Beartales

Happy New Year! I hope you all were able to find ways to enjoy the holiday season and still remain healthy and safe. We have been reconnecting with your child(ren) during this first week of hybrid. While I did take some time to disconnect from work, I missed seeing our Bears everyday. 14 days was a long time!

We will continue next week in the hybrid model serving students A-K on Mondays/Thursdays and students L-Z on Tuesdays/Fridays unless you have made other arrangements with us. Wednesday will be another teacher work day in the morning. Students are able to come to school for extra help between 12:30-3:40 for up to an hour. Students are also able to have lunch between 12-12:30 if they are coming to get help.

We anticipate that we will return to on-site learning Monday, January 18th. However, we will know for sure after the Board Meeting that will take place at 6:00pm on January 11th. Stay tuned for more information.

We are getting ready to start the 2nd semester here soon. Adjustments have been made to the school calendar based on the decision to start January in the hybrid model. See the Important Dates section at the bottom of this newsletter for changes. We have a lot of work ahead of us as we strive to meet the standards identified at each grade level.

We continue to work hard each and every day to support our Bryant learners. If you ever need help with anything or have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. We appreciate your partnership as we head into 2021!

Students will be participating in the second round of FAST testing next week. The Literacy testing window opens on Monday the 11th. Once the required assessments are completed we will be able to compare this data to your child's Fall scores as well as grade level benchmarks that have been set by the state. Our goal is for all students to increase their proficiency levels by 10% from fall to spring. This data will help us to intentionally plan for your child's literacy block and WIN (What I Need) intervention time.

The second round of Math testing will be the week of January 25th. We are excited to see our student's progress on both assessments!

Calling all parents and families of children ages 2 through 5 years old (not yet attending Kindergarten), we are excited to announce that we will be offering virtual learning courses and learning kits for interested parents on various ways to help your child get ready for Kindergarten. There is no cost to you to participate. This is a great opportunity to learn more tips and tricks on helping your students prepare for school.

These classes will include literacy skills, mathematic skills, and social and emotional skills during the 2020-21 Fall, Winter, and Spring sessions. These self-paced learning sessions will be available to you through the virtual and safe access of your own homes with approved pre-registration using the "sign in" and "create your account" option, and registering for the current session. Families completing the current online learning course will be shipped a set of “all you need learning tools & toys” to help your child develop imperative ready for school skills.

Go to this webpage to sign up today! Sign up here àt https://www.readyforkindergarten.org/siouxcity

Session Dates:

· #2 Winter (Math) self-paced courses will run from December 18 through February 14.

· #3 Spring (Social & Emotional) self-paced courses will run from February 19 through April 18.

Annually, Sioux City Community Schools are in session on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in order to facilitate specialized instruction that honors the achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Working in partnership with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the District plans age-appropriate lessons for every grade. Because of COVID-19 and the District’s safety practices, we will not be inviting parents or community guests to visit classrooms during instruction on January 18. Please ask your child what they learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when they come home from school on January 18.

From camps to sports leagues to family services, the SCCSD Virtual Backpack serves as a link between non-profit community partners and our students and families.

Would you like to get weekly updates about events? Sign Up for the Virtual Backpack email list here.

Jan. 11-22 Winter FAST Literacy window opens

Jan. 18 Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Jan. 19 End of 2nd Quarter

Jan. 20 No School--Teacher Work Day

Jan. 21 2nd Semester begins

Jan. 25-Feb.12 Winter FAST Math window opens

Jan. 28 Report cards go home (Virtual students will have theirs mailed home on this day.)

NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT The Sioux City Community School District offers career and technical programs in the following areas: Business & Marketing, Family & Consumer Science, Health Science, and Industrial Arts, Technology, & PLTW. The Sioux City Community School District is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information (for employment), national origin, religion, age (for employment), disability, socioeconomic status (for programs), marital status (for programs), or veteran status (for employment) in its educational programs and its employment practices. The District is required by Title IX and 34 CFR Part 106 not to discriminate on the basis of sex in its programs, activities, or employment. Inquiries or grievances under Section 504 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act may be directed to Jen Gomez, Director of Student Services & Equity Education/Title IX Coordinator at 627 4th Street, Sioux City, IA 51101, (712) 279-6075, gomezj2@live.siouxcityschools.com. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its regulations to the District may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, or both. Please see District Board policies 103 and 504.4 for additional information on available grievance procedures.

Website: https://www.siouxcityschools.org/bryant
Location: 3040 Jones Street, Sioux City, IA 51104, USA
Phone: 712-279-6819
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bryant-Elementary-School-392305667903892/
Twitter: @bryant_school