Starting this school year, Lucas Elementary is a Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5th Elementary School, and we house close to 250 Mighty Hawk students. The Lucas team looks forward to seeing all of our returning and new Mighty Hawks.

Our dedicated team of amazing teachers and staff is committed to providing a nurturing and inclusive environment where every student can thrive. We are excited to continue our HRS (High Reliability Schools) professional development. We believe in the power of community and collaboration. Together, we will support our students in achieving their highest potential academically, socially, and emotionally. We are excited to work together with you to ensure the success of your student.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jenkins

First Day of School - Friday, August 23rd

First Day of PK classes - Friday, August 30th

No School - Monday, September 2nd

The construction project is going well. The back section of the building has been partly demolished. All rework inside the building has been done to keep everything running inside the building. All the dirt has been brought in to level off on the hill. The dirt will have to sit for a number of weeks to compact. Once that has happened the foundational work for the gym will begin. Once the foundation is in for the gym, walls will go up quickly and will be sealed up to allow for work over the winter. The new sidewalk is completed on the East leading up to the building, along with a new side walk near the front parking lot.

Please enter through the main entrance. Pre-ordered supplies will be delivered to the classrooms on the first day of school. Freeze pops will be in the MPR (Multi-Purpose Room). We are eager to see you!

Meet the Teacher Night (Wednesday the 21st) is the day we will officially share classroom rosters. All rosters will be posted at entrances when you arrive for the event at 5:30pm.

Dear Families and Staff,

We want to remind you about Free and Reduced Meal applications for the 2024-25 school year. Per federal guidelines, applications must be completed each year. This is a separate process from registration.

If you have not already done so and feel your student may qualify, please be sure to complete the 2024-25 application for Free & Reduced Meals, which can be found at https://www.myschoolapps.com/Home/PickDistrict.

If you need assistance completing this form, please get in touch with the Nutrition Services Department at (319) 688-1021.

Please complete the application before the start of school to ensure benefits are activated. Unfortunately, benefits cannot be applied retroactively, so any debt incurred prior to applying for free and reduced status is the family's responsibility.

We are dedicated to ensuring that all students have access to school meals and will provide the necessary assistance to make that possible. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Sincerely,

Alison Demory
Director of Nutrition Services
Iowa City Community School District

Arrival:

Walkers & Bike Riders

We encourage to use the sidewalks to come to/from school.

• Breakfast begins at 7:30am (Door 2)
• Please see lineup locations below on the map.
• Teacher supervision begins at 7:40am. Students will enter the building at 7:50.

Bus riders

• Students will exit the bus and walk to lineup locations.

Daycare vans

• Drop off is in the circle near main entrance.
• Students will walk to their lineup locations.

Kindergarten/preschool

• Students will walk to their lineup locations (near playground).
• If arriving by vehicle and walking your student to these doors, please park in our lot and walk them to the door. This keeps our flow of traffic moving.

Champions (BASP)

• Ring bell for access and enter through Door 2.

Dismissal:

The bell rings at 2:55 (1:55 Thursday). Bus/daycare vans, walkers/bikers and carline/BASP all depart at that time.

Walkers/bikers

• Dismissed through designated doors (See map)
• We encourage siblings to have a meeting location outside.

Bus riders and Daycare Vans

• Students will exit to the circle through the Main Entrance

Parent pick up

• Students will exit through designated doors.
• Kindergarten teachers will escort students out and meet parents near the ramp. (Door 3)

The demolished section of the building is identified by the "X" on the map and is a restricted area.

Here is a link to our school supply lists. For families who ordered school supply kits through PTO, these will be delivered to the classroom on your student desks the first day of school.

If you have not ordered supplies, teachers will let you know what's needed for the first day of school during Meet the Teacher.

To help in making our roads safer as we head into the new school year, we offer the following suggestions:

• Breakfast begins at 7:30am and ends at 7:50am. The tardy bell rings at 7:55 AM. - Give yourself plenty of time in the morning. As traffic volumes and congestion on the roadways increase, so does the length of time it takes to travel to your destination. Give yourself more time, leave earlier, reduce stress, and increase your awareness.

• Obey the posted speed limit signs and directional signs. This includes marked curbs. These signs and curb markings assist in the traffic flow into and out of the schools and assist in the safety of the students who walk and bike to school. One misplaced car can disrupt the traffic flow and the safety of our students.

• Obey the rules of the road. We ask that you are not on your cell phone when in the School Zone or carline.

• Please be patient! Impatience sometimes leads to aggressive driving, rude or unwarranted behavior, pedestrian and bicycle collisions and gridlocks traffic. Remember, everyone has the same goal in mind, to get our children safely to and from school.

• If you are driving your children to school, have them ready to leave the car, with all of their belongings when you come to a stop at the school. Backups and delays are caused when children have to get their backpacks and other items from the trunk or back seat of a car.

• Explore other alternatives such as carpool, ride-sharing, walking, or biking to school.

• Look and obey the school crossing guards. Crossing guards are provided to assist in the safe crossing of your students across the surrounding streets near each elementary school. Be on the lookout, be prepared to stop, and be prepared to follow their directions so our children can get to and from school safely.

Please help us, your children, and yourselves by following the rules of the road. Thank you so much for your support.

Elementary Student Handbook

Here is a link to the district elementary handbook. There will be some updates added soon relative to attendance. Please let us know if you have any questions.

https://lucas.iowacityschools.org/pto

830 Southlawn Drive

Iowa City IA 52245

Lillie Christophersen - Secretary (christophersen.lillie@iowacityschools.org)

Dr. Jenkins - Principal (jenkins.kathy@iowacityschools.org)

319-688-1140