Central Lee Community School District

We’re excited to share that the Safe@Home Training at Central Lee's Hawk’s Place was a fantastic success! Students in 4th through 6th grade walked away with valuable knowledge, practical tools, and a heightened sense of safety and independence. Here’s what they achieved during the session: ✅ Certificates of Completion to celebrate their hard work ✅ A helpful booklet packed with tips on handling emergencies, making effective 9-1-1 calls, and more ✅ Strategies for creating a family code phrase—a clever way to signal the need for help discreetly ✅ Safety practices for navigating the internet—an essential skill in today’s digital world It was wonderful to see our students actively participating, asking insightful questions, and gaining confidence in their ability to handle various scenarios. Parents, thank you for supporting this initiative and for reinforcing these lessons at home.

Join us in transforming our baseball/softball complex into a top-tier facility for our students and community! Our current challenges include: ⚾Inadequate seating ⚾Outdated fencing ⚾Poor visibility ⚾Poorly positioned scoreboards ⚾Fields positioned too closely together ⚾No handicap accessibility ⚾Baseball infield needs resurfacing With your help, we can address these issues and make improvements to enhance safety, functionality, and the overall experience. There are many ways to contribute to this important project, including purchasing a personalized brick, choosing a sponsorship level, or making a tax-deductible donation to the Central Lee Foundation. For more information or to make a donation, please contact Scott Fogarty at 319-331-2449 or scottjfogarty@gmail.com.

Central Lee will be on a two hour delay on Monday, December 16, 2024 due to heavy fog. There will be no AM Preschool, AM Hawks Place, or AM Activities.

Central Lee schools have earned impressive ratings on the 2024 School Performance Profiles overall, but there were a few areas where we really shined.✨ The Central Lee High School scores in “Post-Secondary Readiness” soared above state averages, with 95.65% of students earning college credit through concurrent enrollment and 72.46% of students participating in Work-Based Learning programs. At the middle school level, the percentage of chronic absenteeism was significantly lower than the state average. Academic performance thrived—especially in science, where CLMS students earned an impressive 84.09% proficiency rate! Congratulations to our entire community on these outstanding accomplishments! 👏

Our Kindergarten and 1st Grade Winter Concert begins at 6:00pm on Monday, December 16. We hope to see you there! ❄️🎵 #Proud2bCL

Tonight’s Varsity Girls Basketball game at Centerville has been canceled. 🏀

Kindergartners at Central Lee Elementary have been being so kind to one another that it made the Grinch's heart grow three times bigger! He came and surprised students today during their Grinch Day parties. Some students didn't take their eye off of him! He may have even taken a few phone calls for Mrs. Fuger. He was very excited to see our scoreboard showing how we SHINE BRIGHT TOGETHER!

Unfortunately, due to manufacturing issues, the CL Music Boosters Krispy Kreme fundraiser delivery has been postponed to a later date. We are working to finalize the new pickup date and expect to share that information by early next week. Thank you for your understanding, support, and patience!

Our High School Winter Concert will begin at 2:00pm at Central Lee High School this SUNDAY. Celebrate the holiday season with some great music! ☃️🎶

🔥🏀 GAME DAY ALERT! 🏀🔥 📅 Friday, December 13th 📍 @ Central Lee 🦅 Cheer on your Central Lee Hawks as they face the Danville Bears! 🕓 Game Times: JV Boys: 4:30 PM Varsity Girls: 6:00 PM Varsity Boys: 7:30 PM 🎉 Let's pack the stands and bring the energy! GO HAWKS! 💛🖤

Do you have experience or a desire to serve as a bus driver or special education associate? Central Lee has open positions for both roles! Learn more and apply: https://www.centrallee.org/page/employment-opportunities #Proud2bCL

We are honored to welcome Sarah Bergman into the 2024 Fine Arts Hall of Fame! A 1998 graduate of Central Lee, Sarah is a distinguished professional in film, media, and communications. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa, where she began her career as a camera operator for a local TV station and performed as a voice-over artist. Later, Sarah received a Business and Management of Entertainment Certificate from UCLA. Sarah’s impressive career includes recognition from prestigious film festivals such as Sundance, Santa Cruz, and Sedona. Currently, she serves as the director of “The Tulsi Gabbard Show,” where her passion for storytelling continues to shine. We’re proud to celebrate this outstanding alumni and her visionary contributions to the media arts!

Today, we’re proud to announce Gary Wagner (CLHS ‘80) as a 2024 Fine Arts Hall of Fame inductee! A lifelong musician with a passion for bluegrass, Gary is celebrated for his exceptional skills on the guitar, mandolin, and upright bass. His music has reached audiences nationwide, from local festivals to the renowned stages of Silver Dollar City and Dollywood. He’s also recorded with acclaimed artists and performed at numerous benefit events. In addition to his musical accomplishments, Gary has built a 40-year career as a welder. As he nears retirement, he looks forward to continuing his musical journey and cheering on his daughter, Amber Wagner, as she carries forward his legacy as a talented vocalist. We’re grateful for this inspiring musician and his positive impact on the community!

Every second grader was given the book 'Just Like Caitlin.' This book tells Caitlin Clark's story including life lessons like dreaming big, working hard, valuing relationships over winning, and many more. The Jensen Family provided these, for free, to every second grader in the state of Iowa. This book is the perfect tie to our Leader in Me lessons students learn each day. Central Lee Elementary says a big THANK YOU to Caitlin Clark for inspiring our students to dream big and to the Jensen Family for this wonderful gift.

December is Human Rights Month, which honors the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It’s an opportunity for us to reflect on the importance of respect, fairness, and inclusivity in our schools and beyond. Thank you for helping us foster a community rooted in these values!

We are delighted to announce C. David Rutt’s induction into the 2024 Fine Arts Hall of Fame! With a music education career spanning over 40 years, C. David is celebrated for nearly a decade of service as Central Lee’s band director. During his tenure, he built a thriving band program, leading students to achieve the school’s first State Division 1 rating in marching band and earn All-State honors. He also introduced the cherished tradition of having the marching band form an American flag on the field while playing “God Bless America” during the season’s final home football game! Beyond his contributions to Central Lee, C. David directed the Forest City High School band for 24 years and spent five years helping to rebuild Waldorf University’s band program. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Upper Iowa University and a master’s in Music Education from the University of Northern Iowa. In retirement, C. David continues to inspire students nationwide as a Bob Rogers Tour Director and guides international concert tours with the Iowa Ambassadors of Music. C. David lives in Iowa with his wife, is a proud father of two daughters, and is the grandfather of an eight-year-old grandson. It’s an honor to recognize this dedicated educator and champion of the arts!

First grade students held a Writing Gallery Walk recently. The reading lessons included connections to writing and the students were very excited to share about themselves. All first grade students and teachers took a gallery walk to each classroom to read and view self portraits along with the sentence writing. We promote the connection of reading and writing in our school and strive for each student to grow as both readers and writers each school year.

Hawks of the Month were selected from each classroom Kindergarten through Fourth Grade for exhibiting regularly Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind. Students have shown that they make a plan to achieve their goals. Growing as a leader while in our school is something we are most proud of! Congratulations to these Central Lee Elementary Hawks!

Exciting News! Join us for Iowa Computer Science Ed Week Family Night on December 12, 6:30–7:30 PM! Bring the whole family for a night filled with tech-inspired activities and fun! Here’s what’s in store: Live Book Reading: Kick off the night with a special reading by author Julie Darling from her book Little Hackers—an inspiring story for young techies! Cybersecurity Game: Learn about the many “hats” in computer science in an interactive, web-based game! Think Simon Says with a cyber twist! Card Game Fun: Discover the world of incident response in cybersecurity jobs in a whole new way with a card game! Don’t miss this FREE family event! Perfect for kids and adults curious about tech and cybersecurity. Register for virtual or in person locations at IowaCSEdWeek.org! See you there! Register to join us at CL here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSddMfupJq5Gl6uXdJmQtpbph-TXmaYQyuAuAtffgyZjvrZfqg/viewform

Computer Science Education Week reminds us how important it is to prepare students for the future. With hands-on learning, they’re gaining the skills needed for success in a tech-driven economy. 🖥️ Here’s to nurturing the next generation of savvy innovators!