Wickham Elementary
Weekly Newsletter - Friday, April 24th 2020
School Closed for the Remainder of the Year
Message From Principal Daubs
The district message this week mentioned that workbooks in reading and math have been ordered. These workbooks will provide paper/pencil opportunities for students to practice skills that are tied to our curricular materials and expectations. We will encourage using the workbooks in addition to Lexia and DreaBbox. Once the workbooks have been received, parents will be informed of the distribution procedures, making sure that social distancing regulations are followed.
Take care!
Classroom Corner
Daily Schedule - If you are interested in utilizing a daily schedule with your K-6 student, please consider this suggestion.
Reading Challenge - Our teacher librarians have created a fun reading challenge for our students.
Message from Mrs. Wattiez
Hello from Mrs. Wattiez! I miss you all and think about you every day.
Please remember that I am available to provide support during this time away from school. I am available by email at wattiez.mallory@iowacityschools.org. In addition, I use the app TalkingPoints which can translate messages between us and go directly to your phone via SMS. If you would like to talk with me using TalkingPoints, you can download the parent app and use the code RPTEQK to join my class “Mrs. W- Counseling.”
Each week I am going to include a few resources that can provide some support and assistance during this time:
Mind Yeti – this is a great video resource that helps children practice mindfulness and strategies to calm down
Stress and Coping - CDC – this resource gives helpful information for how to help your child cope with stress related to Covid-19
School Nutrition
Message from the district - We have received questions about recent local social media posts and national news stories indicating that if schools do not see an increase in their food volume distribution at current meal sites that school districts risk losing funding. At this time, the District is not aware of any indication that the federal funding for this feeding program will be cut for Iowa City (or any other district in the nation). However, it is accurate that the number of meals the District serves could have an impact on certain aspects of the District budget.
We plan to continue to provide the Grab & Go meal service through the end of May. Meals are available to any child that would like one, and the meals are free for all children ages 1-18. We want to continue to encourage any family or child that would like to receive a meal to visit a site each day. However, we do not want to project that the District will suffer financially or future funding will be impacted if our numbers do not continue to increase. Again, we are thrilled by the community support for our nutrition services team and their efforts each day to feed our students, but the District is not aware of any indication that the federal funding for this feeding program will be cut. Take care.
Buildings and Grounds Closures
All District schools, buildings, playgrounds, and outdoor facilities will remain closed to the public until further notice. Per Governor Reynolds’ announcement, this will be through April 30, 2020, at a minimum. This closure includes the cancellation of all activities and any events held at buildings or on school grounds.
The District is directing all employees to work remotely and not visit district buildings or offices unless specifically directed to do so. We are asking that all families, students, and community members also avoid visiting buildings during the extended closure. While we recognize this could create an inconvenience, the safety of our students, families, staff, and the greater community is of primary importance. Keeping district buildings closed and eliminating access will support social distancing and slow the COVID-19 spread.
At this time, the District does not anticipate reopening access to buildings prior to April 30, 2020. We understand a need may arise for staff and students to access our schools given the extension of the closure period. We encourage all in our community to remain at home as much as possible, but we will continue to monitor needs with regard to building access.
Technology Access
It is important that students and families are able to gain access to educational, news, and communication resources during this challenging time. Families of elementary students that do not have access to a laptop computer, desktop computer, or tablet in the home may complete this request form or call (319) 688-1950.
We have also worked with telecommunications providers to identify opportunities to provide for internet access to District families with no existing internet service. If your family does not have internet service at home, please fill out this form or call (319) 688-1950 to arrange for district-provided internet access.
You can contact the Helpdesk by emailing helpdesk@iowacityschools.org, using the chat option available in the bottom right corner of innovation.iowacityschools.org, or by calling (319) 688-1950.
Non-discrimination Statement
Wickham Elementary
Email: daubs.amber@iowacityschools.org
Phone: 3196881175
Facebook: facebook.com/WickhamElementary