Editor's Note: In an effort to get the most important information to you in a timely manner, Lion Tracks has been split into two editions: registration and back-to-school.

The first day of school is Tuesday, August 23, 2022. Please remember students may not enter the building before 7:45 a.m.

Students in grades K-4 will report to their teacher's classroom, while students in grades 5-8 will report to their homeroom. Students in grades 9-12 will report to the high school auditorium.

Our TK program runs Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Their first day of school is Wednesday, August 24, 2022.

School Start & Dismissal Times

Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, school starts at 8:10 a.m. and is dismissed at 3:15 p.m. On Wednesdays, school starts at 8:10 a.m. and is dismissed at 2:15 p.m.

4-Year-Old Preschool

The first day of classes for 4-year-old preschool is Tuesday, September 6. The morning session runs from 8:15 to 11 a.m., and the afternoon session is from 12:30 to 3:15 p.m.

Top Guns!

My inspiration for the 2022-23 school year has come from an unlikely source, Top Gun: Maverick. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the reboot, and found myself making connections between the storyline and our work with students. While the Top Gun pilots were indeed “the best of the best,” they only accomplished their goals while working as a team. And while they had great technology, Maverick reminded his superiors “it’s not the plane, it’s the pilot.” The same two concepts directly apply to our work with students. While we are fortunate to have great curriculum resources, computers for each student, and all the supplies we need – it ultimately comes down to the skill, expertise, and teamwork of the faculty, staff, and parents/families that results in our students growing, showcasing their talents, and discovering their passions.

New Faces & New Roles for 2022-23

Please join me in welcoming our new staff members for the 2022-23 School Year:

• Bailey Fitch – High School Special Education
• Zach Collins – Middle School Instrumental Music
• Eric Arnold – 5th & 6th Grade Tech Ed/Computer Science
• Miranda Myrlie – 1st Grade

In addition, the following veteran Central Lyon teachers will be working with students in new roles:

• Stephanie Baker – Transitional Kindergarten
• Nola Jones – Transitional Kindergarten
• Allison Van Aartsen - Kindergarten
• Jamie Schar – Elementary/Middle School Special Education
• Kyler Huisman – 5th & 6th Grade Mathematics
• Dale Jansma – 5th & 6th Grade English
• Jerry Pytleski – 5th & 6th Grade Science
• Jarod DeBey – High School Computer Science & Mathematics

Student Achievement Continues to Impress

Central Lyon students once again outpaced their peers across Iowa on last spring’s Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP). If you recall, last January, Central Lyon was recognized by the Iowa Department of Education as the 3rd Highest Performing School District in all of Iowa. Central Lyon’s performance in April demonstrated continued growth on the ISASP. Hats off to our hard-working students and teachers, and thank you parents and families for your continued support!

Onward Lions!

Brent Jorth, Superintendent

Welcome Back

As our doors set to open to our students on August 23rd, I’m in constant reflection on how great we have it at Central Lyon. The academic and extracurricular opportunities that are available for our students to showcase their many talents and abilities are second to none; and are led by a tremendous group of hardworking and dedicated members of our staff and communities. Our technology and facilities remain the envy of all the local and statewide districts, in addition to the successes of our students at all grade levels. Central Lyon truly is a special place for our students to attend school, and I can’t wait to add this year’s successes and stories to our long tradition of success.

Dates/Events to Remember

Thursday, August 18th K-12 Open House 5:00-7:00 PM

• 7-12 Students & Families - Please stop in to drop off school supplies, talk with teachers, say “hello” to your principal, drop off any medications, or just look around. Anything to alleviate the anxiety that comes with the first day of school.

• 7th Grade Students & Parents – You are encouraged to attend our 30-minute welcome back event in the high school auditorium at 6:30 PM. *Those that attend will be presented with our technology information that will expedite your child’s use of a school-issued computer.

• 9th Grade Students & Students New to Central Lyon - you have the opportunity from 5:00-7:00 PM to take a tour of the high school and meet staff with the support of a student guide. *Student tour guides will be stationed in the high school commons.

Tuesday, August 23rd First Day of School

• Doors will open at 7:45 AM, with the school day officially starting at 8:13 AM.

• First Practices for 7th & 8th Grade Fall Sports
  

* Cross Country – Optional Practice / Wednesday, August 24th @ 3:15 – First Practice

* Football – Team Meeting & Equipment Handout

* Volleyball – Team Meeting

Points of Emphasis for 7th-12th Grade Students

• Attendance- Students attending school, and all their classes, remains a top priority for all Central Lyon stakeholders. To prevent students from missing out on valuable learning activities and/or falling behind in their coursework, they will need to be at school. A strong emphasis will be placed this year on ensuring all students are in school and that communication between all parties is consistent and ongoing. As a reminder, students will not have permission to leave the building during the school day without prior notification from a parent and permission from the office. Students needing to leave school due to illness must also first be examined by our school nurse before being sent home. Parents, I ask for your support in maximizing the time your child spends at school to avoid potential pitfalls in their education, relationships, and overall success.

• Student Accountability- Students will continue to be challenged academically at Central Lyon and grades will be earned, not given. Students will be tasked with difficult requirements but will have ample opportunities to participate in class, ask questions, and find time to complete their work at school. The staff at Central Lyon is eager to help your child(ren), but we do have a level of expectation that our students learn to advocate for themselves and take initiative to communicate to staff and administration when needed.

• Safety- The safety of our students and staff has been and will continue to be a focus. Whether referring to our security entrances, cameras, or computer monitoring programs; we feel the safety of our students is always being evaluated and improved. Students’ social-emotional safety is also being addressed through our counseling services, mentoring programs, and restorative practice initiatives.

• Developing skills and knowledge to become successful students and future graduates- This goes without saying, but our goal is to not only challenge your children with a robust academic curriculum, activities, and experiences; but to ensure that learning is meaningful and relevant to their overall success and progression in whatever career or educational path they choose to follow after graduating from Central Lyon.

Let’s Have a Great Year

I’m confident this year is going to be excellent! It’s going to take a team effort, but I like our team and I look forward to seeing all that we will accomplish together.

Jason Engleman, 7-12 Principal

I would like to welcome all our new families and students to the Central Lyon School District. After a great summer, there are many things students can look forward to as we start of the 2022-2023. The teaching staff is planning a great year for all students.

Character Strong

Central Lyon is implementing a new curriculum called Character Strong to help build relationships with individuals and groups of students. This program will have both weekly and monthly topics that align with whole-group lessons taught by Mrs. Gerber. These coordinated lessons utilize a multitude of approaches that are used both in and out of the classroom. Students will experience both Conversation Starters, Monthly Topics, Connection Games, Circle Prompts, Situation Sorters, Mindful Moments, Literature Connections, and Family Follow-ups. Parents and families can expect students to come home and share classroom interactions and help expand those discussions in the crucial family unit.

PBIS

Central Lyon will be in its 5th year of implementing Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS). This year’s focus will be to re-emphasize the crucial foundation of Tier 1 expectations for all students during the beginning of the school year. Individuals needing additional focus on skills or mentor interactions will fulfill the Check In/ Check Out Process to specify items needing attention. These settings or times of the day can guarantee finding levels of success for everyone. As an additional resource, students may be enrolled in a Social Academic Instructional Group (SAIG) to provide specific teaching in areas identified as trouble spots. By placing emphasis on key areas and teaching specific behaviors, students in SAIG groups will be provided additional support focused on their specific needs.

Grades 5/6 will continue to use the foundation that PBIS has provided grades PS-4 by supplying crucial data on student success. Fifth and sixth grade students will continue to ROAR:

• Respect ALL
• Offer Help when Needed
• Accept Responsibility for my own Actions
• Reach Expectations

As students continue to mature in the middle school, staff will focus on additional success factors such as attendance, punctuality, academic performance, and social acceptance/relationships while preparing them for the rigor of high school.

Open House: Thursday, August 18

All the staff join me in welcoming back students to the 2022-2023 school year and want to share the message of how many good things are going to occur. Please join us at Open House from 5-7 pm on Thursday, August 18.

Steve Harman, Elementary Principal

Families are encouraged to check out the Health section of the school's website to download forms that need to be completed prior to the first day of school: Central Lyon’s website > Health > Forms/Requirements.

Parents are reminded the following immunizations and screenings are required of students:

• Kindergarten — dental screening, vision screening, lead test, and the following immunizations: 5 doses of DTap, 4 doses of Polio, 3 doses of Hepatitis B, 2 doses of MMR, and 2 doses of Varicella, or a valid exemption certificate
• 3rd Grade — vision screening
• 7th Grade — 1 dose Tdap and 1 dose Meningitis
• 9th Grade — dental Screening
• 12th Grade — 2 doses of Meningitis

The Central Lyon website, www.centrallyon.org, contains a lot of information and resources.

The Parent Info section holds information related to:

• Annual Notices
• Handbooks
• Inclement Weather procedures
• School meals and their related programs
• Transportation routes

Be sure to visit our website www.centrallyon.org for more information such as student handbooks, school policies, activity calendars and more. Our social media accounts are also very active. "Like" us on Facebook and "Follow" us on Twitter!

Website: https://www.centrallyon.org/
Location: 1010 South Greene Street, Rock Rapids, IA, USA
Phone: (712) 472-2664
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CLlions
Twitter: @CentralLyon

It is the policy of the Central Lyon Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy please contact the Superintendent, Central Lyon CSD, 1010 S. Greene St., Rock Rapids, IA 51246, (712) 472 2664, superintendent@centrallyon.org.