Santa Margarita School Newsletter

Dear Santa Margarita Parents,

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for Elementary Back to School Night this past Wednesday. It was wonderful to see such a great turnout in all the classrooms I visited! A special thank you to those of you who attended the Meet the Principal/Parent Information Meeting before the classroom sessions. It was a pleasure sharing my background as an educator and my experiences growing up in a Marine Corps family.

Having lived aboard Camp Pendleton, including in Wire Mountain 3 in the early 80s, and later serving with HMLA-775 in the 90s, I understand many of the unique challenges military families face. From frequent moves to long separations from loved ones and deployments, I have experienced much of what many of you are going through. Thanks to caring teachers and supportive schools, those challenges were a little easier for me, and it inspired me to become an educator. My goal is to provide that same support to the children and families here in Oceanside, and I feel very fortunate to be part of this community.

For those who were unable to attend the Meet the Principal/Parent Information Meeting, I’m linking the presentation here. I look forward to connecting with our Middle School families this upcoming Wednesday.

Warm regards,

Daniel J. Jarvis

Principal

Since we did not get enough responses to cover the number of openings on the council, the nomination deadline has been extended to Thursday, September 19th.

This year, we are in need of parent members for our School Site Council. The School Site Council is a group of parents, teachers, and staff that provide input as we update and monitor our School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA). Members of the council are elected to serve two year terms and we meet a minimum of 5 times a year after school from 3:15pm - 4:15pm.

If you would be interested in serving on the council and would like to be placed on the ballot. Please fill out the form linked here by the end of day on Thursday, September 19th. The nominees will be placed on a ballot that will be included in the next weekly newsletter.

This Thursday, September 19th we will have school assemblies titled "Stand Together against Bullying." These are school assemblies on anti-bullying and the bystander effect teaches students how to recognize, prevent, and stand up against bullying, emphasizing the importance of speaking out and supporting peers in a safe and age-appropriate manner.

We will be continuing our month Mustang Assembly on Wednesday September 25th. During the Mustang Assembly we recognize our Students of the Month and parents of those student selected will be contacted and invited to attend to celebrate their students achievement.

We are going to make our Mustang Assembly Days, Spirit Wear Days as well. This month we are going to ask student to wear gear representing their favorite sports team or they can wear spirt wear to represent our school. Please see the link to Santa Margarita gear below.

Meet our school counselors and brief description of the services they offer. If you have any questions regarding counseling services, please reach out to our school counselor, Mrs. Guadalupe Frias at (760) 901-7961 or guadlupe.frias@oside.us

This year, I'm excited to share that there has been increased training for staff supporting our students with disabilities. Including:

• All staff participated in Inclusivity training before the start of the school year
• All paraprofessional staff received in-person and online training at the start of the school year. (Our paraprofessional positions are fully staffed.)
• New this year, all case managers and general education teachers were provided collaboration time to review student IEPs.

To improve the experience and increase safety:

• Our ESN classrooms moved over the Summer to rooms that better support student needs,
• All Special Education classrooms are appropriately staffed,
• Ongoing training for SpEd staff in addition to beginning of the year training
• The addition of security cameras to monitor the gates.

Help Students get connected with Tutor.Com!

Tutor.com provides 24/7, expert, individualized academic support for students K-12. Students can access this resource in ClassLink. Please Note: Military students will use Tutor.com (Military).

If you have not yet completed Data Confirmation in AERIES, you still have time to complete the process in AERIES. Completing Data Confirmation ensures that we are adequately staffed, receive all of our funding, and that we have accurate information for every student. If you have any questions, regarding Data Confirmation, please see this link to our Data Confirmation page or contact our front office.

Link to Menus

• Middle School Back to School Night, Wednesday, September 18

• 4:30 Meet the Principal/Parent Information Meeting in the MPR
• 5:00-6:00 Classroom Sessions (15 minutes sessions following your child's Wednesday Schedule)

During Back to School Night, teachers may be sharing opportunities to volunteer on campus and in classrooms. We encourage and welcome volunteer support. Please see the volunteer procedures below from page 6 of the School Handbook.

Volunteer Procedures

All visitors and volunteers to our campus must sign-in at the office, provide government I.D., and

wear a visitor’s badge while on campus. If you would like to volunteer or assist in the classroom

regularly, please contact your child’s teacher and complete the volunteer process. Please review

OUSD Volunteer procedures here. Once the volunteer process is completed your child’s teacher

will contact you to arrange a day and time for you to volunteer.

While on campus, we ask that all volunteers:

● Follow and support the policies and rules of the school.

● Respect and maintain the confidentiality of matters that occur within the school. Please do

not discuss a student with others. Confidentiality is of the utmost importance. If you have

a concern about any issue, contact the teacher/principal to protect students’ privacy

rights.

● Expect children to treat you with respect. Students who are disrespectful or disobey a

school rule should be reported to the person in charge (teacher, administration).

● Attend strictly to the duties and area for which you have volunteered. Please do not use

this time to monitor your child’s class or inquire about his/her progress.

● If you are volunteering, your other children should not accompany you.

● Please switch your cell phone to vibrate while working in the classrooms. If you need to

make a call, please step out of the classroom.

Resources available here:

https://hopeandjustice.art/events/

As you know, good attendance is essential to academic success. We expect and encourage parents to make sure their child arrives on time and attends regularly.

If your child is absent from school, please call School Office 760-901-7900 and provide the following information:

(information can be left on the message machine after office hours)

Your Child's Name - First Last (legal last name please)

Teacher's Name

Specific Reason for Absence (illness, doctors/dentist appointments and or personal)

Anticipated Length of Absence

Absences must be cleared with the office within 5 days of the absence. Those absences not cleared within 5 days will remain Unexcused.

***Every student is allowed 3 personal excused absences in a school year.

If your child is sick for three or more days due to illness, please bring a doctors note to the office.***

Your child’s attendance is important to their success in school. When students have 3 or more absences that are unexcused, parents will receive a letter indicating the attendance concern. This is the first step of the School Attendance Review Team process. A second letter will be sent out if absences or tardies continue to be a concern, and the school will be following up with the family to find ways the school can help or provide resources to the family to support school attendance.

If a student exceeds 10 absences (unexcused or excused) in a school year, the Administration will be

notified and a school attendance contract may need to be signed by parent, student, and administration. If attendance continues to be a concern, the Administration will submit the student to School Attendance Review Team. The School Attendance Review Team is designed to intervene when a school district identifies students who have problems with school attendance or school behavior. When a student develops a pattern of irregular attendance, including truancies, excessive tardies, early releases, and/or excessive excused absences, a school administrator may refer a student and the student's family to SART.

A student attending Santa Margarita on “School of Choice” or an Inter-district transfer who has attendance concerns including habitual absences, tardies, and/or late pick-ups may result in this approval being revoked.

In order to ensure safety and accountability of our visitors on campus, all visitors must sign-in/out at the office, provide a government I.D., and wear a visitor's badge while on campus. This allows us to keep track of who is on campus, should an emergency occur. All visitors on campus must be pre-approved.

In the school handbook, we do ask that parents/families do not check-out their children within 15 minutes of dismissal. The last few minutes of the school day are often used for important activities such as wrapping up lessons, making announcements, or distributing homework. Allowing students to leave early can disrupt these activities and affect the learning environment for other students. We appreciate your understanding.

Please review the 24-25 Santa Margarita School Handbook.

Please review the 24-25 OUSD Student/Parent Handbook

We're excited to announce that the enrollment window for the Device Protection Plan for student Chromebooks is now open.

We highly recommend taking advantage of this affordable plan to safeguard your child's Chromebook against accidental damage or theft. The cost of repairs for Chromebooks can range from $40 to $400, but for only $20 per school year, the Device Protection Plan provides coverage for up to two incidents of accidental damage or theft.

Purchasing the plan is simple and convenient. You can do so online with a credit card or electronic check through our secure payment portal at www.myschoolbucks.com.

The enrollment window for the Device Protection Plan is limited, so we encourage you to sign up as soon as possible. Invest in your child's learning experience and ensure their Chromebook is protected throughout the school year. More information can be found on the ITS webpage under Student Chromebook Program.

OUSD is excited this year to partner with the Cook Center for Human Connection to offer a variety of resources and opportunities to support student and family mental health, including but not limited to:

• Parent Guidance - ParentGuidance.Org offers parents/guardians/caregivers access to courses, on-demand webinars, and additional resources to support their child's mental health and support needs.
• My Life is Worth Living - My Life is Worth Living™ is the first animated series that models the human connection shown to be protective against suicide. The series tells stories of characters who face some of the most difficult issues that young people deal with and shows their evolution in the key decision: that life is worth living.
• Parent Coaching - Parent/Guardian/Caregiver Coaching is exclusively available to OUSD as a partner and parents/guardians/caregivers can sign up for free to meet individually with a coach or therapist and therapist-created content to help you navigate the ups and downs with confidence. (Flyers in English/Spanish are attached)
• Mental Health Series - The attached calendars provide a host of opportunities for parents/guardians/caregivers to jump on a webinar (some are live) at their convenience with topics ranging from "Your Child's Anxiety" to "Establishing Boundaries" and "Body Positivity - Nurturing Self Image".

Got burning questions about parenting, relationships, or your child's well-being?

Join us for Ask a Therapist Live with our renowned family therapist, Dr. Kevin Skinner. Participants anonymously submit questions to receive thoughtful, personalized answers.

Wednesday, September 18; 8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific

Ask a Therapist Live gives you direct access to clinical expertise without the wait list.

• Ask a therapist any question about youth mental health or parenting
• Participation is anonymous
• Register for the live event to get access to the replay

Your relationship with your child is the most important thing. Attend this free webinar to improve it.

Under the district safety guidance along with PMO, the following procedures are in place for the

safety of all students, families, visitors, and employees:

Parking lots are not safe for unaccompanied children. Please do not have your child walk across the parking lot/drop off/pick up area unaccompanied.

To drop off or pick up your children, please do not get out of your car. If your child is not able to exit the vehicle without your assistance, please park your vehicle and walk your student up to the gate. It is dangerous to get out of your car in the drop-off/pick up lane. It also causes a traffic delay for all other families dropping off/picking up students. To drop off/pick up your student, please pull up to the yellow curb. This area is marked as a drop-off/pick-up lane.

Please follow the yellow curb as far forward as possible so that we can optimize the available space and allow room for as many vehicles as possible. It is CRITICAL that drivers DO NOT PARK IN THE DROP-OFF/PICK-UP LANE, as it disrupts the flow of traffic.

Please DO NOT stop any part of your vehicle next to the RED curbs.

Unaccompanied children may NOT be left in an unattended vehicle.

Also, the parking lot near the Kindergarten area is staff parking. This is not a pick up/drop off area.

Please see the updated OUSD’s updated student cell phone use policy. During the Day, Off and Away

Email: dan.jarvis@oside.us
Website: smargarita.oside.us
Location: 1 Carnes Road, Oceanside, CA, USA
Phone: (760) 901-7900
Twitter: @SM_Mustangs