Calendar and ECC update prepares East Union

East Union continued summer plans for the upcoming school years with an update to the school calendar and another update on the Early Childhood Center’s grant opportunities.

The school calendar will be modified so the district will end the school year the week before Memorial Day on Friday, May 22. This will be done by adding two Mondays to East Union’s typically four-day school week on Nov. 24 and Dec. 1. Start date for the school year will remain Tuesday, Aug. 26.

East Union held a public hearing for the proposed calendar change. No comments were made during the hearing.

On the ECC side, the department will be forming a partnership with Joyful Sparks Preschool, a community preschool in Afton. The partnership will be operated pursuant to the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for four-year old children. Ten hours of instruction will take place per week at Joyful Sparks.

“We’re collaborating with the only partner that was available to us,” ECC Director Peggy Hardy said. “It’s not really what it should have been, but [Joyful Sparks] were great to collaborate with us and give us a shot at it.”

The requirement of a community partner is essential for the East Union ECC to apply for the Iowa Continuum of Care Grant, which replaced Iowa’s Wrap Around program this year.

The ECC also submitted a Shared Visions grant, which will operate for one more year after uncertainty grew earlier this year that the program would not continue.

East Union previously received $75,000 from Wrap Around grants per year since 1997, but couldn’t qualify for the Continuum of Care Grant this year due to a lack of a community partner, one of the requirements for the grant.

The ECC recently received a South Central Iowa Community Foundation grant for playground equipment, which will soon be installed at the Infant Toddler Center.

A new holding fee for the ECC of $50 per month at least two months before attendance for new parents will also be enacted. This will allow for families to reserve a spot for the next ECC semester for their babies who are yet to be born.

In other East Union news...

Besides the calendar change in the East Union employee handbook, a few policies in the annual notice of acceptable use were also approved. The acceptable use policy clarified how the school will not tolerate those who use district-issued digital devices for any criminal or inappropriate content.

The policy also mentions how the school district is not a substitute for teaching safe Internet use compared to parental guidance. A new policy also says that, due to the requirement of the district to share access to these devices, "no student shall have any expectation of privacy in any materials therein."

The district will be adding a position to the administration of Senior Sponsor, who will organize events related to senior class activities. Appointed to the position is DJ Christensen, who has traditionally helped the senior class with their events in years prior.

East Union accepted a bid from Anderson Erickson Dairy to provide milk for the school. The dairy company remained the only bid.

Board members Sam McKnight and Carol Eckels were absent from Monday’s meeting.

The following contracts and resignations were approved:

Contracts: Casey Groves, elementary para; Chris Wilson, high school/junior high girls wrestling coach; Bev Brown, ELL coordinator; Elizabeth Hardy, substitute classroom helper; Crystal Thomas, substitute classroom helper/kitchen.

Resignations: Mike Nelson, facilities (buildings and grounds) director; Kim Jackson, ECC para; Audreyanna Cloyd, ECC food service.