From the Desk of the Superintendent...
June 17, 2015
AUGUST 2015 DISTRICT DISPATCH
The beginning of the 2015-16 school year will be here before we know it. I hope you are having a great summer. Registration for all grades will take place at the middle school on Monday, August 3, 2015, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The first day of classes for students will be on Monday, August 24, 2015. With air-conditioned classrooms throughout the school district, there should be no need for any early dismissals. However, if something unusual happens and there is a need to change our normal school day, please tune to the following radio or television stations: KFAB in Omaha (1110 AM), KNOD in Harlan (105.3 FM), KMA in Shenandoah (960 AM), KMTV in Omaha (Channel 3), WOWT in Omaha (Channel 6), and KETV in Omaha (Channel 7). In addition, our school district subscribes to the SchoolReach Instant Parent Contact System. This automated telephone broadcast service enables school personnel to notify all households and parents by telephone within minutes of an emergency or unplanned event that causes a late start, an early dismissal, or a school cancellation. If you have not signed up for this service and are interested in participating, please contact the principal’s office of the building where your child or children attend.
Parents/guardians considering the use of the open enrollment option to enroll their child or children in another public school district in Iowa should be aware of the following information: (1) The last date for regular open enrollment requests for the 2016-17 school year will be March 1, 2016; (2) The last date for open enrollment requests for entering kindergarten students will be September 1, 2016; (3) Parents/guardians of open-enrolled students whose income falls below 160% of the federal poverty guidelines are eligible for transportation assistance. This may be in the form of actual transportation or in the form of a cash stipend; and (4) Parents/guardians should be aware that open enrollment may result in the loss of athletic eligibility.
Students whose families meet the guidelines for free or reduced lunch, the Family Investment Program (FIP), or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are eligible to have their student fees partially or completely waived. In addition, students who are homeless or whose families are experiencing temporary financial hardship should contact school officials regarding fee reductions or fee waivers at the time of registration on Monday, August 3, 2015. A partial or full fee waiver does not carry over from year to year. It must be updated annually. Students qualify as being homeless if they are sharing the housing of other persons due to the loss of housing because of economic hardship, are awaiting foster care placement, or have been abandoned in a hospital. In addition, students are considered homeless if they are living in a car, a public park, an abandoned building, a bus station, a train station, or are migratory and are living in any of the circumstances noted above.
The school district annually involves parents in the development of its Title I plan, the process for the review of its Title I plan, and the process for the improvement of its Title I plan. For more information regarding parental involvement in the development of the school district’s Title I plan, please contact the elementary principal at 566-2326.
Parents/guardians in the Underwood Community School District have the right to learn about the following information regarding their child’s teacher’s qualifications: state licensure status, special endorsements for grade/level taught, and baccalaureate or graduate certification or degree. If the school district must utilize the services of a long-term substitute teacher for four or more weeks and the substitute teacher does not have the specific licensure for the content area being taught, the school district will notify the parents of the students involved in writing. For more information, please contact the Office of the Superintendent; Underwood Community School District; P.O. Box 130; Underwood, IA 51576 (Telephone: 712-566-2332).
The Underwood Community School District does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical attributes, physical or mental ability or disability, ancestry, political party preference, political belief, socioeconomic status, or as otherwise prohibited by statute or regulation. For more information or for concerns regarding educational programs and activities, contact Edward H. Hawks, Equity Coordinator. For more information or for concerns regarding employment practices or civil rights grievance procedures, contact Edward H. Hawks; Underwood Community School District; P.O. Box 130; Underwood, IA 51576 (Telephone: 712-566-2332).
