This month has gone by so quickly! Our fantastic teachers create the best learning environments for the students to grow and foster their education. Staff have been working on establishing standard school rules that fit into our PBIS framework, helping students Be Safe, Be Responsible, Be Respectful and Be Kind. Your students grow and develop both educationally and emotionally as we all strive mutually to fit into that mold. It's been fun to see them interact with their teachers and peers!

We hope you will be able to attend our Open House on October 12th - see information below.

Schools regularly hold safety drills so students know what to do in the event of an emergency - we held several of those drills this past week. Monday was one of our required earthquake drills, where students were instructed to duck under something sturdy and away from windows for a short amount of time. Tuesday we held our annual bus evacuation drill; students practiced loading and evacuating buses in a safe, controlled manner. Wednesday we held our monthly fire drill. Classrooms also discussed times when it may be necessary to stay within the school or their classrooms for safety issues. Lockdown/lockout drills will be held later in the year; advance notice will be given when we hold those.

We hope this intentional practice will help students know how to be prepared in the unlikely event of a real emergency. If you have questions about any of these drills, please feel free to contact your child's teacher.

Our annual Open House will be October 12, 5:30 - 6:30 pm. Bring your students, who will take you on a tour of our school and their classroom and introduce you to their teacher. This is a great opportunity to see the school, talk to the teacher, and find out about what students are learning and doing in the classroom. This is a family friendly event, so everyone is welcome to join. We hope to see you there!

Checkouts started this past week for Grades 2-5; K-1 will start the week of 10/2. By mid-October you will have seen a book come home with your child. Please encourage your student to always put their book in their backpack; that way it will always be here at school on its due date.

Our Parent Teacher Group encourages you to purchase Cheetah Gear for your student (or you!). Thurston Thursday gives us a chance to show our school spirit by wearing our Cheetah colors. Click the red link above to access ordering information.

District information you may want to use/peruse:

**Student Accident and Sickness Insurance is available; if you are interested, visit

https://myers-stevens.com/enrollment/

**In order to more efficiently serve parents and patrons, Springfield Public Schools website has been updated to include information, in part, pertaining to annual parent/student notification such as Student Responsibilities & Rights Handbook, A Note to Parents About Directory Rights, Parent Notice Concerning Student Records, HIV/AIDS Curriculum Announcement, Teacher Qualifications, Parent Review of Materials. To review the above information, please access the district website at www.springfield.k12.or.us, and check the forms library. Parents and patrons may also contact the school office for printed copies of any of the above documents.

The month of October is "Socktober" at Thurston Elementary. We will collect socks all month long, to be distributed to those in need as we move into the colder seasons of fall and winter. Socks can be very gently used or new, and all sizes are welcome.

October/all month - Socktober

October 4 - Picture Day

October 5 - Parent Teacher Group Meeting 6 pm

October 12 - Open House 5:30

October 13 - Early Release 12:30

October 20 - Popcorn Day!

October 27 - Watch DOG 8:45-12:00

October 27 - Early Release 12:30