Announcements

We are excited to launch the process of re-imagining our graduate profile! This document will work together with our strategic plan and equity framework to help chart a path for the district’s future. Please view this short survey to provide feedback on our graduate profile.

Ankeny Schools would like to recognize Amya Murray, current senior at Ankeny High School. Amya is a scholarship recipient of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated Iota Zeta Omega Chapter. As a 2022 Debutante, Amya will complete courses over the next several months and culminate her experience at a presentation in June. Please help us in congratulating Amya!

Several students from the Ankeny Community School District were recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing contest during the month of January. Their work was blindly adjudicated by a panel of creative professionals and recognized as the most outstanding work submitted among their peers.

Scholastic Art and Writing is the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7-12. Our students will be honored at an online celebration in March sponsored by Belin-Blank at the University of Iowa.

Our two students with Gold Key honors are automatically considered for national awards.

L to R: Vivian Powell, Celeste Rieder and Kalyani Bhat

L to R: Olivia Lammers, Brenna Coleman, Lillie Hamlin, Ella DeHaan.

It is my pleasure to announce Suvada Kuburas has been selected to become the Principal of Rock Creek Elementary beginning July 1, 2022. Suvada is an experienced and dedicated educational leader with a proven history of building relationships with parents, staff, students, and community members.

“I am honored and excited to join the Rock Creek family as the next principal”, noted Ms. Kuburas. “Coming back to Ankeny feels like coming home. I am looking forward to connecting with the entire school community as we partner to create positive and meaningful learning experiences for our students. It will be my goal to lean in, listen, and learn so I can continue building on the successful school culture and academic excellence that exists at Rock Creek Elementary.”

Suvada has a breadth of experience, from teaching eighth grade to serving in the Ankeny Community School District as an instructional coach, and will bring her deep understanding of Ankeny Schools curriculum, processes, and procedures. She is currently serving as an interim Elementary Principal for the Cedar Falls Community School District. 

Suvada received a B.S. in Elementary Education from Iowa State University and a M.A. in Educational Leadership from Arizona State University. 

Suvada will officially begin as principal July 1, but she will be in the district periodically prior to that time to collaborate with staff and administrators toward a smooth transition. I would like to thank Roxanne Cummings for supporting our Rock Creek students and staff this year. Ms. Cummings’ steady leadership and commitment to high levels of learning is appreciated. Suvada will take the reins of Rock Creek from Interim Principal Roxanne Cummings when she begins in July. 

We look forward to continued success at Rock Creek Elementary. 

Thank you,
Dr. Erick Pruitt
Superintendent of Schools

World Read Aloud Day is Wednesday, February 2, 2022! For 13 years, World Read Aloud Day has called attention to the importance of sharing stories by challenging participants to grab a book, find an audience, and read-aloud! The global effort, created by the non-profit LitWorld and sponsored by Scholastic, is celebrated annually in over 173 countries and is all about bringing people together through the shared connection of reading aloud in all of our communities.

Several opportunities are happening all week long in our schools! View the Scholastic World Read Aloud Kit here, or go to https://www.litworld.org/worldreadaloudday for more!

Ankeny Schools, 

As is our practice with all common illnesses, the district looks to our public health agencies for direction on mitigation strategies, including when and for how long individuals should stay home. This guidance from the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has been that children who have tested positive for COVID-19 stay home for 10 days. 

IDPH recently released updated guidelines surrounding the period of time students who tested positive for COVID-19 may need to self-isolate and stay home from school. You may view the full guidance here. 

As a result, beginning next week, parents may select one of the following options, which align with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and IDPH guidelines, for children who test positive for COVID-19: 

• Option 1: Your child may isolate for 10 days at home. 
• Option 2: Your child may isolate at home for days 1-5. If your child has been fever-free for 24-hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and is asymptomatic or has improving symptoms, you may request that your child return to school on day 6 provided that your child wears a properly fitting face covering on school property on days 6-10 of what would have been their self-isolation period. Note that medical and religious exemptions from wearing face coverings are not available to students on days 6-10. Please confirm the date of return with your school nurse before completing the form to ensure the calculation is in alignment with public health agencies.

If you would like to select Option 2, please contact your child’s school. A form will then be “assigned” to you via the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.  You will be required to complete and submit this form no sooner than 24-hours before and no later than 1:00 p.m. on the day prior to the desired return date in order for your child to be eligible to return on that date. For example, if you wished for your child to return on Tuesday (their sixth day of isolation), you could submit the form between 7:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Monday.  If you are unable to access Infinite Campus, please contact your child’s school for assistance. After the form is submitted, it will be reviewed and processed by the building. You will find the approved form in your Infinite Campus Parent Portal when this has been completed.

According to the CDC, day 0 is your first day of symptoms or a positive viral test. Students who are currently isolating at home, who are within the days 6-10 period, and who would like to voluntarily return, may do so beginning Tuesday, February 1 upon requesting and completing this form by 1 p.m. on Monday, January 31. 

Thank you, 

Dr. Erick Pruitt

At tonight’s Parent Advisory Council, West Wind Education Policy Inc. was collecting information from parents about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the student experience in Ankeny Schools. West Wind Education Policy Inc. will be collecting and analyzing data from this survey as part of their district audit. Participate in the survey here.