Cedar Rapids Community School District

✨ The Heart of the Holidays: 7 Days, 7 Words ✨
As the calendar winds down, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what this season truly means. For the 7 Days Before Break, we’re asking our dedicated teachers to share the single most meaningful word that represents the holidays for them. It’s a glimpse into the heart of our staff!

1 Day Until Break: Melody Hocke, Pre-K teacher at Truman. Their Word: Memories

The Story: "My word is memories because I just love this time of making memories with my daughter and my family, and doing new things evey year that we’ll always treasure."

Share your holiday word with us! Is it Joy? Family? Rest? Let us know!
#HolidayMeaning #TeacherReflection #BeforeTheBreak #SchoolCommunity #MeaningfulMoments … See MoreSee Less

Cedar Rapids Community School District

✨ The Heart of the Holidays: 7 Days, 7 Words ✨
As the calendar winds down, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what this season truly means. For the 7 Days Before Break, we’re asking our dedicated teachers to share the single most meaningful word that represents the holidays for them. It’s a glimpse into the heart of our staff!

2 Days Until Break: Melena Urbanowski, 1st Grade teacher at Van Buren. Their Word: Excited

The Story: "My word is excited because I’m excited to get everybody’s christmas cards in the mail, see their pictures, have family gatehrings, and I teach first grade and the kids are super excited and so that makes me super excited."

Share your holiday word with us! Is it Joy? Family? Rest? Let us know!
#HolidayMeaning #TeacherReflection #BeforeTheBreak #SchoolCommunity #MeaningfulMoments … See MoreSee Less

Cedar Rapids Community School District

✨ The Heart of the Holidays: 7 Days, 7 Words ✨
As the calendar winds down, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what this season truly means. For the 7 Days Before Break, we’re asking our dedicated teachers to share the single most meaningful word that represents the holidays for them. It’s a glimpse into the heart of our staff!

3 Days Until Break: Leif Albertson, Teacher Instruction of Music at Franklin. Their Word: Cheerful

The Story: "My word is cheerful because I just love my job, and I love the students, and I love getting out of bed every day being able to make awesome music with awesome kids."

Share your holiday word with us! Is it Joy? Family? Rest? Let us know!
#HolidayMeaning #TeacherReflection #BeforeTheBreak #SchoolCommunity #MeaningfulMoments … See MoreSee Less

Cedar Rapids Community School District

✨ The Heart of the Holidays: 7 Days, 7 Words ✨
As the calendar winds down, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what this season truly means. For the 7 Days Before Break, we’re asking our dedicated teachers to share the single most meaningful word that represents the holidays for them. It’s a glimpse into the heart of our staff!

4 Days Until Break: Katelyn Schrader, Teacher Strat I at Hiawatha. Their Word: Joy

The Story: "My word is joy, because it captures the heart of the holiday spirit because it’s something people share, create, and feel together. It shows up in small moments – – kids laughing, families reconnecting, giving & recieving kindness, cozy traditions, and even the simple comfort of being together."

Share your holiday word with us! Is it Joy? Family? Rest? Let us know!
#HolidayMeaning #TeacherReflection #BeforeTheBreak #SchoolCommunity #MeaningfulMoments … See MoreSee Less

Cedar Rapids Community School District

It is a pleasure to recognize Jen Long from Nixon Elementary in today’s Staff Spotlight! Jen’s supportive nature and wealth of knowledge make her an indispensable part of the Nixon team, as recognized by a CRCSD colleague:

"Jen is always ready to jump in and lend a helping hand when needed. She comes with so much knowledge and never has made me feel less than when I come to her for help. She takes her time when explaining things and walking through processes, and makes sure to check for understanding with colleagues. She genuinely cares about all the people she works with."

Thank you, Jen, for your patience, expertise, and your unwavering kindness toward your colleagues. You make the Nixon community stronger every day!

#CRCSDStaffSpotlight #StaffAppreciation #NixonElementary #TeamSupport #CollaborativeCulture #CRCSD … See MoreSee Less

Cedar Rapids Community School District

✨ The Heart of the Holidays: 7 Days, 7 Words ✨
As the calendar winds down, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what this season truly means. For the 7 Days Before Break, we’re asking our dedicated teachers to share the single most meaningful word that represents the holidays for them. It’s a glimpse into the heart of our staff!

5 Days Until Break: Jessica Zimmerman, Teacher Media Specialist at Erskine. Their Word: Traditions

The Story: "My word is traditions, because it means spending time with my family, doing things we’ve done every year since my boys were born. Like maybe making sugar cookies, reading ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas’, and decorating the tree. Just getting to spend all that time with my family doing the things we love doing."

Share your holiday word with us! Is it Joy? Family? Rest? Let us know!
#HolidayMeaning #TeacherReflection #BeforeTheBreak #SchoolCommunity #MeaningfulMoments … See MoreSee Less

Cedar Rapids Community School District

✨ The Heart of the Holidays: 7 Days, 7 Words ✨
As the calendar winds down, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what this season truly means. For the 7 Days Before Break, we’re asking our dedicated teachers to share the single most meaningful word that represents the holidays for them. It’s a glimpse into the heart of our staff!

6 Days Until Break: Catherine O’Connell, 1st Grade teacher at Trailside. Their Word: Blessed

The Story: "My word is blessed, because one I’m blessed with the job that I have, but also because I use the holiday season to spend time with family and friends. And it’s a great time to relax and celebrate the wonderful things we have."

Share your holiday word with us! Is it Joy? Family? Rest? Let us know!
#HolidayMeaning #TeacherReflection #BeforeTheBreak #SchoolCommunity #MeaningfulMoments … See MoreSee Less

Cedar Rapids Community School District

✨ The Heart of the Holidays: 7 Days, 7 Words ✨
As the calendar winds down, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what this season truly means. For the 7 Days Before Break, we’re asking our dedicated teachers to share the single most meaningful word that represents the holidays for them. It’s a glimpse into the heart of our staff!

7 Days Until Break: Candra Barnes, 5th Grade teacher at Wright Their Word: Rest

The Story: "Rest, because I don’t run to the tape. I run through the tape."

Share your holiday word with us! Is it Joy? Family? Rest? Let us know!

#HolidayMeaning #TeacherReflection #BeforeTheBreak #SchoolCommunity #MeaningfulMoments … See MoreSee Less

Cedar Rapids Community School District

🎁 Need a great last-minute holiday gift? Look no further! 🎁

This holiday season, Metro students are becoming real entrepreneurs! Stop by the MADE Store at NewBo City Market to find a variety of unique, student-created products—everything from homemade salsa and candies to handcrafted magnets, wood ornaments, and candles.

This stand is more than just a shop; it’s a real-world learning lab! Students are handling every aspect—product design, marketing, and customer service. All proceeds support Metro STEAM Academy programs, funding future innovation.

📍 Find the MADE Store at NewBo City Market 🗓️ Open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through December 20th.

Stop by, support our student entrepreneurs, and find the perfect gift!

#madestore #newbocitymarket #StudentEntrepreneurs #shoplocal #holidaygifts #MetrosTeam … See MoreSee Less

Cedar Rapids Community School District

Your input is valuable! 📣

The proposed District Calendar for the 2026-2027 school years was presented to the Board last night. This calendar was designed with consistency and student learning in mind!

Key highlights include:
📅 Consistent Mondays: Professional Learning and Teacher-Directed Days will regularly fall on Mondays.
☀️ Early Summer Break: Students are tentatively scheduled to be out of school in May (pending snow days).
🏫 Full Days: Both the first and last days of school will be full instructional days.

Ready to weigh in? Review the calendar FAQ and submit your feedback via the survey link below!

crschools.us/2025/12/proposed-2025-2026-district-calendar-2/

#schoolcalendar #studentlearning #DistrictNews … See MoreSee Less

Cedar Rapids Community School District

Get ready to level up your learning! 🤩

We’re thrilled to announce 12 brand-new courses for the next school year, approved as part of our rigorous Program of Studies review! High school teachers submitted 24 proposals, and the best of the best made the cut.

New courses include:
Science: Astronomy, Earth Systems
Technology/Trades: Automotive Technology 1 & 2, AP Cybersecurity
Business: AP Business with Personal Finance
Arts/Humanities: Foundations of Music Theory, Public Speaking, Guitar 1
And more! (Medical Terminology, Intermediate Spanish 1 & 2, Career Education Exploration)

These additions will offer a more personalized, future-focused, and rigorous learning experience. Explore the possibilities and plan your schedule!

Check out the program of studies: crschools.us/students-and-families/quick-links/crcsd-program-of-studies/

#ProgramOfStudies #NewCourses #StudentOpportunities … See MoreSee Less

Cedar Rapids Community School District

We are thrilled to shine our Staff Spotlight on the fantastic Kylee Champlin, a key member of the 4th Grade Team at Grant Wood Elementary!
Since joining the team this year, Kylee has made an immediate and lasting impact, as recognized by a fellow CRCSD staff member:
"This is the first year I have gotten to work closely with Kylee… She is very thorough and knows each student’s special plan, ensuring it is being followed. She is timely with filling out daily data sheets, so I receive accurate information. I appreciate that I don’t have to ‘hound her’ for the sheets, which allows me to keep up on my progress monitoring and make any necessary changes to better support our students. She runs a well-managed classroom and is a key part of our Team!"
Thank you, Kylee, for your dedication, attention to detail, and commitment to ensuring every student at Grant Wood receives the support they need! Your organization and teamwork make a huge difference!
#CRCSDStaffSpotlight #StaffAppreciation #GrantWoodElementary #4thGrade #DedicatedEducator #CRCSD … See MoreSee Less