Duncombe Elementary Newsletter TOGETHER WE RISE: Raising the Bar, Closing the Gap, Believing All Kids Do Well If They Can
March Duncombe Elementary Principal 2021 Ryan Flaherty Important Dates Secretary Tina Heyerhoff March 1: NO SCHOOL March 2: DUNCOMBE BOOSTER CLUB MEETING 7 P.M. Main Office March 17-19: NO SCHOOL - SPRING BREAK PH: 515-574-5623 March 23: PRESCHOOL, TK and KINDERGARTEN Hours: 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. PREREGISTRATION EXTENDED HOURS AT CENTRAL OFFICE
FROM 4:30—7 P.M. FDCSD Main Office March 29: PRESCHOOL, TK and KINDERGARTEN 109 N 25th St PREREGISTRATION EXTENDED HOURS AT CENTRAL OFFICE Fort Dodge, IA 50501 FROM 4:30—7 P.M. PH: 515-576-1161 FX: 515-576-1988
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 Preferences. NOTES FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Read Across America
The first week in March we will have a variety of staff and community members read books to our students to help promote the love of reading. Guest readers will include former Duncombe teachers, some members of Fort Dodge Police Department, Pastor Dan Altman and Charles Clayton. We are being creative with how we bring our guest readers into the classrooms with pandemic restrictions still applying, so readers will record themselves reading a favorite book and teachers will play the recordings throughout the month of March.
Family Engagement:
In the next month, you will see information coming home about times our teachers would like to talk with you about your child’s progress in learning and some strategies to help them continue their learning at home. In addition to our virtual family engagement nights, we are also going to be circulating home some “learning kits” that have a variety of learning activities that families can do at home to help push kids’ learning to high levels. We know that when students were out of school due to the pandemic there was a loss of learning and we are working to take every step to recover that learning and make sure students are ready to succeed at the next grade level and in life.
Attendance:
One of the best ways you can partner with our school is to have your child at school, on time every day. Our days at school are filled with important activities and learning tasks from start to finish, so any time students are late or miss school it is hard on them. Your work to get kids here and make sure they are on time is great- ly appreciated.
State Testing:
The Iowa Statewide Assessment for Student Progress (ISASP) formerly known as ITED or ITBS, will be giv- en to all 3rd and 4th grade students during the week of April 19-23. More information will be provided in the April newsletter, please just mark your calendars and be sure students are present in school that week.
Mr. Flaherty Duncombe Elementary 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 Student in the Arts Winter 2020 Honorees ART: Marlie Chase, Lauryn Parker, Fransico Chilel-Chavez, Lanxtynn Shute and Lauren Schelle MUSIC: Myles Bolton, Drake Brookshire, Catalina Vasquez, Ali Hudson and Kyler Denman Congratulations!! Pre-register Now for 2021-2022 Preschool at New Early Childhood Center
The Fort Dodge Community School District will welcome preschool students to the new Early Childhood Center in the fall of 2021. The District’s preschool is a free, full day program. Re- search shows children who attend preschool can gain skills that help prepare them for kinder- garten and their learning journey. “Our free, full day preschool does more than just expose children to letters, numbers, shapes and colors,” said Dr. Steph Anderson, FDCSD Director of Elementary Education. “It teaches them to follow directions, work cooperatively and socialize with other children and adults, and they gain confidence in themselves and what they can do.” Preschool pre-registration for the 2021-22 school year is now being accepted at the Fort Dodge Community School District. To be eligible to attend preschool in the fall of 2021, children must be four years old by September 15, 2021. To complete the pre-registration for Fort Dodge Community School District preschool, please visit the FDCSD Central Office, 109 North 25th Street. Parents/guardians need to provide proof of guardianship (birth certificate, DHS documents, court documents, tax documents), proof of student’s age, immunization records and address verification when they come to pre- register. Extended hours for pre-registration will be offered from 4:30 – 7:00 p.m. on March 23 and March 29. Families will need to complete the full registration process online during the summer of 2021. 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 studies and labs and ELA for TK-2 graders and Type to Learn for 3-4 graders. The morn- ing and afternoon combined 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 normally learn At Home will continue their lessons in Edgenuity. Questions about virtual learning days for elementary students should be directed to Emma Lampe at Central Office 515-576-1161.
FDMS Students - All classes will meet virtually via Google Meet at the beginning of each scheduled period. The link to each class’s Google Meet can be found on Google Classroom. Teachers will provide instruction as well as directions on where work to be completed can be found. Magic hour will not meet. Students who normally learn At Home will continue their lessons in Edge- nuity. Questions about virtual learning days for middle school students should be directed to any of the building administrators.
FDSH Students - All classes will meet virtually via Google Meet at the beginning of each scheduled period. The link to each class’s Google Meet can be found on each course’s Google Classroom. Teachers will provide instruction as well as directions on where work to be completed can be found. Homeroom and MTSS will not meet. Students who normally learn At Home will con- tinue their lessons in Edgenuity. Questions about virtual learning days for high school students should be directed to any of the building administrators.
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.
FD School Food Service Facebook Page
The FDCSD food service department now has a Facebook page. Please like and follow https:// www.facebook.com/FD-School-Food-Service-106695827917265 on Facebook for more info and many deli- cious looking photos of student meals! 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 new 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. School Safety Emergency Response Protocols The FDCSD, in collaboration with local law enforcement and first responders, has adopted four standard re- sponse protocols for use in emergencies. During an emergency, one or more of the following responses may be implemented. EVACUATE: evacuate is used when there is a need to move students from point A to point B in an orderly fashion. A fire drill is an example. SHELTER: shelter is used when there is a need for personal or group protection. A tornado drill in an ex- ample. SECURE the PERIMETER: secure the perimeter is used, often at the request of the police department, as a preventive measure when there is a threat outside/near the school. This response was formerly known as a lockout. LOCKDOWN: lockdown is used when there is a threat inside the school. What can parents/guardians do to help our schools be prepared for an emergency? Ensure your contact information is current in Infinite Campus. Keep all medical information for your child up to date with the school. Talk to your child about the need to follow directions in an emergency and to pay close attention during drills. During an emergency, please do not come to or call the school. Listen for information, updates and in- structions to come from the district. SAFESCHOOLS ALERT The FDCSD is now using SafeSchools Alert, a tip reporting service that allows students, staff, and parents to submit safety concerns to our administration four different ways: Phone: 515.373.4351 Text: Text to 515.373.4351 Email: [email protected] Web: Use the link under Events at fdschools.org or visit http://1876.alert1.us When you submit a tip, be sure to use the FDCSD identification code 1876 in your communication. Every tip SafeSchools Alert receives about our district is immediately logged in the system and our admin- istration is notified so we can investigate and take appropriate action. Together, using SafeSchools Alert, we can make our district a safer place to learn and work!
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, veter- an’s status, actual or potential parental, family or marital status in its programs, services, and employment practices. If you have questions or grievanc- es 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 Elemen- tary 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.