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Articles from June 2023

District Receives Excellence in Financial Reporting Award

The Dubuque Community School District was recently awarded a Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting (COE) from the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) for having met the program’s high standards for financial reporting and transparency. The award is for the district’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ending in 2022.

This is the 14th consecutive year the district has received this honor.

“The COE’s mission is to promote and recognize excellence in financial reporting,” said ASBO International Chief Operations Officer/Interim Executive Director Siobhan McMahon. “The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report informs stakeholders about the financial and economic state of the district, making it an important communications tool for building trust and engaging with the school community.”

“We are committed to responsibly using and reporting on the financial resources that we are entrusted with,” said Kevin Kelleher, chief financial officer for the Dubuque Community Schools. “Our annual financial report is one tool in doing so and we hope our Certificate of Excellence helps assure taxpayers of our commitment to the highest standards of financial management.”

Each year, the Dubuque Community School District manages an overall budget of approximately $190 million. By participating in the Certificate of Excellence Program, school districts submit their ACFR for review by a team of financial professionals who provide feedback to improve future documents. According to ASBO, recognition in the Certificate of Excellence program can facilitate bond rating and continuing bond disclosure processes.

The recognition program is presented by the Association of School Business Officials International and is sponsored by American Fidelity, provider of cost-savings solutions and supplemental insurance benefits.

The Association of School Business Officials International is a non-profit that, through its members and affiliates, represents approximately 30,000 school business professionals worldwide. It provides programs and services to promote the highest standards in school business. Its members support student achievement through effective resource management in various areas ranging from finance and operations to food services and transportation.

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Back-to-School Bash 2023, August 5

Don’t miss this year’s Back-to-School Bash: Impacting Our Community!

Saturday, Aug. 5
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Audubon Elementary School
605 Lincoln Ave.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL BASH FEATURES:

  • sign-up for school supplies from the St. Mark’s Apples For Students program (Learn how to contribute supplies to the program)
  • Dubuque Community School District registration assistance
  • vaccinations and school physicals
  • free Back-to-School Bash t-shirt
  • booths by a variety of community organizations
  • and more!

NEED A RIDE? WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED!

Hop on or off a school bus shuttle at one of the following locations/times:

LOCATION PICK-UP / DROP-OFF TIMES
Penn Place Apartments
(West entrance)
10
a.m.
11:15
a.m.
12:30
p.m.
1:45
p.m.
Irving Elementary School
(crosswalk)
10:05
a.m.
11:20
a.m.
12:35
p.m.
1:50
p.m.
Lincoln Elementary School
(bus lane)
10:10
a.m.
11:25
a.m.
12:40
p.m.
1:55
p.m.
Prescott Elementary School
(White Street side)
10:15
a.m.
11:30
a.m.
12:45
p.m.
2
p.m.
BACK-TO-SCHOOL BASH!
(Audubon Elementary School)
10:20
a.m.
11:35
a.m.
12:50
p.m.
2:05
p.m.
Marshall Elementary School
(crosswalk)
10:30
a.m.
11:45
a.m.
1
p.m.
2:15
p.m.
Casey’s
(Peru Road)
10:40
a.m.
11:55
a.m.
1:10
p.m.
2:25
p.m.
Terrace Heights
(Tanzenite Ave East entrance)
10:45
a.m.
Noon 1:15
p.m.
2:30
p.m.
Fulton Elementary School
(White Street side)
10:50
a.m.
12:05
p.m.
1:20
p.m.
2:35
p.m.
BACK-TO-SCHOOL BASH!
(Audubon Elementary School)
11
a.m.
12:15
p.m.
1:30
p.m.
2:45
p.m.

Thank you to the AMAZING community organizations that make the Back-to-School Bash possible:

  • Black Men Coalition
  • City of Dubuque
  • Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
  • Dubuque Community Schools
  • Kendall Hunt Publishing Company
  • Multicultural Family Center
  • RH Prints Co.
  • Resources Unite!
  • St. Mark Youth Enrichment
  • Women United | United Way of Dubuque Area Tri-States
  • and many more!

QUESTIONS?

Contact Anderson Sainci!
563/589-6054 or
asainci@cityofdubuque.org

Music notes

District Recognized Among 2023 ‘Best Communities for Music Education’

The Dubuque Community School District has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education.

2023 Best Communities for Music Education (logo)This is the seventh consecutive year the district has received the honor.

Now in its 24th year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students.

To qualify for the Best Communities designation, the district answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

Music teachers in the district are congratulated by representatives of West Music on the Best Communities for Music Education Award from the NAMM Foundation

Music teachers in the district are congratulated on the Best Communities for Music Education Award from the NAMM Foundation

Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music: After two years of music education, researchers found that participants showed more substantial improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading scores than their less-involved peers and that students who are involved in music are not only more likely to graduate high school but also to attend college as well.

In addition, everyday listening skills are stronger in musically trained children than in those without music training. Significantly, listening skills are closely tied to the ability to: perceive speech in a noisy background, pay attention, and keep sounds in memory. Later in life, individuals who took music lessons as children show stronger neural processing of sound: young adults and even older adults who have not played an instrument for up to 50 years show enhanced neural processing compared to their peers. Not to mention, social benefits include conflict resolution, teamwork skills, and how to give and receive constructive criticism.

About The NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its approximately 15,000 member companies and individual professionals. The foundation advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs.

header-return-to-learn-meals

Summer 2023 No-Cost Meal Options

The Dubuque Community School District will participate in the USDA Summer Food Service Program to provide no-cost meals to students weekdays from July 5-28, coinciding with the district’s Summer Academy Program.

The district will provide no-cost breakfast and lunch to any child 18 years old or under, with no enrollment necessary. No infant formula or infant food will be served. Meals served on site.

Summer Academy meal locations and times are as follows:

Audubon Elementary School
Prescott Elementary School
Table Mound Elementary School
Breakfast: 7:30-8 a.m.
Lunch: 11-11:30 a.m.

Meals will also be offered throughout the summer by community agencies at a variety of locations.

VIEW THE FLYER OF ALL COMMUNITY MEAL SITES, TIMES AND LOCATIONS


USDA Non-Discrimination Statement

Acceptance and participation requirements for the Program and all activities are the same for all regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination
Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at:

http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html

and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866)632 – 9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

1. Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410

2. Fax: (202)690-7442; OR
3. Email: program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Iowa Non-Discrimination Statement:

“It is the policy of this CNP provider not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or religion in its programs, activities, or employment practices as required by the Iowa Code section 216.6, 216.7, and 216.9. If you have questions or grievances related to compliance with this policy by this CNP Provider, please contact the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, Grimes State Office building, 400 E. 14th St. Des Moines, IA 50319-1004; phone number 515-281-4121, 800-457-4416; website: https://icrc.iowa.gov/.”