Cougar Connection

Kindergarten: Mrs. Badenoch, Mrs. Price, Mrs. Thompson

First grade: Mrs. Arnold, Mrs. Campbell, Mrs. Norris

Second grade: Mr. Fine, Mrs. Lindsey, Ms. Stevens

Third grade: Mrs. Dillon, Mrs. Jones, Ms. Zsiga

Fourth grade: Mrs. Brice, Mrs. Masterson

Fourth/Fifth grade blend: Mrs. Bowman

Fifth grade: Mrs. Paschall, Mrs. Pratt, Mrs. Robinette

Learning Specialist: Mr. Sasser

Behavior Specialist: Mrs. Bramhall

Library:Mrs. Sebright, Music: Mrs. Woodford, P.E. Ms. Howe

Instructional Coach: Mrs. Elsner, School Psychologist: Mrs.Cantrelle Farley, Speech:Ms. Stump

Academic Support: Ms. Montgomery, Emerging Multilingual: Ms. Mathews

Come and meet your teacher and drop off your supplies on Tuesday, September 5th from 4-5pm. Go to your classroom for a quick look around and then head to the playground to pick up a sucker from our PTO. They will also have a photo opportunity and sign up sheets as well.

Supervision for students starts at 8am when gates open for breakfast. Students may not arrive to campus before 8:00. All students dropped off will be asked to wait in the cafeteria even if they are not eating breakfast. If a parent stays with a student and waits for gates to open, they may wait in front of gates until they open.

Classroom doors will open at 8:20. All students are welcome to go to class at 8:20. Students will be dismissed from breakfast if they are finished. If parents waited on campus at gates, they may escort students to class in the morning.

Gates close at 8:35. Students must check in at the office prior to going to class. Parents will not be able to escort students to class once gates are closed.

Kindergarten is in session from 8:35-2:50 daily. Please note that the first week of kindergarten includes a staggered start. This means half the class will attend Kindergarten the first day of school and the other half, the second day of school. Kindergarten students DO NOT ATTEND on Friday 9/8. All students will be back with the entire class on Monday, September 11th. The staggered start greatly helps our youngest learners transition to school.

Wednesday, September 6th Kindergarten students with the last names starting with A-L.

Thursday, September 7th Kindergarten students with the last names starting with M-Z.

Friday, September 8th- NO school for Kindergarten students. Class lists for will be posted in front of the school at 4:00 and teacher will also contact families by email.

* Kindergarten students that do not ride the bus home, must be met by an adult at the Kindergarten gate at the end of each day for a teacher to parent 'hand off.'

*Kindergarten students riding the bus home must be met at the bus by an adult or they will be returned to school on the bus.

Kindergarten classes will dismiss 5 minutes early at 2:45 to accommodate the teacher to parent 'hand off.'

Kindergarten families- please look for emails, or letters in backpacks from your student's teacher for additional information about the kindergarten day.

This year we will continue to have some volunteer opportunities. If you are interested in volunteering you will need to complete an application using our Raptor digital platform.

Link in English. Link in Spanish

This system runs a background check on all applicants. Volunteer opportunities are at the request of the teacher or for larger event as needed.

If you completed the Raptor application last school year, your application will expire in 9/24. Great news, applications are now valid for two years!

Please check the district website for the 2023-2024 bus routes registration and information.

Use this link or navigate to Springfield.k12.or.us

All students MUST be registered through transportation in order to be assigned to a bus. This is not part of the online registration process.

We strive to make pick-up and drop-off as smooth as possible. We have a lot of families that pick up and drop off students which makes our small parking lot incredibly busy and congested. We ask that you follow these guidelines:

* Please be aware of your speed while traveling through our parking lot.

*Students may not be in the parking lot without an adult.

*Follow the traffic markings to keep everything moving.

*The curbside lane is for QUICK drop offs. This means your student is ready to quickly unload independently. For students that enjoy or need a longer more personal drop off, please park and walk your student in, do not use the curbside drop off lane. The second lane is for cars that have dropped off their students to use as they exit the parking lot. *Students can unload from their car as soon as they can access the sidewalk. This is close to our reader board along Yolanda Ave.

* The third lane, (the front row of parked cars closest to the school), in the parking lot is also for exiting. Please do not drop off your students in this lane because they often need to cross in front of cars without an adult and it causes delays in those exiting the parking lot.

* You must have a handicap parking placard to park in these designated parking spaces, even for just a minute to drop off your student.

*All cars must be parked in designated parking spaces.

* For after school pick ups, we ask that your student knows which car they are looking for if you will be using curbside pick up. If you need to park and wait for your student, please use the parking lot so we don’t experience backups and long lines. Please discuss a specific location for them to find you. For example by the big tree or by the bike racks.

*If you are waiting for your student prior to school release and are in the pick up lane. Please turn off your engine, this is an idle free zone.

*Bike racks are to be used for parking and securing bikes. This is not a space for climbing, running or playing games. Our playground is open after school and is a safer place to enjoy conversation and play with friends. Students riding bikes will have a delay of 5-10 minutes until the sidewalk clears of pedestrians.

* As always, we appreciate your kindness, understanding and shared conversations as we focus on student safety. I ask that we model and practice patience in front of our students during these busy times.

Collaboration Early Release:

There are 15 early release Fridays throughout the school year for all elementary, middle and high schools. Early release will allow staff to collaborate and plan together the best ways to support individual students without requiring additional no-school days. For a full list of early release Fridays, please see the district calendar located on our webpage at https://www.springfield.k12.or.us/domain/107. Students will be served lunch just as they are on a regular school day. The elementary early release time is 12:30.

Most of our students have devices at home from last school year. Those who do not will have them checked out during the first couple weeks of school. Remember, devices will be going back and forth from home to school. Please help your child set up a routine to take care of their device at home and charge it every night

Meals are FREE for all students this year.

Breakfast will start at 8am for all students. Students arriving by bus will come to the cafeteria when they arrive if they would like breakfast.

Please visit the district website to see the school supply list. https://app.teacherlists.com/browse/city/Springfield/Oregon

It is very important that we have a correct email address for parents. You will be able to access communication platforms and we can send you important information and updates as we continue through the school year.

Sept. 5th @4-5pm Meet your teacher

Sept.6th First day of school grades 1st-5th & Kindergarten- last name A-L @8:35

Sept. 7th First day of school Kindergarten- last name M-Z

Sept. 8th No school-All Kindergarten students

We are very blessed to have an incredibly involved PTO group. Please consider joining this positive, creative and dedicated group that supports so many activities and classroom enrichment opportunities. They will have a table set up at our Meet the Teacher event.

You can also send an email to: yolandaelementarypto@gmail.com

THANK YOU for sharing in our excitement as we welcome back our returning Yolanda Cougars and greet our new incoming students. We believe in providing a safe, welcoming, inclusive and FUN place for our students daily. I encourage you to communicate directly with your teachers and our front office if you have any questions or concerns.

I am looking forward to sharing this year of learning and growth with you all and find creative ways for our community to engage in supporting our students.

Many thanks,

Kari Isham Skelton

Yolanda Elementary Principal

kari.isham@springfield.k12.or.us

Class lists for 1st-5th grades will be posted Friday, September 25th @4:00 in front of the school.