Welcome to the 25-26 School Year!

Dear Keppel Families,

We are thrilled to welcome you to the 2025-20265 school year! We are excited to welcome our new and returning students back to campus! Read below for important information on the beginning of school.

Office Hours

The Mark Keppel Office has been closed for summer break. We will officially open on August 4, 2025. You can email us at keppel@gusd.net or call us at (818) 244-2113. We are here to help!

Classroom assignments will be shared online on Tuesday, August 19th around 4pm. Families can view their child(ren)'s teachers by logging into Parent Square, https://www.parentsquare.com/signin. It's easy to create an account!

First Day of School The first day of school is Wednesday, August 20, 2025. Instruction begins at 8:00 am for all students in Transitional Kindergarten (TK) through 5th grade. Please plan to arrive early on the first day of school to avoid traffic. TK and Kindergarten students will line up in the front of school. Grades 1 - 5 will line up on the playground. Parents are welcome to walk their child to their classroom line and classroom on the first day of school. There will be a PTA and MKS Foundation Parent Meeting at the lunch benches starting at 8:10AM. Please join us!

Breakfast and Lunch: All children are eligible to receive 2 meals per day at Mark Keppel. Students may have breakfast before school or during recess and then a lunch. These meals are optional. Students may bring a lunch from home if they prefer. Please note, students cannot get just a “free” milk or piece of fruit. These are considered a la carte items and must be purchased. Only complete meals will be available at no charge.

School Bell Schedule:

The gate opens daily at 7:30 a.m. for 1st - 5th grade students to begin arriving to school. Supervision is provided. Students must be inside their classrooms at the 8:00 bell to be considered present and on time to school.

Arrival and Dismissal

While we have staggered dismissal schedules, there is often a lot of traffic on the streets of Virginia and Glenwood. Please:

• Do not double-park
• Adhere to all traffic laws to ensure student safety.
• Do not park in the driveways of neighbors
• Cross the street with crosswalks ONLY

I look forward to an amazing 2025-2026 school year with you all!

Go Cougars!

Jaclyn Scott, Principal

and

Dr. Narineh Hakopian, Assistant Principal

Welcome to Mark Keppel!

Our Welcome Event will take place on Wednesday, August 13th from 11:00-1:00. Families are welcome to attend at anytime during this window of time. This is an opportunity for children and families to explore a few classrooms and familiarize themselves with campus. During the self guided tour, Kindergarten students will draw a picture and will explore campus. Plan to spend about 30 minutes on campus. Please review the TK and Kindergarten handbook before school starts.

All of our events are calendared on the website calendar, keppel.gusd.net, and the calendar in the Parent Square application. Please note:

Wednesday, August 13 - Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten Welcome Event

Wednesday, August 20 - First Day of School

Thursday, August 21 - BANKING DAY - School starts at 9:00 AM for all students

Wednesday, August 27 - Back to School Night

Friday, August 29 - Minimum Day

Monday, September 1 - No School - Labor Day Holiday