Dear Parents and Citizens

of South Union School

Community:
I hope this issue of the Oc-
tober Parent Newsletter
finds you well and prepar-
ing for a beautiful fall sea-
son. As you well know, the
school year is in full-swing
right now. Students and
teachers are teaching and
learning; processes and
procedures are becoming
more comfortable for stu-
dents to do every day, and
we are excited about the
daily learning gains and
successes, which is a good
sign at this point of the
school year. With that be-
ing saidwe also are en-
couraged by the goals we
have set for this year re-
garding student achieve-
ment.
Student achievement and
the development of the
whole child is very im-
portant to us. We take great
pride and care providing a
learning environment that
is safe, fun, engaging, and
challenging for all students
to experience at their cur-
rent level. We expect your
child will succeed at school
and they will have the
opportunity to do so every
day. We need your help in
this process. We are ask-
ing that you: check your
childs Friday folder for
information; go to the
South Union Web page
and review postings; at-
tend parent conference
sessions; and help in the
classroom when asked. It
will take the entire school
community to help us
reach our student devel-
opment goals this year.
We take pride in this part-
nership and welcome you
to become a part of this
learning journey together.
The month of October
will be a busy one for
students and staff at SU
based on the following
events:
> Fall party near Hallow-
een more information
forthcoming.
> South Union Skate Par-
ty more information
forthcoming.
> Fall Fundraiser
Please feel free to visit or
contact the school with
your questions. We are
here to provide a great
teaching and learning
experience for your child.
We will be sending out to
parents a fall customer
service survey and hope
that you will respond to it.
We are always looking
for ways to improve the
school and your feedback
will help us accomplish
this goal.
Warmest Regards,
Dr. Bill Szakacs
Principal
South Union Elementary
School

Principal News
Dr. Bill Szakacs, Principal
School Hours
School Hours: 8:15am-3:00pm
Main Doors Open: 8:00am
Breakfast in the Classroom: 8:00am

Students are tardy if they arrive later
than 8:15am.

Every Wednesday Early Dismissal at 1:30pm
K-1 Parent Meeting September 30 6:00
2-3 Parent Meeting October 2 6:00
4-5 Parent Meeting October 6 6:00
Picture Day October 9
Conferences October 15 & 22
2:00-8:00 p.m.
No School for Students October 24
Important Dates
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4201 South Union
Des Moines, Iowa 50315
Phone: (515) 242-8409
Fax: (515) 953-0486
Dr. Bill Szakacs Principal
Mrs. Emily Behrens, Dean
South Union is on Twitter!
Please follow us on Twitter to
stay up to date on all the happenings at
South Union.
@sudmps is how you can find us.
The year is off to a great start. As I walk
the building I see students engaged in
learning, offering help to others, and dis-
playing good character. All these make
me proud to be serving as dean at South
Union.
Safety of our students is always on our
minds. The school doors will open the at
8:00. We would like to ask 3-5 grade
students to enter the building at the doors
on the North side of the building.

NURSE NEWS
If you have a kindergarten student, a
proof of dental screening is requested.
If you havent done so already, please
provide the school nurse with the docu-
mentation that this has been done. If
you need a dental screening certificate
to take to the dentist or if you need help
in finding a dentist, please let me know.
Visiting Nurse Services has agreed to
come to South Union to screen our
kindergarten students who still need a
dental screening. They will be at South
Union on October 6th. A note/ permis-
sion form about this is going home in
Friday folders on 9-26-14. If you do
not want your student screened, please
complete the form and return it to
school by October 3rd.
Des Moines Health Center Smile Squad
mobile dental clinic will be at South
union on October 2nd and 3rd to screen
and do simple dental treatments on 2nd
and 3rd graders who brought back the
signed consent form.
Red Cross Health and Safety Tips For
Halloween: With witches, goblins, and
super-heroes descending on neighbor-
hoods across America, the
American Red Cross offers parents
some safety tips to help prepare their
children for a safe and enjoyable trick-
or-treat holiday. Halloween should be
filled with surprise and enjoyment, and
following some common sense practic-
es can keep events safer and more fun.
Walk, slither, and sneak on sidewalks,
not in the street.
* Look both ways before crossing the
street to check for cars, trucks, and
low-flying brooms.
* Cross the street only at corners.
* Don't hide or cross the street between
parked cars.
* Wear light-colored or reflective-type
clothing so you are more visible. (And
remember to put reflective tape on
bikes, skateboards, and brooms, too!)
* Plan your route and share it with your
family. If possible, have an adult go
with you.
* Carry a flashlight to light your way.
* Keep away from open fires and can-
dles. (Costumes can be extremely flam-
mable.)
* Visit homes that have the porch light
on.
* Accept your treats at the door and
never go into a stranger's house.
* Use face paint rather than masks or
things that will cover your eyes.
* Be cautious of animals and strangers.
* Have a grown-up inspect your treats
before eating. And don't eat candy if the
package is already opened. Small, hard
pieces of candy are a choking hazard for
young children.
* For more information go to
http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/tip
s/october/octtips.html
Have a safe and happy Halloween!
Thank you,
Mrs.
McDonald
Page 2
Dean of Students/Specialist News
Mrs. Emily Behrens
News from the Nurse
Susan McDonald, School Nurse
SOUTH UNI ON ELEMENTARY
We hope this will help alleviate
some of the crowding and the long
line at the front door in the morning.
Before and after school remind stu-
dents to use the crosswalk when
crossing to the parking lot.
4201 SOUTH UNI ON
Art News

The fourth grade field trip to the
Des Moines Art Center and Pappa-
john Sculpture Park will be April
21, 2015. This is a great opportuni-
ty to participate in a docent lead
tour of both spectacular places!









Music News
Concert dates are set!!!
Kindergarten Thurs. Feb. 19 12:45 PM
1st Grade Thurs. Feb. 19 2:00 PM
2nd Grade - Thurs. April 2 12:45 PM
3rd Grade Thurs. April 2 2:00 PM
4th Grade Thurs. May 7 12:45 PM
5th Grade Thurs. May 7 2:00 PM
**All concerts are held in the South Union
Gymnasium.
***4th & 5th Grade Chorus!!!!
Due to the large number of 4th and 5th
graders interested in after school cho-
rus:
Starting on Sept. 29 5th grade chorus
will meet on Mondays 3:00 3:30, 4th
grade chorus will meet on Thursdays
3:00 3:30.
PE News
Come join South Union Elementary kick off their
2014 Fuel up to Play 60 campaign with
Iowas Healthy Kids 30 minutes of activity
day. The event is scheduled for Friday October
10, 2014. Every student will be taking part in this
activity and we would like to invite YOU to come
and join in. No registration is necessary, all you
have to do is come to South Union during your
students special time listed below and join as
they walk. Students who have a visitor walking
with them will receive a small gift as a token of
gratitude for making the community aware of the
importance of daily activity. Parents/ Guardi-
ans/Grandparents, meet on the playground at the
time listed below and your student will meet you
out there. Rain date will be Monday, Oct. 13.
5th Grade: 8:45 9:20 am
4th Grade: 9:30 10:05 am
3rd Grade: 10:15 10:50 am
2nd Grade: 12:45 1:20 pm
1st Grade: 1:30 2:05 pm
Kindergarten: 2:15 2:50 pm

Page 3
Behavior Specialist
Mr. James Puderbaugh
Art, Music, & PE Updates
Sherrie Wilson, Art Anne Peterson, Music Kristin Anderson, PE
3rd through 5th. Students will
be chosen for these positions by
showing responsible leadership
in their academic growth and
behavior at school. Every 3
rd

through 5
th
grader will be given
a chance to have their leadership
developed and celebrated
through these leadership
positions. When your child talks
Dear Parents and Students,
Our first month of school has
been busy. Staff and students
have been working hard to
establish expectations and
relationships that create an
environment where all students
can grow and develop into
positive citizens. We will be
beginning student leadership
positions this month for grades

about their school day and men-
tions leadership roles they have
served, please know that this is
your child showing great leader-
ship and pride at school. We are
very proud of our students and
want the families to celebrate the
development of these great lead-
ers along with us.
Counselors Corner
Jen Roberts, Counselor

Breakfast Program:
Free to students who attend SU.
Lunch Program Prices:
Free to students who attend SU.
Adult lunch $3.30

Joining us for lunch?
If you would like to join your child for
lunch and plan on eating a school provided
lunch please send the money to school
with the child. The cafeteria staff do not
want to handle money during the lunch
hour. If you are able to provide exact
Students in grades 3-5 have been
studying "The Energy Bus", by
John Gordon. They have been
learning how to stay positive
even when faced with challeng-
es, celebrate highlights and suc-
cesses, and appreciate and
acknowledge those around them.
ANDROID: If you have an An-
droid phone, simply click here or go
to Google Play and search "Des
Moines Public Schools."
WINDOWS: There is not a Win-
dows version, however bookmark
https://dmps.parentlink.net/m on
your mobile browser to access most
of the app's features.
Food Service News

What's for lunch?
Find out on the DMPS Mobile App.
The Dining section of our mobile app
now features the breakfast and lunch
menus for every DMPS school for the
entire year. It even includes nutritional
information about menu items.
If you have not yet downloaded the
DMPS Mobile App, it's easy:
APPLE: If you have an iPhone or
iPad, simply click here or go to
the App Store and search "Des
Moines Public Schools."
Students in grades K-2 have
been working on friendship
skills: how to make friends, how
to treat others with kind words
and actions, and the importance
of cooperation.
Traffic Control and exiting from the west-side parking lot:
Parents
As you know, we do not have the
best parking lot situation for dropping
off or picking up children after
school. The after-school pickup is an
event in itself and we are doing our
best to make sure its safe as we
move traffic along at dismissal time.
When you exit the park-
ing lot, please turn to
the RIGHT. This is
VERY important as we
move traffic out of the
parking lot. Thank you!
Please refrain from using
the parking lot on the east
side of the school. This lot
is unsupervised and is not
for student drop off.
We appreciate your help in
keeping all students safe.
EQUITY STATEMENT
The Des Moines Independent Community
School District does not discriminate on the
basis of race, color, national origin, gender,
disability, religion, creed, age (for employ-
ment), marital status (for programs), sexual
orientation, gender identity and socioeco-
nomic status (for
programs) in its
educational pro-
grams and its em-
ployment practices.
There is a grievance
procedure for pro-
cessing complaints
of discrimination. If
you have questions or a grievance related to
this policy, please contact the districts
Equity Coordinator


FOOD SERVICE
Breakfast Program:
Free to students who attend SU.
Lunch Program Prices:
Free to students who attend SU.

ATTENDANCE (Tardies & Absences)
Daily, punctual attendance is an integral
part of the learning experience and is
required of all students to receive the
maximum benefit of the educational pro-
gram. Students will be expected to attend
classes regularly and to be on time. This
year students are allowed 3 unexcused
absences trimester.

If you have any questions regarding at-
tendance, please refer to the Attendance
Policy that was given out at registration
or call the school office at 242-8409.

Additional Information



Persons with disabilities who need information about accessibility or who need
sign or language interpreters, please contact the Director of Student and Family
Services, (515) 242-7714




Go Rails!!
District Mission Statement
Des Moines Public Schools exist so graduates possess knowledge, skills, and abilities to
be successful in the next stage of their lives.