Healthiest Ames Seeking Volunteers to Help Provide Face Masks for Students
Healthiest Ames is organizing a collaborative, community project to provide face masks for every student in the Ames Community School District. The project is a two-pronged approach to making face masks available. Community volunteers are working to sew a large quantity of face masks, and Healthiest Ames is also organizing a campaign to collect financial donations to purchase face masks. The project will supply every student in the ACSD with at least one face mask. Ames Middle School and Ames High School students and Ames PTOs are currently working toward a successful outcome.
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Steven Hopper named as new Director of Technology
The Ames Community School District is excited to announce Steven Hopper as the new Director of Technology. Last school year, Hopper was a School Administration Manager with the Ankeny Community School District. Prior to that, he was a Curriculum Technology Coordinator in Ankeny and an Instructional Technology Consultant with Heartland AEA.
Read moreRTL Update from Governor’s Proclamation and DE Guidance
Today, Governor Reynolds signed a proclamation and the Iowa Department of Education (DE) issued new guidance that directly…
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Free Books For Students at Grab and Go Meal Sites
Ames Community School District families will again have access to free books at four grab and go meal sites: Meeker, Mitchell, Sawyer, and the Ames Public Library. One book per week per student will be distributed on Fridays only for students in grades pre-K through 12. Scheduled dates are July 17, 24, 31 and August 7, from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. Books were purchased by the Ames Public Library Friends Foundation and are individually packaged according to grade-level appropriateness.
Read moreFirst Version of Return to Learn Plan
Ames Community School District parents and community, We are happy to share that we have posted the first version of our Return to Learn plan is now available. Thank you for your patience and understanding this summer around our Return to Learn planning. We know that there are a lot of questions around what school will look like in the fall and we hope that this document helps answer some of those.
Read moreRTL DE Submitted Plan / Timeline / Website
Department of Education Submitted Plan: Today was the deadline to submit the District’s Return to Learn (RTL) plan to the Iowa Department of Education and we are happy to announce that it has been “accepted.” One of the requirements is to post that submitted plan on our website, which can be accessed directly at the URL below. Please know that our developed plan is much more detailed than what was required from the state and we plan to share that larger document next week on our website (see the timeline below).
Read moreSchool Board Presentation and Overview
Last night, Superintendent Risner and District leaders presented an overview of the District’s Return to Learn (RTL) plan that is due to the Iowa Department of Education on July 1. The multi-faceted plan includes contingencies for the following conditions: On-Site Delivery – A full return of students and staff to school buildings. This delivery model will be done in buildings with face to face delivery of instruction for all students given application of mitigation steps described in the plan. Required Continuous Learning – This delivery model will be done via remote learning, either online or packet-based, in the event that schools remain closed due to the pandemic. Opportunities to interact with staff and students would occur virtually. Hybrid 1 Learning (state-mandated) – This delivery model will be done by alternating students between on-site and remote learning. Using appropriate mitigation steps while on-site, most students will attend school 2 days per week and engage in remote learning each week on other days. This model would be used if the state-mandated that schools operate at 50% capacity, for example. Hybrid 2 Learning (family choice) – This delivery model will closely mirror the on-site model for most students. However, some families may choose to have children remain in a required continuous learning model for personal safety reasons.
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Panorama School Climate Survey Results 2020
In March of 2020, the Ames Community School District surveyed students, staff, and families using the Panorama Culture and Climate Survey. The survey included questions around social and emotional learning, school satisfaction, and staff and family engagement, among others. New to this year’s student 6-12 survey were questions related to equity and inclusion. The purpose of the survey is to gather perception data from key stakeholders as a way to set and continue the evaluation of specific goal areas around the District’s Purpose and Priorities.
Read moreDepartment of Education Releases Reopening Guidance
Within the past week, we have received competing recommendations from two entities that we look to for guidance. Today, the Iowa Department of Education (DE) released guidance for reopening schools. Within that guidance, the DE cited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation that schools do not need to screen students and staff upon entering the building. They also said that requiring face coverings for all staff and students is not recommended.
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Book Giveaway Initiatives with Community Partners
The ability for Ames Community School District students to have high-quality reading materials in their homes was an early concern in the COVID-19 school closure period. To meet student’s needs for reading materials, critical for continued learning, elementary staff in each building set to work. Two separate book giveaway initiatives helped students and families get books into their home.
Read moreDiscover More from Ames CSD
