School Supply Giveaway Aug. 7 & 8
Project Fresh Start and Ankeny Community Engagement are once again providing school supplies for students in need. Students enrolled in Ankeny Community Schools or Ankeny Christian Academy are eligible to receive new backpacks and school supplies at no cost.
The giveaway will take place on Saturday, August 7 from 10:00am-12:00pm and Sunday, August 8 from 1:00pm-3:00pm at Prairie Ridge Middle School, located at 1010 NW Prairie Ridge Drive. Attendees should enter through the East entrance: door E16.
The school supply giveaway is a collaboration between the Ankeny Community School District, Ankeny Service Center, Wal-Mart, area churches, local businesses, and generous individual/group donations.
For more information, contact the Ankeny Community Engagement office at (515) 289-3960 or email project coordinator Dave Kissinger.
2021-2022 Fees Are Now Online
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 all school year.
- 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.
Try-It Thursday: Sugar Snap Peas
Last week’s Try-It Thursday… Sugar Snap Peas!
Incoming Kindergarten Families – Virtual Meeting, April 22
Kindergarten Informational Meeting video
Ankeny Schools held a parent informational meeting virtually on April 22 at 6:30 p.m. Visit the link above to hear our elementary principal team give a brief presentation.
Nutrition Services: Try-It Thursday
Nutrition Services has started “Try-It Thursdays” – where students can sample new or less common fruits and vegetables at lunch. Students have the opportunity to explore how and where these foods are grown and the health benefits they provide. They may even find a new favorite to introduce to their families!
Stay tuned for Try-It Thursday on April, 22 with Sugar Snap Peas.
Check out last weeks featured fruit: Kumquats
Cold Weather Is Coming
With the weather turning colder, please remember we will go outside for recess daily. Please send coats, hats, mittens, and/or boots with your student depending on the weather situation for the day.
Important Upcoming Dates
Please place on your calendars at home…
December 14 is picture day for Group 1 students 7:30 AM through 1:00 PM. Picture forms were sent home earlier in November. Please use this form for your picture day.
December 15 is picture day for Group 2 students 7:30 AM through 1:00 PM. Picture forms were sent home earlier in November. Please use this form for your picture day.
December 23 through January 3 will be Holiday break for Ankeny Schools. There will be no school during these days. School will resume on Monday, January 4 at 7:55 AM.
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Media News
Please find a link here to help with any media questions you might have.
Reminders for the school year
Team Heritage,
Here are some important reminders and information regarding the start of the 2020-2021 school year.
Attendance
Please click here for instructions on how to take attendance for your child on their days of virtual learning.
Heritage Staff Introductions
Click here to see introductions from your Heritage staff.
Reminder from the Nurse
Click here to read a reminder from our nurse.
Pick Up and Drop Off
Please write your child’s name and teacher on a note card for them to bring into the building on their first day! This will help staff quickly/safely direct students to their classroom. Also, when picking up at the end of the day for the first few weeks, please put your child’s first name/last name and homeroom teacher on a sheet of paper (as large as possible). Place it on the dash or tape it to a passenger side window of your car so we can see it when you pull up. This allows us to quickly communicate so we can get all students into their cars efficiently. Thank you in advance for your patience and grace!