Knights News
Unity Elementary School
Welcome Back Unity Families!
We are so excited to have everyone back together. We hope everyone had a fantastic summer. We have had some changes take place, and I would like to share those with you now. First of all, changes in the staff. Unity is excited to welcome Tina Fischer, Nora Girard, Caitlyn Niehus, and Maria Hernandez to the teaching staff. Ms. Fischer will be teaching 5th grade, Ms. Girard with be teaching 4th grade, Ms. Niehus will be our counselor and Ms. Hernandez is our ELL teacher. Additionally, we welcome Adam Beasley, Kassandra Roatch and Victoria Donelson to our special education paraprofessional team.
In addition to the new staff members, we have some veteran staff members who will be in different positions this year. Ms. Dalhia Risner will be the MTSS specialist, Ms. Adrianna Gooley will be teaching 1st grade along with Ms. Davis who will also be in 1st grade.
Some other changes at Unity. Fridays will be early out days for students. Every Friday students will be released at 1:30 PM. The early out will provide the teachers with additional planning and worktime. The school day begins at 8:30 AM, with the doors opening at 8:15 AM. Parents, please make every effort to drop off your students between 8:15 and 8:30. Drop offs prior to 8:15 mean that students are unsupervised outside of the building.
Parent/student lunch. Fridays have been designated as days that parents will be able to have lunch with their student if they so desire. Mondays through Thursday are going to be reserved for students only. During this time, staff will be eating with students and working to develop strong relationships with them.
For safety reasons, we are not allowing any non-staff members to be outside of the lunchroom commons area during the school day. Exceptions will be made for various presentations in the gym, but that will still involve visitors checking in at the office and going through our “raptor” sign in process. When you are signing in, please make sure to bring your ID so that we can print you a visitors pass.
This year the district will be using Talking Points as our format for communications between the school and home. Many of you are familiar with Class Dojo which will be replaced by Talking Points. This new format offers many additional features and should help make communications between teachers and parents much more convenient.
Please feel free to reach out and talk with any of our Unity staff if there are any questions, of if there is anything we can do for you.
Thank you for trusting us at Unity! We are happy that you have enrolled your students here, and look forward to a fantastic year.
Welcome Back!
Mr. Finkey
Attention Parents/Guardians: If your student needs to use, or keep, Emergency Medications at school, and you have not already done so, please stop by Unity and speak to our school nurse, Mrs. Theresa Van Eldik. She will be at Unity on Monday mornings, and all day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. She will be at Clark on Thursdays.
SCCSD Families,
Your student’s attendance in school matters. Students who are not in school every day miss important instructional time, putting them at a disadvantage in reaching their potential. A new Iowa law requires school districts like us update our attendance policy to prevent chronic absenteeism. Students are considered chronically absent when they miss 10% of the days in a semester or approximately 8 days.
Here is important information you need to know about the District’s new attendance policy:
· There is no distinction between excused and unexcused absences. All absences and tardies count. Students are considered absent when they are not in school, including time missed for general illnesses, doctor’s appointments, and family vacations. Parents are required to call the building to report the reason for an absence. This information will be used to determine the level of support a student needs.
· If your student misses four days of school in a semester, your student’s school will connect with you to resolve the attendance issues and address any concerns you may have.
· If your student misses 10% of the days in a semester or 8 days, your student is considered chronically absent, and the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office will be notified. Your student’s school will schedule an in-person meeting with you to discuss your student’s absences and review the District’s attendance policy.
· If your student misses 15% of the days in a semester or 12 days, a school engagement meeting will be scheduled with you. The school will also follow up weekly with you for the remainder of the semester.
· If your student misses 20% of the days in a semester or 15 days, your student will be considered truant and the District will notify the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office for further action, which may include a warrant for compulsory attendance.
The expectation is that your student will be in school, however, we also understand that illnesses and emergencies can and do happen. Our district remains committed to working with you when these occasions arise while also following Iowa law to ensure your student is in school. If your student needs to miss school, you must call your student’s school to report the reason for their absence. This information will be used to help the school determine the level of support and attendance plan your student needs.
For additional information on the District’s attendance policy, we encourage you to review the Parent/Guardian & Student Handbook, available on the District’s website. Please contact your student’s school with any questions.
Thank you for your continued partnership.
All students have been given Raiders Together T-shirts again this year! If students wear these t-shirts when they accompany their parents to any East home football game this season, they can get in for FREE! Most of our students wore these shirts on Thursday, 8//29, in honor of East High's first home game of the season!! See a few class photos below:
If you are willing or interested in joining Unity PTO next year, we would really appreciate your willingness to help out! Unity PTO meets once a month and plans fun and exciting things for our staff and students. If you are interested, you can send an email to Unitypto@yahoo.com or contact us in the main office at the beginning of the school year. Thank you!
Our First PTO meeting of the year will be held on Thursday, September 5th, at 6:00 pm, in the library!
Hello Unity Families!
My name is Cait Niehus, and I am the new school counselor this year. Thank you all so much for working with me and the teachers with the paperwork side of counseling. I do promise to contact you if I plan to meet with your student regularly or place them in a group. My goal for the school counseling program is to be transparent, proactive, and positive. I know some parents had some concerns, and if you have any questions please email me at niehusc3@live.siouxcityschools.com. I am still working on getting Talking Points up and running, but I hope to be able to send out program updates soon.
Our current Character Strong theme is Kindness, and during September we will move into exploring Respect. The teachers are working hard to talk to students about our Character Strong theme, and there are lessons, activities, and discussions about our monthly topics.
Another new program put in place this year with Character Strong is our emotion word of the week. Each week a new emotion is announced in the mornings, and on Fridays students can tell a staff member the word, what it means, what it looks like on a person’s face and body, and for the upper grades, how to spell it.
I’m so excited to work with you this year to help all our students be happy and well.
Thank you for all your support and the welcome you’ve given me!
You now have a more convenient way to connect with your student’s teacher! The District has partnered with TalkingPoints, a communication tool that allows you and your student’s teacher to easily communicate via text message. Messages will be sent to you in your family’s primary language. Watch for more information on this exciting tool coming soon!
The District’s mobile app provides quick and convenient information at your fingertips. Download the mobile to receive push notifications from the District about closings and cancellations and stay updated on today’s school lunch menu, upcoming events, and school news. Look for Sioux City Community Schools in your app store today!
Stay connected with family-friendly activities, programs, and clubs in the community through Virtual Backpack. The e-newsletter, which includes information from various Siouxland organizations, is sent out monthly to all district families. Or, view the most up-to-date lists of events and activities on the Virtual Backpack website
Have you reviewed the 2024-2025 SCCSD Parent/Guardian – Student Handbook? The handbook includes important information to help students reach their fullest potential at school. Families are encouraged to review the handbook with their students to make sure they are aware of what is expected of them as a student in the Sioux City Community School District.
Click here to view the 2024-2025 Parent/Guardian – Student Handbook.
Safe + Sound Iowa offers students and families a convenient way to anonymously report safety concerns related to our school. Trained dispatchers will share the information with appropriate school administrators and/or law enforcement so help can be given to those in crisis or at risk.
The safety of our students and staff is paramount. The District uses Standard Response Protocol or common terms to communicate our actions and response to an emergency situation. The terms Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter are used so students, staff, and first responders understand the situation and how best to respond.
We encourage families to become familiar with these terms to better understand our school’s response and what to expect in a crisis situation. For more information on safety preparedness within the District, visit siouxcityschools.org.
The District and our school are continuously updating families on important school information, closings and cancellations, and other announcements. Information is shared through email, phone calls, and text. Make sure we can connect with you by keeping your contact information updated in our records. If you need to change your contact information, please contact the school office.
The District has cell phone protocols in place to ensure an engaging and distraction-free environment for our students. The protocols restrict the use of electronic devices during the school day.
If you need to contact your student during the school day, please contact our school office. Alternatively, if your student needs to contact you, they should come to the office.
For more information on our protocols for electronic devices, please review the 2024-2025 Parent/Guardian & Student Handbook on the District website.
Volunteers are needed to join the District’s Grassroots Advocacy Committee. As a volunteer, you will receive email updates about important legislative events that could impact public education and be asked to contact local and state leaders to advocate for our schools. Volunteer today and let your voice be heard! Contact Communications@live.siouxcityschools.com to volunteer.
Looking for a part-time or full-time career with flexibility? Instructional assistants, bus drivers, and food service staff are needed to join our amazing team! Check out the District’s openings today!
Our TK & Kindergarten students exit from doors 25 and 26 (Mrs. Poulson and Mrs. Anderson's rooms). Our 1st and 2nd-grade students exit from the main entryway (door 1). Our 3rd-grade students exit from door 3 which is located behind our loading dock. The 4th and 5th graders exit from door 4 at the North end of the building. Please see the image below to assist you with this visualization. Please work with your family to agree to a common meeting place outside of the building. We do our best to limit student traffic within the building after school.
If you have a preschool child and a child in another grade level we can make special accommodations so that you can pick up all of your children at the preschool door. Please contact your child's teacher to work through this.
