Last day of school is June 6; 2 p.m. dismissal

Just a reminder that the cold winter with canceled school days has extended our school year until Friday, June 6. Dismissal on the last day of school will be at 2 p.m. We wish you a safe summer and look forward to seeing you Thursday, Aug. 14, for Popsicles with the Principal and Tuesday, Aug. 19, for the first day of school!

PTO meeting is Monday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m.

No late start for the PTO meeting--we'll get started right on time at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, in the art room. Child care available in the Kindergarten room. Please take a moment to review the minutes from last month before Monday night.

PTO meeting Nov. 11 includes presentation from Kindergarten teachers

Our next PTO meeting is Monday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. in the art room (agenda.) Free childcare is available in the Kindergarten room.

Please take a moment before Monday's meeting to review the October meeting minutes, which include details about last month's report from the first grade teachers, in which they shared information about their curriculum, teaching techniques, goals and strategies. This month, the Kindergarten teachers will offer a report from their classrooms, so Kindergarten parents, if you've been curious about PTO, this is the month to jump in with both feet!

Celebrate reading at Family Literacy Night Sept. 24

Are your bookshelves bursting? Are you looking for new readers for some of your kids' outgrown favorites? Gather them up and bring to the Lucas Book Swap!

Drop your books in the basket outside the office by Friday, Sept. 20, and then come to Lucas Literacy Night on Tuesday, Sept. 24, to look through other families' offerings and make a selection. The event runs from 5:30-7 p.m.  (A free dinner will be served.)

Also during Literacy Night you'll have a chance to enjoy fun family activities, read stories with a local celebrity, and even get an Iowa City Public Library card. (Bring proof of address and photo ID to receive your library card.)

PTO meets tonight at 7 p.m.

The agenda for tonight's PTO meeting has been posted. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. with free child care available. Look for signs in the school front entrance as our meeting and babysitting rooms may change to take advantage of air conditioned spaces.

Help Target help Lucas; "Give with Target" campaign supports schools one click at a time

Have you voted yet in the Give with Target campaign? This may be the easiest way ever to help raise money for Lucas.


The Target Corporation is giving away $5 million to schools through this campaign through Sept. 21. Every vote we get equals $1. Will you help us get up to 100 votes before the end of the day Saturday? Just click the link above to be taken to our voting page and encourage your friends and family members to do the same.

Then vote again on Sunday. Everyone can vote once per week (new week starts each Sunday.) Don't delay--last year Target reached the $5 million cap well before the official end date.

Meet your teacher, share a popsicle with the principal Aug. 19

It's that time of year again--back to school! To get the year started off right, come to Popsicles with the Principal on Monday, Aug. 19, any time between 4-5:30 p.m. Check the class lists at the front door to find out who your teacher is and head off to your new classroom to drop off your school supplies. Then visit Principal Merriweather in the front drive and meet up with your friends for a cool popsicle treat.

You'll have opportunities to connect with PTO leaders to become involved with our events happening throughout the year. We'll also have information about the next phase of our Lucas Outdoor Education Playscape Initiative, which includes enhancements for the 3-6 playground.

If you have not already done so, you can pay your book fee at this event. And while you have your checkbook handy, why not Make a Mighty Difference with a donation to our PTO annual fund drive?

We're looking forward to a great year and hope you'll join us in support of our Lucas Might Hawks!

Celebrate Lucas 50th anniversary Sunday, May 5

Mark your calendars for the Lucas Elementary 50th Anniversary Celebration, Sunday, May 5, from 2-4 p.m.! Program includes remarks from Supt. Steve Murley, ICCSD Board President and former Lucas teacher Marla Swesey and former Lucas principal Brian Lehmann. Friends, neighbors, former students and teachers are invited. Birthday cake for all!

PTO will discuss safety, school district policies, upcoming events at Jan. 14 meeting

After taking a month off in December, we have a full agenda for our January PTO meeting, Monday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. As always, childcare will be available at no cost in the Kindergarten room.

Highlights from the agenda include a report from Principal Karrie Merriweather about recent safety improvements, information on the upcoming Free Family Fun Night (Jan. 18) and Family Supper (Feb. 8,) final results of our Make a Mighty Difference fundraising campaign, and a discussion of the upcoming district-wide vote on a new Revenue Purpose Statement as well as the district's draft diversity policy.

Target card can be the gift that keeps on giving all year round for Lucas

If you shop at Target with a REDcard (credit or debit) this holiday season (or any time of year!) Target will donate up to 1% of your shopping total to the school of your choice. And we happen to think Lucas would make an excellent choice. Funds through this program are directed to the Lucas principal once a year in August.

Here's how to make the magic happen:

From this link: http://www.target.com/redcard/benefits-target-rewards
Scroll down to find Take Charge of Education
click Enroll
Under have a REDcard? click find a school

(If you don't have a target card and would like one, click learn more about REDcard)

Enter City, State click submit and find Robert Lucas and click on it
click select this school

Enter your first and last name and your REDcard number
click complete enrollment

Children's Museum seeks nominations for Active Learning Award

The Iowa Children's Museum is seeking nominations for the Robert E. Yager Active Learning Award honoring exceptional teachers, administrators and educational staff. This award is specifically for elementary educators (teachers, administrators, para-professionals, specialists) who are helping students become engaged learners and dynamic thinkers. Nominations can be submitted online by parents, educators, administrators, students or community members.

Mark your calendars for year-end awards and 6th grade promotion ceremony

Lucas students will receive awards for Optimist Good Reader, Student Council, Leadership, Perfect Attendance, and many other achievements at the annual Awards Assembly Tuesday, May 29, at 9 a.m. In addition to the awards, items from the Student Council Time Capsule will be on display. The assembly is for students in grades 3-6.

Later that week, we'll send off our 6th graders with a promotion ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 31. Those students may may leave with their parents after the ceremony.

Burton "shines" as school leader

Congratulations to Lucas Principal Julia Burton, who was among the first recipients of the new Shine Awards from the ICCSD Foundation! The award, which will be given monthly, recognizes district teachers, staff and administrators who have gone above and beyond to positively benefit our students, our schools, and our community. Thanks, Julia for all you do for our kids!

The mitten post: how to donate, reclaim and retain

Cassie’s Mittens, the annual community drive for new mittens, gloves, and hats, ends tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 19. Please bring any new items to the office by the end of the school day. These items are then distributed throughout the community.

You may also have noticed that your personal collection of mittens, hats, scarves, sweatshirts, etc. has diminished over the last few months. Stop by the Lucas lost and found (table in hallway outside main office) to claim those long-forgotten items. Anything left behind will be taken to Goodwill during the winter break.

Finally, to avoid such unintentional recycling of winter items, please be sure your child's name is written on the tag, especially snow pants. Many students have black snow pants and it can be very difficult to know precise ownership. Make sure your child is prepared to play outside. In order to play in the snow, children must be wearing snow pants, boots, and of course a coat. If children are not wearing their winter gear, they will have to stay on the blacktop areas of the playgrounds.

Time and talent also make great gifts; volunteers needed school-wide

Not all gifts are monetary. Lucas can also benefit from your gifts of time and talent. Classroom volunteers are needed at many grade levels, primarily to help students with reading and math assignments. (Detailed instructions will be provided.) Giving a student individual attention for even 30 minutes a day can make a significant difference in his or her academic progress. Volunteers are asked to commit to a regular day and time; 30 minutes per day is ideal, but any consistent block of time can be accommodated.

Parents, grandparents and other trusted adults are welcomed as volunteers after completing the Iowa City Community School District Volunteer Application. Depending on your availability and classroom needs, you may not be matched with your own child’s classroom. After completing a volunteer application, please contact Lucas Secretary Elise Denniston (Denniston.Elise@iccsd.k12.ia.us) with the days/times you are available.

Farm to School – Farmer Fair is Coming to Lucas Nov. 18

Lucas Elementary is partnering with the ICCSD Farm to School Chapter to host a Farmer Fair on November 18. The Farmer Fair will be an in-school field trip for kindergarten through third grade that brings local food, local farmers, and nutrition educators into schools to get kids thinking about where and how their food is grown, and making healthy food choices. 

If you’d like to volunteer to help plan the Farmer Fair and/or help out on November 18, please contact Julia Burton at Burton.Julia@iccsd.k12.ia.us. 

The ICCSD Farm to School Chapter, a project of the Johnson County Local Food Alliance, is one of 19 Iowa Farm to School Chapters throughout the state that is helping to get kids thinking about where their food comes from and adding more local foods to school lunches. Other projects the Chapter is working on include developing a district-wide school gardening program and developing school composting systems.

Learn more about Farmer Fairs, and view photos/videos from the events at Longfellow Elementary (last fall) and Mann Elementary (last spring) at: https://sites.google.com/site/iccsdfarmtoschool/projects.

Lucas teachers receive WalMart gift cards

WalMart selected Lucas Elementary School teachers to receive ten $100 gift cards. Parent Carol Greve, a WalMart employee, nominated Lucas teachers for this award. The teacher names were randomly selected. WalMart has been a strong Lucas supporter. In addition, the school received 500 BOXTOP points.

Educational change is afoot; video asks, "Will Iowa lead or follow?"

This Iowa Future video highlights the drastic changes occurring in Iowa and the world, and shows that schools are struggling to keep up in today's dynamic new global environment. The video premiered at the School Administrators of Iowa Conference, Aug. 3, 2011.

While sharing some sobering statistics about the fast pace of change, it reminds us that "We must prepare our students for their future, not our past."

You're invited to join the conversation at www.iowafuture.org

Boost brainpower with breakfast during Iowa Assessments Oct. 10-14

Next week, Oct. 10-14, students in grades 3-6 will be taking the Iowa Assessments, formerly known as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. We will be taking the state assessments each morning. Subjects include reading, math, science, social studies, and language arts. Please make sure your children have a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and get to school on time! We anticipate having the results by conference time in November.

Mighty Hawks on parade

In case you missed today's Press-Citizen, here's Mighty Hawk (aka Principal Julia Burton) marching in the City High Homecoming parade Wednesday evening.
Additional parade photos