloves. If your student does not have access to cold-weather apparel, please contact our school office.
The District sends out important information regarding school closings and cancellations and other updates to our families via phone, email, and text. Additionally, our school will contact you in case of an emergency or student health concern. Make sure your contact information is updated in our system and that your phone accepts the school’s phone calls. Doing this will ensure you receive school communication promptly and we can reach you in case of an emergency. To make updates to your contact information, please contact our office.
The weather in Iowa can be unpredictable. If the weather requires us to delay the start of our school day, cancel school for the day, or dismiss school early, information will be sent to families through email, text, and voicemail. In addition, this information is posted to our social media sites and the District website.
Please remember that parents and guardians have the right to make the decision to keep their child home on any day they feel it is unsafe for their student to be in school because of weather conditions. If you believe the weather provides a sincere reason why you may have to keep your student at home, or take your student home when classes are scheduled to continue, you as a parent or guardian will simply need to contact our school office to let us know.
Please link the graphic below to apply: https://www.siouxcityschools.org/page/careers)
Our TK & Kindergarten students exit from doors 25 and 26 (Mrs. Poulson and Mrs. Anderson's rooms). Our 1st and 2nd-grade students exit from the main entryway (door 1). Our 3rd-grade students exit from door 3 which is located behind our loading dock. The 4th and 5th graders exit from door 4 at the North end of the building. Please see the image below to assist you with this visualization. Please work with your family to agree to a common meeting place outside of the building. We do our best to limit student traffic within the building after school.
If you have a preschool child, they will dismiss out the main front entryway.
