Announcements

As we enter the new year, we’re filled with excitement for the next school year and upcoming enrollment season. February 7 marks the opening of registration for the 2024-2025 school year, and we can’t wait to welcome both new and returning families to experience another year of learning, growth, and opportunity here in Ankeny.

Whether you’re joining us for the first time or have been part of our community for years, completing your annual registration is an important step in planning for the year ahead. Our district is proud to offer exceptional programs that make Ankeny a special place for students of all ages.

For our youngest learners, our preschool program offers flexible morning and afternoon sessions that provide a strong foundation for early learning. We also have a unique transitional kindergarten, designed to support children as they prepare for a successful journey into kindergarten.

We know that learning doesn’t stop at the end of the school day. That’s why our before and after school program provides not just childcare but meaningful enrichment opportunities, ensuring students stay engaged and inspired.

As our students grow, so do their opportunities. Through our partnership with Junior Achievement, students from elementary through high school gain essential business and financial skills to prepare them for the real world. Our Orbis program takes this a step further, offering high school students work-based and project-based learning experiences that make them stand out in college and career pathways. The variety of experiences doesn’t end there- for the past three summers, we have hosted a Skilled Trades Camp with the Des Moines Home Builders Association and Iowa Skilled Trades, giving students hands-on experience and training for careers in the trades industry.

We are also proud of our collaboration with Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), which gives our high school students the opportunity to earn college credits while still in high school. Last year alone, Ankeny students earned an impressive 18,042 credits, saving families more than $3.2 million in college tuition.

Beyond academics, our championship-winning activities and athletics programs create strong connections between students and their schools, building community, teamwork, and school pride. These opportunities allow students to explore their passions and develop lifelong skills.

At Ankeny, we’re more than just a district – we’re a community that values excellence in education and celebrates the success of every student. We’re thrilled to welcome you to another year filled with opportunities for growth, achievement, and connection.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for February 7, when registration officially opens!

We’re excited to share details about upcoming parent meetings for Preschool, Transitional Kindergarten (TK), and Kindergarten families.

Virtual Parent Meeting

• Date: January 30
• Time: 6:00 PM
• Google Meet Link

TK In-Person Parent Information Meetings

• Date: February 5
• Location: 406 SW School St, Ankeny, IA – Cottonwood Conference Room
• Session Times:
  • Session 1: 8:00–9:00 AM
  • Session 2: 12:00–1:00 PM
  • Session 3: 6:00–7:00 PM

We look forward to connecting with you at these informative events!

Dear Families of Students in the ESOL Program,

During the months of February and March, students identified for ESOL services (including waived) in Ankeny will be taking the ELPA21 Summative Assessment, the English Language Proficiency Assessment of the 21st Century. ELPA21 is the English Language assessment that all students identified for ESOL services are required to take in the state of Iowa, even if the student has waived services.  This important test measures the students’ levels in reading, writing, listening, and speaking in English.  Please make sure that your student(s) come to school prepared to do their best.

If you would like more information, please visit the following website where practice tests are available: https://iowaelpa21.portal.cambiumast.com/students.html.

Please refer to the Ankeny website for more information or to translate this information. Contact your school/ESOL teacher for more information regarding the ELPA21.

Thank you,

Ankeny ESOL Teachers

We are pleased to invite all parents and guardians to a free, informative parent night to promote healthy digital habits within families.

Event Details:

• Date: Thursday, March 6, 2025
• Time:
  • 5:15 p.m.: Check-in, childcare check-in, and dinner
  • 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.: Program
• Location:
  • Northview Middle School
  • 1302 N Ankeny Blvd

What to Expect:

This adults-only session will provide:

• Insights into the side effects of unhealthy screen use
• Guidance on creating a family screen plan aligned with your core values
• Strategies for introducing smartphones and social media to children at various developmental stages
• Confidence-building techniques to mentor your children in navigating the digital world
• Opportunities to connect with a supportive community of fellow parents

Additional Information:

• Dinner and childcare will be provided.
• Please register each attendee separately to ensure accurate meal planning.
• If you cannot attend in person, a webinar version will be available to registered participants for later viewing.

Registration:

Secure your spot by registering here.

We look forward to your participation in this event, dedicated to fostering a balanced and healthy digital environment for our children.

We are excited to share the Ankeny Schools 2024 Annual Report, highlighting our district’s achievements and ongoing initiatives. This year, we’ve celebrated significant milestones, including:

• Advancing Postsecondary Readiness: We’ve initiated plans for an innovative hub to expand career pathways, workforce development, and real-world learning opportunities.
• Welcoming Abbie Grove Elementary: Our 11th elementary school opened its doors, providing a supportive learning environment for students in a rapidly growing area.
• Strengthening Literacy: We’ve implemented a new, research-based literacy curriculum to inspire a love of reading and build foundational skills for every learner.
• Launching Transitional Kindergarten: This program bridges the gap for our youngest learners, ensuring a strong start to their educational journeys.

We invite you to read the full report to learn more about these accomplishments and our plans for the future. Your engagement and support are vital to our continued success.

As we approach the 2025 legislative session, it’s crucial to spotlight the needs of our students and schools. At Ankeny Schools, we’re proud to serve a growing, dynamic community, and with your support, we aim to ensure every student receives the high-quality education they deserve. This year, our legislative priorities focus on three key areas: adequate and timely school funding, teacher recruitment and licensure, and literacy content support.

Adequate and Timely Supplemental State Aid (SSA)

A strong school funding system is essential for success. We’re advocating for state supplemental aid that meets or exceeds the inflation rate, currently 2.7%. Over the past decade, SSA increases have averaged 2.04%, while the costs associated with our largest employee group, including teachers and social workers, have grown by an average of 3.29%.

For Ankeny, funding that keeps pace with inflation helps us avoid reliance on property taxes. It also provides much-needed resources for fair and competitive staff salaries. By addressing these challenges, we can preserve the tax rate and ensure fiscal responsibility for our schools.

Teacher Recruitment and Licensure

Teachers are the heart of education. Research shows that high-quality teachers are the most important school-based factor in student learning. However, fewer college students are pursuing teaching careers, and attracting diverse, exceptional teaching talent is becoming increasingly difficult.

We’re calling for policies that incentivize enrollment in traditional and alternative licensure programs, expand licensure reciprocity across states, and provide innovative pathways to teaching, particularly in high-demand fields like career and technical education. These steps would help Ankeny recruit a more diverse and talented workforce, expand course offerings, and prepare students for future careers without compromising teacher quality.

Literacy Content Support

Reading is foundational to lifelong success. Research shows that achieving literacy by third grade significantly predicts future academic achievement. Ankeny Schools is implementing an updated K-8 literacy curriculum aligned with the Science of Reading, a research-based approach to literacy instruction this year.

We support state investments in professional development, assessment tools, decodable readers, and ongoing coaching to ensure all students meet our ambitious reading goals. This partnership with the state allows us to provide the best possible literacy instruction while respecting local control and community needs.

How You Can Help

Your voice matters in advocating for these priorities. We encourage you to reach out to your state legislators and share why public education funding and support matter to our community. The legislators whose boundaries overlap with Ankeny Schools boundaries are as follows: 

• Representative Eddie Andrews
• Representative Bill Gustoff
• Representative Heather Matson
• Representative-elect Ryan Weldon
• Senator Mike Bousselot
• Senator-elect Mike Pike

Contact information for legislators can be found on the Iowa Legislature’s website here. 

Together, we can make a difference for Ankeny’s students. Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we advocate for a stronger future for public education.

School is more than attendance—it’s about being part of a community, developing skills, and preparing for a successful future. School is one of the first places where kids learn critical life skills like teamwork, responsibility, and perseverance. Each day offers new opportunities for learning, not only in subjects like math and reading but also in soft skills like communication, conflict resolution, and empathy.

Of course, there are days when missing school is unavoidable. Life happens, and sometimes illness or family needs come up. But making regular attendance a priority—even on the tough days—can make a big difference in a child’s educational journey and future.

Building Good Attendance Habits Together

Here are a few simple ways you can support your child’s attendance and engagement:

1. Set a Regular Routine: Help your child establish a bedtime and morning routine that leaves plenty of time for breakfast and getting ready. Having a routine can make mornings smoother, especially on those days when motivation might be low.
2. Encourage Connection: Talk with your child about what they’re learning or who they spent time with at school. This shows them you value their school experience and are interested in their day.
3. Celebrate Small Wins: Recognize when your child makes it to school, even if it was a bit of a struggle that morning. A little encouragement goes a long way in showing them that attendance is important.
4. Plan Ahead for Appointments and Trips: Try to schedule family events, doctor’s appointments, and travel during school breaks whenever possible. If absences are unavoidable, make sure to communicate with the teacher to help your child catch up.
5. Reach Out for Support: If your family faces challenges that make attendance difficult, please reach out to their teacher or building administration. We have resources and support systems in place to help ensure every student has the chance to attend school consistently.

Together, let’s make every school day a step towards a brighter future for our children. Thank you for your ongoing support in helping make attendance a priority!

As parents and educators, we understand that managing device use with our kids is one of today’s big challenges. While much has been discussed this year surrounding how devices are used during the school day, I want us to also consider how we can help our students build positive habits with their devices that will benefit them throughout their lives.

Together, we can teach our students how to use technology as a tool rather than a distraction. By creating boundaries and modeling healthy tech habits, we can work together to make sure our students use devices in a way that’s safe, balanced, and productive.

Here are a few ways families can encourage healthy device habits at home:

• Encourage Device Boundaries: Having certain device-free areas at home, like the dining table or family room, can help kids learn to focus on the people around them. It encourages them to set aside technology during family meals, conversations, or quiet activities. By establishing “unplugged” spaces, kids gain a sense of balance between screen time and family time.

• Model Healthy Habits: Kids often mirror what they see, especially when it comes to technology. Try to model the behaviors you’d like to see—limit your own screen time during family activities or avoid using your phone while having a conversation. When kids see their parents prioritizing in-person interaction over screen time, they’re more likely to follow that lead.

• Encourage Quality Over Quantity: Encourage kids to think about how they use devices, not just how much time they spend on them. Activities that spark creativity, curiosity, and learning can be excellent choices for screen time. For example, they might enjoy a coding game, an educational video, or an interactive art app. Quality content helps kids see technology as a tool for growth.

• Spend Time Together with Technology: Devices don’t have to be isolating. Plan times for family-friendly activities that involve technology, like watching an educational show together, exploring a museum virtually, or playing a game as a family. When technology becomes something you do together, it encourages kids to view it as a way to connect rather than a distraction.

• Open the Door for Conversation: Creating space for kids to talk about what they’re doing online can make a difference. Encourage your child to share what they enjoy about their screen time—whether it’s a new app they’ve found or something interesting they’ve learned. Open conversations help students reflect on their technology use and learn how to balance it in healthy ways. Check out this resource for 20 conversation starters!

We’re here to support our families with resources, ideas, and guidance as we navigate this digital age together. As we look toward this spring, we look forward to offering our mental health event focusing on positive technology habits. Thank you for your partnership in building a balanced, connected, and healthy future for our students.

We have another online auction running now until Tuesday, December 3, 2024. The auction features equipment and furnishings no longer needed in our schools and offices. This auction inventory includes a box truck, a shed, saws, shelves, a treadmill, and much more.

The district is contracted with Purple Wave Auction, an online auction service, for the sale. “Holding an online auction allows more people to see and study what is available,” says Jeff Johnson, our district purchasing agent. All available auction items may be viewed here and bid on until December 3.

The Ankeny Community School District is pleased to announce the appointment of Eric Brown as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). With over a decade of experience in financial management, school budgeting, and strategic planning, Brown brings a wealth of expertise that will strengthen the district’s financial operations and support its commitment to excellence in education.

Brown joins Ankeny Schools from Adel DeSoto Minburn Community School District, where he has served as Business Manager, School Business Official, and Board Secretary/Treasurer. In his role, he managed the district’s $35 million operational budget, supervised financial, payroll, and human resources teams, and implemented systems to streamline operations and reporting. His commitment to financial transparency and efficiency has been a hallmark of his career.

“Eric’s leadership and depth of experience in public school finance make him an invaluable addition to our administrative team,” said Dr. Pruitt, Superintendent of Ankeny Schools. “He has demonstrated a strong commitment to financial stewardship and has a proven record of innovation in budgeting and operational management. We look forward to the positive impact he will have on our district.”

Brown also previously served as Budgeting Manager for Rochester Public Schools in Minnesota, where he oversaw a $240 million budget and advised district leaders on financial planning and staffing. He has a proven track record in managing multimillion-dollar budgets and aligning financial goals with the educational mission of school districts. In recognition of his expertise, he was awarded the “Rising Star” award by the Minnesota Association of School Business Officials (MASBO).

“I am honored to join Ankeny Community School District and look forward to working alongside its talented team,” Brown said. “I’m excited to support the district’s mission and contribute to its continued success by fostering financial practices that enhance student learning and operational effectiveness.”

Brown holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Concordia University. He is an active member of the Iowa Association of School Business Officials and has served on various boards, including Faith Lutheran Church and Lutheran Hour Ministries.

Eric Brown’s appointment follows the retirement of the previous CFO, who served the district with distinction. Brown’s experience and vision position him to guide Ankeny Schools’ financial strategies as the district continues to grow and evolve.