Announcements

The annual Law Day celebration was held on Monday, May 2 and was presented by the Polk County Bar Association. Law Day has been celebrated on or around May 1 since 1958 when President Dwight Eisenhower signed the proclamation declaring it a day to celebrate and strengthen the American heritage of liberty, justice and equality under the law. The Polk County Bar Association partners with ARAG each year to give Polk County area students a chance to get creative with the law as part of our annual Law Day celebration. Students in grades K through 12 are invited to compete in the visual arts, music, essay and poetry categories.

This year’s theme was “Toward a More Perfect Union: The Constitution in Times of Change.” Numerous Ankeny students from across the district won awards and are mentioned below.

High School Poetry Competition
Emma Smith, Centennial High School
2nd place

High School Essay Competition
Elizabeth Deng, Centennial High School
1st place

Finn Stukerjurgen, Southview Middle School
3rd place

High School Visual Arts Competition
Josie Bishop, Northview Middle School
2nd place

High School Technology Competition
Noah Yeager, Ankeny High School
1st place

Middle School Technology Competition
Aakansha Ganesh, Prairie Ridge Middle School
1st place

Middle School Performing Arts Competition
Lauren Boka, Katelyn Henzi, Camryn Johnson, Abigail Willardson, Cathy Owusu-Awkye, Josefina Willkom, Maia Bredice, Kaley Swanson and Sydney Heithoff, Northview Middle School
1st place

Middle School Poetry Competition
Rosie Howieson, Northview Middle School
1st place

Middle School Essay Competition
Kalyani Bhat, Northview Middle School
1st place

Harrison Jansen, Northview Middle School
2nd place

Martha Willard, Prairie Ridge Middle School
3rd place

Middle School Visual Arts Competition
Hollin Hansen, Southview Middle School
1st place

Eve Russell, Prairie Ridge Middle School
2nd place

Jamie Miara, Lauren Harmon, Ava Barten, Marleigh Munger and Mabelle Way, Northview Middle School
3rd place (tie)

Elementary School Poster Competition
Ainsley Schnurr, Ashland Ridge Elementary
1st place

Jillian Tournier, Ashland Ridge Elementary
2nd place

Thomas Dunne, Northeast Elementary
3rd place

Elementary School Visual Arts Competition
Brinley Feuerbach, Ashland Ridge Elementary
1st place

Jillian Moses and Siena Peddicord, Northeast Elementary
2nd place

Stella Heither and Lia Meyer, Ashland Ridge Elementary
3rd place

Elementary School Coloring Competition
Camryn Taxted, Prairie Trail Elementary
1st place

Elle Evans, Prairie Trail Elementary
2nd place

Kyla Leach, Prairie Trail Elementary
3rd place

Elementary School Essay Competition
Brynlee Moeller, Southeast Elementary
1st place

Elementary School Poetry Competition
Clayton Gardner, Prairie Trail Elementary
1st place

Elementary School Technology Competition
Chatham Beck, Ashland Ridge Elementary
1st place

Madeline Lynch, Northeast Elementary
2nd place

Kaitlyn French, Ashland Ridge Elementary
3rd place

Kindergarten students at Prairie Trail Elementary had a poetry celebration in the Media Center. Students from other classes came to listen to them read their poems.

Prairie Trail is welcoming volunteers in our school.  In order to volunteer/attend classroom parties, you will need to complete the volunteer requirements put in place by the Ankeny Community School District. Please see the following which outlines the requirements:

Applying to volunteer is a three-step process.

Step 1 – Complete the Background Check – this must be completed every 5 years.  If you completed a background check when your student was in Kindergarten, you will need to complete a new one when they are in 5^th Grade.  You will find this link on the bottom of the volunteer page. Click on the box: “I want to volunteer” to complete the background check form.  The completion of the background check can take up to two weeks.

Step 2 – Complete the Volunteer Handbook  – this must be completed every year.  You will also find it on the volunteer page.

Step 3 – Have your driver’s license scanned in the office.  You will only need to do this the first time you volunteer each year.

Please remember that both forms must be completed prior to volunteering at Prairie Trail and your driver’s license needs to be scanned (this includes attending your student’s classroom party).  If you need to check to see if your background check is still valid, please call the office at (515) 965-9605.

Thank you!

• How to register for school
• Documents needed for registration
• Before and After School program
• Meet the Elementary School principals
• Important upcoming date

Order your student’s school supplies for the 2022-2023 school year by MAY 30. Packs are customized to the teachers of Prairie Trail Elementary, and will be in your child’s classroom on Meet the Teacher night. Go to this link and enter your school ID: PRA086. Order forms will also be sent home with students the first week of May.

Prairie Trail is moving to a shared e-mail address to report absences, early pick-ups and transportation changes to the office.  Please use the email, pt.office@ankenyschools.org to communicate this information to the office. This change will provide consistency for both parents and the office staff.  Thank you!!

The Ankeny Community School District (ACSD) is committed to keeping our students, staff, and community safe while we continue to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. In order to respect current social distancing requirements and to protect the health and safety of our staff and community, the procedures communicated below may be different compared to past practices.

Ankeny Community Schools is accepting the annual textbook rental fees, purchases of CIML (Central Iowa Metro League) student activity tickets, K-8 activity passes, eight-punch pass activity tickets, parking passes, and meal account deposits for the 2021-2022 school year. Fees are accepted by:

• Credit/debit card online at TouchBase. This is the preferred method of payment.
• NEW/CHANGE – PLEASE READ CAREFULLY – Credit/debit card at a building.
  • School building: An appointment must be made by calling that building’s main office. Please know that office hours may be limited.
  • District Office building: An appointment must be made by calling 515-965-9600. Please know that office hours may be limited. Checking the website would be beneficial.
  • Credit/debit card numbers CANNOT be taken over the phone.
  • Mail check to 306 SW School Street, PO box 189, Ankeny 50021-0189 using this payment form.

For information on making online payments, please refer to the online fees and meal payments. You may view an instructional video on using TouchBase.

You can learn more about how to use TouchBase by reading this new user guide.

Important points regarding online payments:

• Meal account deposits may be made throughout the school year. Try the recurring purchases feature on TouchBase!
• NEW/CHANGE to staying online all school year: League student activity tickets (9-12 only) and the K-8 grade activity tickets may be purchased online until Sunday, August 8.
• Eight-punch activity tickets can be purchased online until Sunday, August 8. Beginning August 9, payments for the eight-punch activity tickets/passes may be purchased from your feeder system’s high school Activity Office or at a home event.
• TouchBase can be found under Online Payments, which is located in the Quick Links at the top right and bottom of the page. Please note, when accessing TouchBase, you will be leaving the Ankeny Schools website and entering a secured environment hosted by InTouch Receipting.

What is the annual Textbook Rental?

The Textbook Rental is an Iowa Department of Education state-wide term used that covers not only textbooks, but electronic textbooks and any supplementary instructional materials used that conveys information to the student or otherwise contributes to the learning process. This is referenced and authorized in Iowa Code 301.1.

If you have already paid the textbook rental fee for this year, you do not need to do so again.

Free/Reduced Priced Meals and Other Fees

To be eligible for free/reduced price meals and textbook rental fees, you must submit an application and the fee waiver form EACH SCHOOL YEAR. This can be done online late July on the nutrition services free and reduced meals webpage.

Please contact LeeAnna Vigor before completing an application, if:

• You are enrolling a kindergarten student and another student in your household was eligible for free or reduced meals the previous school year.
• You have a student who is transferring from another school in Iowa and was eligible for free or reduced meals at that school.  Eligibility does NOT automatically transfer – you need to notify LeeAnna Vigor.
• The state has placed a foster student in your care.

To be eligible for Free/Reduced Text book Rental, a free/reduced priced meal application and the fee waiver form must be completed and approved on October 4, 2021 or before. If not, unless a student is a new enrollee, full priced Textbook Rental Fees will be applicable for students in your household. PLEASE NOTE: if a fee waiver is applicable, it is only valid if completed and submitted within that eligible school year.

Contact Information:

• For questions about fee and/or fine balances, fee and/or fine payments, please email studentfees@ankenyschools.org
• For questions about meal balances and/or meal payments or School Cafe, please email leeanna.vigor@ankenyschools.org or scott.litchfield@ankenyschools.org.
• For questions about the Free and Reduced Meal Program, please email leeanna.vigor@ankenyschools.org.
• For questions about the Before and After School Program and/or about the payment structure, please email nikki.logsdon@ankenyschools.org.