PANTHER PRESS
October 2, 2020
Homecoming Tonight
Come join our cheerleaders in cheering on the Football teams as they take on the North Polk Comets at Ken Locke Stadium. The freshman game starts at 4:45pm and the varsity game kick off is at 7:30pm, with half-time performances by the marching band and dance team.
►Reminder: our COVID guidelines for home school-sponsored activities must be followed by all who attend.
Congratulations to the 2020 Homecoming Court! The entire court is pictured below left to right: Jaxon Zuck, Marley McKay, Dawson Black, Amy Sullivan, Mike Hudson, Tara Uitermarkt, Kieren Nichols, Jalen Nelson, Mason Murphy and Josalin McKeever.
King and Queen: Mason Murphy and Jalen Nelson
Happy Homecoming, Panthers!
What a great week to celebrate with our students, families, community and alumni! This year definitely feels different, and we appreciate your understanding of why we weren't able to host all of the traditional events. We hope you enjoyed the events we were able to have, and please know we have high hopes that the missing events will return in the future! Congratulations to all of our 7th-12th grade students who had a successful week whether it was in the bags tournament, cross country meet, volleyball games, homecoming participation activities, marching band, dance team, cheerleading, best teammate award winners, football games, and homecoming court--and all of our in-person & virtual learners who excelled in the classroom, too! We are proud of you, Panthers!
Special thanks to our kids, families, staff, and community members who are doing an exceptional job of following our safety precautions. We believe what we are doing is working to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We currently have no positive cases for students or staff. The latest numbers are in the table below.
This week Governor Reynolds announced new guidance regarding quarantining--if everyone is wearing a mask that is at least two layers thick, public health will no longer require quarantining of close contacts with a few exceptions. Linked below are the specifics of this new guidance. Please note: KCSD will continue with the same requirements we have had regarding face coverings. Parents, if quarantining is a concern, please have your child wear a mask instead of a face shield or gaiter. If you have any questions, please contact me or a building principal. Families and students should continue to follow the directions of your healthcare provider or Marion County Public Health if you have symptoms, test positive, or have a close contact in your household. [When to Quarantine & FAQ]
Since the Covid-19 virus activity continues to decrease, we have rescheduled school pictures for October 28. Look for more information soon!
October 28 & 29 will also be our Parent-Teacher Conferences. These will be held either virtually or by phone this year in order to maintain our safety precautions. Our goal is to keep students and staff healthy and learning in our school buildings! We appreciate your understanding and willingness to partner with us in these new ways to best meet the needs of our students and your children. KCSD will be sending out information on how to sign up for conferences on or before Oct. 14.
The following plan was recently approved by the KCSD School Board:
FACILITY USE BY NON-DISTRICT GROUPS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Tier 1 - Outdoor District Facilities
All district outdoor facilities available
All groups must provide their own restrooms if needed
No concessions are allowed
Face coverings are required
Tier 2 - Indoor District Facilities
Effective Date of November 1, 2020
All district indoor facilities available
Groups of 25 people or less
Face coverings are required except when coaches and athletes are physically practicing
No concessions are allowed
Groups are asked to remain only in the area they reserved and/or rented
Tier 3 - Indoor District Facilities (Events with Spectators)
Effective Date of January 4, 2021 (TENTATIVE)
Events with Spectators allowed
Face coverings are required except for coaches and athletes if an athletic event
Concessions allowed
Capacity Limit (TBD)
Tier 4 - Normal Operating Procedures
Effective Date - TBD
Last and most importantly, I'd like to give a huge shoutout to our amazing custodial and maintenance teams since today is National Custodial Workers Day! These teams are making a difference and helping to keep our kids and staff healthy and safe. Their smiles, great attitudes, cleaning skills, dedication, and hard work are noticed and appreciated daily! THANK YOU Tony, Peggy, Elaine, Bill, Lonnie, Kenton, Juvelyn, Sarah, Shawna, Kenny, Ron, Will, Mike, Brian, Mike, Ross, Kelby, Ross, Jake, and Troy!
Cassi Pearson, Superintendent
Knoxville Community School District
309 W Main Street, Knoxville, IA 50138
o: (641) 842-6551
UPCOMING HOME EVENTS:
* Fri, Oct. 2: 9/V FB v. North Polk, 445 PM; Marching Band Performance, Dance Team Performance
* Sat, Oct. 3: Homecoming Movie Night, 800 PM
* Mon, Oct. 5: 7 VB v. Chariton, 430 PM
* Tue, Oct 6: 8 VB v. PCM, 430 PM
* Tue, Oct. 6: JV/V G SW v. Des Moines Lincoln @Indianola YMCA, 530 PM
* Thu, Oct. 8: JV2/JV1/V VB v. Mount Pleasant, 500 PM
BIG WINS THIS PAST WEEK:
Our Volleyball team is having an awesome season!
Currently ranked #15 in Class 3A
17-3 overall, 5-0 in the conference!
They have won 12 conference matches in a row at home
They have won 25 conference matches in a row overall
Reilly Finarty reached 500 career kills milestone
Maggie Wilkins is now the school record holder in career digs
Isaac Rankin won the middle school boys race at the Knoxville Invitational this week!
Norah Pearson placed 6th in the Varsity race and is currently ranked 9th in the latest Class 3A Rankings
Another big win so far this season has been our FANS! A big thank you for masking up at events, practicing social distancing, and supporting our awesome students!!
The Knoxville Store
In partnership with Ramaeker Enterprises Inc., we are excited to offer the Knoxville Store - the online apparel store for Knoxville Panther gear!
This link can be found on our school website: https://www.knoxville.k12.ia.us/ and then click on the "Knoxville Store."
This store features apparel/gear with items from our new brand system with logo marks that have never been on the market! These are exclusive Knoxville Panther items you will only find here!
Some items on this store will stay from month to month - some items will change so that there are constantly new items to choose from for Panther fans!
Orders will be processed twice a month - on the 15th and at the end of the month and Ramaeker Enterprises will email you when your order is ready.
Some new items were unveiled on October 1!
NFHS Network
There were some malicious links posted on school Facebook pages over the last month advertising livestream events that were not actually valid. For events in our high school gym, we will stream on the NFHS Network (https://www.nfhsnetwork.com) and then search for Knoxville. This is a subscription-based service, but it is legitimate.
When our team is on the road and the host school offers a livestream - we will post that link on Facebook with the host school spectator guidelines that have been sent to us - this will ensure to our viewing public the post/link is authentic.
We will also stream all concerts in KPAC on there as well.
SCHEDULES
Get schedules for all extra-curricular middle school and high school activities by going to www.knoxville.k12.ia.us and then clicking on "Activities Calendar". You can even sign-up for email notifications so whenever we make a change to a schedule - you can be notified immediately.
Follow the Knoxville Activities Department on Instagram! @knoxvilleactivities
What's Happening at KHS
- A Day or B Day
- Weekly Panther Pride Focal Point
- Meeting information for clubs and organizations
- activities schedule
Driver Education Info.
Driver Education is offered at Knoxville High School through Triple ‘R’ Driving School. The fall classroom sessions will be held Oct. 21-Nov. 6 online via Zoom. For more information and to register, click here.
7th Grade Social Studies
What's Happening at KMS
- Panther PBIS Focus
- Meeting information for athletics organizations
- birthday announcements
- activities schedule
The 5th graders from Northstar celebrated International Dot Day in the Library. International Dot Day is celebrated yearly after Peter H. Reynolds' classic book, THE DOT. The book challenges us to 'Make your mark and see where it takes you. Established to celebrate creativity, courage, and collaboration, the celebration is easily one of the most fun days of the year! International Dot Day is a day to connect, collaborate, and create. It's also a great day to foster self-expression.
Scenes from the PBIS Celebration
Student Flu Shots Offered
Student flu shots are being offered Thursday, October 22 at all school buildings. If you would like your student to get a flu shot at school, please complete the form and return to school by October 6th. There are some printed forms available in each school office for students to pick up and take home as well.
Healthy regards,
Angie Mitchell, RN, BSN
KCSD PK-12 School Nurse
e-mail: angie.mitchell@kcsd.k12.ia.us
cell: (641) 891-6016
Sign Up To Receive Alerts
Sign up and/or update your subscription to receive alerts regarding school cancellations/delay and/or activity changes, you will need to subscribe to this service through GovDelivery. You can choose to receive text messages, email messages, or both. Please don’t delay, sign up today: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/IAEDU3375/subscriber/new
2020-21 KCSD Academic Calendar
Oct. 28 & 29: Parent/Teacher Conferences & 2 Hr. Early Dismissals
Oct. 30: No School
I wanted to remind everyone that your child's Birthday treats can be baked by our kitchen staff, and will be delivered to your child's classroom.
The plates/ napkins /forks are all included in the cost listed. All you have to do is contact me via e-mail or phone and place your order.
Here is the list of options available: https://www.smore.com/q6bdf
A few kids got creative last year and asked for tie-dye frosting, rainbow and glitter cupcakes which our staff did an amazing job at!
The kids are so excited when they see their favorite treats delivered for their Birthday. We always include a Birthday sign that says who they are from, and best of all- instead of buying store bought cupcakes that were made weeks or months ago and full of preservatives- these are made fresh :)
Feel free to contact me with any questions:
641-828-2094
Virtual Learning Contacts
For families utilizing virtual learning, please direct any questions you may have to the contact listed below at your student's school building.
West: Mr. Klein
Northstar: Mr. Keitges
KMS: Mr. Keefer
KHS: Mr. Wilkins or Mr. Sandy
Register now for a remote learning course to obtain your substitute authorization! Learn more at at Heartland.aea.org or see a class scheduled here. http://ow.ly/q7vA50zA9Hi
KCSD Admin. Office
The Panther Press is a weekly collective newsletter for parents & community members. If you have an article or flyer to share, please submit to Lisa.Willis@kcsd.k12.ia.us for consideration. We love to hear from you so please send us your submissions and feedback. The regular weekly deadline is Thursday at noon.
Stay connected by frequenting our website or following us on social media!
- KHS: www.facebook.com/KHSPanthers/ & twitter.com/KHS_Panthers
- KMS: www.facebook.com/PanthersKMS/ & twitter.com/Panthers_KMS
- Northstar: www.facebook.com/NorthstarElementary/ & twitter.com/MrKeitges
- West: www.facebook.com/knoxvillewestelementary/ & twitter.com/pantherswest
Rate us on greatschools.org!
Email: lisa.willis@kcsd.k12.ia.us
Website: https://www.knoxville.k12.ia.us/departments/district-office/people/1988396/lisa-willis
Location: 309 W Main St, Knoxville, IA, United States
Phone: 641-842-6551
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KnoxvilleCSD
Twitter: @KCSD_Panthers