The Marshalltown school district has been able to facilitate online registration of new students at any attendance center. Logistically this makes sense, yet a better approach is on the horizon for MCSD with the opening of a district Welcome Center.

MCSD will reopen the iconic Orpheum Theater with a Welcome Center occupying a footprint within. The Welcome Center will be accessible from the Orpheum’s vast east side entrance and will serve as a central community location where new student registration is completed and families are received into the district and community.

In the 2020-2021 school year, the NSPRA (National School Public Relations Association) partnered with MCSD to conduct a Communication Audit. One recommendation was to consider the launch of an “international welcome center.” In September of 2021, MCSD purchased the Orpheum from Iowa Valley Community College District for $1.00.

The two ideas merged. For over a year, Marshall County temporarily used the site to operate court proceedings while the district researched the functions of and possibility of operating a Welcome Center. Visits and conversations with other public school districts operating similar district welcome centers, in some capacity, took place with Des Moines Public, Ottumwa, Waterloo and Sioux City.

Finally, we fast forward to January of 2023 when the courts vacated the space, and MCSD gained approval and clearance to prep and open the Welcome Center. On June 27, 2023 at 5:30 PM the Marshalltown Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting and open house ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Welcome Center. We hope you will join us!

This June, the Orpheum re-emerges as a central and staple source of artistry showcasing Marshalltown and Bobcat pride. The east side vestibule, prominently labeled with WELCOME in the traditional Bobcat colors, frames an initial peek at the nearly 400 square foot interior mural celebrating the diverse faces of our MCSD Bobcats.

Just inside, the Welcome Center and the wider Orpheum retain and blend timeless displays and spaces alongside a new installation painted by all MCSD first graders. Perhaps, the expansive exterior mural, entitled “Perspectives”, best encapsulates the primary focus of the Welcome Center — to meet, discover, support, learn from and partner with students and families joining MCSD and the Marshalltown community.

The Welcome Center staff and site will aid in establishing a positive contact with all Marshalltown Bobcats, young and old, and MCSD families and students, current or prospective. Anyone will be able to stop by to shop for Bobcat apparel and eventually grab a coffee!

Parents newly enrolling children with MCSD can register and keep a safe watch over younger children playing in a safe and educational children’s area. Varying levels of registration can be elected. Onsite, devices are available to complete online self-registration or Welcome Center staff can fast-track the online registration process with the parent.

Moreover, new families may also elect to meet with MCSD’s Welcome Center staff to register, highlight assets, and safely begin to unwrap instabilities and barriers needing school or community-wide attention to move and grow forward.

While the staff acclimates and responds to visitors’ needs, they will maintain a specialized focus on families that may require intensive levels of involvement from the educational systems. These may be children defined as “at-risk,” migratory or who have Limited English Proficiency (LEP). Staff will respond to the unique needs of MCSD’s linguistically and culturally diverse families by providing assistance with the registration process, language services, on-site EL screening, information about resources available in the community, and orientation to the district and Marshalltown, in general.

Staff will build and spark participation among this cross-section of PK-12 parents through the formation of parent groups and conversation tables intent on reaching high level partnerships among the district, family, and community. All in all, the Welcome Center will both streamline the new student registration process and provide a central hub for all new families to request and receive information regarding their schooling and community needs.

Staff is ready to receive families and embrace their journey to join Marshalltown Schools. On behalf of MCSD, we hope to welcome and see you soon.

——

Rachel Inks is the English Learner

and Migrant Program District Coordinator for the

Marshalltown Community School District.