Duncombe Elementary Newsletter TOGETHER WE RISE: Raising the Bar, Closing the Gap, Believing All Kids Do Well If They Can

December Duncombe Elementary Principal 2020 Ryan Flaherty Important Dates Secretary Tina Heyerhoff Dec. 1st Group A, in class. Group B at home Dec. 2nd, Intervention day Main Office Dec. 3rd and 4th. Group B in class and Group A at home PH: 515-574-5623 De. 7th and 8th. Group A in class and Group B at home Hours: 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Dec. 9th. Intervention day

FDCSD Main Office Dec. 10th and 11th Group B in class and Group A at home 109 N 25th St Dec. 14th and 15th Group A in class and Group B at home

Fort Dodge, IA 50501 Dec. 16th Intervention day PH: 515-576-1161 Dec. 17th and 18th Group B in class and Group A at home FX: 515-576-1988 Dec 21st-Jan 3 Winter Break

Superintendent Dr. Jesse Ulrich If school must be cancelled, delayed or dismissed early due to weather conditions, announcements will be made Director of Special Needs via: Pam Strangeland Infinite Campus Phone Calls & Texts FDCSD Facebook and Twitter Director of Education Services www.fdschools.org Stephanie Anderson - Elementary TV Stations: WHO, KCCI & WOI Kirsten Doebel - Secondary Radio Stations: KWMT, KKEZ, KXFT, KZLB, KIAQ, KVFD, KTLB

The Messenger website and social media

If you currently do not receive phone calls/texts from the District and would like to, please log into your Infinite Campus Parent Portal and change your Contact Prefer- ences.

Teaching and Learning Persist

The world we live in continues to have challenges from our COVID-19 worldwide pandemic…..but teaching and learning persist. Our schools look a little different, our schedules change to keep kids and staff safe, but teaching and learning persist. Below you will find some information about what school will look like during the month of December and some things happening at Duncombe Elementary. Despite any challenge thrown at us, you can rest assured the staff at Duncombe Elementary will persevere and work hard for your children.

November 30 and December 1: Cohort A In Person, Cohort B Virtual December 2 Intervention Day, Students by Invitation only December 3 and 4 Cohort B In Person, Cohort A Virtual December 7 and 8 Cohort A In Person, Cohort B Virtual December 9 Intervention Day, Students by Invitation only December 10 and 11 Cohort B In Person, Cohort A Virtual December 14 and 15 Cohort A In Person, Cohort B Virtual December 16 Intervention Day, Students by Invitation only

December 17 and 18 Cohort B In Person, Cohort A Virtual

Hybrid schedules and COVID-19 restrictions will not prevent us from helping your children progress through their grade level standards. Here is a quick preview of what you can expect to hear about at home during December:

Kindergarten: Weather Systems 1st Grade: Sun, Moon and Stars 2nd Grade: Paleontology 3rd Grade: Frogs 4th Grade: Animal Defense Systems

Our kids will not only learn about these things, but they will be using complex text to sharpen their reading, writing and critical thinking skills.

Rest assured, regardless of what you see in the news or what happens around our country and the world, our teaching and learning will persist.

Mr. Flaherty Duncombe Principal At the Fort Dodge Community School District, we are professional, high- performing team players focused on delivering the best possible learning experience for each one of our 3600 students. We respect diversity, value integrity, reward competitively, celebrate success and support employee growth and development. We aim to attract, develop and retain the best people as part of our Dodger family. We are currently looking for substitute teachers, paras and bus drivers. If you or someone you know is interested please visit the FDCSD website to apply. Equal Opportunity Employer

WE LOVE LEARING! Caidryk and Jerry doing their best work, as always!!!!

Huxley Hagar, 1st grader in Mrs. Larson and Mrs. Ron’s room was selected as the Elemenary Stu- dent of the Month. Congratulations Huxley! Virtual Learning Snow Days We recently announced that virtual learning will be required on days when our schools are physically closed due to winter weather. Here is information regarding what these days will look like. Elementary Students - direct instruction will take place between 9 - 11:30 a.m. This will include Morning Meeting, Reading Modules, Foundational Skills or Writing, Math, Science/Social Studies and exploratories. These direct instruction lessons will be provided via live lessons on Google Meet with recordings available. Students should spend their afternoon completing independent practice of reading, writing, math, social stud- ies and labs and ELA for TK-2 graders and Type to Learn for 3-4 graders. The morning and afternoon com- bined should be about 5 hours of instruction. Students who do not join the live instruction or log on to watch the recordings will be counted absent and will be required to make up all work for the day. Students who nor- mally learn At Home will continue their lessons in Edgenuity. Questions about virtual learning days for ele- mentary students should be directed to Emma Lampe at Central Office 515-576-1161.

Students who do not have internet access at home may check out a hotspot from the Central Office between 8 -4:30 Monday through Friday beginning anytime. They will be available on a first come, first serve basis. Hot spots will need to be returned to the Central Office at the end of the school year.

School Nurses Facebook Page

The FDCSD school nurses have started a Facebook page to keep families up to date with important medical information. Please like and follow Fort Dodge Community School Nurses on Facebook!

School Libraries Facebook Page

The FDCSD school libraries have a Facebook page to share with families the fun learning that takes place in our libraries and makerspaces. Please like and follow Fort Dodge School Libraries on Facebook!

FDCSD Partners with Peachjar for Virtual Backpack

The FDCSD has partnered with Peachjar and has begun sending digital flyers directly to par- ents. Peachjar provides an innovative flyer management system that sends school-approved digital flyers directly to parents' inboxes and posts them on the schools’ web pages. Now parents can easi- ly find and view flyers and take action immediately to sign up for activities and events.

Community organizations may register with Peachjar as a "Program Provider" and upload flyers for distribution to the desired school(s). Peachjar charges a fee for this service, but free events are free to upload. Paper flyers will no longer be distributed and the calendar format Virtual Backpack on our homepage has been removed.

After a flyer has been submitted through Peachjar, it is routed automatically to the district office for approval then emailed as a visually engaging, full-color image to parents.

To learn more or to become a Program Provider visit www.peachjar.com.

A 2nd grade student looks at his new book . CJ Bio America donated a special book for each of our 2nd grade students.

It is the policy of the Fort Dodge Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, ancestry, age, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, physical attributes, religion, political party preference, political belief, socioeconomic status, veteran’s status, actual or potential parental, family or marital status in its programs, services, and employment practices. If you have questions or grievances related to this policy, please contact Dr. Stephanie Anderson (Director of Elementary Education), and Dr. Kirsten Doebel (Director of Secondary Education), Central Administration Office, 109 North 25th Street, Fort Dodge, IA 50501, (576-1161) or contact the Civil Rights Midwestern Division for U. S. Department of Education Office, 500 W. Madison Street, Suite 1475, Chicago, IL 60661-4544. (Alternate for Section 504 is Pamela Stangeland, Director of Special Education/Special Needs, 515-574-5675). The District’s Compliance Coordinator for Affirmative Action is Kimberly Whitmore, who can be reached at 576-1161 or 109 North 25th Street, Fort Dodge, IA 50501. The District’s Designated Investigators of Physical/Sexual Abuse of Students by School Employees are Dr. Stephanie Anderson (Director of Elementary Education), and Dr. Kirsten Doebel (Director of Secondary Education). They can be reached at 576-1161 or 109 North 25th Street, Fort Dodge, IA 50501. The alternate is Pam Stangeland. She can be reached at 574-5675 or 109 North 25th Street, Fort Dodge, IA 50501. The District’s Officers for Harassment Complaints and Allegations are Dr. Stephanie Anderson (Director of Elementary Education), and Dr. Kirsten Doebel (Director of Secondary Education). They can be reached at 576-1161 or 109 North 25th Street, Fort Dodge, IA 50501.