Wizards Newsletter

Hello Wizards! We had an amazing first day back at school to kick off the 2024-25 school year! All our students learned the lunchroom and common area expectations, so be sure to ask your child(ren) what they remember from these lessons. Modeling curiosity and asking your child questions sets a great example for them as they learn about our theme for the year, "Be Curious, Not Judgmental".

Be sure to relax, enjoy the weekend and prepare your learner for the five day week ahead. I know the adults around here will be doing the same! Thanks again for trusting us with your child(ren); we can't wait for this journey with you!

August 30th- 1st Day of Preschool

September 2nd- No School/District Closed

Linked here is our 2024-2025 District Calendar!

Attendance:

If your student will not be at school please make sure to let the office know!

PLEASE use Infinite Campus to input your student's absence ahead of time or morning of.

You can also call the office at 319-688-1175 and leave a voicemail if no one answers, email macleod.emily@iowacityschools.org and schepanski.susan@iowacityschools.org to inform us of their absence.

- Emily & Susan

macleod.emily@iowacityschools.org / schepanski.susan@iowacityschools.org

Updated School Attendance Information:

Dear Families,

As we prepare for the start of school tomorrow, we want to share updated information regarding student attendance expectations. Our main goal is for students to be in school daily and to confirm their safety with a parent or guardian if they are absent. While we understand absences may occur for reasons like illness, family activities, or appointments, the State of Iowa requires us to track the number of days missed, regardless of the reason. Because of the State’s new approach, there will no longer be a distinction between excused and unexcused absences.

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. 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.

State Attendance Requirements:
The Iowa Department of Education has implemented strict guidance that requires schools to address absenteeism. As part of this, schools will send notifications to guardians when a student has missed a certain number of days each grading period.

• First Letter: A written notification that your child has missed a certain number of days.
• Second Letter: A certified letter sharing that your child has reached 10% absenteeism in a grading period and that the district was required to inform the county attorney.
• Third Letter: If your child reaches 15% absenteeism, a School Engagement meeting will be scheduled, and an Absenteeism Prevention Plan will be created. If these steps are not followed, the county attorney may initiate legal proceedings.

Additional information about the State’s attendance requirements and absence exemptions, as well as district guidance, is available on the updated Attendance Page of our District website.

Regular school attendance is crucial for your child's success, both academically and socially. Thank you for your partnership in making this a successful year for all our students.

Sincerely,

Matt Degner
Superintendent
Iowa City Community School District

Dear Wickham Families,

Welcome back! I hope you have had a chance to read the email sent by the Iowa City Community School District on August 19, 2024, regarding technology. I wanted to follow up with some details that will directly impact our students.

Our school no longer has loaner computers available for students who forget to bring their devices. While we were able to provide this option in the past, several factors at the district level make this impossible at this time. We foresee this being a temporary situation and look forward to going back to providing loaner Chromebooks later this school year. It is important that students have their Chromebooks at school every day, as some instruction and testing are specifically designed to be completed using these devices.

To help ensure all our students are always prepared, we plan on having students leave their Chromebooks at school for the time being. If you have any questions or concerns about this temporary change to our Chromebooks practice, please feel free to contact me at schlitz.michael@iowacityschools.org.

Michael Schlitz

Wickham Elementary

Teacher/Librarian

Morning Drop Off: Drop off begins at 7:40am - First Bell rings at 7:50am - Tardy Bell rings at 7:55am

• School staff will begin car line at 7:40am
• Pull forward, as directed by staff
• Stay in your vehicle
• For safety reasons, please do NOT park and walk your student to the building
• If dropping off snacks or other large items, please alert staff if your child needs help
• Please stay in your drop off lane and behind the car in front of you
• Exit the parking lot in the lane you entered (school lane turns right on Oakdale and median lane turns left on Oakdale)

After School Pick Up: Pick-up begins at 2:55pm (M,T, W, F) at 1:55pm (Th)

• Please visibly write the last name(s) of the child/ren you pick up on the back of this paper with heavy black marker
• Post or hold this sign in the front window of your vehicle during pick up so that staff can see the name/s
• Staff will begin the pick up line once school busses are loaded and leaving the parking lot
• Once signaled by staff to begin, please pull as far forward as possible to wait for your child/ren
• When all of your children are secured in their seatbelts, exit the parking lot safely

During the 2024-2025 school year students will have the opportunity to travel off school grounds for various field trips! Prior to field trips, teachers will reach out about the plan. This communication will include specific details regarding the field trip. If you feel you need to keep your child from attending any field trip please contact their homeroom teacher PRIOR to the date of the event and alternate arrangements will be made.

Please complete one form for EACH of your students who attend Wickham!

Linked here: https://forms.gle/ofZ6BDg6Uc6iMQHT6

Looking for information on Securly, our web filtering tool?

Find all the information here www.IowaCitySchools.org/Securly.

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 Eric Howard, Director of Equity and Employee Relations, 1725 N. Dodge St., Iowa City, IA 52245, 319-688-1000, howard.eric@iowacityschools.org.