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Greetings Garner Gators!
My name is Debbie Bennett and I am your new principal for the 2020-2021 school year. I have been a part of the Iowa City Community School District for 4 years. I moved from Chicago, Illinois where I was an educator for 15 years. While in Chicago, I taught in various school systems including Chicago Public Schools. I received my bachelors degree for the University of Illinois (Champaign,Illinois), two Masters degrees in education from Concordia University, and my administrative degree from National Louis University in Chicago.
Throughout my educational career, I have been a junior high teacher, Math Chairperson, Math coach, and PBIS facilitator. Starting at Kirkwood Elementary in 2016, I was a 6th-grade teacher. Then in 2018, I became the assistant principal of Kirkwood and Twain Elementary Schools. Last school year, I was split between Kirkwood and Weber Elementary Schools until the decision was made for me to be at Weber as their full-time assistant principal.
I have had many wonderful experiences within the Iowa City Community School District and look forward to having many more with you. The first key in great communication is building a relationship. Before school starts, I would love to get to know you and your family. Here’s a challenge for you:
Send me a family picture introducing who you are and what you were able to do this summer. Please include your student’s name and grade and one thing that you are grateful for. I plan to make a collage with our family pictures to hang in my office. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email me at bennett.debbie@iowacityschools.org.
#FinestGreatestBest
Debbie Bennett, Principal
(319) 688-1190
bennett.debbie@iowacityschools.org
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School Supply List
The Garner School Supply List for 2019-2020 has been posted! Read on for link.
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Grab & Go Meal Program Summer Schedule
We have a few updates to share regarding our Grab & Go meal service program. Since the beginning of our school closures in March, we have served over 250,000 free meals to local children and we are excited to announce that we will be able to continue providing meals to students beyond the end of the school year.
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Return-to-Learn Update (7/8/20)
Our Return-to-Learn planning and preparations continue across the District as we look ahead to safely welcoming our students and staff back in August. Our families and staff understandably have questions as to what this will look like and we hope to provide information and clarification to help ease minds as we prepare for our return.
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Return-to-Learn Update (7/2/20)
Our planning and preparation for safely returning to school in the fall continue across the District. This week, we shared an update with the Board that included the Return-to-Learn recommendations that have been made to date. This update represents months of work by multiple teams, all focused on preparing for the reopening of our schools for the 2020-21 school year. The Return-to-Learn teams, as well as updates and information on the Return-to-Learn planning process, are available at www.IowaCitySchools.org/ReturnToLearn.
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Return-to-Learn Update (6/26/20)
Yesterday, the Iowa Department of Education (DE) released its Reopening Guidance for Schools. We have been evaluating this guidance to determine its alignment with the Return-to-Learn work which is actively taking place in the District. Our research and planning over the last few months lead us to believe that additional safety mitigation efforts above what the DE is suggesting may be necessary to safely reopen our schools. Although the DE’s guidance provides some clarity, there are still many unknowns when it comes to how school will look in the fall. We will continue to utilize the recommendations from the CDC, IDPH, and JCPH as our plans take shape.
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Message to Families
Today, we have officially reached the unconventional end to this history-making school year. The circumstances over the last two and a half months were something we never could have predicted, and were certainly less than ideal; however, the incredible strength and resiliency of our community have become more apparent than ever. For this, we could not be more proud.
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Better Together Initiative
The Iowa City Community School District is committed to being part of real, systemic improvements to life in Johnson County, Iowa, and we are part of the “Project Better Together,” an initiative to help our community recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first step in making change is creating a new story about what we can be. We have to see and believe in a new picture that we can collectively work toward.
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Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Garner Elementary School's Parent Teacher Organization whenever you shop on AmazonSmile! Click below for more details.
