Preschool & Kindergarten Registration | |
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We are excited to announce that preschool and kindergarten registration for the next school year (2024-2025) will open on February 1, 2024. Starting preschool and kindergarten is a significant milestone in your child's educational journey and sets the foundation for school success and a lifetime of learning. CRCSD currently offers a variety of options for local families, including 3 and 4-year-old preschool, alternative kindergarten, and traditional kindergarten.
Kindergarten
Full-day kindergarten is offered at all of our 20 elementary schools Monday through Friday, 8:50 AM to 3:50 PM. The elementary school your child will attend is determined by your home address. CRCSD busing is offered to eligible students. To enroll in kindergarten for the next school year (2024-2025), your child must be 5 years of age on or before September 15, 2024. Please note that if your 4-year-old attends one of our CRCSD preschool programs and your address is within the CRCSD boundaries, you will receive an email from the district with special registration instructions.
Alternative Kindergarten
If your child needs an additional year to grow and develop before entering kindergarten, our full-day alternative kindergarten (AK) program might be the right option for them. Alternative kindergarten meets Monday through Friday, 8:50 AM to 3:50 PM, and is offered at Kenwood Leadership Academy, Maple Grove Elementary, and Viola Gibson Elementary. Your student must be 5 years old on or before September 15, 2024, and complete a required screening to qualify for AK. If you are interested in pursuing this option, please complete the regular kindergarten registration form and indicate your interest in alternative kindergarten. You will then receive information about completing the required screening to determine your child’s eligibility.
Preschool
CRCSD offers both 3 and 4-year-old preschool. Each class is led by a teacher licensed through the State of Iowa in Early Childhood Education and meets Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards. Your student is eligible to apply for preschool for the 2024-2025 school year if they are turning 3 or 4 years old on or before Sept. 15, 2024.
- Half-day 3 and 4-year-old preschool is FREE and offered Monday through Thursday. The morning session is from 8:50 AM. to 11:50 PM, and the afternoon session is from 12:50 PM to 3:50 PM. The 3-year-old classes are very limited and only available at CRA and Grant Wood. 4-year-old preschool, on the other hand, has several classes at 8 different buildings around the district. Families are responsible for transportation for students attending a half-day preschool program.
- CRCSD full-day 4-year-old preschool is FREE and located at Truman Early Childhood Center and is offered Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. CRCSD busing is offered to and from school for 4-year-olds participating in this program.
We encourage you to spread the word about CRCSD’s preschool and kindergarten registration to neighbors, colleagues, and friends who may have children ready to join these programs. We look forward to welcoming new faces to our CRCSD family.
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Report Cards Now Available in Infinite Campus
The first half of the school year has come and gone! First-semester grades for the 2023-2024 school year have been finalized, and student report cards are now available. Parents and guardians can access their student’s report cards online using the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. To view a report card, follow the following steps.
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Log in to your Infinite Campus Parent Portal account.
- From the main dashboard of Infinite Campus, click the three lines in the left-hand corner to access the menu. From this menu, select “Documents.”
- In the document window, select the school year (23-24) from the dropdown. Then click “Report Card.”
- A pop-out window will appear, showing your student’s report card. In this window, you can also choose to download or print the report card.
Remember, you can monitor up-to-date grades for your students at any time throughout the year on the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. We hope this tool will help parents and students better monitor their academic success. Please contact your school office for any questions about report cards or for help in setting up your Infinite Campus Portal account.
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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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Jefferson Students Finalists in Iowa State Bar Association Competition
Ten students from Jefferson High School have been named finalists in The Iowa State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division “Know Your Constitution” Project. Lucas Barger, Danielle Boche, Anna Fultz, Rachel Johnson, Sophia Kevitt, Mya Kirchoff, Himidi Kuundu, Joseph Peters, Chase Thompson-Williams, and Hina Zeeshan, all students in Mr. Chris Rolwes’ College U.S. History course, are among the 100 finalists selected from across the state.
The “Know Your Constitution” Project aims to enrich students’ understanding of the Constitution. As part of the contest, students must familiarize themselves with Constitution-related issues, complete a quiz, and respond to an essay question. This year’s essay topic focused on a legislative proposal to raise the voting age in the U.S. to 21.
The finalists will be honored at an award luncheon in Des Moines on January 26th, where five of the finalists will be randomly chosen to receive a scholarship in recognition of their outstanding efforts. The “Best Essay” finalists will also be announced. This marks the twentieth consecutive year that Jefferson has had a student named as a finalist in this prestigious competition.
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From left to right: Front Row: Danielle Boche, Sophia Kevitt, Joseph Peters. Back Row: Hina Zeeshan, Chace Thompson-Williams, Rachel Johnson, Himidi Kuundu, Mya Kevitt, and Lucas Barger | |
Garfield Elementary Celebrates Culture
The sounds of beating drums, the smell of exotic foods, and the sights of native dancers filled the halls with excitement Thursday night at Garfield Elementary School. The school held its second annual Garfield Cultural Fair for district families to celebrate the diversity of its students. Students, families, and Garfield staff tried out African drums, examined exotic coins, watched cultural dances, and even tried candy from Ukrainian. The hallways were also lined with flags and artwork from various countries around the world that the students had made.
“By highlighting the students’ cultures, they feel like they are part of the community and have a sense of belonging,” said Joy Long, Garfield Principal.
Check out photos from the event using the button below.
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Safe+Sound App Available for Download
Safe+Sound is an innovative safety app designed to help create a more secure learning environment in our schools. Safety starts with awareness and timely reporting of any concerning behaviors. The app allows students, staff, parents, and community members to anonymously report students in crisis, school violence, bullying, and threatening behavior that could harm others. Reports are monitored 24/7 and passed along to local school administrators, law enforcement, or other community partners so they can ensure the student receives the support they need before harm occurs. The Safe+Sound app is available for download on the App Store and Google Play.
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Glance Around The District | |
Because service learning is an important component of leadership, these Kenwood Leadership Academy students visited, toured, and served at Mission of Hope, a local nonprofit. | |
Students from several different elementary schools participated in a Model United Nations exercise this week. Each student shared information and food from a specific country and then discussed issues that country is facing. | |
The Jefferson High School Speech Team had a great performance at the district contest this past weekend. Four groups are advancing on to state. | |
Harding Middle School students were excited to be back in the cafeteria this week after the repairs to the dome were completed. | |
Now that temperatures have warmed up, the students at Van Buren Elementary School are having “snow” much fun at recess! | |
Students at Viola Gibson Elementary helped secretary Shelbie Woods make snowflakes and decorate the foyer for winter. | |
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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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