What's New at Alta Vista Campus

The Dubuque Community School District has again been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education.

This is the fourth consecutive year the district has received the honor.

Now in its 22nd year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students.

To qualify for the Best Communities designation, the district answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

“The district has long recognized the value of music education in our schools, and music remains an integral part of our curricular and extracurricular offerings,” said Stan Rheingans, superintendent of schools. “Our district commitment is underscored by tremendous partnerships throughout our community that support our work to expose students to music education. This honor is truly a community honor.”

About The NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its approximately 10,400 members around the world. The foundation advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs.

We are pleased to present the 2021 Dubuque-Area K-12 Virtual Art Exhibition, a way to highlight student work in a year that makes in unable to do so in person.

The exhibit features the ability to virtually walk through a curated gallery of work — and we hope you’ll enjoy immersing yourself in the exhibit as the vision of these talented student artists comes to life.

VIEW THE VIRTUAL EXHIBITION

HOSTED BY:

SPONSORED BY:

On Monday, Dec. 14, 2020, the Dubuque Community School District Board of Education approved the school calendars for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years.

VIEW THE APPROVED CALENDARS

The Dubuque Community School District has released draft calendars for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years.

The online feedback form for these draft calendars is now closed.

The district Board of Education will host a public hearing about the calendar on Monday, December 14, at 5:30 p.m. at the Forum, 2300 Chaney Road.

View the DRAFT 2021-2022 School Calendar

View the DRAFT 2022-2023 School Calendar

Dear Students and Families of the Class of 2020,

We are pleased to share that we plan to move forward with holding graduation on Saturday, June 27, at Dalzell Field, pending any significant changes to the COVID-19 situation in our area.

Hempstead’s graduation will be at 10 a.m. and Dubuque Senior’s will be at 3 p.m. Due to social distancing measures in place, each graduate will be limited to four (4) tickets for family members/friends, who will be required to sit together at the event.

INFORMATION ABOUT TICKET PICK-UP WILL BE FORTHCOMING.

While we know that limiting the number of tickets is not ideal, doing so will allow us to hold the celebration in person.

The event will also be live-streamed for family and friends unable to attend. Information about accessing the live stream will also be forthcoming.

Last week, the district met with public health officials to ensure that we are putting proper safety plans in place to minimize the risk of COVID-19 spread. In accordance with public health guidelines, we suggest that older individuals and especially those with underlying health conditions not attend.

Complete safety protocols as well as door opening times and arrival procedures will be shared with families prior to the event. We understand that not everyone will feel comfortable attending the ceremony, and we respect that decision. We will still read the names of each graduate in the class of 2020 regardless of whether or not the student attends.

Again, additional details will follow. We are excited to celebrate the Class of 2020 in a few short weeks!

Sincerely,
Stan Rheingans
Superintendent

Here are the latest updates from the Dubuque Community School District:

WEEK 10 ELEMENTARY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES NOW POSTED
Week 10 of educational materials developed by the district’s Educational Support Team are now available on our EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES WEBPAGE. This week’s resources again include Suggested Learning Resources + Activities, a Social Emotional Learning Guide, and a variety of Student Handouts and Worksheets.

As a reminder, the district’s team has worked to be sure these resources meet the needs of learners across grade levels and of all abilities. Activities not marked with a specific grade level can be used by a wide range of students – look in the accommodations section of the resources for tips on making the learning accessible to your student!

This will be the final elementary educational resources packet for the school year. Printed copies of these packets will be available at meal delivery sites on Friday, May 29.

MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADING
At the conclusion of the scheduled school year, middle school students and families will receive report cards that include grades for trimesters one and two. Because learning occurring after the school closure was ungraded, third trimester courses will show a grade of “Ex” to indicate that the class was excused due to the closure.

Families with additional questions can reach out to their school directly.

Here are the latest updates from the Dubuque Community School District:

NO MEAL SERVICE ON MEMORIAL DAY (MONDAY, MAY 25)
Due to the Memorial Day holiday, there will be NO MEALS SERVED at district and community meal sites on Monday, May 25. This includes ALL community meal sites operating by the Dubuque Community School District, Boys & Girls Club, DREAM Center and Project Rooted.

Meal service will resume on Tuesday, May 26, at the normally scheduled times.

RETRIEVING ITEMS FROM SCHOOLS
Next week, between May 26 and 29, MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS will coordinate pickup of any student items left at school. Schools will communicate directly with families to share specific times and logistical information for this retrieval of items.

At this time, students will return district-issued laptops, hotspots, textbooks and library books. Please refer to communication from your school for other items that may need to be returned, including heart rate monitors, instruments, etc.)

Students will also have an opportunity to clean out their locker.

Please remember to engage in appropriate social distancing during these pick-up times.

Families with ELEMENTARY SCHOOL students who were unable to pickup item during their school’s scheduled pick-up time can contact the school directly to make arrangements to do so.

WEEK 9 ELEMENTARY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES NOW POSTED
Week 9 of educational materials developed by the district’s Educational Support Team are now available on our EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES WEBPAGE. This week’s resources again include Suggested Learning Resources + Activities, a Social Emotional Learning Guide, and a variety of Student Handouts and Worksheets.

As a reminder, the district’s team has worked to be sure these resources meet the needs of learners across grade levels and of all abilities. Activities not marked with a specific grade level can be used by a wide range of students – look in the accommodations section of the resources for tips on making the learning accessible to your student!

If you are having difficulty with the resources or have questions about how to accommodate the activities for your child, please reach out to your child’s teacher(s) by email or Seesaw for assistance.

Printed copies of these packets will be available at meal delivery sites on Friday, May 22.

Here are the latest updates from the Dubuque Community School District:

HEMPSTEAD MEAL SITE LOCATION CHANGE
Beginning on Monday, May 18, meals will no longer be served at Hempstead High School due to renovation of the school’s kitchen. The meal site will move to Roosevelt Middle School, where meals will be served during the normal 11 a.m.-1 p.m. timeframe.

ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOL INFINITE CAMPUS GRADE INFORMATION
As we move through the completion of the school year with student learning, elementary and middle school grading information will not be accessible in Infinite Campus, as the current learning for students remains ungraded at this time.

Elementary and middle school students/families will receive end-of-the-year grading information at the scheduled conclusion of the school year.

WEEK 8 ELEMENTARY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES NOW POSTED
Week 8 of educational materials developed by the district’s Educational Support Team are now available on our EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES WEBPAGE. This week’s resources again include Suggested Learning Resources + Activities, a Social Emotional Learning Guide, and a variety of Student Handouts and Worksheets.

As a reminder, the district’s team has worked to be sure these resources meet the needs of learners across grade levels and of all abilities. Activities not marked with a specific grade level can be used by a wide range of students – look in the accommodations section of the resources for tips on making the learning accessible to your student!

If you are having difficulty with the resources or have questions about how to accommodate the activities for your child, please reach out to your child’s teacher(s) by email or Seesaw for assistance.

Printed copies of these packets will be available at meal delivery sites on Friday, May 15.

Here are the latest updates from the Dubuque Community School District:

RETRIEVING ITEMS FROM BUILDINGS
Next week, pending any change in conditions, ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS will be coordinating pickup of any student items left at school. These items will be pre-packaged for families to pick-up outside the building.

• Schools will communicate scheduling and logistics details directly with families of elementary school students.
• All schools will have social distancing measures in place and families will not be allowed inside the building.
• Items will be pre-packaged for families to pick-up outside the building.
• If students have items from school they wish to return (district-owned instruments, library books, textbooks, etc.), they can be dropped off at this time as well. Please note that there will be no penalties for items that remain with families until the beginning of next school year.

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS will be scheduling pickup of student items for late May/early June to coincide with textbook, computer and hotspot returns. Schools will reach out to families with details as plans are finalized.

HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT/NO-CREDIT GRADING OPTION
As shared previously, high school students have the option of taking second semester courses with a Credit (P)/No Credit (N) grading option. The deadline is May 15 for seniors to choose this option and June 1 for students in grades 9-11. Credit/No Credit courses are not included in a student’s grade-point-average, but they will receive credit for the class if a grade of 60% or higher is earned.

The request form for each school follows (students will be asked to login to their district Office365 account to complete the form):

Hempstead Credit/No-Credit Request Form

Dubuque Senior Credit/No-Credit Request Form

IMPORTANT NOTE: Students planning to move on to post-secondary education should consult the institution they plan to attend to determine which grading option will be best for their individual circumstances. Students planning to play intercollegiate athletics may also wish to review guidance from the NCAA Clearninghouse or the NAIA Eligibility Center.

YARD SIGN PICK-UP FOR SENIORS
Dubuque Senior High School and Hempstead High School will hold pickup for yard signs celebrating seniors on Tuesday, May 12. Pick-ups will be held at each school in a drive-up format with social distancing measures in place. Schools will communicate pick-up times and details directly with seniors and their families.

DON’T FORGET TO #ThankATeacher
Our teachers rock! This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and we hope you’ll take a few moments to #ThankATeacher for the amazing work they do to support our students and families. Be sure to share your pictures and posts on our district Facebook and Twitter pages. And, don’t forget to use #ThankATeacher and #DbqSchoolsProud.

WEEK 7 ELEMENTARY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES NOW POSTED
Week 7 of educational materials developed by the district’s Educational Support Team are now available on our EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES WEBPAGE. This week’s resources again include Suggested Learning Resources + Activities, a Social Emotional Learning Guide, and a variety of Student Handouts and Worksheets.

As a reminder, the district’s team has worked to be sure these resources meet the needs of learners across grade levels and of all abilities. Activities not marked with a specific grade level can be used by a wide range of students – look in the accommodations section of the resources for tips on making the learning accessible to your student!

If you are having difficulty with the resources or have questions about how to accommodate the activities for your child, please reach out to your child’s teacher(s) by email or Seesaw for assistance.

Printed copies of these packets will be available at meal delivery sites on Friday, May 8.