Kirkwood Elementary School
Email: person.renee@iowacityschools.org
Website: https://kirkwood.iowacityschools.org/
Location: 1401 9th Street, Coralville, IA, USA
Phone: 319-688-1120
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kirkwoodelementary
Note from the Principal's Desk
Dear Kirkwood Family,
We hope you have had a wonderful break filled with joy, relaxation, and time with loved ones.
Thank you to everyone who attended Fall Conferences! We truly value the opportunity to connect and collaborate in supporting our students' success.
As we return, we are excited to make the most of the next three weeks leading up to Winter Break. Together, we’ll continue building on our progress and creating a positive, engaging environment for learning.
Warmly,
Ms. Person
Kirkwood Calendar
- Friday, December 20: Early Release @ 12:55pm
- Monday, December 23-Friday, January 3: No School
- Monday, January 6: School Resumes
- Monday, January 20: No School
- Wednesday, January 15: Winter Clubs @ 3:00-4:00pm
- Wednesday, January 22: Winter Clubs @ 3:00-4:00pm
- Wednesday, January 29: No School
Reminder: Thursday Dismissal time is 1:55pm!
Our Health Office is in need of spare clothing for students who may require a change during the school day. If you have any gently used pants or shirts that you'd be willing to donate, we would greatly appreciate it!
Donations can be dropped off in the Health Office. Thank you for your generosity and support!
It’s that time of year again—winter weather is just around the corner! Snow, ice, and cold can sometimes mean schedule changes. We want to make sure you have the information you need to stay updated on our inclement weather announcements, including school cancellations, delays, and early releases.
Here’s how you can stay in the know:
- Inclement Weather Guidelines: Visit www.IowaCitySchools.org/WeatherGuidelines to review our detailed plan for cancellations, delays, and early releases.
- Late Starts on Thursdays: In the event of a late start on a regularly scheduled early dismissal day (Thursday), the early dismissal will be canceled, and school will follow regular dismissal times.
- Timely Notifications: You’ll receive email, phone, and text notifications with weather announcements.
- Follow Us Online: Stay informed by checking our website and following us on Facebook, X, Instagram, and Threads for updates.
- Check Out Our Mobile App: Download our official Iowa City Schools mobile app for a centralized hub of all school and district-related information, including weather notifications.
We’re here to help! If you have any questions about our weather procedures, feel free to contact our Educational Services Center at (319) 688-1000.
This year, 4th and 5th grade students will be invited to Career Cafés to learn more about careers in our community and beyond. Through our AVID career focus, our older students will identify career areas that align with their skills and interests. Volunteers will then join students to help them learn more about their careers in a fun, one hour introduction and question-and-answer session. Kirkwood is looking for volunteers like you to talk to our students! If you or someone you know is willing to help with our program, you can sign up for a time using this Calendly link. For any questions about the program or how you can help, please email our school counselor Allison Otting at otting.allison@iowacityschools.org.
We have a Schoolwide Motto, which gives our Kirkwood community a clear, concise way of thinking about our expectations. The motto is shared daily in announcements and is also posted visually in common spaces and classrooms. The motto is reinforced through specific feedback.
We also have Schoolwide Expectations, which provide clear, explicit, teachable expectations for schoolwide procedures. Teachers utilize schoolwide expectations posters to explicitly teach and reference schoolwide procedures.
Nominations can be submitted by students, parents, District employees, businesses, or community members by completing the following nomination form. District employees will be selected and honored throughout the school year to receive this prestigious honor.
The Shine Award program is graciously sponsored by the Foundation for the Iowa City Community School District.
We're committed to creating a safe online environment for all our students! Our student's Chromebooks are filtered whether the device is on the school’s network or not. When devices are on-campus, they are subject to the same content filtering policies as all of our internet-connected devices. For off-campus devices, we filter using the Securly service, which allows us to block content that is explicit or dangerous, as defined in federal law.
With Securly, you can view your child’s internet activity and set up additional controls for off-campus use. Parents receive weekly email notifications with internet activity reports. If you’re not receiving these emails, please contact your student’s school office to verify that the correct email address is listed in Infinite Campus.
Access this Parent Guide for step-by-step guidance on using Securly.
Parents can utilize the Securly Home app to adjust the settings for their child’s online activity. The app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store and offers several features, including:
Pause the Internet: Control internet access with the tap of a finger.
Offline Schedules: Set device-free family time.
Live Activity Feed: Get real-time updates.
Push Notifications: Receive alerts for flagged activities.
Internet Rules: Easily set internet rules for your home.
If you have questions about accessing your Securly parent account, please contact your child's school for assistance. Thank you for partnering with us in our commitment to keep our students safe online!
State Attendance Requirements:
The Iowa Department of Education has implemented strict guidance that requires schools to address absenteeism. As part of this, schools will notify guardians when a student has missed 5%, 10%, and 15% of days each grading period. Based on State Law, schools must also notify the county attorney when a student is absent 10% of the days in a grading period. For more details, please visit the updated Attendance Page on our District website.
Reporting Absences:
If your child will be absent, please notify your school’s attendance office before the start of the school day. You can do this by creating an Absence Request in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal or by calling the school attendance office at 319-688-1120. If we do not hear from you, the school will reach out to confirm your student’s safety and ensure you are aware of their absence.
Important note: In the Attendance section of the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, you will see your child's total number of excused and unexcused absences. Following state requirements, ‘excused’ indicates absences that are exempt from state reporting requirements, and ‘unexcused’ indicates absences that the state requires us to categorize as non-exempt.
Absence:
A student is considered absent if they are not physically on school grounds, or are not participating in a required school-directed activity under the direction, supervision, or instructional guidance of educational staff at an approved off-grounds location (ie. a class field trip).
It is understood that students will be absent for a variety of reasons, including illness, family activities, vacations, dentist/medical appointments, funerals, etc. Parents should notify schools of the reason for the absence.
Some absences are exempt from these new guidelines, so it’s important to provide specific details when reporting your child’s absence. The following absence types will not count towards student absenteeism and will be coded as excused in Infinite Campus:
- Absences related to illness or medical appointment
- After a student reaches the equivalent of eight (8) days of absence related to illness or medical appointments, parents will be required to provide documentation for the medical absence(s) to continue to be considered excused. Absences may be taken in hourly segments.
- Families are encouraged to provide documentation to the school for ongoing health concerns so we can proactively work with your family to best serve your student.
- Absences related to a family medical emergency.
- Absences while attending religious services or receiving religious instruction.
- Absences excused for sufficient reason by any court of record or judge.
- Absences related to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that affects attendance.
- Absences related to a Section 504 plan under the Federal Rehabilitation Act that affects attendance.
Due to the new State guidance, any absence that does not fall into one of the above categories will appear as unexcused in Infinite Campus and will count toward student absenteeism. As a reminder, our primary goal is for students to be in school daily and to confirm their safety with a parent or guardian if they are absent.
ICCSD RayGun Store
We are excited to announce the new ICCSD RayGun store is now open! The items offered in this online store are available to anyone for purchase. A portion of the proceeds of each sale will go to the Foundation for the ICCSD.
A special thank you to RayGun for partnering with us on this project!
The Iowa City Community School District is committed to student and staff health and safety and we are dedicated to helping control the spread of COVID-19 in our community.
Educating students is our District’s priority and ensuring their health and safety is also of prominent importance. In an effort to prevent the spread of illness, we encourage all students and staff to stay home when ill. If you do test positive for COVID-19, please follow the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which can be found on the CDC's COVID-19 website.
It is important to us that you are aware of the school-based support services that are available, as well as the local community resources that can provide support outside of the school setting. School Counselors, Student & Family Advocates, and District staff are available for students in each school.
Each and every person in our school district family matters. Please remember that we are here for you and it is okay to ask for help.
Care Solace is 24/7/365 Mental Health Care Coordination Service for Iowa City Community School District Students, Staff, and their Families
