Return To Learn
Urbandale CSD Weekly Update: August 14, 2020
Hybrid Instructional Model: Begins August 25
During the School Board meeting on August 10, the Urbandale CSD Board of Directors approved the Hybrid instructional model to begin our school year. All schools, including Rolling Green, will operate within the Hybrid model beginning Tuesday, August 25. Here is a description of the model.
Two groups of students for in-person instruction
Designated days for instruction:
Track “A” attends in person on Tue/Thurs (Team J-Hawk)
Track “B” attends in person on Wed/Fri (Team U)
Mondays alternate - Track “A” one week; Track “B” the next week. Here is a link that shows the schedule for each Monday. Note this schedule includes every Monday of the year, and these assignments will not change.
Track A “Team J-Hawk” will begin in-person instruction on Tuesday, August 25.
Track B “Team U” will begin in-person instruction on Wednesday, August 26 (Note: "Team U" will NOT attend online instruction on August 25; the first day of school for "Team U" will be Wednesday, August 26 when students attend in-person instruction.)
Elementary families will be receiving an email today (Friday, 8/14) or Monday, 8/17 that designates which track (either Track A “Team J-Hawk” or Track B “Team U”) your student is assigned. UMS families will receive an email on Monday that designates which track your student is assigned. UHS families with students in hybrid will receive an email today (Friday) that designates which track your student is assigned. By Tuesday, August 18, UHS will be sending an email to families and students regarding access to their student schedule for the fall. UMS and UHS students will have their hybrid assignment listed on their schedule.
Attempts will be made to keep siblings on the same schedule unless a specific request from a family is made not to do so.
Late starts for grades K-8 move to Mondays so as not to disproportionately impact one group of students (late starts provide professional learning and collaboration time for staff) Note: This change for “late start Mondays” is not specific to the Hybrid model as this is a calendar change that will be applied to all models.
UHS students will not have late starts on Mondays, instead they will have early dismissals on Wednesday and Thursdays. This follows the same early dismissal process that UHS has had in previous years.
All full-day preschool students will attend school five days per week (half-day preschool students will attend school four days per week Tuesday - Friday) when the District is following the Hybrid instructional model and the On-Site instructional model. If the District is in the Required Continuous Learning model (all online), then preschool would be online as well.
When UCSD is in a Hybrid instructional model, Adventuretime will provide childcare programming for students during before/after school hours on the days they attend school. Monthly fees will be adjusted at the end of the month based on the number of days that before/after school programming was offered. Information will be communicated to families regarding refund/credit options.
Update: Iowa Dept of Education Meeting
During a Special School Board meeting on August 3, the Urbandale CSD Board of Directors unanimously approved Rolling Green Elementary maintaining its existing instructional model (Required Continuous Learning) for two more weeks (through August 20) to help protect the health and safety of students and staff given the high level of community spread of COVID-19 in Polk County. Following Governor Reynold’s press conference on August 4, Urbandale CSD received a meeting invitation from the Iowa Department of Education (DE) to discuss plans regarding the instructional model for Rolling Green Elementary as the DE’s approval of Required Continuous Learning expired on August 6.
District representatives met with the DE on Friday, August 7. During that meeting we learned that the expectations did not change from either the Governor's office or the Iowa Department of Education. Exemptions could only be approved by the DE in two week segments of time and UCSD's rationale did not meet their criteria for extended exemption. We are in the process of determining the best approach to bring resolution to this matter and we will keep you informed of our progress.
Return To Learn Protocols
In order to align our instructional delivery model with the current state of public health, we will be working closely with the Polk County Health Department (PCHD) to determine the best approach for delivering instruction, while maintaining the health and safety of our students, staff, and community throughout the 2020-21 school year. To help our students, families & staff be prepared, we’ve developed the following elementary, middle school, and high school protocols. Be aware, these protocols are subject to change as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve. For questions specific to your school, please contact your school principal.
Monitoring & Reporting Illness
Illness symptoms
It is very important for parents and guardians to monitor their student’s health. Please monitor their temperature. If they have a temperature of 100.4 or higher, we ask that you keep your student home, observe for symptoms, and follow up with your healthcare provider.
If your student is not feeling well and has symptoms that might be related to COVID-19, please keep your student home and monitor their temperature and symptoms. Symptoms often associated with COVID-19 include: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, headache, body aches, generalized aching, nasal congestion, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, poor appetite.
We ask that you contact your school’s attendance line, leaving your student name, grade, symptoms, temperature, and a number we can reach you if we have further questions. Please call in whether your student is attending virtually (Required Continuous Learning), in the hybrid model (either virtual or in a building that day) or on site (in the building). Those that have chosen to be in Remote Classroom for the semester should also call in as well.
Exposure
Please contact your school nurse and report any exposure your student may have to a presumed positive or positive case of COVID-19. Please contact your school nurse and report if your student is diagnosed with COVID-19. Again, this information is needed, no matter what instructional model your student is in (either learning at school or virtual).The sharing of this information will be kept confidential and only shared with Polk County Health Department as they will be following up with you regarding contacts.
We appreciate your support in notifying us with the above information, as we all work together to keep our community safe.
Procedure For Public Comment During School Board Meeting
Citizens wishing to address the Board on a certain agenda item must notify the Board Secretary, Mary Beth Fast, prior to the board meeting (fastm@urbandaleschools.com). The following procedures will be followed for individuals to address the Board of Directors at meetings:
Any person wishing to address the Board must inform the Board Secretary prior to the meeting giving their name, address, and subject to be discussed and comments they wish to share. If the subject is already listed as an agenda item, the Board may allow the person to speak at the time the item comes up at the meeting; otherwise the person may address the Board during Open Forum.
The presiding officer will allocate an amount of time to each speaker, with five minutes being the usual allotment. (Policy No. 217)
The total period of time allotted for the Open Forum shall generally be thirty minutes.
The Board of Directors will generally take a subject raised during Open Forum under advisement, unless it is deemed that action is necessary immediately. The Board will attempt to have a response to Open Forum presentations as soon as practicable.
Click here for School Board Meeting information (Note: This can also be found by visiting the district site and selecting “Board Meetings” within the QuickLinks menu.)
Timeline
August 24: School Board meeting
August 25: First day of school (Traditional Calendar & Remote Classroom) Track A “Team J-Hawk” will begin in-person instruction on Tuesday, August 25
August 26: Track B “Team U” will begin in-person instruction on Wednesday, August 26 (Note: "Team U" will NOT attend online instruction on August 25; the first day of school for "Team U" will be Wednesday, August 26 when students attend in-person instruction.)
Mandatory Face Mask Guidance
All Urbandale CSD staff, K-12 students, vendors, visitors, and spectators are required to wear a cloth face mask (2-ply) while in district buildings and when riding a school bus. Cloth face masks are recommended for preschool students, but not required. Please review this Face Mask Guidance for Families & Staff that shares information about how to properly wear, wash, and dry a face mask as well as answers to several questions. Also, please review this information from UnityPoint Health about 8 Ways to Help Kids Adjust to Face Masks. Exceptions will be made for medical conditions or special circumstances. If your student has a medical condition or a special circumstance, please complete this form.
Chromebook Distribution Agreement
We’ll be providing a Chromebook to all kindergarten through 12th grade students. In order to make that happen, please take a few minutes to read and discuss each item included within this Chromebook Distribution Agreement:
Please indicate your agreement with each item by checking the boxes for both parent(s)/ guardian(s) and student. Checking each box will constitute an electronic signature which indicates your intention to comply with the terms outlined in the agreement. Complete one agreement for each student.
IMPORTANT: Parents/students, if you have not had a chance to complete this form, please do so as soon as possible. Thank you!
Internet Service
We Support U—Scholarships & Classroom Grants
District Administration Office: Open By Appointment Only
In continuation of our health and safety protocols, the District Administration Office remains closed to the public. If you would like assistance, please schedule an appointment in advance. Several areas that may be of assistance to you include:
- Registration/Open Enrollment/Bussing - Sandy Walters registration@urbandaleschools.com 515-457-5011
- Human Resources - Kate Johnson johnsonk@urbandaleschools.com 515-457-5015
- Payroll/Business Office - Brandi Crawford crawfordb@urbandaleschools.com 515-457-5012
- School Permits - Julie Mitchell mitchellj@urbandaleschools.com 515-457-5050
Free & Reduced Meals And Fee Waiver Program
Urbandale CSD’s Free and Reduced Meal Application can be completed online making it faster and easier for families to apply for free or reduced priced meals. To complete an application, please visit the Free and Reduced Meal Application website.
Grab N’ Go Meals: Extended To August 21
Our last day for the Grab n Go Meals has been extended until August 21st! The program serves free breakfast and lunch every Monday - Thursday to children ages 1-18 yrs.
Summary of Meal Locations and Times:
(Note: Meals will not be distributed on Fridays as additional meals will be provided on Thursdays.)
Apartment Buildings
Timberland at Meredith (78th and Iltis) Monday - Thursday 11:00am-11:20am
Bristol Ridge (Fareway parking lot on Meredith) Monday - Thursday 11:30am–11:50am
Cross Creek (86th & Meredith behind Git N’ Go) Monday - Thursday 12:00pm–12:30pm
Elementary Schools
Jensen Elementary Monday - Thursday 11:00 AM – 11:20 AM
Karen Acres Elementary Monday - Thursday 11:30 AM -11:50 AM
Valerius Elementary Monday - Thursday 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
Join Our Team
The employees in any school organization represent the most important resource for providing a quality educational program to the students it serves. It is the goal of the Urbandale Human Resources Department to recruit, select, and support the very best available candidates; promote employee/employer relations; and develop a culture in which optimum staff performance and satisfaction are encouraged and created.
Are you interested in making a positive difference in the lives of Urbandale students?
Do you enjoy building relationships and helping others reach their potential?
Are you looking for a meaningful position within an organization who values equity, trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship?
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Contact Us
Email: quistd@urbandaleschools.com
Website: www.urbandaleschools.com/rtl
Location: 11152 Aurora Avenue, Urbandale, IA, USA
Phone: 515-457-5000
Twitter: @UrbandaleCSD