A Message from the Principal - Mrs. Henderson
Greetings!
We have been in school for about six weeks. Our teachers and staff have been so grateful to get many of our students back in the building and learning online daily. The extended break caused many challenges and we missed our students! As I move through the building, students are doing such a great job of following the mitigation guidelines expected; including wearing masks throughout the day. We have had some challenges, but the rewards of helping our students learn in a safe, engaging and rigorous environment far outweigh the challenges.
We are working to finish up the last few fall FAST assessments which give us a baseline to start instruction and supports. We set building and classroom goals based on this data. In reading, our goal is 10% growth from fall to spring. In math our goal is 7% from fall to spring. Classroom and individual goals are set with teachers and students. Your child's teacher will explain their present level of performance and what the expectations for the remainder of the year are during the upcoming conferences. If you haven't had a chance to sign up for conferences yet, please do so by logging on to https://www.myconferencetime.com/libertyelementary or calling our office at 712-279-6845.
As we move through the 20-21 school-year, we look forward to working with you to provide the best possible learning experiences for our shared students. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions or need assistance with something.
Be Well,
Mrs. Stacie Henderson, Principal
UPCOMING EVENTS
October
October 1 - Interpreter Supported Conferences (4-6:30 p.m.)
October 5 - No School - Parent Teacher Conferences (8 a.m. - 8 p.m.)
October 9 - No School (Conference Exchange Day
October 12 - Columbus Day
October 13 - PTO Meeting (6:00 - Media Center)
October 15 - Picture Day (Virtual Students - 1:30-3:00)
October 28 - End of Quarter 1
Join our PTO!
Our PTO works to support our students and staff in many ways. At each monthly meeting, we discuss ways to provide support to our students and staff. We also plan events that engage families in their students' learning. We will not be hosting events for awhile, but will want to discuss ways in which we can innovatively foster a positive home-school connection. We would love your input, voice and ideas. Please consider joining us for our meetings this year.
PTO Meeting Dates:
October 13 - 6:00 p.m.
November 17 - 6:00 p.m.
December 16 - 6:00 p.m.
January 12 - 6:00 p.m.
February 16 - 6:00 p.m.
March 15 - 6:00 p.m.
April 13 - 6:00 p.m.
May 11 - 6:00 p.m.
Students of the Month - September
Morning Drop-Off
In the morning, students eating breakfast can enter the front doors between 8:00 a.m. and 8:25 a.m. Students should not be dropped off prior to 8:00 as there is no adult supervision. Children not eating breakfast should report directly to the playground. Depending on the weather, students have different morning routines. Students have been taught to look for flags in the morning when they arrive at school.
To signal to students the different scenarios, we will be hanging flags outside so they will know where to report.
- Green - All students report to playground for "walk & talk" in their designated location
- Yellow - Grades 3 & 4 report to Gym, grades K, 1, 2, & 5 report to the playground
- Red - Grades 1 & 4 report to the Gym, grades K, 2, 3, & 5 report to their hallway for inside line-up
Safe and Secure Environment - Mitigation Measures and Building Access
We have put many measures in place for the safety of our students and staff. The following is a list of mitigation measures we are utilizing this school year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. These measures will impact the daily operations of the building and how families access the school building. Additional measures may be added based upon virus activity. The situation remains fluid and the mitigation measures may change as warranted. Please read them carefully and reach out to building administration if you have any questions.
- Building signage
- Updated Drop-off procedures for students
- Specific directional flow throughout the building
- Social distancing & physical spacing as able
- Alphabetical line order (to aide in contact tracing)
- Classroom seating chart in each classroom
- Use of desks in 1st-5th grade (no flexible seating at this time)
- Use of tables with designated spaces in TK-K (no flexible seating at this time)
- Recess with “station locations and activities” assigned to each classroom with no mixing of classrooms; ex: walking breaks; stretching; aerobic activity; circuits, games, etc.
- Use of only recess and playground equipment assigned specifically to each classroom
- 1:1 technology for each student (TK-1 will each have an iPad and 2-5 will each have a laptop with a barcode label specific to each student)
- Lunch with assigned seats in alphabetical order by classroom, every other seat for physical spacing, spacing in line, directional traffic flow
- Staggered dismissal times at the end of the day by grade level & different dismissal doors
- Sanitizing between art, music, PE, library
- All drinking fountains will be turned off. Water bottles provided.
- Handwashing by all staff & students frequently
- Face masks and/or shields will be worn at all times in all classes, transitions, at recess and taken to lunch
- Lanyards will be available for every student and staff member to hold the face mask when taking it off to eat or drink
- Individual classroom materials will be used
- Hand sanitizer will be readily available in each classroom
- The Caring Room will be available through the back entrance of the office and this room will only be used by students accessing the caring room
- No events may occur at the school
- Visitors to the building will be restricted to the office area
Safe and Secure Environment - Raptor Visitor Management System
Liberty Elementary is pleased to announce that we will begin using a computerized visitor management and sign-out system for this school year. We believe the implementation of this new technology will benefit you, your child, and this school by better allowing us to track visitors, contractors, and volunteers in our schools, therefore providing a safer environment for everyone. We will also be using this system for families who choose to sign their student out early for an appointment. To ensure every visitor checks in using the new computerized system, you must enter the building through the main entrance.
The visitor management system is a computerized security program that offers many features to protect your child from outside threats. Let's review the basic functions of the system. First, any visitor entering Liberty Elementary will be required to provide a state-issued photo ID. If you do not have a state-issued photo ID, you may contact the school in advance of your visit to inquire about other acceptable forms of identification
Once the ID is presented, a school representative will scan this ID using the latest in ID scanning technology. The system instantly captures the name, photo, and birth date of the visitor. When this successfully occurs, the software compares the identity of the visitor with the national sex offender registry. If a positive match occurs, school personnel will be immediately and discreetly alerted. Individuals with a sex offense on record will not be permitted to enter the building. In addition, scanning will take place for those picking up students early, alerting our staff to any custody issues.
It is important to note that the computerized visitor management system only scans the visitor's name, date of birth, and photo for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. Additional visitor data from the driver's license is not gathered, nor is the system connected to any other system such as the Department of Motor Vehicles. Therefore, any other information on the ID is not scanned by the system and is not accessible to any of the users.
Once an entry is approved, the visitor will be issued a badge that identifies him/her as a visitor. The badge includes the date and the purpose of the visit. All staff members are trained to recognize visitor badges. Collectively, everyone in the building will be working together to ensure all visitors have a badge on and have gone through the appropriate check-in process at the main entrance.
As you leave our facility, please pass through the main office to return your badge so we can scan you out of the system.
The safety of our students is our highest priority, and the computerized visitor management system enhances the safety practices at Liberty Elementary. Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation. If you have any questions, please call our office at 712-279-6845
Let's Talk
An engaged community makes our District stronger. That is why we have made it easy for you to connect with us whenever it is convenient for you. We encourage you to take advantage of Let’s Talk!, our 24/7 online submission site. Reach out with your ideas, questions, concerns, and praise. To make a submission, please visit http://www.siouxcityschools.org/lets-talk/.
Communication and Preparedness
Student and staff safety is of paramount importance in the Sioux City Community School District. For this reason, the District exercises a host of crisis prevention and planning tactics. Should an emergency occur, the school notifies you through our Blackboard phone system. In an emergency, the system calls every phone number associated with your child in order to reach you. The message will give you details about the emergency and provide directions on when/where to pick up your child if the normal school day is altered. Learn more about school safety.
Focus 2022 Strategic Plan
Liberty Elementary School
Principal: Stacie Henderson
Assistant Principal: Dave Schipper
Email: henders1@live.siouxcityschools.com
Website: https://www.siouxcityschools.org/liberty/
Location: 1623 Rebecca Street, Sioux City, IA, USA
Phone: 712-279-6845
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LibertyElementarySchoolSiouxCity/
Twitter: @LibJrWolverines