Regular attendance is a cornerstone of your child’s success in school and beyond. Each day of learning is critical, and even a few missed days can add up, affecting academic progress and social development. In Iowa, when a student’s absences—whether excused or unexcused—reach 10% of the school year, we are required to send a formal letter to families and notify the county attorney. This new measure ensures that every child receives the necessary support to stay on track.

If absences continue and reach 15% of the grading period, we will initiate an engagement meeting involving the student, their family, and school officials. This meeting is designed to identify any barriers to attendance and develop an absenteeism prevention plan tailored to your child’s needs. We’re committed to working together to remove obstacles and help every student thrive.

However, if a student’s absences escalate to 20% of the grading period, the situation becomes more serious. At this point, the child is considered truant, and legal action may be taken by the county attorney. We want to avoid this outcome at all costs, which is why early intervention is so important. Our goal is to support students and families before absences reach this critical level.

We recognize that these procedures may be new and may feel challenging, but they are in place to ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed. Thank you for your continued partnership in making regular attendance a priority.

More information about SF2435 can be found at www.educate.iowa.gov and on the graphic below.

While we are in construction for the 24-25 and the 25-26 school years, parking will still be somewhat limited, so staff will need to use this lot as well. Freshman that drive will be required to park at the softball and baseball fields on the east side of the road. Mr. Lamoureux has shared information about student parking.

The construction will also impact student drop off and pickup. We will follow a similar procedure to previous years, but the families with students last names A-K will drop off and pick up at the east side of the north gym and exit to the east out the main east entrance/exit. This will be a change, but should allow us to move through drop off and pick up safely and quickly. Look at the image below to learn more. Contact Cody at cody.tibbetts@vmbulldogs.com if you have any questions.

The bids for the footings and site work came in a bit under budget. Work will start sometime in September, so access to the elementary side of the building will be limited until the 26-27 school year. All visitors will check in on the east side of the building at the secondary entrance for both the 24-25 and 25-26 school years. The new addition will be ready to go by August of 2026.

Bids for the construction of the building addition will go out in December of 2024. We will have a better idea of the timeline of construction later this school year.

More information about the plans can be found below. We are looking forward to a great finished project and we are excited for our students and staff. It's always a great day to be a Bulldog!

Families that meet federal guidelines can qualify for free or reduced lunches. Forms to make applications for free or reduced lunches may be picked up at the Business Office after August 1st or downloaded below.

We have four organizations that do a great job of supporting Van Meter Schools. They are always looking for members. Be sure to reach out to them if you are interested in helping out.

Van Meter Education Foundation- Contact Luke Haverstick at lhaverstick@hotmail.com

Van Meter Elementary Parent Committee Contact Amanda Dougherty at mnddougherty@gmail.com

Van Meter Performing Arts Boosters Contact Scott Prickett at prickettsd@gmail.com

Van Meter Athletic Boosters Contact Amy Giesking at - amy.giesking@gmail.com

Email: firstname.lastname@vmbulldogs.com
Website: www.vmbulldogs.com
Location: 520 1st Avenue, Van Meter, IA, USA
Phone: (515) 996-2221
Facebook: https://facebook.com/VanMeterSchools/
Twitter: @vanmeterschools