Olmsted Family Newsletter
We are a community.
Late Start Monday 10/30 - School Starts at 9:55 am
Week of Oct. 30 - Nov. 3
Hello Families and Friends!
We had a fun Friday night playing Bingo for Books! Thank you to our PTO for hosting and thank you to our families for helping us fundraise. Approximately $500 was raised from the bake sale and pizza. Thank you so much for your donations!
The cold weather is here. Please be sure to send coats, hats, and gloves! Please plan for snowy weather that will be here sooner than you know it! If you need assistance with securing any winter clothing, please feel free to reach out!
Warmest regards,
Jolee Donnelly, Principal
Olmsted Elementary School
Important Dates
- 11/3 - PTO Sponsored Spirit Day: Hat Day ($1 donation appreciated but not required to participate)
- 11/8 - Picture Retakes
- 11/2 - 3rd Grade Field Trip to State Capital
- 11/3 -2nd Grade Field Trip to Performing Arts Center
- 11/14 - 5th Grade Field Trip to Performing Arts Center
- 11/14 - Fall Conferences
- 11/16 - Fall Conferences
- 11/22-11/24 - Thanksgiving Break
- 12/25-1/2 - Winter Break
Building Hours
Monday Late Start
Breakfast/Doors Open - 9:35
Tardy Bell - 9:55
Dismissal - 3:40
Tuesday - Friday
Breakfast/Doors Open - 8:35
Tardy Bell - 8:50
Dismissal - 3:40
Highlights from Bingo for Books
Staff Spotlights
Information Regarding Truancy and Late Arrival
STUDENTS ARE TO BE IN CLASS AT 8:50 am
It is important for students to be on time so that they are not missing out on instruction that happens right at the beginning of the day. Please make every effort possible to be on time. Students are to be in class at 8:50 am as their Morning Meeting starts at that time. This is time where students are connecting with peers, reviewing the schedule of the day, and teachers are taking attendance. Therefore students need to be dropped off prior to the 8:50 start time.
We had approximately 70 unexcused tardies on Friday 10/27.
We will now start requiring students to be signed in by their parent/guardian when late. Late means that the bell has rung (8:50) and the student is not inside the building. At this point, you will need to park your car, walk your student inside, and sign your student in at the front office moving forward.
Our attendance team is working on the next round of communications. As stated in previous family newsletters, our team sends out a 10% letter as our first communication when a student falls below 90% of days attended. After that first communication it is protocol for us to monitor 10 Unexcused Absences (absences undocumented for reasons/no doctors note) and then move to truancy procedures. Communication will come from our Facilitator of Family Outreach (Leroy Campbell), Dean of Students (Kara Paulson), and/or Nurse (Carly Johnston) when absence percentages continue to drop and documentation is needed.
If there are barriers that arise that keep you and your child from getting to school on time, we encourage you to reach out to our Facilitator of Family Outreach, Leroy Campbell campbelll@urbandaleschools.com, to problem solve and receive support.
As a reminder:
Mondays - Students can start to be dropped off at 9:35. Tardy bell rings at 9:55.
Tuesday through Friday - Students can start to be dropped off at 8:35. Tardy bell rings at 8:50.
NOTE: Doors will close at 8:50 am and those arriving past the 8:50 start time will need to park and walk their child into the building to sign their child in as late. A new iPad procedure has started to help link attendance with our PowerSchool system for more accurate records.
As always, we thank you for partnering with all of us at Olmsted to ensure success for all our kids! If you have any questions, please reach out.
Kara Paulson, Dean of Students
Email: paulsonk@urbandaleschools.com
Phone: 515-457-5810
Things to Know
Snacks
Please be sure to pack a snack for your students! We encourage families to pack healthy snacks. If a snack or treat is shared with classmates, it must meet the expectations of the healthy kids act. This includes birthday treats. We strongly encourage families to send non-edible items to celebrate birthdays. Thank you for understanding!
People to Know
Jolee Donnelly
Principal
Phone: 515-457-5800
Email: donnellyj@urbandaleschools.com
Ms. Jolee Donnelly can assist you in all things Olmsted! Please feel free to contact her with questions, ideas, and/or concerns you might have throughout the year!
Kara Paulson
Dean of Students
Phone: 515-457-5800
Email: paulsonk@urbandaleschools.com
Ms. Kara Paulson can assist you in all things related to student behavior and discipline as well as attendance needs. Ms. Paulson is also our point of contact for our Dynamic Learner programming and our special education and general education associate staff. Please contact her with questions, ideas, and/or concerns you might have throughout the year!
Translators
Please reach out to our translators should you need support!
Carly Johnston
School Nurse
Phone: 515-457-5801
Email: johnstonc@urbandaleschools.com
Ms. Carly Johnston can help you with medication support and other health related questions you might have during the school year. Please feel free to reach to Ms. Johnston with questions you might have!
Melissa McElroy
Professional School Counselor
Phone: 515-457-5805
Email: mcelroym@urbandaleschools.com
Ms. Melissa McElroy teaches social emotional learning and guidance lessons to students. She also supports small group lessons on a variety social skills ranging from friendships, self-regulation and coping skills. Please feel free to reach out with Ms. McElroy with questions you might have in supporting your students' social and emotional well being!
Technology to Know
PowerSchool
It is new as of last spring for elementary families to have access to PowerSchool. Please feel free to reach out to our office staff should you need help navigating PowerSchool.
Pikmykid App
Please down load the Pikmykid App for dismissal. Please see above in this newsletter for more information.
SeeSaw
Teachers will use SeeSaw to communicate happenings in class. Teachers will provide you with information either at Open House or via email on how to sign up.
LINQConnect - Lunch Accounts
Please use LINQConnect to add money to your student's lunch account. Please refer to these directions for step by step directions on how to do this.
Please see our district nutrition services website for more information about school lunches.
ClassLink at Home
Please review the following for more information on ClassLink at home.
Class Link Translations
Please download the following for your language.
Information from Olmsted PTO
Art Donation Request
Miss Miller needs our help with supplies! Do you have any of these items you can donate? Please drop off to the office and let Rhonda and Teresa know they're for Miss Miller.
- Grocery Bags (plastic)
- Toilet paper rolls
- Empty Yogurt Containers
- Cereal Boxes
$1 Spirit Day- Friday 11/3
$1 Spirit Day is back on Friday, 11/3, Hat Day! A $1 donation will be accepted but not required to participate. Donations may be dropped off to your student's teacher or you can click the link below and donate virtually through PayPal.
Restaurant Night-Amigos 11/7-NEW
Join us for our monthly restaurant night with Amigos! Tuesday Nov. 7th 4:30-9:30pm, 20% goes back to Olmsted, dine in, carry out, please mention Olmsted.
Charleston Wrap Fundraiser-Starts
Today is the last day for our Charleston Wrap® fundraiser and we need YOUR help! Please consider ordering today! Wrapping paper, gourmet food and personalized gifts for your special people.
Upcoming Planning Meeting 11/7
Join us for our November planning meeting at Urbandale Public Library, Tuesday, November 7th at 6pm. We'll discuss the upcoming Readathon. Everyone is welcome
Girl's Basketball
Interested in girl's basketball with Urbandale? The High School Girls Basketball coach reached out with links to sign up! Team J-Hawk Girls Basketball Rec League! This league is for girls in grades 1-7, it's a great way for girls to get introduced to the sport and play competitively. Registration is open during the month of October.
This is the link for grades 1-3 from community ed:
https://www.urbandalecommunityed.com/.../camps...
This is the link for grades 4-7 from community ed:
Parent Volunteers
Our instructional coaches need assistance prepping new materials. Interested in volunteering? Email Olmsted PTO if you can help!
Ways to Donate
- Caseys: As a member of Casey's Rewards, you choose how you're rewarded: with Casey's Cash, fuel discounts, or a donation to your local school. And you can start redeeming with as few as 250 points
- Corporate Donation: Check out your company and add Olmsted PTO as a non-profit (Wells Fargo, John Deere, Principal, etc...)
- Box Tops: The Box Tops APP makes it easy to earn cash for your school. Download the APP and start scanning!
- Your time: We need YOU! The best way to give back is to come volunteer at Olmsted Elementary or with the PTO. (volunteering at the school does require a background check, please reach out for more information)
Thank you for attending our Bingo for Books event this past Friday! We had so much fun hosting the free event for Olmsted families! Thank you to everyone who donated to the bake sale and our volunteers! Special thank you to the Kinard family, Liat, Justin and Paxton for passing out prizes and being a fun MC for the event! Be on the look out for our next FREE family event at Olmsted in January!