Prairie Dog Press
Perry Creek Elementary (Grades TK - 5) - August
Welcome Back to School
Dear Parents,
Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! I hope this letter finds you and your family well. I am excited for this upcoming school year! I hope our students have had time to relax, rejuvenate, enjoy the outdoors, and are ready to start a new school year. I am so delighted that you are part of our amazing learning community. I welcome and value your positive energy and dedication to excellence in education, and I look forward to working with you and your children.
I have every reason to believe this will be another incredible year at Perry Creek Elementary. Our excellent office staff and building engineers are getting all the final touches completed for the start of the year. The office staff can be reached by phone if you need help or have questions. Please bear with me with the length of this email. Typically, my newsletters and/or emails will not be of this great length. Please read the information below and let me know if you have any questions. I can be reached at moranm@live.siouxcityschools.com.
As a parent, I understand the significance of quality education and the vital role parents and guardians play in their children's educational journey. I firmly believe that collaboration between home and school is essential for the holistic development of each child. I'd like to encourage open communication and invite you to share any concerns, suggestions, or ideas throughout the year.
At Perry Creek Elementary, we strive for excellence in all aspects of education. Our dedicated staff is passionate about ensuring that each student receives a well-rounded education that prepares them for future success. We are committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for your children where they can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Throughout the school year, you can expect regular communication from us regarding important updates, events, and opportunities for parental involvement. We'll also proactively seek your feedback to continuously improve our school community.
In preparation for the upcoming year, here is a list of “things you need to know” to ease back into the year.
Online Verification
Online verification is open to parents/guardians. Online verification allows you to access the 2024-25 Parent/Guardian and Student Handbook, modify and/or confirm contact information, and complete appropriate District forms. Online verification is required for every child in the District. You can access the online verification link at https://www.siouxcityschools.org/o/sccs/page/online-verification. You will need to log into the Infinite Campus Parent Portal to complete online verification. If you have forgotten your username or password, please contact Perry Creek and speak with Barb to reset your password at 712-279-6836.
Parent/Guardian Student Handbook
The 2024-25 Parent/Guardian and Student Handbook provides an in-depth description of many important topics relevant to a student’s education. There are essential additions/changes specific. Please review the handbook closely. You will be prompted to view the handbook during online verification. You can also access the handbook any time by clicking on this link, Click here to view the 2024-2025 Parent/Guardian – Student Handbook.
Attendance
Student attendance is crucial to learning. There are also statutory requirements with which parents must comply. Please refer to the 2024-25 Parent/Guardian and Student Handbook to review the District’s attendance policy. Parents/guardians should notify a student’s school regarding an absence within the first hour of the school day. If an absence is not reported and a student does not attend school, the school office will contact the student’s household to report the absence and inquire about the reason for the absence. Parents will be notified by phone call.
Parents/guardians that download the Infinite Campus application available for Android and iPhone can also elect to get notifications pushed to a mobile phone with attendance updates from the school.
Infinite Campus and Canvas Parent Portals
All parents/guardians are encouraged to stay connected to their student’s academic progress using Infinite Campus (grades K-12)). These parent portals can be accessed from the district website (www.siouxcityschools.org). These portals give parents access to teacher email addresses, student schedules, grades, attendance, and more! Please be sure your email address is updated and correct in Infinite Campus. Email is the mode of communication we will utilize the most.
Curriculum Resources Fees/Lunch
The school furnishes curriculum resources. These resources include textbooks, digital texts and companion materials, software packages, and other items. There is a set fee for the use of curriculum resources. Fees are $34 for elementary school. Fees can be paid online. Visit the Parents section of the District website.
Students whose families meet the income guidelines for free and reduced-price lunch, the Family Investment Program, Supplemental Security Income, transportation assistance under open enrollment, or who are in foster care are eligible to have their student fees waived or partially waived. Students whose families are experiencing temporary financial difficulty may be eligible for a temporary waiver of student fees. This waiver does not carry over from year-to-year and must be completed annually. Fee waiver forms are available at each school or on the District website.
School Supply Lists
The list of items students need for the 2024-25 school year is now available online. Access the list for your student’s grade online at https://www.siouxcityschools.org/o/sccs/page/supply-lists.
Schedule of Events
- August 15 – Parents/Guardians will have access to class schedules (teachers) using Infinite Campus
- August 20 – Back to School Night for all TK-5th grade students from 5-7 pm.
- August 23 – First Day of School
- Elementary School Start Time 8:30 am. Breakfast starts at 8:00 am. If your child is not eating breakfast, they may arrive between 8:20-8:30.
- Elementary School Dismissal:
- Monday -Thursday dismissal starts at 3:25 - 3:30
- Friday dismissal starts at 1:25 – 1:30. Reminder every Friday we have a two hour early dismissal.
- Middle School Start Time 7:45 am
- High School Start Time 7:55 am
International Baccalaureate
Perry Creek Elementary is an officially authorized IB World School. There will be information shared throughout the year. In the meantime, if you want more information, please visit the International Baccalaureate website at www.ibo.org/. A major component of becoming an IB school is to have an "International Baccalaureate Advisory Committee." We want to get this started this year and are always looking for volunteers. Please send an email to me if this is of interest to you at moranm@live.siouxcityschools.com. This committee will work closely with us to help guide our future and to help share our direction with others.
Student Placement
A great deal of time, effort, and thought has gone into the student placement process for the 2024-2025 school year. Careful consideration was given to each student by various staff members. Classrooms have been balanced academically and socially as much as possible. Our class lists are structured to provide equitable class sizes at each grade level. Moving students is difficult without causing imbalances and inequities.
Buss Passes:
Buss Passes will be handed out at Back to School Night. The District is launching a new technology (Traversa) on our buses that will allow families to track their students riding the bus in real time through a mobile app. To enable this technology, students will receive new bus passes for the upcoming school year. A student will need to scan their pass when they enter and exit their bus. Students must carry their bus passes with them to ride the bus. Please discuss with your child the importance of keeping their bus pass safe in their backpack. We will provide a lanyard for each buss pass. If buss pass is lost there is a $5 charge to replace.
I am truly honored to serve as the Principal of Perry Creek Elementary and look forward to getting to know each of you as we work together to make this school year successful. Together, we will create a nurturing and engaging educational environment where your children can reach their full potential.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our school office at 712-279-6836 or by email at moranm@live.siouxcityschools.com. I look forward to partnering with you to provide your children with the best possible education.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Moran
Important Calendar Reminders
Students will be dismissed two hours early every Friday during the 2024-2025 school year for staff professional development. This will replace early dismissals on Mondays for professional development.
Due to this change, students will have a two-hour early out on Friday, August 23 – the first day of school.
There will be no school on Monday, September 2 due to Labor Day.
Back to School Night
Please join us for Back to School Night on August 20 from 5-7pm. We will have a passport at the door to make sure you go to all of the stations. Each station will stamp your passport. Please drop completed passport in the basket before you go to be entered into a drawing.
- Meet the teacher
- Photo's
- Gym for free books
- Paperwork
Counselor’s Corner
This year, our School Counselor Miss Shanahan has an official name change. Please scan the QR code or click the link below to check out her Back to School Newsletter and name change update. This year, she will be adding to our newsletter’s by creating a counselor’s corner update periodically throughout the year. STAY TUNED and WELCOME BACK! 😊
Buss Passes will be handed out at Back to School Night. The District is launching a new technology (Traversa) on our buses that will allow families to track their students riding the bus in real time through a mobile app. To enable this technology, students will receive new bus passes for the upcoming school year. A student will need to scan their pass when they enter and exit their bus.
Students must carry their bus passes with them to ride the bus. Please discuss with your child the importance of keeping their bus pass safe in their backpack. We will provide a lanyard for each buss pass. If buss pass is lost there is a $5 charge to replace.
If you ride bus 46 please bring your bus pass to back to school night from last year so we can get you a lanyard and make sure you still have your bus pass.
What’s Happening in Siouxland: Virtual Backpack
Stay connected with family-friendly activities, programs, and clubs in the community through Virtual Backpack. The e-newsletter, which includes information from various Siouxland organizations, is sent out monthly to all district families. Or, view the most up-to-date lists of events and activities on the Virtual Backpack website.
Important Reminders for School Meals
If your student qualifies for free or reduced meals, you will need to complete the online application if you have not done so already.
Families that do not qualify for free or reduced meals can deposit money into their student’s MySchoolBucks account. Information on meal prices for the 2024-2025 school year is available on the District’s website.
For questions or assistance with school meals, please contact the District’s Food Service Department at 712-279-6860 or 712-279-6862.
Handbook Includes Updated Protocol Information
Have you reviewed the 2024-2025 SCCSD Parent/Guardian – Student Handbook? The handbook includes important information to help students reach their fullest potential at school. Families are encouraged to review the handbook with their students to make sure they are aware of what is expected of them as a student in the Sioux City Community School District.
Click here to view the 2024-2025 Parent/Guardian – Student Handbook.
Have a Safety Concern?
Safe + Sound Iowa offers students and families a convenient way to anonymously report safety concerns related to our school. Trained dispatchers will share the information with appropriate school administrators and/or law enforcement so help can be given to those in crisis or at risk.
School Safety
The safety of our students and staff is paramount. The District uses Standard Response Protocol or common terms to communicate our actions and response to an emergency situation. The terms Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter are used so students, staff, and first responders understand the situation and how best to respond.
We encourage families to become familiar with these terms to better understand our school’s response and what to expect in a crisis situation. For more information on safety preparedness within the District, visit siouxcityschools.org.
Remember to Read
Families want their children to do well and have every advantage to be successful later in life. All those preparations begin when children are very young and continue all the way until children are grown. There is so much value in making time for reading at home. It doesn't have to take a long time and can become a special way to get to spend some quiet time with your child.
Read to your child. Let them read to you. Take turns reading. Please provide time for your child to read or be read to. Start with just 5-10 minutes each night and try to increase the amount of time gradually to a time that you are comfortable with. I recommend setting a time for all TV watching, video gaming, and use of other technology to end for the night. A schedule for nights at home could be 7:30pm – clean up, set out clothes for school and get ready for bed, 8:00pm – time for reading, 8:30pm – lights out & bedtime. This schedule could be adjusted to earlier times for younger children. It is never too late to establish a new routine at home, as this will help your nights and mornings go more smoothly. You might just find that you want to get away from all of the social media chaos and make more time for reading, too.
Box Tops - New Scanning Feature
The Box Tops program is mostly digital-only. Participating brands are starting to change their packaging from a traditional Box Tops clip to the new Box Top label.
If you see this label, use the new Box Tops app to scan your receipt. Box Tops are still worth 10¢ each for Perry Creek & Clark. The app will find participating products purchased at any store and instantly add cash to our school's earnings online.
Hy-Vee Receipts - Cash For Students Program
We would love to collect your Hy-Vee receipts from the Sioux City or South Sioux City Hy-Vee stores. For every $100 dollars collected the school will receive $1 dollar!
Eligible receipts for groceries, prescriptions, floral, photoshop, and catering are accepted.
(No fuel, gas, postal, money order, Western Union, lottery, Quest, Mid American, bottle refunds or gift card receipts will be accepted.)
Perry Creek Elementary
3601 Country Club Boulevard
Sioux City, IA 51104
(712) 279-6836
Principal: Mande Moran
Assistant Principal: Stephanie Felts
Email: moranm@live.siouxcityschools.com feltss@live.siouxcityschools.com
Website: https://perry-creek.siouxcityschools.org/o/perry-creek
Location: 3601 Country Club Blvd, Sioux City, IA, USA
Phone: 712-279-6836
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerryCreekElementarySchoolSCCSD
Twitter: @PerryCreekSCCSD