Parents, Guardians and Community Members,
At Anamosa Community School District, we live and work according to six Belief Statements. One of those belief statements is, “We believe a collaborative culture yields high-level outcomes through shared learning, critical thinking, and creativity.” We celebrate these things. We empower all to become engaged in them and believe all voices matter.
The Calendar Committee is no exception. It is a collaborative effort that engages in both critical thinking and creativity. Those characteristics will best support us moving firmly into the future. The work they do is instrumental in our District and should be honored. At the same time, we believe that all voices matter.
Last week, the ACSD Calendar Committee held three Community Forums on the work they had been doing on researching and exploring the topic of a 4-Day Student School Week. It is a topic of discussion in other Districts in Iowa as well. Following the forums, we asked for your feedback. As of the writing of this communication, there have already been 346 responses. We very much appreciate each and every person who took time out of their busy day to provide their thoughts. As stated above, we believe all voices matter. It is important to us as an organization and as a community to listen to each other.
As with many issues, some hold strong feelings on either side. The preliminary data assessment indicates there is no consensus on which to move forward with a 4-Day Student Week for the 2025-2026 school year. At the same time, we have received interest in the idea and will continue to work to find answers to the questions and concerns provided to us. Many of those questions and/or concerns are universal to building a stronger school and community and, therefore, worthy of pursuit.
I hope that, as a community, we can always assume positive intent even when disagreeing. We strive to listen and seek to understand each other’s points of view. We commit to learning how our schools and our community can find ways to make our teachers and staff feel connected and needed.
At the March School Board Meeting, the Calendar Committee will present a calendar for 2025-2026 that corresponds with the calendar (5-Day Student Week) in place during the 2024-2025 school year.
Darren Hanna
Superintendent
Anamosa Community School District
