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District announces events, health screenings, attendance winners and program expansions
Summary
The Cedar Rapids Community School District podcast promoted upcoming events (America Reads Day, parent-teacher conferences), free vision and dental screenings, IJAG expansion to all middle schools and September attendance winners.
Isabelle, podcast host for the Cedar Rapids Community School District, and Justin, podcast host for the Cedar Rapids Community School District, used the district’s Future Ready Today podcast to list upcoming events, student-support services and program expansions.
The hosts encouraged community participation in America Reads Day on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10, inviting volunteers to read in schools. They noted parent-teacher conferences begin Oct. 20 and reminded families who speak languages other than English to request interpreter services through a teacher or school office in advance.
On health services, the podcast described two free programs coming to qualifying schools: the I Smile dental screening program — a licensed dental hygienist may provide screening, sealants and fluoride at no cost for qualifying schools (targeted to grades 2–5 at schools with 40% or more free and reduced-price lunch enrollment) — and a Lions Club vision screening for students in AK, pre-K and kindergarten. The hosts reminded parents to return consent forms sent by school health offices and noted Iowa law requires vision screening before kindergarten enrollment and again before grade 3.
The podcast also announced program expansions and partnerships. The Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance will host a National Civics Bee local entry for grades 6–8 with an application deadline of Feb. 3, 2026; winners could advance to the national competition. The district noted a continued 20-year partnership with IJAG (Iowa Jobs for America—s Graduates) and said the district will expand IJAG-lite to five remaining middle schools at no cost to the district; the hosts said IJAG participants in the class of 2024 had a 98.4% graduation rate.
As part of attendance-awareness month, the podcast listed the top five schools for average daily attendance in September: Hoover, 97.09%; Cedar River Academy, 96.55%; Maple Grove, 96.03%; Kenwood Leadership Academy, 95.79%; and Viola Gibson, 95.73%.
The hosts also highlighted student events: Harding, Taft and McKinley students attended a Google-related conference at Kirkwood; CityView students attended an oceans conference in Dubuque; and JSA unveiled a new mascot and steam-whistle celebration at an assembly.
The podcast provided contact and sign-up instructions only generally (newsletter links and school offices) and did not include web links beyond the district bond page referenced elsewhere in the episode.
