City View Students Inspire Future Educators by Sharing Experiences with College Students | |
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Over this school year, students from CRCSD’s new City View Community High School have been traveling to the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa to share their personal educational stories with future educators.
These City View students have Individual Education Plans, or IEPs. These plans are developed to ensure that a child with an identified disability attending an elementary or secondary educational institution receives specialized instruction and related services. By sharing their personal journeys through the public education system, they offered valuable insights into the importance of improving instructional practices, accommodations, services, and overall support for IEP students. That way, students receive the support and opportunities they need to succeed.
“I hope the students recognize the significant influence they are having on shaping future educators and society,” stated Jessica Carter, City View teacher. “Understanding and advocating for their own educational needs will help future educators gain a better understanding of how to best support all students with unique learning needs.”
Listening and speaking to the City View students gave the college students a new perspective on IEPs and how to better serve students with an IEP once they start their teaching careers. One University of Iowa student expressed that the City View students helped humanize the IEP process, allowing them to see the student’s point of view and the true impact IEPs can have.
A University of Northern Iowa professor expressed, “We emphasize the importance of developing transition IEPs that promote student choice and voice. The opportunity for UNI students to hear directly from City View students about their experiences was invaluable.”
City View hopes to continue these visits with future educators next year.
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Historic Moon Tree Takes Root at Metro High School
A unique piece of space exploration history has found a new home at Metro High School. An American sycamore tree, whose seed traveled around the moon aboard NASA's Artemis 1 mission, was recently planted on the school grounds.
The tree began its extraordinary journey as one of over 1,000 seeds sent into space as part of NASA's Artemis 1 mission in late 2022. The seeds traveled 270,000 miles on the uncrewed Orion spacecraft, orbiting the moon several times and spending 25 days in space. Back on Earth, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service oversaw the germination and growth of the seeds into seedlings. Over 2,000 applications were submitted to receive one of these historic moon trees, with Metro High School being one of the fifty chosen nationwide by NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement.
The idea for the Artemis 1 moon trees project came from a similar project during the Apollo 14 mission in 1971. At that time, astronaut Stuart Roosa carried hundreds of tree seeds on his mission into space. Only about 70 of these original moon trees exist across the United States today.
The Metro staff held a dedication ceremony and planted the tree outside the school on Thursday, May 30th, as part of their 50th Anniversary Event.
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Virtual Backpack
As summer approaches, parents looking for ways to keep their kids busy and engaged can turn to the CRCSD's "Virtual Backpack." This online resource offers a wide range of district and community activities tailored to students and families. From camps and sports leagues to volunteer opportunities and community events, there's something for everyone. The Virtual Backpack website also allows you to search for upcoming activities by school, grade level, or specific themes. Be sure to check out this great district resource to stay up-to-date on the latest activities and events all summer long.
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Building Administrator Update | |
Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy
CRCSD is pleased to announce that Jason Martinez, principal of McKinley STEAM Academy, has been appointed as the head principal of Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy (RCCBA). Martinez’s experience leading a magnet school, values for the education of a diverse population, and knowledge of implementing CRCSD initiatives align with the qualities sought by the staff in a head principal. We are committed to supporting him in this transition and ensuring RCCBA thrives under his leadership.
“I am fully committed to supporting the RCCBA's mission and fostering an inclusive and empowering environment for all students and staff,” added Jason Martinez. “I am excited to take on the challenge of implementing Instructional Empowerment at the school and continuing to grow its magnet programming.”
With this appointment, the hiring process to find the next McKinley STEAM Academy principal has begun.
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Franklin Middle School
CRCSD is pleased to announce that Jay (James) Richardson has been selected as the new principal of Franklin Middle School for the 2024-25 school year, pending board approval. Jay is a seasoned educator who brings a wealth of experience. He is currently the principal of Palo Verde Middle School in Phoenix, Arizona.
"Jay stood out among all candidates due to his experience of building a school culture around a mission, vision, and collective commitments with his current staff. Jay also has experience with MTSS systems of support for positive behavior systems and a laser-like focus on student achievement," shared Chief of Schools Mark Timmerman.
Please join us in welcoming Jay to the CRCSD family. We are excited to have him on board and look forward to the positive impact he will undoubtedly have on our district.
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The Gazette Features High School Seniors
This past weekend, the Gazette published a special feature highlighting eight graduating students from Linn County high schools. The students were chosen by their school staff and represent the amazing diversity we have in our school district. Each student shares their unique story on their journey to graduation and future career goals. Congratulations to these students for sharing their stories.
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Summer Meals
CRCSD will once again offer students free meals over the summer. These meals help ensure kids can still get the nutritious food they may need even when school is closed. These meals are FREE and only available for children 18 years of age and younger. All meals must be consumed on-site. Breakfast will be served from 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM, and lunch will be served from 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM. A meal menu is available on Nutrislice. Click the button below for more information and to see the full schedule of meal sites.
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Last Day of School Reminder
Just a friendly reminder that the last day of school for students is Thursday, June 6th, and it will be an early dismissal. The high school and middle schools will release students at 1:20 PM and elementary students will release students at 2:20 PM. We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable summer and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in August.
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Newsletter Will Take a Short Summer Break
With students and staff soon leaving for summer break, so will this weekly district newsletter. Next Friday will be the last Future Ready Today Newsletter for this 2023-2024 school year. But don’t worry; if anything important pops up over the summer, we will send out a special email and/or newsletters to help keep everyone informed. We plan to start the newsletter back up in August, so be on the lookout! Remember, we keep all past editions of the district newsletter on our website.
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Glance Around The District | |
Arthur Elementary held a school grill-out and picnic this week as a final celebration of the last year at the building. They ate on blankets and also enjoyed a cool treat from Kona Ice. | |
Harding Middle School students received a Day of Awesomeness to celebrate student growth on ISASP and iReady assessments. The event included inflatables, DJ, concessions, and photo booth. | |
City View High School held its inaugural Learning Exhibition on Thursday. The students presented the projects they have been working on over the last year and what they learned. | |
The Wilson Earth Science classes took a field trip to the Eastern Iowa Observatory this week. The Cedar Amateur Astronomers taught the students about the different telescopes and constellations. | |
The 8th grade class at Taft Middle School held a dance, and it was a rocking good time! What an awesome way to celebrate the end of the year! | |
The first graders at Hiawatha Elementary had the opportunity to make gliders. They flew them in the gym and then measured how far they went as part of their final math unit of the year. | |
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In case you missed it, here are recent news items about or of interest to Cedar Rapids Community School District students, teachers, and parents.
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Non-Discrimination Policy
It is the policy of the Cedar Rapids Community School District not to discriminate in educational programs and/or activities on the basis of race, creed, color, gender, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity, socioeconomic status, national origin, religion, disability, age (except for permitting/prohibiting students to engage in certain activities) or genetic information and in employment opportunities on the basis of age, race, creed, color, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability or genetic information. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy, please contact Darius Ballard, Chief of Human Resources, Educational Leadership and Support Center, 2500 Edgewood Rd NW, Cedar Rapids, IA, (319) 558-2000.
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