Spring Break No School Dates
There will be no school March 11, through March 18. School will resume Monday, March 21.
Profile of a Graduate
We are excited to launch the process of re-imagining our graduate profile! This document will work together with our strategic plan and equity framework to help chart a path for the district’s future. Please view this short survey to provide feedback on our graduate profile.
Rock Creek Book Fair
Who is excited to have an in-person book fair? This will be our first in-person book fair since February 2020!
- Hours
- Monday, February 28th: 4-6:00 PM
- Tuesday, March 1st: 4-7:30 PM
- Will students be able to buy books during the day? Not this time.
- Online Shopping link (scroll down to blue section)
- Online shopping is open Feb. 23 – Mar. 3.
Thank you for supporting our Schools’ Book Fair! All profits help us buy more books for our school library and of course, get books in kids’ hands!
Sincerely,
Megan Walsh
Digital Learning Teacher|megan.walsh@ankenyschools.org
Hearing Screenings
Hearing screenings will take place for kindergarten through 2nd grade and 5th graders on the following dates:
Monday, February 28
Tuesday, March 1
Thursday, March 3
Friday, March 4
Black History Month Challenge
Calling all students ages 13-18!
- First Place: $3,500 scholarship
- Second Place: $1,000 scholarship
- Third Place: $500 scholarship
World Read Aloud Day – Feb. 2
World Read Aloud Day is Wednesday, February 2, 2022! For 13 years, World Read Aloud Day has called attention to the importance of sharing stories by challenging participants to grab a book, find an audience, and read-aloud! The global effort, created by the non-profit LitWorld and sponsored by Scholastic, is celebrated annually in over 173 countries and is all about bringing people together through the shared connection of reading aloud in all of our communities.
Several opportunities are happening all week long in our schools! View the Scholastic World Read Aloud Kit here, or go to https://www.litworld.org/worldreadaloudday for more!
Congratulations to Kristen Recher, Iowa STEM Teacher Award
Attendance Reminder
Holly Anderson Named 2022 Middle School Iowa Athletic Director of the Year
Holly Anderson, Activities Director at Northview Middle School, has been chosen as the 2022 Middle School Athletic Director of the Year by the Iowa High School Athletic Directors Association. Holly was chosen for her outstanding dedication and leadership of young student-athletes.
“We are excited that Holly is receiving this much deserved recognition,” said Dr. Erick Pruitt, Superintendent of Ankeny Schools. “She is great leader, to both her students and also to her fellow staff members.”
Holly has been with the Ankeny Community School District for 16 years. Her previous roles for the district include P.E. teacher and girl’s basketball coach before beginning her current role in administration in 2013.
Honorees chosen as Athletic Director of the Year must have a minimum of five years’ experience and show qualities of achievement, excellence and character. Holly will be recognized at the annual IHSADA State Convention in March.
Updates to the Mask Requirement
The Ankeny Board of Education voted to discontinue the September amendment to the Return to Learn Plan, which was originally scheduled to sunset on December 21, 2021. This effectively ends the mask requirement in Ankeny Schools beginning, Wednesday, December 8. Masks will still be required on buses in accordance with the Order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC continues to recommend that all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to schools wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status, and we recommend those who are able continue to follow this guidance to support the health and safety of both our students and staff.
The Iowa Department of Public Health provided guidance to school districts in May 2021 that requires parental notification when students are exposed to COVID-19. With this change to the Return to Learn Plan, you may begin receiving an increase in these notifications. Please note that due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), neither the district, school building secretary, nor your school nurse will be able to provide exact exposure information.
Furthermore, it remains vitally important that any students who are feeling ill stay home. Federal and state public health agencies have information available to help you understand COVID-19 symptoms and appropriate next steps if you and/or your children are experiencing them.
We continue to await a decision from the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals regarding Iowa’s law prohibiting mask requirements in schools. If the court’s decision has any impact on our current mitigation procedures, we will notify our school community at that time.
Thank you,
Dr. Erick Pruitt
Superintendent of Schools