East Elementary K-2
Welcome to East Elementary! We are excited to share your child’s first learning experiences with the Independence Community School District. East Elementary serves approximately 300 students in grades junior kindergarten through second grade. Our students enjoy a wide variety of learning opportunities including art, media services, physical education, music, and computer science in addition to the traditional academic subjects. Our school playground is conveniently located directly behind the school. East Elementary is a great place for students to learn and grow, building academic and social skills that will lay the foundation for a lifetime of learning. The staff is proud to serve the young learners of our community and we welcome you to our East Elementary family.
2026-2027:
East Elementary Parent Teacher Conference Link
ECC Parent-Teacher Conference: (November) Sign Up Here
Junior Kindergarten is offered to students who can benefit from an additional year of exposure to age-appropriate standards before entering kindergarten. During junior kindergarten, your child will have a developmentally appropriate learning experience, while taking full advantage of an extra year of learning and continuing to build important social, emotional, and academic skills. We hope to make your child’s first year of school a fun and exciting one and we hope to instill a love of learning that will last throughout your child’s years of schooling. It is extremely important to keep in mind that we all build on small successes. Each child will progress at his/her own rate, acquiring skills as he/she is developmentally ready. Maintaining your child’s self-esteem and building a secure foundation for future growth will always remain a priority in our junior kindergarten classrooms. Junior Kindergarten is offered every day for a full day at East Elementary.
Kindergarten is an exciting time as children embark upon new adventures in the world of learning. During kindergarten, your child will learn how to read, write, add, subtract and so much more. We hope to make your child’s first year of school a fun and exciting one and we hope to instill a love of learning that will last throughout your child’s years of schooling. It is extremely important to keep in mind that we all build on small successes. Each child will progress at his/her rate, acquiring skills as he/she is developmentally ready. Maintaining your child’s self-esteem and building a secure foundation for future growth will always remain a priority in our kindergarten classrooms.
First Grade provides challenging and engaging experiences for all students. We work together to provide the best education for our students. Literacy is one area that 1st grade focuses on because we know that literacy is vital to student learning. One special trip 1st graders get to enjoy is a field trip to a dairy farm. This field trip supports state science standards and it is a great opportunity for our students to engage in hands-on learning.
Second grade provides educational and leadership opportunities for all students. The teaching staff works together to provide quality experiences for our students. Community development is one area that 2nd grade focuses on because we know that Living the Mustang Way is vital not only to school success but also life-long learning skills. Stone Soup is an educational unit that begins in the garden as seeds and develops into harvesting. We create our unique soups by gathering ingredients from all to make a shared meal. Each year, 2nd graders enjoy a field trip to Heartland Acres to learn about farm safety. This field trip supports state science and social studies standards and it is a great opportunity for our students to engage in hands-on learning.
The comprehensive goal of the visual arts program is to facilitate, support, and inspire the growth of every student as a young artist and as a creative learner. Students will use higher-order thinking skills during their study of the elements of art and principles of design. Students will gain knowledge of artistic tools, materials, and techniques for producing art while mastering specific concepts and techniques.
School counselors are educational specialists who are certified or licensed professionals with a master's degree or higher in counseling. As the student's advocate, the role of a school counselor is to provide and deliver a comprehensive school counseling program that meets the standards and benchmarks designated by the American School Counseling Association and the Iowa State Counselor Association. A comprehensive program encourages all students' academic, career, and social/emotional development, and helps all students in maximizing their achievement. Our program is an articulated, sequential PreK-12th grade program that is comprehensive in scope, preventative in design, developmental in nature, driven by data, and integral to the school district's curricula and instructional program.
The mission of the Independence Community School District’s media centers is to:
- provide access to an information-rich learning environment,
- ensure that students and staff have the skills and resources needed to become effective, creative, and collaborative users of information
- and promote reading for pleasure and life-long learning.
East Elementary Library Search
Studying music has a wealth of benefits for all students. Music is shown to be beneficial to students for success in school and life. Our music program exposes students to a variety of musical activities that develop rhythmic, pitch, and artistic abilities. Elementary students have the opportunity to sing, dance, play instruments, act, and listen to great music. The elementary students perform at different events including a winter and spring program. All of this is essential for preparing students to perform in band or choir at the secondary level.
Physical education provides the opportunity to teach students about movement, strategies, teamwork, problem-solving, and health-related fitness. Each of these areas is addressed in the National Association for Sport and Physical Education’s (NASPE) standards and is important to teaching the whole student. Exposing students to various physical activities, sports, and methods of fitness can better provide enjoyment of physical activity, as well as build social, psychomotor, and cognitive skills. Physical education offers many benefits for students and has shown to be beneficial for all individuals in various areas including society, school, and social life. Physical education at the elementary level covers loco-motor movements relating to hopping, skipping, jumping, sidesliding, galloping, leaping, walking, and running. Students are taught skills that they can use for the rest of their lives to stay active and live a healthy lifestyle.
Special education is a broad term that describes the education of students who have intellectual, physical, behavioral, or emotional disabilities. The Independence Community School District’s special education programs consist of specially designed instruction, aligned with the Iowa Core, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability. The wide range of services include:
- Early Childhood Special Education
- Co-taught & Pull-out Classes
- Consultation
- Collaboration
- Special Class Services
- Transition
- Alternative Placement Services
Special education teachers work collaboratively with general education teachers to ensure the best education for all students.
Special Education Delivery Plan
The support staff of East Elementary is phenomenal. They are energetic and provide support to all students and staff. Our support staff come to school every day with a great attitude, ready for anything, and are greatly appreciated.
ICSD is proud to offer a 1:1 Learning Device program for our students. Each classroom in grades K-2 has a complete classroom set of iPads that stay in the classroom all year long. Students are not allowed to take the iPads home.
As part of our evolution with the 1:1 learning devices, we have gone to paperless forms. Jr/Sr High students will log into their PowerSchool Student Portal acknowledge they have received the equipment and sign the Acceptable Use Policy.
Parents may request an inventory sheet at any time.
Title 1 Reading is a federally funded program that provides
supplementary educational support. The goal of Title 1 is to close
the achievement gaps for students scoring below goal on grade level
assessments. As schedules allow, students will meet in small groups
or one-on-one, for varied amounts of time to best meet their needs.
