Coralville Central Newsletter

Hello Coralville Central Families,

I hope you enjoyed last week's Fall Break. The students seem to have come back refreshed and ready for the next stretch. We have Conferences coming up in November. We strive to get 100% participation from families.

Conference Sign-up information will come out Monday, October 28th @ 4:00pm. If you cannot find a time that works for you, please reach out to your child's teacher to schedule a different time.

The weather will be a changin' soon! If you need winter gear, please reach out to Michael Mendoza for support. We are more than happy to help fit your needs.

A reminder that next Thursday, October 31st and Tuesday, November 5th are no school days!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Andy Gahan

Gahan.andy@iowacityschools.org

319.666.1100

Here is the policy for all students' personal devices.

Personal Devices (i.e. cell phones, smart watches, tablets, personal laptops, etc.):

• ALL cell phones and other electronic devices, including smart watches, must be turned in at the start of the day.
• Phone calls can only be made from a school phone with adult supervision.
• If you need to contact a parent about an issue at school, you must first speak to a teacher or another adult about the situation.
• If it is discovered that a student has not turned in their device, parents will be called to pick it up from the office.

The district will not be held accountable for lost or stolen items brought to school by a student.

A further note, this policy extends to field trips. NO PERSONAL DEVICES WILL BE ALLOWED ON ANY FIELD TRIPS.

Our Lost & Found is already overflowing!!

Please remind your student to check for missing items often. It is EXTREMELY important to remember to label coats, jackets, sweatshirts, lunch containers, water bottles, etc. That way we can give the items back to its owner.

Starting in October, all unclaimed items will be donated at the end of each month.

One way we can prevent bullying at Coralville Central is by learning to celebrate the differences of those around us AND working together with people we may not always choose to be around. These techniques are practiced in all grade levels during our bullying prevention unit.

Check out our 4th graders who set a goal, made a plan, and worked together to stack 10 cups without using their hands to touch the cups. Even during the most difficult times, they leaned on each other for support and guidance.

Becca Bender

School Counselor

Coralville Central

319.688.1100

Counseling referral form

Hello from the Library!

The weather is starting to get chillier at night making it all perfect for reading. Grab a cozy blanket, get a (free!) library book, and make some hot tea. Reading books (or reading pictures in a book) is a screenless and comfortable activity for the whole family. Right now I'm reading a rom-com called Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez. I got it from what I call the CC Staff Lending Library where we all just trade good books. Sarah Beneke lent it to me. What good books are you reading to your kids? What good books are you reading for yourself?

There is lots going on in the library:

Kindergarteners have been learning that all books have a specific place in the library that they "live." Their address is the call number.

1st graders reviewed the nonfiction pictures to help us find books in that section and we've been enjoying books by Ryan T. Higggins.

2nd graders also reviewed nonfiction pictures to help us find books in that section AND we read books that taught us about other countries.

3rd and 5th grades have been working on AI (artificial intelligence) lessons

4th grade has been working on a collaborative project between Library and Art and the School of Library Science at Iowa and the Stanley Museum of Art featuring muralists and Keith Haring.

Devin Redmond (she/hers)

Teacher Librarian

Coralville Central Elementary : ICCSD

Instagram @cclibrary

Facebook @coralvillecentral

Twitter @devinred

Hello Coralville Central families,

With fall upon us, it is important that all students are dressed for the weather which means having a good, warm coat. If your student needs a coat, feel free to contact me, Mr. Mendoza--Student Family Advocate. I'll work hard to ensure your student has a coat that will fit them and keep them warm throughout this fall/winter season.

Thank you!
Mr. Mendoza

Student and Family Advocate

Coralville Central Elementary

Iowa City Community School District

Email: mendoza.michael@iowacityschools.org

Office #: 319.688.1100 Ext. 4513

Clean Hands Keep Us Safe & Healthy!

At school, we encourage hand washing frequently to help prevent the spread of germs. Reinforcing this habit at home helps kids remember how important it is, no matter where they are. Here are some tips to practice at home so children learn:

• Model good behavior: wash your hands correctly and often.
• Take the time to teach your children to wash correctly: wet hands, apply soap, lather for at least 20 seconds (long enough to sing "Happy Birthday" two times), rinse and dry thoroughly.
• Talk about when to wash hands: before and after eating, after using the restroom, playing outside, touching pets or their cages, when you sneeze, cough, or blow your nose, and any times hands are visibly dirty.

Hand sanitizer is acceptable if soap and water are not immediately available but washing well with soap and water is always best. Apply lotion if hands are dry and/or cracked.

Please help us keep students and staff a little safer by practicing hand hygiene at home!

School begins promptly at 7:50 AM. Any student arriving in the classroom after 8:50 AM
is late to school. Currently we are having a large number of students arriving to school late. Please know these minutes are counted in their absenteeism and can result in consequences.

Confused about attendance that is marked Unexcused?

Anything that is not a state exempt absence (Religious, Medical, Family Medical) is coded in Infinite Campus as Unexcused because it is counting the minutes missed from instruction.

Students are allowed up to 8 Medically Exempt (MEDX) absences per trimester. Medical absences after 8 must have a note to be exempt.

The District is committed to providing a safe and healthy learning environment for our students. Due to the increase in food allergies and concerns with childhood obesity, changes have been made to the district's Wellness Policy regarding classroom snacks, birthday treats, and classroom celebrations. Some elementary schools are celebrating without food, so please check with your child's school to find out their practice.

When food is served to students in the classroom as a snack, birthday treat, or during a classroom celebration, the following rules apply (ICCSD Wellness Policy 507.9):

• allow only fresh fruits/vegetables or purchased foods with the ingredients listed (no homemade foods).
• allow only foods that meet the Healthy Food Guidelines/Smart Snacks. The only exception to this would be food-tasting related to district-approved curriculum lessons.
• not allow foods with peanuts or peanut butter, or foods that were made in a factory where cross-contamination may occur.
• food that does not meet the guidelines will be sent home.
• a list of acceptable foods (Healthy Food Guidelines/Smart Snacks) will be made available to parents and teachers at the beginning of the school year (and can be found on the district web site).

Examples of Acceptable Foods:

• Veggie straws or chips
• Skinny Pop or Boom Chicka Pop popcorn
• Cheddar Goldfish or Annie's Cheddar Bunnies
• Gluten-free pretzels or pretzel chips (example: Snyder's brand)
• Carrots
• Applesauce
• Fruit leathers
• Benton's animal crackers (Aldi)
• Apples, bananas, cuties
• Pirate's Booty
• Mott's, Welch's or Annie's fruit snacks

**Snacks MUST be individually packaged.

**All snacks MUST be PEANUT/TREE NUT FREE and MUST NOT be made in a facility that processes nuts. The packaging should not have any NUT Allergy Warnings.

Read the ingredient label for any allergy warnings.

**Snacks that are not on the approved list will be sent home.

**Non-food items are always preferable so all students may safely enjoy a treat. Some examples include:

• Stickers
• Washable tatoos
• Bubbles
• Pencils/erasers

• Thursday, October 31st - No School (Diwali)
• Friday, November 1st - Picture Re-take Day
• Tuesday, November 5th - No School (Election Day)

If you need to come into Coralville Central for any reason, please come to the front of the school and ring the doorbell. We will let you in and then you need to come into the main office and sign in. Thank you!

ALL parents of Kindergarten and 1st grade students - please make sure that your student has an extra change of clothes in their backpacks EVERYDAY in case of accidents. Please also make sure they are season-appropriate (for this time of year--please send sweats, leggings, or shorts).

The link below is the description of the expectations for drop-off and pick-up at Coralville Central. Thank you for following these guidelines. We want everyone to make it safely and on time.

Drop-Off and Pick-Up

You’re Invited!
Here at Coralville Central and throughout the ICCSD, we use the PBIS framework to support students’ behavioral, academic, social, emotional, and mental health. It is a way to create positive, predictable, equitable and safe learning environments where everyone thrives (Source: https://www.pbis.org/).
We have a PBIS team at school that meets the second Wednesday of each month- after school. We would love to have a parent on the team. Are you interested? Please contact; bender.becca@iowacityschools.org.

Looking for information on Securly, our web filtering tool? Find all
the information here www.IowaCitySchools.org/Securly.

If you have any questions, feel free to let me know. Thank you!

CONTACT: (319) 688-1000 | pedersen.kristin@iowacityschools.org
EXPLORE: www.IowaCitySchools.org
FOLLOW: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Mobile App

Who? Any girl K-6th grade

When? Every Tuesday (11/5-1/21), 5:00-6:00pm

Where? City High Wrestling Room

Work with City High Coaching staff and current Little Hawk girl wrestlers to get introduced to the sport and learn foundational skills to improve.

Technology continues to evolve and play a key role in learning. One recent emerging technology claiming to transform education is artificial intelligence (AI). As the district explores both the potential and pitfalls of AI, we wanted to gain your insights. The questions within the survey will help us better understand your knowledge of AI, what concerns you may have, as well as what hunches you have about its ability to enhance student learning. In addition, your expertise will assist in the creation of guidelines for both teachers and students as they use artificial intelligence in the classroom. Your anonymous feedback will play a crucial role in ensuring artificial intelligence is not only accessible but used responsibly and effectively to enrich student learning experiences. We greatly appreciate your time and thoughtful responses to the probing questions.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevjjZDHHv9QfHLmy9ek2YhScTmen739_hMp4Q_9Hdc4XdmLA/viewform

Please make sure you review the district student handbook for questions on policies, etc.

https://www.iowacityschools.org/Page/14338

Students, Families, and Employees - The Ombuds Office is here to help! Visit www.IowaCitySchools.org/Ombuds to learn more!

In order to achieve our goals of excellence and equity for all students, we have adopted a new school improvement model called High Reliability Schools. High Reliability Schools is a framework that supports fulfilling our vision of equitable outcomes for all students. It gives us a common language to name what we’re doing, assess our current reality, align our initiatives, and determine where to go next. It is a vehicle that allows us to balance shared responsibility and autonomy to make decisions that best meet the needs of all our students.

We are excited to get this work started and we are excited to partner in this process with all of you! We value the voice of our school community and we want to make sure that your experiences are reflected in our High Reliability Schools implementation. Throughout the year, there will be multiple opportunities for our students, families, and staff to provide feedback that will inform the work that we do. Please stay tuned for information on these opportunities. We look forward to partnering with you on this exciting new adventure!

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 Eric Howard, Director of Equity and Employee Relations, 1725 N Dodge St, Iowa City, IA 52245, 319-688-1000, howard.eric@iowacityschools.org.