May Newsletter

Tate High School graduation will take place on Friday, May 30th at 7 PM CST. The ceremony will be located at Xtream Arena (200 E 9th St Suite 100, Coralville). Seniors will need to be present at 5:30 PM.

For graduating seniors: Commencement Practice will be on Thursday, May 29th at the arena from 1:00 - 2:30 PM CST. Practice is mandatory.

Please remember that graduation is a formal event. Proper behavior is expected of all in attendance. Do not bring any noise makers or other distracting items into the theatre. Please click this link to see the Xtream Arena policies that we are required to follow.

Stop by Tate's front desk if you need a physical copy of all graduation information. If you have any questions please call the Tate office at (319) 688-1080.

Seniors can pick up their caps & gowns from Tuesday. May 27th to Thursday, May 29th between 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM at Tate's main office.

If you cannot make it during this time, they will be at practice for you to pick up.

Seniors' Last Day is Thursday, May 29th. All ICCSD elementary schools will be hosting graduating seniors for a graduate walk-through. Seniors should wear their cap & gown and join their elementary classmates in walking through the elementary halls as current students and teachers clap and cheer for you.

* Senior Elementary Graduation Walk- If you are interested you MUST complete this form by May 2nd

8:15am- West Side Elementary School Walks, Liberty Elementary School Walks

9:00am- City High Elementary School Walks

10:30am- Donuts and Yearbooks when you return to Tate, turn in Chromebooks

11:15am- Senior Assembly and lunch

12:30pm- Bus leaves for graduation practice

Check out the calendar for next school year!

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Iowa law requires all students entering 12th grade to have received two doses of meningococcal vaccine; or 1 dose if received when the student was 16 years of age or older.

Please check your child’s immunization record or call their health care provider to find out if they have received these vaccines and make an appointment if necessary. Additional resources:

• Johnson County Public Health also provides immunizations to children with or without health insurance, please call 319-356-6042 to make an appointment.

• If your child does not have insurance, they may qualify for an appointment at Healthy Kids School-Based Clinic. Call or text 319-631-3204 to see if you qualify for an appointment.

According to state law, they will not be able to start school on the first day of 12th grade without proof of having received at least one dose of these important vaccines. It is important to contact your health care provider soon, as summer appointments fill up quickly.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Christanna Newman

Tate School Nurse

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We would like to notify you of the 2025-26 Pay-to-Ride program, which is available to families that do not qualify for mandatory transportation as required by the State of Iowa.

Iowa Code 285.1.a. The Board of Directors in every school district shall provide transportation, either directly or by reimbursement for transportation, for all resident pupils attending public school, kindergarten through twelfth grade, except that:

1. Elementary pupils shall be entitled to transportation only if they live more than two miles from the school designated for attendance.
2. High school pupils shall be entitled to transportation only if they live more than three miles from the school designated for attendance.

If you have any questions, before applying, please don’t hesitate to contact the transportation manager via email at Davis.Esme@iowacityschools.org.

The Pay-to-Ride program details are available on our District website at www.IowaCitySchools.org/Transportation.

If you are interested in participating in the Pay-to-Ride program, please return the application and payment no later than June 6, 2025, to be considered for a bus roster for the start of the school year.

Lisa Smithey, a Kirkwood Community College photographer professor, donated her time and skills to take photos of some Tate High School graduating seniors. She came over two days and spent 30 minutes taking photos of each student who had signed up. We are so grateful to her for offering her services to our students!

Savion and Iyanna were recognized as 20 Under Twenty: Emerging Leaders by the Nu Chi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. This recognition celebrates exceptional young leaders in the ICCSD who have made significant contributions in Leadership, Innovation, Academic Excellence, Arts & Culture, or Service & Advocacy.

Ms. Schmitt took a group of Tate students to the ICCSD Design Dash hosted at the Center for Innovation. Throughout the day, students worked in teams to develop solutions to real-world challenges alongside peers from other schools, industry professionals, and teacher mentors. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to grow their leadership skills, explore entrepreneurship and design thinking, and make valuable connections. Two Tate students, Kenny and Vincent, won an award at the event!

This trimester, Tate is offering a Woodshop class. The class is taught at the FabLab, where students go 3 days a week. Students work on a variety of projects and learn a lot of different skills. The other 2 days each week, students work on construction-related math skills in the Tate building.

Best-selling author Samira Ahmed visited Tate High School on April 29th! Interested students attended her presentation and engaged in a Q&A session with her. Students had questions about her books, her opinions on banned books, her writing process, and more. Thank you to Hills Bank and the Foundation for the Iowa City Community School District for sponsoring this event!

Ms. Walaa was featured as a staff spotlight on the district's page. We are so grateful to have Ms. Walaa in our building. Check it out here!

Each year since 1954, the District Parent Organization awards high school seniors who plan to pursue a career in education with the Kate Wickham Future Teachers Scholarships to assist them in their endeavors. To fund this special scholarship, the school district community nominates Honorees to highlight and thank them for the wonderful things they do for our district. This year, 5 Tate staff members were honored at this reception. Congratulations!

Pictured: Roger Browning (transportation), Dan Kinney (art & special education teacher), Jenna Roskopf (student and family advocate), Autumn O'Malley (MTSS coordinator), Taylor Johnson (teacher librarian)

April brought some twinning to the hallways of Tate!

Jesse Smith is a former Teacher/MTSS Coordinator that worked at Tate High School for 10 years. He passed away in July 2022. The Scholarship was founded in his memory. This year, there are $3,000 available toward a college or trade program. How that money is distributed depends on how many seniors apply and their financial needs.

Please let Mr. Martin, the School Counselor, know if you have any further questions. We will have Senior Advisors and English Teachers available to help with any assistance you may need to complete the application.

Students may access the application on this link.

1528 Mall Drive, Iowa City, IA 52240

Call Main Office: (319)688-1080

Email Ms. Browning, Tate principal

Tate homepage

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 (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its 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:

• Laura Cottrell (Executive Director of Educational Services & Student Success) for programming at cottrell.laura@iowacityschools.org
• Nick Proud (Chief Human Resources Officer) for employment at proud.nick@iowacityschools.org, 2255 N. Dubuque Road, Iowa City, Iowa 52245, (319) 688-1000; or
• If you are unsure how to proceed or would like assistance in discussing your options, you may also contact Janet Abejo-Parker at ombuds@iowacityschools.org or (319) 688-1312