UCSD Nutrition Services recognizes the important connection between a healthy lifestyle and a student’s ability to learn effectively which is why we ensure all students have access to a healthy breakfast and lunch on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the federal waiver for free school meals was not extended to the 2022-23 school year; thus, families will need to carry a positive balance in their children’s school meal accounts in order for children to access breakfast and lunch while at school.

Meal Prices

Breakfast Meal Prices

Elementary: $2.00

Middle School: $2.50

High School: $2.75

Reduced price breakfast: $0.30

Second complete meal: $2.75

Lunch Meal Prices

Elementary: $2.70

Middle School: $2.95

High School: $3.10

Reduced price lunch: $0.40

Second Complete Meal: $4.15

Milk for students bringing a lunch from home: $0.50

For more information about meal prices, please visit the Nutrition Services website.

Payments
Funds can be loaded onto student accounts electronically through TITAN or by bringing cash/check to your student’s building (please place in an envelope and include your student’s first and last name so the money is credited to the correct account). Online payments are preferred because they happen instantaneously. You can also add payments through the Titan app available on the App Store (for iPhone) or Google Play Store (for Android).

If a student has a negative balance in their meal account, parents/guardians will receive an automated notification. No student shall be denied a meal, no matter their outstanding balance or qualification for assistance. For more information on negative account balances, please view Board Policy 702A.

Iowa Eligibility Application
To see if your child(ren) qualifies for free and reduced price meals please complete the 2022-2023 Iowa Eligibility Application.

Student Fee Waiver Program
UCSD offers financial assistance to families qualifying for the district’s free and reduced meal program. If your child(ren) qualifies for free or reduced price meals, you may also be eligible for other benefits such as free or reduced fees for books and materials, driver's education, busing, activities, and other district services.

In order to receive these additional benefits, make sure you complete the Waiver of Confidentiality portion of the 2022-23 Iowa Eligibility Application (which is located on tab 2, “Additional Questions” within the online application form). If you have already completed the application and did not select “yes” for this option, or if you received an email or letter stating that you were Directly Certified by the State, you can complete the waiver separately by using this form. By completing the waiver form, you waive your right to confidentiality of your eligibility status for the selected programs. Please note: The application and waiver forms need to be completed each school year.

To learn more about applying for free or reduced meals, please visit the Nutrition Services website.

For assistance in completing the application or for questions, please contact the Nutrition Department at 515-457-6911.

The Urbandale Community School District is an equal opportunity provider.

Thank you for a great start to the school year. Please make note of the following dates in September 2022 when school will not be in session.

District-Wide

Monday, September 5: In observance of Labor Day, there will be no school, no Adventuretime, and the District Administration office will be closed.

Rolling Green Elementary (only)

Friday, September 2 (today): No school due to a recess day.

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 6!

Are you interested in learning more about social and emotional learning, how technology is being used in classrooms, or how grading is structured in UCSD? Would you like to learn more about safety and security in our schools? How about having an opportunity to talk directly with the Superintendent and School Board members? Then register now for Parent University taking place on Tuesday, September 20 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Urbandale High School. Learn more here about Parent University and then be sure to register by September 13, 2022. We look forward to #welcomingU!

Planning has begun for the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 school calendars. We would like to learn more about the priorities of our community related to the academic calendars for the upcoming two school years. Please visit the survey link below to complete a short survey between August 26 and September 2 at 4:00pm. This feedback will be considered by the committee as they draft a proposed calendar. The draft will then be brought to the Board of Directors in October.

All UCSD Families Except Rolling Green:

• Stakeholder Academic Calendar Feedback (English)

• Povratne informacije o akademskom kalendaru zainteresovanih strana (Bosnian)

• Feedback Stakeholder Academic Calendar တုံ့ပြန်ချက် (Burmese)

• Stakeholder Academic Calendar Feedback (Hakha Chin)

• Comentarios sobre el calendario académico de las partes interesadas (Spanish)

• Maoni ya Kalenda ya Kiakademia ya Wadau (Swahili)

Rolling Green Families:

• Stakeholder Academic Calendar Feedback (English)

• Povratne informacije o akademskom kalendaru zainteresovanih strana (Bosnian)

• Feedback Stakeholder Academic Calendar တုံ့ပြန်ချက် (Burmese)

• Stakeholder Academic Calendar Feedback (Hakha Chin)

• Comentarios sobre el calendario académico de las partes interesadas (Spanish)

• Maoni ya Kalenda ya Kiakademia ya Wadau (Swahili)

The safety, security, and well-being of students and staff are top priorities. In partnership with law enforcement agencies, UCSD has worked extensively in the development of comprehensive, agile, and actionable emergency operations plans. We’d like to invite you to review a page on our site which provides more information regarding District safety and security measures. For security reasons, we are of course limited in the extent to which we can publicly share information; however, we are able to provide an overview of our emergency plans, preparedness, protocols, reunification, and what parents/guardians should do during a school emergency situation.

When UCSD needs to delay, dismiss early, or cancel school due to inclement weather or emergency situations, UCSD will notify families directly via email, phone, and text*, post an alert on the district website, district Facebook, district Twitter, and communicate with media outlets (WHO 13, KCCI 8, WOI 5). Please make note of the following two-hour delay, early dismissal and cancellation information. Be sure to keep your contact information updated with your school in order to stay aware, updated, and informed.

*SMS (text): Parents/guardians can opt-in at any time to receive text messages by texting “Y” or “YES” to 67587. The “67587” number is the “short code” that connects to our notification provider, School Messenger.

Are you interested in making a positive difference in the lives of Urbandale students? Do you like building relationships and helping others reach their potential? Would you enjoy hours within a school-day schedule while being a member of IPERS (the state’s largest public retirement system)? 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:

Full-Time with Benefits:

• Elementary & Secondary Special Education Teacher positions

• Facilitator of Family Outreach - Karen Acres & Valerius Elementary Schools

• Spanish Teacher - Urbandale High School

• Full-Time Substitute Teachers

• Special Education Associates

Part-Time:

• Physical Education Teacher - Metro West Learning Academy

• Special Education Associates

• General Education Associates

• General Workers - Production Kitchen & Serving Kitchen

• Various High School and Middle School Coaching positions

• Before/After School Adventuretime Childcare Associates and Greeters

Learn more about available positions. For questions or additional information, please contact UCSD HR Manager Kate Johnson johnsonk@urbandaleschools.com We look forward to hearing from you!

Join the Urbandale Booster Club and support our students in Activities. Join today here: Urbandale Booster Club

The Urbandale Alumni Association is proud to present the UHS Distinguished Alumnus Award and Celebration taking place at the Urbandale Golf and Country Club on Saturday, September 17, 2022. Please join us in presenting Rick Kading (Class of ‘76) with the first UHS Distinguished Alumnus Award, enjoy a great buffet style meal, bid on amazing class and business auction baskets (a few included below), answer Urbandale trivia questions, and receive your very own “U” gift bag! The UHS Distinguished Alumnus Award and Celebration committee would like to give a big shout out to the class coordinators, classmates, and all donors who did an outstanding job putting together the remarkable, creative silent auction baskets. Tickets are $45.00 per person and can be purchased here. Proceeds go toward supporting scholarships for Urbandale High School students. Thank you for your support. Go J-Hawks!

Beginning in the 2022–23 school year, every Monday is a “Late Start Monday” for all UCSD students (preschool through 12th grades). The previously scheduled “early out” days at Urbandale High School will be replaced with a “late start” every Monday. Our preschool program, elementary schools, middle school, and high school utilize this time for professional learning and collaboration. Bus routes 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 – 12th Grade “Late Start Monday” Times:

• Karen Acres — 10:00 AM

• Olmsted — 10:10 AM

• Rolling Green — 10:05 AM

• Valerius (at Jensen) — 10:00 AM

• Webster — 10:00 AM

• Urbandale Middle School — 9:15 AM

• Urbandale High School — 9:20 AM

• Metro West Learning Academy — 8:40 AM (Note: Metro West AM Session will begin at the regular time on Mondays as Metro West does not have a late start on Mondays.)

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 who 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 who 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 who 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.

Adventuretime Before School Childcare:
Our Adventuretime Before School Childcare program still opens at the regular start time of 6:30 AM on Late Start Mondays. Late Start student drop off will be from 6:30 AM - 9:15 AM (Note: there will be no Adventuretime staff at the door past 9:15 AM).

Purchase your 2022–23 Student Activity Tickets via RevTrak. Please note, Elementary and Senior Passes will be created and mailed in early to mid-August. Middle School and High School SATs will be printed on your student's school ID. Please contact Andrew Olson andrew.olson@j-hawks.com in the Activities Office with any questions. Go J-Hawks!

We continue to take the health and safety of our students, staff, and families seriously which is why we’d like to share the following guidance regarding current COVID-19 mitigation strategies. Please be aware, all of the following strategies/practices are current as of July 19, 2022, and are subject to change pending federal, state, and/or local decision-making.

Reminder: if you test positive for COVID-19:

• Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 must remain home for at least 5 full days (day 0 is the first day of symptoms or the date of the day of the positive viral test for asymptomatic persons).

• Individuals may return to school on day 6 if they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication AND other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving.

• It is highly recommended that individuals wear a mask when around others at home and in public for an additional 5 days.

• For students who test positive while school is in session, families need to contact their School Nurse.

• For students who test positive while school is not in session and are participating in school programming or Activities, families need to contact the supervisor of the program (e.g. Adventuretime or Summer School) or Activities Department.

• For staff who test positive, employees need to contact their supervisor and Kate Johnson.

• This guidance applies to both unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals.

You can find information about all activities to include athletics, the performing arts, and the Booster Club right at your fingertips. Be sure to visit j-hawks.com for all of the latest information, upcoming events, and highlights. Plus, purchase your fan gear online at the J-Hawk Shop. Let’s go J-Hawks!

The UCSD Flyer Hub is a great resource for finding information about community activities, opportunities, and services. We post flyers from our district, community education, and organizations within our community. Flyers are frequently updated so be sure to check back often.