Upcoming 8th Grade High School Orientation | |
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Current 8th graders have been busy preparing for their transition to high school next year. Most students have already received information from their counselors about registering for high school classes for the 2024-2025 school year. Each high school also holds an orientation for parents to provide helpful information about high school and answer any questions they may have. Here are the dates for the upcoming orientations.
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Kennedy Orientation - Parents should receive an email today or over the weekend containing a link to participate virtually.
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Washington Orientation - Monday, January 22, 5:30-7:30 PM in the Auditorium
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Jefferson Orientation - Monday, January 22, 6:00-8:00 PM in the Auditorium
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City View Information Meeting - Tuesday, January 30, 4:30-6:30 PM at the downtown CR Public Library
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Trailside Update
Work on the new Trailside Elementary School continues to progress. The building is now sealed and heated, allowing construction to maintain momentum throughout the winter. The project remains on schedule for its planned opening this fall and will be the new home for students and staff from both Arthur and Garfield Elementary Schools.
Our camera crews recently had an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour, capturing key locations such as the gym, cafeteria, media center, entry, and more. The anticipation is building as we eagerly await to see the finished result. Stay tuned for further construction updates and information on the school's ribbon-cutting ceremony.
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Meet the Magnets
Choosing a school for your student is an important decision. To assist parents with making that decision, CRCSD is holding a “Meet the Magnets” event on Tuesday, January 30th, at the Cedar Rapids Public Library. At the event, students, parents, and the community will learn about the district’s six magnet schools and discover what makes each unique.
CRCSD’s six magnet schools provide distinct choices for students with different interests, talents, and career goals. Each school offers a rigorous, innovative, and high-quality learning experience centered around a specific theme. The district’s magnet schools specialize around one of the following themes: sustainability, S.T.E.A.M. (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics), leadership, business, and community impact.
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Metro Winter Graduation
Despite the cold temperatures outside, the atmosphere inside the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Cedar Rapids was filled with warmth and excitement as Metro High School staff, students, families, and friends gathered for the school’s Winter Graduation Ceremony. Twenty Metro seniors donned their caps and gowns and proudly walked across the stage to receive their diplomas at the January 18th event.
Because many Metro students must overcome some challenges to reach graduation, the ceremony not only celebrates their academic accomplishments but also their hard work, resilience, and determination.
"While this graduation ceremony symbolizes the end of your high school journey, it is also the beginning of your new adventures. Always keep moving forward," shared Metro Principal Mark Groteluschen.
Congratulations to the Metro High School Winter Class of 2024! You can find a video clip from the graduation ceremony on the district’s YouTube page.
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This is Jeffardy!
In an exciting blend of brains, wit, and a dash of silliness, Jefferson High School's Theatre Department is gearing up to host its own trivia game show, "Jeffardy," in the school’s auditorium on January 24th.
Drawing inspiration from the iconic game show Jeopardy, “Jeffardy” promises an unforgettable experience. The gameplay will be nearly identical to Jeopardy, except instead of three individual players playing, there will be two teams made up of Jefferson teachers and coaches. The team members take turns at the podium with the buzzer. The question categories will pay tribute to the subjects the competitors teach/coach, but with a few silly twists thrown in. The teachers/coaches set to showcase their intellectual prowess are Sarah Hilby (Cross Country), Jonathan Neswick (Choir), Jesse Bunge (Choir), Elizabeth Deegan (Student Council), Matt Hilby (Cross Country), Matt Nicholson (Band), Bridget McWhorter (Cheer), Nora Taylor (Speech), and Robert Jackson (Football).
All proceeds raised from the event will go back to the Jefferson Theatre Department. The funds generated will exclusively support sending the school's state-winning cast and crew of the Playtime Poppy Production of "Grimm Brothers Fairy Tale Repair Shoppe" to the International Thespian Festival in June. The team earned their spot by winning at the Iowa State Thespian Festival earlier this fall
Tickets for the event are available at jhscr@booktix.net, and it will be live-streamed free on the Theatre Department’s Facebook page. In addition, if anyone wishes to help support the group, but cannot attend the event, they can select to be a "Ghostlight Supporter."
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Cedar Rapids Community Schools Foundation Honor
The Cedar Rapids Community Schools Foundation is proud to announce that it has earned Candid’s (formerly Guidestar) highest seal of recognition - the Platinum Seal of Transparency. This is the foundation’s second year earning the designation. Candid is the world’s largest source of data and information on nonprofit organizations. The Platinum Seal of Transparency is Candid’s top rating and puts the foundation in the top 0.1% of charities nationally. This seal certifies that the foundation is trustworthy and shares information about its goals, strategies, capabilities, and achievements with the public.
“We are incredibly proud and humbled to receive the Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid and are committed to continuing to be transparent and accountable to our donors and the community,” shared Karen Swanson, Executive Director of the Cedar Rapids Community Schools Foundation.
The Cedar Rapids Community Schools Foundation has supported CRCSD students and staff for over 40 years. The foundation helps enhance our students' educational experience by funding class field trips, classroom/teacher supplies, and extracurricular activity fees for students in need. They also offer financial assistance for professional development opportunities for our district staff by providing funds for conference registrations, certification and graduate degree work, summer workshops, and more. For more information about the foundation, visit crcsf.com.
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Glance Around The District | |
Congratulations to Mrs. Brown at Hiawatha Elementary School for winning this month’s KCRG A+ for Education Award. Mrs. Brown was nominated by a former parent for the care and love she shows her students both in and out of the classroom. | |
In between all of the snow last week, Viola Gibson 5th graders got to perform for their parents. They have been learning about violins and did a great job showing off the songs they have learned. | |
Have you noticed the colorful windows at McKinley STEAM Academy lately? The 6th graders created “WORD” cards and hung them on windows. The words written on the card are an area in their life they want to focus on, develop, or improve for 2024. | |
Thanks to all of the recent snow, students at Cedar River Academy had the opportunity to try out using snowshoes to walk around the field. | |
Check out these two Johnson Steam Academy sisters wearing their new JSA hats to stay warm as they played in the snow. | |
Students at Erskine Elementary had fun sledding down the hill behind the school during their recess last week. | |
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In case you missed it, here are some of the recent stories in the news media about or of interest to students, teachers, and parents of Cedar Rapids Community School District.
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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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