The Weekly Knightline May 11-16

Unity Secretary
May 11
4 min read

Bussing During Tulip Festival

Thursday (5/14) - Normal bussing

Friday (5/15) - Sioux Center route only in the morning and afternoon; no other routes will run

26-27 ESAs (Education Savings Account)

Registration is open for the 26-27 ESAs (Education Savings Account) through the state of Iowa. The ESA amount for 2026-27 is $8,148, and is applied to your tuition account as a credit.

Families need to apply every year. You can start the process here: https://iowa-households.withodyssey.com/login/

Families NEW to the ESA program: Parents/guardians will first be directed to create an account with an email and password. Parents/guardians will receive a message from Odyssey asking them to confirm their email address. After the email is confirmed, the parent/guardian can sign in to the ESA portal to begin their application.
Families who already have an ESA account: Parents/guardians with an existing ESA portal account will log in to their existing account to begin the application for the 2026/27 school year.

June 30 is the deadline to apply for ESA funds. After that date, you will not be able to apply for ESA funding for the upcoming school year.

Here is a link for more information on ESAs: https://educate.iowa.gov/pk-12/educational-choice/education-savings-accounts.

EXAM INFORMATION - Spring exam note to parents

Parents & Students: Things to keep in mind for semester exams:

Students don’t have to be here until their exam time.
Once here, students cannot leave the building until their exams for the day are done. If they have an exam the first and third exam periods of the day, they cannot leave the building in between testing times.

STUDENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Locker Rooms: Locker rooms need to be cleaned out by Friday, May 15.

Lost & Found: Items in the lost and found will be donated after Friday, May 15. Please be sure to claim any belongings before then.

Summer Opportunity: Looking to earn some extra cash this June? Mr. Harskamp is looking for students to umpire Jr. Knights softball and baseball games this summer. Please contact Mr. Harskamp if you are interested!

Student Council: Anyone still interested in Student Council, now's the time! Applications are due on Wednesday by the end of the school day. So it's not too late to grab one from the office and fill it out. If you have any questions, please find Mr. Rietveld or Ms. Vander Kooi to ask. Thanks!

Unity Blood Drive: On Tuesday, May 12, there will be a blood drive at school by LifeServe Blood Center. This is the day of the Senior Trip. They will be bringing their "bloodmobile", so if you want to donate blood, you will go outside to the bus they'll bring along. In order to donate, you need to be 16+. The Blood Drive will run from 9 AM until 1:30 PM. There are quite a few time slots available and given the huge need that blood centers have right now, I'd love to see all of the time slots full. If you are interested, you can sign up HERE

For those that have donated before through LifeServe, you do not need a permission form.
If you've never donated blood before and are under age 18, you need to have the permission form signed by your parents in order to give blood. You can pick those up in the front office and bring it back to school and give it to the Blood Drive nurses when you donate.

Introducing the new Dutch Dare Knight at Tulip Festival on Friday, May 15 at 8:00 pm.

(actual!) DUTCH GAMES...BIG LAUGHS...ZERO CHILL. Sign up your group of 5 here to participate in the FIRST ANNUAL DUTCH DARE KNIGHT taking place FRIDAY, MAY 15 starting at 8 pm in front of Woudstra's Meat Market.

Bring your COMPETITIVE spirit - TEST your taste buds - and get MESSY! Sign up deadline is Wednesday, May 6.

Juniors & Seniors: If you are a junior or senior from Sioux Center, and are interested in joining the Sioux Center Jr. Firefighter program for the 26-27 school year, please stop by the office for an application.

PARENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Summer apparel has arrived! If you placed an order, please stop by the Courtyard to pick it up.

Unity’s Ag Business class is raising high-quality chicken and pork under the business name UC Flock & Stock. Their goal is to provide fresh, locally raised meat while practicing responsibility and stewardship. If you’re looking for better quality meat and an opportunity to support Unity students, they’d love for you to order from them. Pork will be ready in June. Use the link below to place your order! Pork: Pork Order Form

TUITION INFORMATION: Parents, as we approach the end of the year, please take time to log into Blackbaud and view the tuition billing portal. Your total amount due can be found by clicking on "Billing" >> "Current Bill" >> and looking at the right side of the page>> "Upcoming Due Dates" (That amount listed is your total balance due.) Please click HERE to see the attached screenshot for an example and please reach out with any questions! A reminder that all tuition/fees are expected to be paid prior to graduation for senior students.

SPORTS

2026 Unity Soccer and Track Gate and Concessions Sign Up - 1 more spot left:

Please sign up HERE to help with gate and concessions for our home soccer and track meets.

REMINDER: We ask each family to sign up for a total of 4 spots throughout each school year to either work the gate or concessions stand at home games/meets. Please remember if you are signing up for 2 slots during a time frame to select the quantity 2. Thank you for helping serve!

Weight Room Hours: The weight room will be open Wednesday mornings and Friday mornings from 7:00-8:00 AM. It will also continue to be open every day after school.

Register for 2026 UC Sports Camps! Unity is excited to offer a wide variety of sports camps throughout the year, giving athletes opportunities to grow their skills, compete, and have fun. With many camp options available, there’s something for everyone. Please note that each athlete must be registered individually. Click HERE to register!

For up to date scores and schedules go to Bound

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

2026-2027 School Year Employment Opportunities:

PT Custodian

UPCOMING DATES