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Official Online Apparel Store
September 5, 2019

Official Online Apparel Store

We are excited to announce the launch of the official Ames Community School District online apparel store. Starting today, you can order Little Cyclone apparel representing every school building across the District. The store has a wide variety of options to choose from with the convenience of ordering online and having the items delivered directly to your door. Many of the items on the store have the ability to customize the logo you prefer.

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Temporary Relocation of Shot Put and Discus Field to Fellows Elementary
August 28, 2019

Temporary Relocation of Shot Put and Discus Field to Fellows Elementary

With construction now underway for the new Ames High School, and in preparation for next year's track & field season, a temporary shot put and discus field will be constructed at Fellows Elementary School.  Phase 1 of construction for the new building is taking place south of Ames High Drive over top of what was the Ames High practice fields. With limited space on the Ames High campus due to the construction, Fellows was chosen as the location of the temporary shot put and discus field based on proximity to the high school and its available flat space. This last variable limits the cost of the project knowing that a permanent shot put and discus field will be located at Ames High once the current building is decommissioned and demolished during Phase 5 of construction. 

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School Resource Officers
August 21, 2019

School Resource Officers

Thanks to our fantastic partnership with the Ames Police Department, we are excited to announce the addition of Officer Don Johnsen as a second school resource officer (SRO) within the District. Officer Johnsen will join Officer Nick Schieffer who has served as the only SRO for the past 5 years. Both officers will collaborate with District and building administrators throughout the year with the primary goal of school safety. 

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Ames High Construction Update and Safety (August 2019)
August 15, 2019

Ames High Construction Update and Safety (August 2019)

Construction Safety As the school year rapidly approaches, we want to remind everyone that we are entering this school year with different conditions than in past years with an active construction site on school grounds and in close proximity to the current high school. Ames High is always active with students, parents, and the community attending numerous events throughout the week. Safety is a primary focus of ours and we want to remind everyone to be cautious around the adjacent construction site. Here are a few key reminders: Be aware of increased traffic along Ridgewood Avenue associated with construction activities including cross traffic at the two construction entrances. Obey all construction warning signs, including pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicle.  There will be time periods where detours will be necessary to perform the required work. Respect the limits of construction – no students, faculty, athletes, parents, and visitors should enter the construction site without authorization from Story Construction and the Ames Community School District. Anyone authorized to be in the construction site will be escorted by Story Construction. We will continue to work to minimize any disruption to school activities and to communicate any known issues ahead of time to keep the parents and the community informed. 

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New Director of Equity and Director of Technology
August 6, 2019

New Director of Equity and Director of Technology

The Ames Community School District is excited to announce Dr. Anthony Jones as the new Director of Equity, a position new to the District, and Patrick Donovan as Director of Technology. Both are new to their respected positions but have had successful careers within the Ames District.

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New Logo and Brand Standards
July 10, 2019

New Logo and Brand Standards

In April 2018, the Ames community overwhelming approved a bond referendum for a new high school. With the design of the new Ames High School underway, now was a prime opportunity to assess the “Ames High” brand.  Through our evaluation of the brand, we quickly realized that Ames High brand had no brand standards or proper file formats associated with it. Brand standards are a set of guidelines for the colors, graphic elements, logo specifications, and fonts that comprise a brand. In essence, they are the glue that holds a brand together. Without those, it is difficult to regulate how our brand is used and we often see the inconsistent application and an overall diminished brand. For example, a walk-through of Ames High showed three different secondary mascot logos being used in a variety of ways. Through our evaluation, we also quickly realized that our elementary schools, as well as Ames Middle School, would benefit from a solid identity. 

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Phases of Construction
July 2, 2019

Phases of Construction

On June 3, members of the school board and district administrative staff took a moment to celebrate years of design at the official “groundbreaking ceremony” for the next Ames High School. Just over a year since the Ames community approved a bond referendum for the building, the moment marked the end of design and the beginning of what will be a 3-year construction project to build the next Ames High School.

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Multicultural Books
May 20, 2019

Multicultural Books

This year, Heartland Area Education Agency (AEA) offered three separate Title III mini-grants and the Ames Community School District is proud to have received all three of them. Totaling $15,000, these grants have allowed the District to purchase books in a variety of languages to help support students who are English Language Learners. One of the mini-grants from Heartland is specific to family and community engagement and aligns with one of our main goals this year that came out of conversations with staff and families who participated in our Lau Plan review last September. The group identified making the school environment more welcoming for students and their families as an area of need. One of the specific aspects of the goal was to have more diverse books in the native languages of English Learners in schools and classroom libraries.

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Building Placement for 2019-2020 School Year
May 15, 2019

Building Placement for 2019-2020 School Year

As we prepare for the 2019-2020 school year, we want to outline the building placement process for our new students. The District Office determines building placements for each of our five excellent elementary schools with the goal of respecting the boundaries of each building. Due to growing enrollment and building capacity, some of our elementary schools are becoming full. This is particularly the case for two of our elementary schools (Fellows and Meeker), as well as some grades at the other elementary schools. If a grade is full, your student will attend Sawyer Elementary and transportation will be provided for in-district students.

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Ames Middle School Associate Principals for 2019-2020 Announced
April 23, 2019

Ames Middle School Associate Principals for 2019-2020 Announced

Ames Middle School associate principals for the 2019-2020 school year were approved by the Ames school board on Monday, April 8. The Ames Community School District is pleased to announce the following associate principals for Ames Middle School: Jeremie Knutson, Associate Principal for Operations and Student Services Erin Miller, Associate Principal for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Nicole Coronado, Associate Principal for School Improvement, Culture and Equity Principal Yonas Michael opened all the positions this spring and added another associate principal for next school year. Each principal will be a point person for a specific grade, but will also use their expertise in their particular area to better serve Ames Middle School.

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