Knights News

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The first half of the year has gone by very fast. It is hard to believe that we are next going to meet with our students in 2024! It has been a wonderful experience getting to know all the students and staff at Unity. I am impressed with the Unity family. The staff is kind and caring, all our staff or deeply invested in the success of each of the students. The students are hardworking and eager to learn. Our parents are cooperative and willing to support students with their education. I would like to thank everyone! We are always looking for ways to improve, and I would like to bring a few things to everyone’s attention, and request all the help and support that each one of you can provide.

Attendance is always an area of concern that will help increase a student’s chances of achievement. Individually, each of you can see your students’ attendance on Infinite Campus, or if you have concerns, you can call Mr. Chapman, our attendance specialist, and he can help. Currently, by class, here are our attendance rates by grade level:

· TK and Kindergarten 92%

· First Grade 94%

· Second Grade 95%

· Third Grade 93%

· Fourth Grade 93%

· Fifth Grade 94%

· OVERALL – UNITY 93.78%

The expectations for student attendance are 95%. As you can see, we are a little below the district expectations, and everyone at Unity would appreciate all the parental support we can get to help us get our students to school.

With the return to school on January 3rd I am anticipating that our weather will be very winterlike. Additionally, the weather becomes more unpredictable. Throughout December, we have had students who were not prepared to go outdoors, and I would like to ensure that all our students are ready if we need to be outside. In addition to recess time, there is always the concern that there may be an emergency and students must leave the building. In this case, we will have no options, we would need to leave the building. When it comes to recess, if the “feels like” temperature is above 15 degrees, and there are no other weather conditions happening, we go outside.

A few reminders for everyone when we come back in January. School resumes on Wednesday, January 3rd. Then Thursday, January 11th is the end of the quarter and the end of the first semester. There will be no school for students on Friday, January 12th.

On behalf of the entire Unity Team, we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Mr. Finkey

We hope you all have a wonderful winter/holiday break with family and friends! School resumes on Wednesday, January 3rd

As the seasons change and the temperature is getting cooler, please be sure to send your children in appropriate attire; i.e. sweatshirts, coats, hats, gloves. Anytime the weather is at, or above, a feels-like temperature of 15 degrees, and as long as it is not raining or snowing, all students will be outside for 15 minutes before school and for 15 minutes at each of the 3 recesses

Always remember our Unity Attendance Motto:

In class!

On time!

Every day!

Santa came and visited Mrs. Bunch’s class and a few others. He reminded us of our Character Strong focus points of kindness, respect, and empathy.

There will be NO SCHOOL for students on Friday, January 12th, due to a Teacher Work Day

SAVE THE DATE!! On Monday, January 29th, parents, grandparents or special friends are invited to come to school to have lunch with your First Grade student. After lunch you will meet with our Title Team for a parent connection time. We will share valuable information about your child’s academics and what you can do at home to help them become better readers. Every family that attends will receive information and a book.

A formal invitation will be sent home in January with a required RSVP.

We look forward to seeing you !!

Unity’s Title Teachers:

Mrs. Benz

Mrs. Chartier

Mrs. Peterson

Mrs. Metcalf

Mrs. White

Parents, if your students are not allowed to eat pork, please remind them to look for the picture of a pig that is posted in the cafeteria each and every time that pork is being served at breakfast and/or lunch at Unity. In this way, your student will know whether or not to eat the meal that day. You can also check the menu online to see the weekly menu or ask the office for a paper copy of the menu by month. Thank you

With the cooler temperatures upon us, please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the colder winter. Even during the winter season, the District allows recess and outdoor activities to continue as usual, so it is important that students have the right winter weather clothing. When the temperature feels like 15 degrees or lower, students are kept inside for recess and activities. Students should be prepared for the cooler weather with a warm coat, hat, scarf, and gloves. If your student does not have access to cold weather apparel, please contact our school office.

The weather in Iowa can be unpredictable. If the weather requires us to delay the start of our school day, cancel school for the day, or dismiss school early, information will be sent to families through email, text, and voicemail. In addition, this information is posted to our social media sites and the District website.

Please remember that parents and guardians have the right to make the decision to keep their child home on any day they feel it is unsafe for their student to be in school because of weather conditions. If you believe the weather provides a sincere reason why you may have to keep your student at home, or take your student home when classes are scheduled to continue, you as a parent or guardian will simply need to contact our school office to let us know.

The District sends out important information regarding school closings and cancellations and other updates to our families via phone, email, and text. Additionally, our school will contact you in case of an emergency or student health concern. Make sure your contact information is updated in our system and that your phone accepts the school’s phone calls. Doing this will ensure you receive school communication promptly and we can reach you in case of an emergency. To make updates to your contact information, please contact our office.

The District has cell phone protocols in place to ensure an engaging and distraction-free environment for our students. The protocols restrict the use of electronic devices during the school day. For more information, please review the 2023-2024 Parent/Guardian & Student Handbook on the District website.

We’re Hiring (Please link the graphic below to: https://www.siouxcityschools.org/page/careers)

If your student brings a bag lunch to school, you must provide a drink for them or send .55 cents to purchase a milk. Unfortunately, the government sponsored free lunch program does not allow the kitchen staff to provide a milk to students unless the student takes the free lunch offered by the school.

If you have questions about how you can be a part of the Unity PTO, please email us at:

unitypto@yahoo.com

Please join us at our monthly PTO meetings which will be held on the first Thursday of every month at 6:00 pm in the library.

Thursday, January 4th

Thursday, February 1st

Thursday, March 7th

Thursday, April 4th

Thursday, May 2nd

Bring a Book, Take a Book (Be a "Knightly" Reader) is a Title 1 sponsored event for ALL Unity students (TK-5th grade). This is a Book Exchange Program where students can bring books from home and exchange them for different books (limit 5 books). Please wear your book tag chains each time you attend!! Each student who remembers their chains will receive a Smencil!

This program takes place once a month in the library from 8:20 - 8:35 am. The dates for this year are:

Friday, January 26

Friday, February 23

Friday, March 22

Friday, April 26

* Can you share or show what it means to have Perseverance?

* When working towards goals, how does Perseverance help us to reach them?

This month is all about Perseverance. One way to think about Perseverance is "pushing yourself through challenges and obstacles." We all experience challenges in our lives. We all have moments when we feel like we can't do it or that we want to give up on a big task. It is important to develop tools that help us work through those challenges in order to grow in those moments instead of giving up. How might you practice Perseverance as a family this month?

Perseverance is 1 of 3 traits we will focus on throughout the year that helps students BE STRONG. Across grade levels, students will be developing skills like focusing, organizing, and goal-setting.

Have some fun connecting as a family this month while practicing Perseverance. Here are 2 "PurposeFull Pursuits" you can complete together!

#1 - Consistency is hard. Have each person in the family commit to one thing they will do each day this week. Maybe it is flossing, drinking a certain amount of water, getting to bed at a certain time, limiting screen time, or exercising. Create a place where each person can tally their progress and see who can keep their streak going the longest.

#2 - Review Perseverance as a family! Remember that Perseverance is pushing yourself to work through challenges and obstacles.

Here is a fun challenge: Can you fit your whole body through an index card? While it sounds impossible, with the correct folding and cutting technique, you can make it happen! Give each family member a 4x6 index card and a pair of scissors. Ready for the answer? You can find the directions and solution online by searching: "Fit Your Body Through an Index Card."

Our day ends at 3:30 pm on Tuesdays - Fridays. On Monday we dismiss at 2:30 pm for staff professional development.

Our TK & Kindergarten students exit from doors 25 and 26 (Mrs. Poulson and Mrs. Anderson's rooms). Our 1st and 2nd-grade students exit from the main entryway (door 1). Our 3rd-grade students exit from door 3 which is located behind our loading dock. The 4th and 5th graders exit from door 4 at the North end of the building. Please see the image below to assist you with this visualization. Please work with your family to agree to a common meeting place outside of the building. We do our best to limit student traffic within the building after school.

If you have a preschool child and a child in another grade level we can make special accommodations so that you can pick up all of your children at the preschool door. Please contact your child's teacher to work through this.

Soap and water or alcohol-based sanitizers for hands?

Both alcohol-based hand sanitizers and hand-washing are effective ways of preventing disease, but remember these important facts:

• Hand sanitizers are not as effective when dirt is visible on hands. Hand washing with soap and water, singing the “Happy Birthday” song, should be used to remove the oil and grime where bacteria can live.
• Hand sanitizers should not be used in place of soap and water:

ü when preparing food

ü after restroom use

ü changing diapers

• Hand sanitizers will not work in killing certain viruses or bacteria such as:

Ø Cryptosporidium - causes diarrhea.

Ø Norovirus – causes stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea and to throw up.

Ø Clostridium difficile – causes watery diarrhea.

Clean hands are one of the best ways to prevent infection or disease. For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/handwashing/