Email: colbert.justin@iowacityschools.org
Website: https://liberty.iowacityschools.org/
Location: 1400 South Dubuque Street, North Liberty, IA, USA
Phone: (319) 688-1350
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LibertyHighSchool2017
X: @ColbertJust, @ICLibertyHS

Instagram: liberty_bolts

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

• October 7- 4:15-7:45 PM (In-person)
• October 9 - 4:15-7:45 PM (Virtual)
• January 22 - 4:15-7:45 PM (Virtual)
• TBD - Will align as a course registration conference

DANCES

• September 21 - Homecoming Dance @ Liberty (7:00-10:00 PM)
• January 25 - Winter Dance @ Liberty (7:00-10:00 PM)
• May 3 - Prom @ IMU (7:30-10:30 PM)

SENIORS

• October 8 - Senior Jostens Assembly (@ 1:45 PM, Auditorium)
• March 1 - Senior photo due to Yearbook
• May 21 - Senior Awards & Scholarship Recognition Evening
• May 30 - Senior’s Last Day
• May 30 - Graduation Rehearsal (Xtream Arena @ 10:30 AM-12:00 PM)
• May 31 - Liberty High Graduation (Xtream Arena @ 6:00 PM)

MIDTERMS & END OF TRIMESTERS

• October 4 - Midterm
• November 21 - End of 1st Trimester
• January 24 - Midterm
• March 6 - End of 2nd Trimester
• April 25 - Midterm
• June 6 - End of 3rd Tri. & Last Day of Classes (2-hr. early release)

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.

Dear parents and families,

We are excited to offer you the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy for your student(s) at Liberty High School. By purchasing a red or silver brick, you can become a permanent part of our Path of Recognition, located at the entrance of the school. These bricks can be personalized with an engraving of your choice.

The cost of a red brick is $250, while a silver brick is priced at $500. You have the option to make a single payment or spread the cost over multiple installments, such as $25 per month.

Not only will your personalized brick be a daily reminder for your high schooler as they enter the school, but it will also be visible to future students attending events at Liberty. It's a wonderful way to honor their Liberty legacy. Additionally, your purchase will support our co-curricular programs. This can make a great present for the upcoming holidays!

All proceeds from the "Buy a Brick" initiative will go directly to the Liberty Fund, which aims to support co-curricular programs and ensure that all Liberty students have access to various opportunities.

The Liberty Fund has awarded grants to meet the needs of numerous clubs, events and groups to include the NHS (National Honor Society), garden club, technical theatre, In SHOC (Interact Students Helping Our Community Club), construction club, prom, graduation, student and family advocates, AA Lit & BLSU (African American Literature and Black & Latino Student Union), orchestra, business professionals of America, special education, art department, debate, theater, student built home, color guard, Esports team, speech team, band & show choir.

To purchase a brick:

1. Click The Liberty Fund - Buy a Brick or go to https://sites.google.com/iowacityschools.org/thelibertyfund/buy-a-brick and click on “donate today”
2. Send a check out to “ICCSD Foundation” with “The Liberty Fund / Path of Recognition” in the memo line and send to: 1725 N Dodge St., Iowa City 52245 or drop off at Liberty High School's main office

Questions about bricks or the liberty fund can be sent to libertyhighfund@gmail.com

Thank you for considering this opportunity to leave a meaningful legacy and support the growth and success of our students.

Sincerely,

The Liberty Fund Committee

Attention 10th grade students and parents:

The annual Career Caravan will be held on Tuesday, December 17 at the Kirkwood Regional Center in Coralville. The Career Caravan is designed to increase student awareness about career options, and students will have the opportunity to explore a variety of career possibilities with local and regional business partners. On the day of the event all Liberty 10th grade students will be transported by ICCSD school bus to attend two career presentations of their choice. All 10th graders will be dismissed near the end of second period (10:20 AM) to find their alphabetically assigned bus. Following their second presentation, students will return to Liberty around noon, and will eat during C lunch. Students will miss periods 3 & 4, but will then attend periods 5, Advisory, 6, and 7, similar to a regular Tuesday.

In preparation for this event all 10th grades students will be sent an email on Tuesday, December 3 containing a brief Career Caravan Survey. In this survey students will select careers they are interested in and will be scheduled in corresponding sessions they will attend on the December 17th Career Caravan. Students who do not complete the survey will be automatically scheduled in random sessions. If you need assistance completing the survey, please contact College and Career Transition Counselor (strand.kayla@iowacityschools.org).

High Reliability Schools (HRS) is the framework that we use across all Iowa City Schools to support fulfilling our district vision of equitable outcomes for all students. It gives us a common language to name what were doing, assess our current reality, align our initiatives, and determine where to go next. It is the vehicle that allows us to balance shared responsibility and autonomy to make decisions that best meet the needs of all our students.

This past school year (23-24) Liberty became certified in HRS Level 1: Building a Safe, Supportive, and Collaborative Culture. Being certified does not mean that we stop working at aspects of our school that fall into this area, but instead we continually monitor various data points (lagging indicators) to maintain and improve upon the systems we have in place.

We are now moving fully into Level 2: Ensuring Effective Teaching in Every Classroom. Focusing on developing and maintaining teacher effectiveness in every classroom by building a shared language of instruction and using this common language to raise the level of pedagogical skill both individually and collectively will positively affect student learning. Our current goal is to complete our HRS Level 2 certification during the 25-26 school year.

Is there an upcoming athletic event you need to find additional information about? Can't remember what day of the week the upcoming choir concert is being held on? Look no further than the Iowa City Liberty Bound Calendar. All athletic events, and all other events such as curricular music concerts and extracurricular events are now listed in one place. You can access our Bound calendar here, and these events are also pulled in and embedded in the calendar available on our Liberty website.

Liberty High School Difference Makers Annual Groovy & Bright Winter Family Event is coming up on Sunday, December 15 from 12 - 4 PM at Liberty High School. This event is free of charge and is a time for all community members to participate in fun activities while supporting the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital. Activities include Arts and Crafts, a Bouncy House, a Tree Auction, Photos with Santa, a Winter Wonderland Walk, Carriage Rides, a Vendor Fair, and more coming soon. You can follow LHSDM on Facebook and Instagram for more information @lhsdifferencemakers.

Please plan to join us at Liberty High School for the annual Winter Showcase Concert. This event will take place on Saturday, December 14 beginning at 2:00 PM in the auditorium. Tickets are $15 each and there will also be a silent auction and reception with refreshments following the concert.

In addition to the Winter Showcase, the Liberty Music Department will be performing their curricular concerts as well. All the concerts listed below will take place in the Liberty Auditorium and will begin at 7 PM.

• Monday, December 9- Orchestra Concert
• Wednesday, December 11- Choir Concert
• Wednesday, December 18- Band Concert

Please be aware of scammers who may attempt to contact parents of students who will be taking the ACT and other standardized college entrance exams such as the PSAT and SAT. Scammers usually claim to be associated with the College Board or other reputable educational organizations while offering preparation materials. This has been a successful scam throughout the country as the scammers are able to be convincing by sharing the student's name, address, school, test details, and other personal information. After confirming this information, they then ask parental permission and a deposit for the test prep materials. The scammers claim the deposit will be refunded after the test materials are used and returned.

It appears this scam has been successful, especially in the eastern United States dating back to last spring. Click here from a press release from the Pennsylvania Attorney General regarding this scam from April 1, 2024.

The North Liberty Youth Council, a group of students who try to make a change in the community to make North Liberty a better place for youth need your help with a recent project. They are organizing a supply drive. They will be placing a donation box at Liberty, and all donations collected here will be redistributed to Liberty's teachers in need of supplies. An additional donation box will be located at the NL Rec. Center, and those supplies will be distributed to all participating schools.

Do you have a Cap & Gown from an older sibling or someone else that is taking up space in your closet? We would like to begin collecting lightly used purple Liberty cap and gowns to offer to students and their families who may not currently have the resources to purchase a new one for graduation. All donated cap and gowns can be dropped off in the main office during regular school hours.

Quarterly the District Cultural Diversity & Equity team produces a newsletter. Click here to access this quarter's Cultural Diversity & Equity Newsletter. You can also visit our District Equity website for additional information and links to previous newsletters.

Take a moment to check out the new Liberty High Spirit Store provided by BSN Sports. This store offers a large number of options for Liberty gear. You can search by your favorite brand and customize your own items.

Check it out by clicking on this link: https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/iowa/northliberty/liberty-high-school or by clicking the image below.

Support Student Programs. Leave a Legacy. Donate today!

The Liberty Fund needs your help! We want to ensure all Liberty students can participate in school activities where belonging and school pride come together through both academic and co-curricular activities.

The Liberty Fund has provided grants to students and groups to support student access to opportunities through fundraising. Here are a few program examples that grants have supported:

• New Student/Freshman Orientation
• National French Competition Exam
• Liberty Lightning Technical Theater
• Garden Club
• African American Literature Classes & Black Student Union
• Business Professionals of America Leadership Conference

Make a tax deductible donation to The Liberty Fund today! Donate at The Liberty Fund Website or email for more information at libertyhighfund@gmail.com.

Liberty High PSTO (Parent Student Teacher Organization) welcomes all new and returning families to Liberty for the 2024-2025 school year. Please follow us on Facebook: Liberty High PSTO to stay up-to-date.

The next PSTO meeting will occur on Thursday, January 16 from 12:00-12:30 PM via Zoom. The passcode for the meeting is CEDwk1

Questions?

If you have any questions, please send them to libertyhsPSTO@gmail.com

The PSTO has an ongoing fundraiser with our Amazon Smile account. Please consider using this with your next Amazon order.

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, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status in its educational programs, activities, or 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 Jeremy Tabor, Director of Equity and Employee Relations, 1725 N. Dodge St., Iowa City, IA 52245, 319-688-1000, howard.eric@iowacityschools.org.