1. Diversity Department Updates
2. Shout-out to our Students
3. Shout-out to our Teachers
4. Autism Acceptance Month
5. Arab-American Heritage Month
6. Tartan Day
7. Earth Day
8. Upcoming Events
9. Commemorative Observances
   
10. Happy Holidays!

Dear Families and Staff,

Our District stands with those speaking out against and condemning the physical violence and verbal abuse directed at the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. As a District, it is important to use our voice, our actions, and our resources to ensure all lives are treated with respect and love.

Please know that we are thinking of you and that you are not alone in this moment. We all deserve to be safe and secure. This District will not tolerate racism, hate, and other discriminatory acts. As a community, we remain committed to being an active participant in the fight for equality and the end of all forms of racism. We are here and would encourage you to reach out if there is any way we can assist you. Below you will also find links to resources that are available for our staff and our community. #ICCSDtogether

Synchrony Employee Assistance Program

Crime Victim Assistance Programs - Information & Support

CommUnity Crisis Services - Free, Non-judgmental Emotional Support 24/7

National Mental Health Resources - Free, Quick-access Hotlines for Support

COVID Recovery Iowa - Free Counseling & Support for all Iowans

Sincerely,

Matt Degner
Superintendent
Iowa City Community School District

The Ombudsperson position was created to protect against abuse, bias, and other improper treatment of anyone in the school district community. The ombudsperson is an advocate for fairness who acts as a source of information and referral, and aids in answering questions, and assisting in the resolution of critical situations. In considering any given instance or concern, the rights of all involved parties are taken into account. This office supplements, but does not replace, the school district’s existing resources for conflict resolution.

We know that Taj will do amazing things in our district, and we feel very lucky that he has joined our team!

Students who plan to fast through Ramadan will not be eating or drinking during the school day, and we want to do whatever we can to make this easier and help our students feel supported during this holiday.

One of the most important things you can do is have an understanding and appreciation for our student's cultures and diversity. Gestures like making a comfortable space for Muslim students during lunch, understanding there may be limitations during physical education classes, or simply taking an interest in your student's practices which may be different than your own are very helpful and will make a big difference!

To learn more about how you can support your students, click here.

In the last year, whether we wanted to or not, we've all become more familiar with Zoom. From online class time to committee and school board meetings, we've relied upon this software to connect us.

Because Zoom has become an essential part of some of our days, we'd like to point out some of their accessibility features that can help you be more inclusive in your meetings and webinars. Zoom now provides closed captioning and live transcription for those with Pro, Business, Education, Enterprise accounts. (ICCSD staff using their work accounts will have access to this feature)

This tool is helpful for everyone, not just for those who are hearing impaired. In fact, there have been studies to show that closed captioning increases the comprehension of, attention to, and memory of a video.

Click here to see full instructions about how to set up this feature for your meetings. You can also watch the video below for more information!

Things to note:

1. Captions will pick up on anyone talking, so taking turns and muting yourself when someone else is speaking is very important.
2. Captions are not always perfect, so try to speak in a clear, even tone to help the software pick up on your words.

Paras and several other ICCSD students belong to the State of Iowa Youth Advisory Council which advocates for policy changes to make schools safer and more culturally responsive places!

We thought we'd let Paras explain this important work in their own words. Here is a message from Paras:

The past month I have been working on a variety of Legislative Advocacy initiatives surrounding Equity.

(Please note in the blurb that this description does not reflect the official will of the State of Iowa Youth Advisory Council or the Iowa Department of Human Rights)

Lulu Roarick, Soomin Koh, and I are all a part of the State of Iowa Youth Advisory Council that acts as a body of Youth who communicate with the Governor and State Legislature about Youth issues. I am the chair of the SIYAC Education Committee and we wrote a position statement on equitable education standards that was sponsored and put forth as a bill Senate FIle 248 in the Iowa Senate by Sen. Joe Bolkcom. This bill would add cultural responsiveness training and restorative justice training to teaching licensure requirements, and added equitability and representativeness requirements to curriculum standards. Our bill did not make it through the First Funnel in the Iowa Legislature, but we are proud to have started a conversation about Education Equity at the state level.

Last month I founded the Iowa Youth Advocacy Network which aims to provide training and access to resources for youth across Iowa who are interested in Legislative Advocacy. This year, a variety of anti-LGBTQ+ bills were proposed in the Iowa Legislature and I was able to speak out against them at several Senate Subcommittee Hearings alongside other community members in defense of LGBTQ+ Youth rights. I was often the only student that attended these meetings, and I noticed that my voice stood out as a new perspective in the usual Legislative discussion.

The Iowa Youth Advocacy Network is an all-inclusive empowerment resource for Youth in Iowa to have their voices heard. There are already over 40 youth from across the state involved and many from the ICCSD! Here is the Advocacy landing page from the IYAN website that I made: https://iyan-advocacy.carrd.co/

We'd like to highlight a really awesome training that is coming up on the 26th:

The Intersection of Race, Mental Health and School to Prison Pipeline: Punching the Air

Throughout childhood and adolescence, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), especially those who are neurodiverse or have mental disorders, are disproportionately impacted by involvement with the criminal legal system in the United States. Ableism and institutionalized racism contribute to the overuse of restraint and seclusion at school and facilitate the school-to-prison pipeline. During this presentation, participants will examine the impact of bias on decisions made in the classroom. Alternatives to compliance-based, punitive, and exclusionary discipline will be explored.

Aashika has been BUSY during this last year and didn't let the pandemic keep her from following her dreams. In September 2020, she decided at only 16 years of age to start her own business making cupcakes. iCake started right in her family's kitchen and is becoming more successful every day.

It's not every day that a junior in high school decides to become an entrepreneur, and we couldn't be more impressed! Not only does Aashika provide delicious treats, but she is also honoring frontline workers fighting Covid-19 by donating her cupcakes to them.

In fact, as much as 20% of iCake's sales go to local charities.

Keep up the good work Aashika! You are awesome!

Click here to check out her Facebook page!

*If you know of a student that deserves a shout-out, reach out and let us know!

This month we are excited to highlight Tate High School and Online Academy's Mandy Duffey!

Mandy teaches Science and last month she decided to get creative to teach her students about important women in the field. As she did for Black History Month, Mandy continues to create engaging lessons for her students and allows them the flexibility to learn about important topics of diversity, all while having a blast in Science.

For women's history month, students worked in groups to provide a stellar presentation, featuring female scientists' work in their own words. Students got to pick from four different sub-fields of science; Life Science, Physical and Chemical Science, Earth and Climate Science, and Engineering. They then learned about amazing women who changed the world!

Keep up the good work Mandy! We appreciate you!

*If you know of a teacher or ICCSD staff member that deserves a shout-out, reach out and let us know!

In 2010, the number of identified and diagnosed children with autism was 1 in 125, and by 2020 this number has increased to 1 in 54. We want to celebrate all of our students, families, and parents who are neurodivergent this month, and promote love and acceptance in our schools.

Acceptance vs. Awareness

Some have probably heard of Autism Awareness rather than acceptance. So what is the difference between Acceptance vs Awareness, and why are we changing our language surrounding this month?

When activists in the autism and neurodivergent community were first advocating for a national month to celebrate, Autism was often framed as a "Problem" by society. Awareness sometimes frames Autism as a problem to be "fixed" in children, and can sometimes use dangerous stereotypes that don't accurately represent the diversity for which it is advocating. Awareness is surface level, and as a culture, we need to move past this to full acceptance.

Acceptance is about having an understanding of diversity, and the individual experiences and prejudices that affect autistic people in our society. We will sometimes need to confront uncomfortable truths and change our behavior and systems to create environments for our Autistic and neurodivergent students to thrive.

Acceptance is work, but it is worth the effort!

Many autistic people have trouble recognizing tone. With our increasing communication via email/text here are some helpful tone indicators that you can incorporate into your day-to-day communication to help our neurodivergent individuals and cut down on miscommunications. Educators can provide a "Key" or a vocabulary resource for their class to show that these will be the tone indicators you will be using going forward.

Tone Indicators:

• /j = joking
• /hj = half joking
• /s or /sarc = sarcastic/sarcasm
• /srs = serious
• /nsrs = not serious
• /ref = reference
• /nm = not mad
• /ot = off topic
• /q = quote
• /m = metaphor/metaphorically
• /rt = retorical question
• /pc or /pos = positive connotation
• /nc or /neg = negative connotation
• /neu = neutral connotation

Try these out in your classroom to see what is and is not helpful to your neurodivergent students!

Click here or watch the video below to view the official statement from the Department of State.

Arab American Heritage Month is a celebration that highlights the histories, achievements, and cultures of Arab Americans and people who are of Arab descent. We'd like to lift up our Arab American students, families and staff this month and EVERY month as a integral part of our community.

For those looking for resources to celebrate Arab American heritage, Detroit Public Television has created an Emmy Award-Winning 13-part series that explores the diversity of the Arab American Experience.

Click here to take a look at the resources for this series!

An awesome thing about this series is that for each episode, there are accompanying curriculum and lesson plans to implement in your classroom!

For Educators

In 1998, a Coalition of Scottish Americans with the support of Senator Trent Lott successfully lobbied the Senate for the designation of April 6 as National Tartan Day "to recognize the outstanding achievements and contributions made by Scottish Americans to the United States".

Today there are around 6 million Americans that claim Scottish descent! And of the 13 governors of the newly established United States, did you know that NINE were Scottish? Some scholars even say that of the 56 signatures on the Declaration of Independence, nearly a third are of those of Scottish descent!

Click the button below to check out more about Scottish heritage!

The district took this to heart, and in March our Director of Facilities stated that we've reduced our carbon footprint by 48%, nine years ahead of schedule for our 10-year plan! Wow!

Click here to read The Gazette article to learn more!

Check out the links below to find cool ways to celebrate Earth Day in your classroom!

We thank all our parents, students, and community members who have served, are serving, or have family members that serve. Your work is so important and we appreciate you all!

This year we will acknowledge the various diverse cultures that are celebrated throughout the year. We understand that our calendar may not be all-inclusive, so if you are aware of any cultural holidays or months of observance that we should know about, feel free to reach out and let us know.

African American History Month (February)
National African American History Month in February celebrates the contributions that African Americans have made to American history in their struggles for freedom and equality and deepens our understanding of our Nation's history.

Women's History Month (March)
Women’s History Month honors and celebrates the struggles and achievements of American women throughout the history of the United States.

Irish-American Heritage Month (March)
Irish-American Heritage Month is a month to celebrate the contributions which Irish-Americans have made to the United States.

Jewish American Heritage Month (May)
Jewish American Heritage Month is a month to celebrate the contributions Jewish Americans have made to America since they first arrived in New Amsterdam in 1654.

Asian Pacific Heritage Month (May)

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month is a month to celebrate the contributions Asian/Pacific Americans have made to American history, society and culture.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month (June)

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month commemorates the events of June 1969 and works to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for LGBTQ Americans.

National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15)

National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates and recognizes the contributions Hispanic Americans have made to American society and culture and honors five of our Central American neighbors who celebrate their Independence days in September.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (October)
National Disability Employment Awareness Month celebrates the accomplishments in the workplace of persons with disabilities and reaffirms the commitment to ensuring equal employment opportunities to all citizens.

American Indian Heritage Month (November)
National American Indian Heritage Month celebrates and recognizes the accomplishments of the peoples who were the original inhabitants, explorers and settlers of the United States.

By Month

https://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/index.php

• Maundy (Holy) Thursday - Thursday, April 1st
• Good Friday - Friday, April 2nd
• Ramanavami - Friday, April 2nd
• Last day of Passover - Saturday, April 3rd
• Easter - Sunday, April 4th
• Yom Hashoah - Thursday, April 8th
• Hindi New Year - Monday, April 12th
• Ugadi/Gudi Padwa/Telugu New Year - Tuesday, April 12th
• Ramadan Begins - Tuesday, April 13th
• Vaishkhi/Baisakhi/Vishu - Wednesday, April 14th
• Yom HaZikaron - Wednesday, April 14th
• Tamil New Year - Wednesday, April 14th
• Bengali New Year/Bihu - Thursday, April 15th
• Yom HaAtzma'ut - Thursday April 15th
• Birthday of Guru Angad Dev - Sunday, April 18th
• First Day of Ridván - Tuesday, April 20th
• St. George's Day - Friday, April 23rd
• Second Passover - Monday, April 26th
• Hanuman Jayanti - Tuesday, April 27th
• Ninth Day of Ridván - Wednesday, April 28th
• Lag BaOmer - Friday, April 30th

Non-Discrimination Policy

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 Jeremy Tabor, Director of Equity & Employee Relations

Email: tabor.jeremy@iowacityschools.org
Website: https://www.iowacityschools.org/domain/64
Location: 1725 N. Dodge St., Iowa City, IA 52245
Phone: (319) 688-1000