Cougar Chronicle for Sierra Oaks

Welcome Cougar parents and students!

I am delighted to welcome you to the 2024-2025 school year. This is my third year as the principal of Sierra Oaks, and our staff and I look forward to working closely with you to support our students mentally, emotionally, and academically this year.

At Sierra Oaks, we value family engagement. Parents are a child’s first teachers and play a critical role in student success. Opportunities to connect include email, the PTA Facebook page, attending school events, volunteering, donating, and chaperoning. Please be sure to read the Cougar Chronicle; it will always contain the most up-to-date information about upcoming events and important reminders. Another important way you can support your children is by encouraging good attendance.

I am thrilled to announce many additional resources and supports this year, including our vice principal, Ms. Foree, a school community intervention specialist, DC 3, and a full-time music/band teacher. With these resources, and our current amazing staff we are set for a successful educational journey.

This year, we also have some exciting initiatives and programs, such as a behavior academy, site improvement projects, family community and engagement district partnership, student clubs, math intervention, and the Mission Oaks recess program. These initiatives reflect our effort, dedication, and passion for making Sierra Oaks a place of learning, opportunity, growth, joy, and celebration for our community, staff, and students.

Our professional development this year will focus on literacy for all. We will continue to uphold our values of respect, building community, and maintaining high expectations. I am eager to see the academic and social growth our students will make during this new school year. Thank you for your partnership in supporting our students, staff, and community.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Please try to take these last days to have some summer fun!

Warmly,

Mrs. Chrostowski

August 15th, since it is a Thursday, students 1st-8th and PM kinder will be dismissed at 1:15pm and AM Kinder and TK at 11:20am.

Transitional Kinder:

AM 8:00-11:20a

Kinder:

AM 8:00-11:20a

PM 10:55 -2:30p. (M,T,W,F) and Thurs. @ 1:15pm.

1st-8th grade:

8:00-2:30pm. (M,T,W,F) and Thurs. @ 1:15pm.

*Breakfast is served at 7:30

*For supervision and safety, students may be dropped off or arrive on campus at 7:30 AM if they are eating breakfast. If students are not eating breakfast they may NOT arrive on campus before 7:45 AM.

You can view your child's class and schedule via the portal on August 9th, the directions are attached below. (look at the top for the advisor or under assignments)

Please contact the office if you are unable to view this information. For security reasons, we can’t post names on windows. Textbooks will be given to students the first days of school.

The middle school students will not have a 6th period elective class assigned. We will offer the following enrichment courses during 6th period this year: AVID & coding, Sacramento Area Youth Speaks, Student Leadership, Band, ELD, and academic support. During the first two days of instruction, students will have the opportunity to attend a session with each of the teachers. Students will be placed in enrichment courses by Tuesday, August 20h, and parents will be able to meet their 6th period teachers and get more information at back to school night on Wednesday, August 21st.

Please know that a great deal of time, energy, and professional judgement goes into the placement of each and every student. Our goal is to build balanced classes that create a successful environment for students and teachers.

Factors that we consider while building “balanced” classes include the following:

• • _Combinations of learners that create the strongest learning environment for everyone

• • _Balanced amounts of boys and girls

• • _Personalities, behaviors and specialized needs

• • _Learning Styles

• • _Parent participation and commitments to volunteering

Your child’s teacher in collaboration with grade-level colleagues, used their professional and in-depth knowledge of your student to develop well-balanced classes that reflect equitable and inclusive learning environments.

If after 4 weeks of your student attending class, you still have concerns, we can then have a meeting regarding your concerns with the classroom teacher. Please know that though it is not our practice to make changes, we want to provide an avenue for your voice to be heard.

We thank you in advance for your understanding as we try to provide the most wonderful school experience for your child.

Your child's classroom teacher will share the supplies list with you via email.

IT'S FREE FOR ALL STUDENTS

Parents of TK and AM Kinder students, if you'd like your child to have lunch, you can walk with them to the MP room at pick up 11:20a. For PM kinder, parents must bring their child to the MP room at 10:40 to eat lunch before class starts at 10:55am.

LUNCH times are later than last year, please pack a morning snack for your child. Middle school students will also have a morning break.

Our new HVAC project is not complete, students will be able to eat in the cafeteria with our swamp coolers.

In preparation for our future fence, with safety as a priority we made some changes for our student arrival and dismissal areas.

The north parking lot (near kinder gated playground) will be for our first, second, fourth and third graders.

The main drive at the front of the school will be used for our kindergarteners, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders.

Our south parking lot (next to back wall of our MP room and DC classes) will NOT be used due to safety and construction.

As always, if you have many students to pick up or drop off, we recommend using the area for the youngest sibling to pick up all of your students.

*If you have siblings meeting each other or different guardians picking up your child, please make sure to communicate the plan with each other.

NOTE: Students can't be picked up earlier than 2:15 on M, T, W, F or 1:00 on TH.

PARKING

If you wish to park and walk your student to class, we ask that you park on the street. The parking lots at the site are designated for staff only.

We also ask that you do not leave your car parked unattended in the loading/unloading zone as it stops the flow of traffic and can impact emergencies.

Your patience and cooperation are key in getting FAVORABLE results.

Families-must exit campus when the bell ring to honor instructional time at 8:00am and may arrive at 2:15 for dismissal, our waiting zone is the courtyard in front of the office this limits the distractions before school day ends at 2:30pm. (this will change once we get the fence).

ID-our office team will be asking you for your ID when picking up a student, since we have new staff and we want to ensure your child is going with a parent/guardian. We also need any person picking up to be on the emergency card.

Visitors-are welcome to our school, if you have a reason to visit campus, please use the main entrance and register to receive a sticker during school hours.

Closed Campus- the agreement with the park district was clarified and it states that the field/park, playground and tennis courts are considered the school's property during school hours. For this reason, there is no public access on the field 7:00am-4:00pm. Since our students don't use the playground and tennis courts, we have decided that these will still be available for our community. (this will change when get the fence)

Fencing update:

It's a work in progress, once it's complete we will need to buzz everyone in to the office during school hours and also to access the campus.

Volunteering:

If you would like to volunteer on campus or in the classroom, then please visit https://www.sanjuan.edu/volunteer and click on Volunteer Verification to get the process started.

Complete the Annual Student Information Update by Aug, 31

As we begin to prepare for the first day of school in August, San Juan Unified School District encourages families to complete the Annual Student Information Update as soon as possible.

The Annual Student Information Update asks families to update emergency contact information, complete the school funding form, get the 2024-25 family handbook and review demographic information to help schools prepare for the new school year.

Visit sanjuan.edu/parentportal to complete the Annual Student Information Update by Aug. 31. Watch a video tutorial available in multiple languages at sanjuan.edu/tutorial.

Complete la Actualización Anual de la Información del Estudiante antes del 31 de agosto

A medida que comenzamos a prepararnos para el primer día de clases en agosto, el Distrito Escolar Unificado de San Juan anima a las familias a completar la Actualización Anual de la Información del Estudiante lo antes posible.

La Actualización Anual de la Información del Estudiante pide a las familias que actualicen la información de contacto de emergencia, completen el formulario de financiamiento escolar, obtengan el manual familiar 2024-25 y revisen la información demográfica para ayudar a las escuelas a prepararse para el nuevo año escolar.

Visite sanjuan.edu/parentportal para completar la Actualización Anual de la Información del Estudiante antes del 31 de agosto. Vea un video tutorial disponible en varios idiomas en sanjuan.edu/tutorial.

آپدیت معلومات سالانه شاگرد خود را تا تاریخ ۳۱ آگوست تکمیل نماید

همانطور که ما برای روز اول مکتب در ماه آگوست آماده می‌ شویم، حوزه تعلیمی سن هوان خانواده‌ها را تشویق می‌نماید تا هرچه زودتر، معلومات سالانه شاگرد خود را به روز رسانی و یا اپدیت کنند.

در به روز رسانی معلومات سالانه، از خانواده‌ ها خواسته می‌شود تا معلومات تماس اضطراری و فرم بودجه مکتب را آپدیت بکنند، کتاب رهنمود خانواده سال ۲۰۲۴-۲۵ را دریافت کرده، و اطلاعات دموگرافیک شاگرد خود را تجدید نمایند تا مکتب را برای آمادگی به سال تعلیمی جدید کمک نمایند

برای تکمیل به‌ روزرسانی معلومات سالانه شاگرد، به صفحه sanjuan.edu/parentportal بروید و تا تاریخ ۳۱ آگوست معلومات شاگرد خود را تجدید نماید. رهنمود ویدیویی که به چندین زبان موجود است را می‌ توانید درsanjuan.edu/tutorial تماشا کنید.

Join our team: We are in need of 2 recreational aides and 2 instructional assistants, and an art teacher.

We have many methods of communication to share important information with our families.

• Principal call-usually time sensitive or safety update
• Monthly Cougar Chronicle-parent newsletter with information, updates and events
• PTA Facebook
• School Website

On Fridays, students are encouraged to wear blue or a Sierra Oaks shirt. Classes will compete and earn a Cougar stuffy for the week.

August 15th

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

August 21st

Back to School Night for 6-8 families at 5:00pm.

August 22nd

Back to School Night for TK-5 families at 5:15pm.

August 30

Early Release 12:20p (1st-8th) and 11:20a (TK/Kinder) *PM kinder come early that day at 8:00a

September 2

No school due to Labor Day

September 11

K-8 Connect (PTA Meeting)

September 13

Family Movie Night

September 27

Picture day