Frontier Parent Newsletter

Dear Families,

Welcome back to another exciting school year at Frontier! I hope you all had a wonderful and refreshing summer filled with fun and relaxation. We are thrilled to have our students back and to embark on this new journey together.

As we kick off this school year, I want to reflect on our theme for the year. Last year, our theme was "Anchored," which allowed us to strengthen our systems and instructional practices. We were honored to receive the 2023 National Distinguished School Award for Idaho, a testament to how our students rise to the occasion and how our dedicated staff works tirelessly to help every student succeed.

This year, we are "Navigating Excellence." We believe that growth continues even after achievement, and we will keep examining our instructional practices and systems to ensure we live by our Mission Statement.

I am excited to invite you to our Meet and Greet on August 13th from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM. This is a great opportunity for students to meet their teachers, drop off supplies, and familiarize themselves with their classrooms before the first day of school.

Please note that our first day of school will be Wednesday, August 14th, with a late start at 9:20 AM and the tardy bell ringing at 9:24 AM.

Additionally, we are hosting a School Nutrition Evening on Monday, August 5th from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. This event will provide support in submitting the Free/Reduced Meals Application and offer an orientation on how the cafeteria operates. It's especially beneficial for new students at Frontier to get acquainted with the setting.

As always, we are committed to fostering a positive learning environment. Let's make this school year a great one together!

If you have any questions, or concerns please contact me at rutan.katie@westada.org or by phone at (208) 350-4190.

Thank you, and I can't wait to see everyone soon!

Sincerely,

Katie Rutan

Principal

The link below will be in each parent newsletter. It is an opportunity for you to share feedback with me directly. You can enter your name in the form if you would like a follow-up phone call. The form is anonymous unless you would like to identify yourself for a follow-up. Thank you to those that have already provided feedback.

Parent Platform

August 14th is the first day of school. It is a late start Wednesday. The schedule below will be for the first day of school.

Late Start Wednesdays

Tardy Bell: 9:25 (students arriving after the tardy bell must check in at the front office)

End of Day: 3:55 pm

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday

Tardy Bell: 9:10am (students arriving after the tardy bell must check in at the front office)

End of Day: 3:55pm

Please have students picked up by 4:05. Our office closes at 4:15, this is very important for student supervision. We do have the YMCA program available if you are unable to pick your child up by that time.

This year, there will be some changes to our school nutrition program at Frontier Elementary. For the past several years, we have been fortunate to receive state funds that provided free breakfast and lunch to all of our students. Unfortunately, this year, Frontier no longer qualifies for those funds. To support our students and families during this transition, we want to make the application process for Free and Reduced Meals as smooth as possible. The applications are now available, and if you need assistance with filling out or submitting your application, we will be hosting a School Nutrition Night on August 5th from 3:00-6:00 in our cafeteria and computer lab. Additionally, for new students and incoming Kindergarteners, we will be opening the cafeteria to help orient you to our procedures and expectations. This will be a great opportunity to learn where to go, how to get your lunch, where to place your tray, and how to navigate lunchtime at Frontier. We look forward to supporting our community through these changes.

Free and Reduced Meals Application

Teachers will be available on PowerSchool on August 5th to those parents that have updated their PowerSchool information. It is important we have an updated PowerSchool each year in order to have the most accurate information.

Over the years, Frontier has hired so many of our parents to work in our building. Almost all of them have begun as noon duties for us. We love having parents who are invested in our community and our children. We are looking for a parent, or several parents that would like to share the noon duty position in the cafeteria. This position would be designated to the cafeteria, rather than outdoors. It can be adjusted, but we know the outdoor elements can be a deterant. If you are interested, please email me at rutan.katie@westada.org. If you aren't able to do all five days, that is ok. We can make a schedule and use whatever help we can get.

Our school supply lists are available on the district website, however we have some items our students do not need to have. Below is a link to those amended lists. As you are out and about getting ready for the school year, our classrooms also benefit from some community supplies. Below is a list of supplies that any classroom would be happy to accept.

Frontier School Supply List

Community Supplies:

Clorox Wipes

Kleenex

Snacks (ex. goldfish, cereal, pretzels, etc.) - They do not need to be in individual packages.

Our Meet and Greet will be held on August 13th from 4:00-5:30pm. This is a chance for you to meet your child's teacher and drop off their school supplies. We hope that you utilize this time to allow the children a chance to become familiar with their new classroom in order to help with a smooth transition on the first day of school. All classrooms will be open and welcome to you and your child. We ask that if you have any long conversations that need to be had, please email or schedule a time to discuss this with the teacher. This will allow all families to have access to the teacher during this time. We look forward to having you all back!

It is very important that we are aware of any transportation changes that occur. If your child is being picked up, when they normally ride the bus or other changes to the normal method, please make sure your child's teacher and the front office is made aware. We also ask that you let us know before noon if there is a change to the schedule for that specific day. We need to hear of any changes from the parent/guardian. Students can sometimes get confused on changes, so unless we hear from a parent we use the primary method of transportation.

Front Office Secretary: schilli.michelle@westada.org

Classroom Teacher: Lastname.firstname@westada.org

You can now download Traversa App in order to see where your child's bus is on the route. This is a new feature the district has implemented this year. As more information comes out, I will communicate it's many features.

We are excited to invite you to our Back To School Night on August 29th from 6:00-7:30 PM. This event is a wonderful opportunity for parents to connect, learn about their child's classrooms, and understand our school's vision for the year ahead. We will kick off the evening with a Parent Trivia Night in the gymnasium from 6:00-6:30 PM, where you can socialize and meet other parents in our Frontier community. Following this, we will have two classroom sessions: the first from 6:35-6:50 PM and the second from 6:55-7:10 PM. If you have one student, only one session is needed. We will conclude the evening with a presentation by Ms. Rutan from 7:15-7:30 PM back in the gymnasium. Childcare will be available in Frontier Square during the event. We hope you can join us to enjoy our community and learn more about your child's teachers and classrooms.

This year, we are "Navigating Excellence," and with that, we are Committing to the Voyage: Attendance Matters. Research shows that if a student misses just 2 days a month, by graduation, they will have missed an entire year of school cumulatively. Absenteeism can affect a student’s confidence, learning progression, and social dynamics with friends and within the classroom. To support our commitment, families will receive a magnet displaying the school calendar, as well as a tracker to monitor absences. Students will also take a pledge to commit to this voyage. Our goal is for all students to miss no more than 9 days throughout the year. Remember, missing 2 days a month equates to losing 30 hours of math and 60 hours of reading and writing in a school year. We are committed to supporting our students and families, so please reach out if there are any barriers we can assist you with.

I want to thank our parents for how well our families have always abided by our parking lot systems. We care about the safety of our students and getting them safely to their parents is part of the process of school safety.

Knowing we have new families, and it never hurts to review expectations, I want to ensure that everyone knows what our basic expectations are to support...

• An efficient pick-up and drop-off process
• A consistent flow of traffic
• And most of all... the safety of our students.

We have a small parking lot and our systems work very efficiently when we all work together to follow them. We can get most cars out of the parking lot within 5-7 minutes if we are working together.

I also want to share a big thank you to my staff that all come out at the end of the day to help ensure that students are safely transitioned and that we are efficiently helping our students get home. Please review the guidelines below for your once a year review! Thank you to all that put safety first!

To make sure your child is ready to get out as soon as you stop at the curb, make sure...

• Bags are packed
• Coats are on
• Shoes are tied
• Hugs have been given
• Plans for afternoon are clear
• Students know how to unbuckle from their car seat and open/close the PASSENGER SIDE door independently.

We need cars to stay in the right lane until they have unloaded/loaded and it is important to pull as far forward as possible...

• Mr. Thompson or another staff member will be waiving students along to our assigned pick up stations at the front of the building. Please be alert to this and move ahead if your student is being sent to a spot ahead of your vehicle.
• Please do not pull around cars and then move into the right lane. This is the cause of most near collisions and often ends up blocking BOTH lanes.

As soon as you stop AT THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING, students should independently...

• Unload/load...including being able to work the door and car seat buckle independently.
• This shouldn't take more than a few moments.

REMEMBER:

• All students should unload from the PASSENGER SIDE of your vehicle. Almost all of our near misses between vehicles and students are from kids exiting on the driver side near the through traffic lane!
• Students must wait until their pickup car is parked at the front curb and Mr. Thompson or a staff member as assigned them a specific loading number. We cannot have students walking through the parking lot or loading on the side of the building to get into their vehicle.

If your child needs more time or support we ask parents to use a parking spot in front of the school. Adults must walk their child across the parking lot to their cars.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday

Tardy Bell: 9:10am

End of Day: 3:55pm

Late Start Wednesdays

Tardy Bell: 9:25

End of Day: 3:55 pm

Please have students picked up by 4:05. Our office closes at 4:15.

August 13 - Meet and Greet 4:00-5:30

August 14 - First Day of School - Late Start Wednesday

August 29 - Back to School Night - 6:00-7:30

September 2 - No School

September 4 - Frontier Elementary Lock Down Drill @ 9:45

September 18 - No School - Collaboration

September 26 - Picture Day

October 9 - Evening Parent Teacher Conferences

October 10 - No School - Parent Teacher Conferences

October 11 - No School

November 5 - No School - Collaboration

November 14 - Picture Retake Day

November 25-29 - No School - Thanksgiving Break

December 20 - End of First Semester

December 23-January 6 - No School - Winter Holiday Break

January 7 - School Resumes

We will once again be collecting box tops for Frontier. Box Tops has moved to a digital way to collect those tops for schools. The process is to download the app, then scan your receipts and all box tops will go to the school you designate. Frontier has always had high participation in this program and we appreciate the continued support.

Below is a link to information regarding our Title I program at Frontier Elementary. Title I is a vital part to our success and it is important for us to be able to share information about this program to our families.

Please join us for monthly PTO meetings.

When: The first Monday of every month at 4:15

Where: Frontier’s Library

pto.frontierelementary@gmail.com

We were pleased to see such a wonderful turnout at our last meeting. All parents are welcome.

Email: rutan.katie@westada.org
Website: https://www.westada.org/Domain/17
Location: 11851 Musket Drive, Boise, ID, USA
Phone: (208) 350-4190
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frontierfalconssoar