Uplifting Urbandale
Urbandale CSD Newsletter 8.27.21 #upliftingU
Welcome New Teachers & Administrators
2021 Urbandale Chamber of Commerce Educators of the Year
We’re Off To A Great Start
Annual Notices
PreK-8 Late Start Every Monday: Start Times Per Building
Every Monday is a “PreK-8 Late Start” for students in preschool through 8th grades. Our preschool program, elementary schools, and middle school utilize this time for professional learning and collaboration. Bus routes for PreK-8th grade students will run later to coincide with the late start time. Dismissal time at the end of the day remains the same. Thank you for making adjustments in your schedule to accommodate this time.
Kindergarten – 8th Grade ‘Late Start Monday’ Times:
Karen Acres — 10:00 a.m.
Olmsted — 10:05 a.m.
Rolling Green — 10:05 a.m.
Valerius — 10:00 a.m.
Webster — 10:00 a.m.
Urbandale Middle School — 9:30 a.m.
Adventuretime Before School Childcare:
Our Adventuretime Before School Childcare program still opens at the regular start time of 6:30 a.m. on PreK-8 Late Start Mondays. To help with traffic congestion, we'd like to request all students attending the Adventuretime Before School program arrive by 9:15 a.m.
Preschool ‘Late Start Monday’ Information:
NO instructional preschool will be offered on Monday for three or four-year-olds who attend half-day AM or PM preschool.
Three-year-old students that attend half-day instructional preschool, half-day wrap-around care and before/after programming may be dropped off between 6:30 AM-9:15 AM on Monday mornings.
Three and four-year-old students that are enrolled to attend all day instructional preschool from 9:00 AM-3:30 PM, will start preschool at 10:00 AM on Monday mornings.
Four-year-old students that attend all day preschool from 9:00 AM-3:30 PM and before/after school programming, may be dropped off between 6:30 AM-10:00 AM on Monday mornings.
Student Chromebook Handbook & School Handbooks
How To Use Your Student Assistance Program
All UCSD students and their household family members have access to the Student Assistance Program provided by Employee and Family Resources. The Student Assistance Program is here to help you and your family members manage the concerns in your life through free, confidential counseling. The SAP is available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is strictly confidential.
How To Use Your SAP:
Call (515) 244-6090 or 800-327-4692 if you’re outside of the Des Moines area.
The intake counselor will collect some basic info such as name, phone number, and date of birth. This counselor will also help you through any urgent needs or issues.
Then you will make your counseling appointment. You will receive a reminder call the day before your scheduled appointment.
Watch the demo of what a call to your SAP is like (video below).
UCSD Encourages the Wearing of Face Masks
Reminder: Face Masks Required On School Bus
Reminder: ‘No School’ Dates In September
Please make note of the following dates in September 2021 when school will not be in session.
District-Wide
Monday, September 6: In observance of Labor Day, there will be no school and no Adventuretime.
Rolling Green Elementary
Thursday, September 2 and Friday, September 3: No school due to recess days.
Metro West Learning Academy
Friday, September 3: No AM Session due to professional development.
We wish you and your family a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend and we look forward to welcoming all students back to school on Tuesday, September 7!
Join Our Team! We’re hiring for various positions and we’d like to hear from you!
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? If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, we’d like to hear from you! We’re currently seeking team members for a variety of positions which include the following:
Adventuretime Before & After School Childcare Associates
High School Spanish Teacher
High School Special Education Teacher
SPED Associates
Substitute Teachers and Substitute Associates
Learn more about available positions. For questions or additional information, please contact UCSD HR Manager Kate Johnson at 515-457-5015 or johnsonk@urbandaleschools.com We look forward to hearing from you!
UCSD COVID-19 Guidance
COVID-19 Status Dashboard
District Notification System Test: 10:00 a.m. August 31, 2021
UCSD will be conducting a district-wide notification test at approximately 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 31, 2021. During this test, parents/guardians and staff will receive an email, phone call, and text message (if you have opted in to receive text messages). The District Notification Test will be sent to staff and parents/guardians who registered to receive notifications; it will NOT include emergency contacts. We will also post an alert on our district Twitter (@UrbandaleCSD) and on the district website.
The notification test is to ensure we have your correct contact information in our system. If you do not receive the text/phone/email message, parents/guardians should contact their school to request their contact information be updated; staff should contact Kate Johnson to request their contact information be updated.
As a reminder, if you’d like to opt-in to receive text message notifications, please text “Y” or “YES” to 67587. The 67587 is a short code that connects directly with School Messenger (our district notification system).
Come On Out & Support Your J-Hawks!
Superintendent Dr. Daca: Request For Feedback
As part of Superintendent Dr. Daca’s 90-day entry plan, Dr. Daca is in the process of gathering information in order to build a strong knowledge base of UCSD schools, district, and community. We’d greatly appreciate your time in sharing your thoughts on this brief form:
UCSD Superintendent Request For Community Feedback (English)
Solicitud del Superintendente de UCSD para comentarios de la comunidad (Spanish)
Zahtjev upravnika UCSD-a za povratne informacije iz zajednice (Bosnian)
UCSD Superintendent nih Community Ruahnak theih a duh (Hakha Chin)
UCSD ကြီးကြပ်ရေးမှုးအသိုင်းအဝိုင်းတုံ့ပြန်ချက်တောင်းခံချက် (Burmese)
Free Meals For All Students Throughout the 2021-22 School Year
Urbandale Community Schools elected to participate in the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) allowing us to provide a free breakfast and a free lunch to all students enrolled in UCSD throughout the 2021-2022 school year! You’re welcome to complete the online Iowa Eligibility Application included below (note: the Iowa Eligibility Application is also known as the Free and Reduced Meal Application and must be completed on an annual basis). Only one Iowa Eligibility Application per household is required. Families are asked to complete the Iowa Eligibility Application form as your free or reduced status can impact fees for books & materials, driver’s education, bussing costs, and other district services. Please know, while meals (breakfast and lunch) are free this school year, any à la carte items such as milk, chips, cookies, etc. will still require payment to purchase.
Iowa Eligibility Application (also known as the Free and Reduced Meal Application)
Directions on how to complete the Iowa Eligibility Application
Public Release for Schools Operating the Seamless Summer Option (press release)
Student Fee Waiver
If your child(ren) qualifies for free and reduced meals per the Iowa Eligibility Application, they may also be eligible for other benefits such as reduced fees for books & materials, driver’s education, bussing, and other district services. In order to receive these additional benefits, make sure you complete the waiver portion that is included within the Iowa Eligibility Application (linked above). If you already completed the Iowa Eligibility Application, but did not complete the waiver, you can complete the waiver separately by using this form: 2021-2022 Application for Waiver of Confidentiality and School Fees (Note: The Waiver would also need to be completed on an annual basis.)
Learn More About Becoming A UCSD School Board Candidate: Nomination Papers Due Sept 16
Emergency Broadband Benefit Program
Family Resource Guide: We Support U
2021-22 Adventuretime Before/After School Program Registration
Check Out What’s New In The Flyer Hub
Share Your Uplifting Stories/Shout Outs
#upliftingU
#upliftingU
A big shout out to our community partners who helped with school supplies for Urbandale students: UCAN, Farrell’s Waukee, Homemakers Furniture, The Iowa Clinic, St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Greater Life Community Church, Creekside Church, GreenState Credit Union, and Primary Health Care - as well as all individuals who volunteer for UCAN. Your impact is felt in the hearts of students and seen in their smiles.
~ Dr. Keri Schlueter, Coordinator of Student Services
#upliftingU
Huge shout out to Ben Gleason, Sr. Manager of Sustainable Programs at Iowa Corn, for their very generous donation of 1,000 water bottles to the middle school. We greatly appreciate their support in our continued Covid-19 mitigation efforts.
~ Ryan Williamson, Coordinator of Equity & Inclusion
Opt-In “Uplifting Urbandale” Newsletter
Contact Us
Email: claired@urbandaleschools.com
Website: www.urbandaleschools.com
Location: 11152 Aurora Avenue, Urbandale, IA, USA
Phone: 515-457-5000