Peninsula Family Post
August 30, 2024
Upcoming Events
9/2- Labor Day (NO SCHOOL)
9/3- First day of school for Kindergarten (Boohoo Yahoo gathering 8-8:30)
9/24- Back to School Night 5:30-7pm
9/25- Early Release Wednesday 8:00-11:50am
9/30-10/2- Dental Sealants
Week One Down!
Peninsula Families,
We had an amazing first week back at school. It was so exciting to see your kids eagerly jumping back into the swing of things. I am constantly amazed by their flexibility and kindness. We welcomed a number of new students this year, and I was proud to see how inclusive our Peninsula veterans have been with our new community members. Check out this week's post for updates and important information.
If you have topics you'd like us to address, please reach out to Claire or Rina: cskelly@pps.net, rshriki@pps.net
-Claire and Rina
Kindergarten Parents!
Kindergarten starts this Tuesday, September 3rd. We are so excited to welcome your students! We are asking that you say your goodbyes prior to your student entering the building. Whether you're celebrating or commiserating, come join other Kinder families on the front porch after drop off from 8-8:30am for coffee, donuts and chance to connect with our Administrators.
Back to School Packets and After School Plans
Your students should be coming home with back-to-school packets this week. Please make sure to fill out any forms and return them to the teacher or the front office.
To ensure your child gets home safely from school, families must submit a dismissal plan for your student(s). You can fill out your student(s) After School Plan here.
If you have a change for only one day, please call the office and the change will be implemented. Without a message to the office, we will not deviate from the plan. In the future, if there are major changes to the plan, please fill out a new form. If you would like someone to pick up your child after school, EACH person must be listed in our database.
PLEASE COMPLETE A SEPARATE ENTRY FOR EACH CHILD IN YOUR FAMILY
Please make sure to update Emergency Contacts
Please review and update your phone number, address and emergency contact list in ParentVue. It's important that we have current contacts should we encounter an emergency. If you need help to do this, please reach out to Sara in the office.
Arrival and Dismissal
- School Day: 8:00-2:30pm
- Early Release Wednesdays: 8:00-11:50am 9/25, 10/23, 11/20,12/18, 2/26,3/19, 4/23, 5/21
Students will enter through the side doors near the cafeteria on N Emerald. Doors open at 7:50 for breakfast service. If your student does not want breakfast, they can arrive closer to 8. At 8:01, the side doors will close, and we ask that students enter through the front doors.
2:30pm Dismissal:
K- exits through classroom exterior doors
1st -exits through on Halleck
2nd -exits through the front doors
3rd/4th- exits through the morning entry doors by parking lot on Emerald
5th- exits on N Emerald by the parking lot
Traffic Flow for Drop off and Pick up
- Buses will drop off on N Halleck. N Emerald will now be a 5 minute loading zone where you can pull up and drop off your students. Please continue to drive carefully and watch for little bodies crossing the streets.
School Supplies
2024-25 School Year Supplies
Some teachers request that, in lieu of purchasing supplies for individual children this year, parents make a School Pay donation, giving teachers the freedom to make their own supply purchases. Each grade level will have its own funding source. Consider donating to each grade level fund in which you have a student enrolled. Lists are included in the School Pay link, so community members can see how the money will be spent. Please do not make purchases from these lists except for backpacks, headphones, waterbottles, and three-ring binders (5th grade only).
For more information on School Pay, and activating your parent account, click here.
Kinder
Link to School Pay Donation Site.
1st
Link to School Pay Donation Site.
2nd
Link to School Pay Donation Site.
3rd
Link to School Pay Donation Site
4th
Link to School Pay Donation Site.
A Message From Our Health Room
Welcome back Peninsula Families! I am SHA Jenn and I am here in the health room each day to assist students with health needs or injuries. If your student requires medication at school, please contact me to get the process started. Please do not send medications (prescription or over-the-counter) with your child as those must be logged in and written authorization provided by an adult.
I also update all immunizations records. The district will send out the first round of immunization letters in October if your student needs updates, but it is a great time to check in with your provider to verify you are up-to-date.
Lastly, I am attaching the updated symptoms-based exclusion chart for illness from the State of Oregon. Please let me know if you have any questions. We are looking forward to a wonderful and productive year!
A Message From Our School Social Worker
Welcome back to school Peninsula Panthers! My name is Kate Lefco, and I am the school social worker here at Peninsula. Each week I will be sharing a resource with you in this newsletter. You can always reach out to me directly if you or your family needs access to additional resources (energy assistance, mental health, childcare, food boxes, clothing, etc.) via phone or text at my work cell 971.276.1759 - hablo espaƱol. I work part time and I'm in the school Monday/Wednesday/Thursday 9-2 and Tuesdays 10:45-3:45. In addition to supporting caregivers, I also work directly with students who need additional social emotional support individually or in small groups. You can view a list of past resources here.
Safety Reminder:
Just a reminder to all families entering Peninsula School to please buzz in at the front door and check in at the office. For the safety and security of all our students, please do not let any other individuals into the school if you are being let in. Please also refrain from standing in doorways with the doors open. This helps us keep everyone safe.
Reminder: Please call the attendance line if your child is missing school
Please call our attendance line at 503-916-6275 or email Sara at sgilds@pps.net if your child is missing school with the reason they are out. If there are multiple unexcused absences it is a district wide protocol that a teacher or member of our team will reach out to see how we can best support with getting your child to school. We know it can be hard and we are here to problem solve and support you and your family!
Volunteering
We love having volunteers at Peninsula. Over the course of the year, caregivers will have several opportunties to volunteer either in the classroom or on field trips. All voluteers are required to complete a volunteer background check and training. Click here for information on the process.
It can take up to two weeks for your background check to be completed once you apply, so we encourage you to do it now just in case you decide to volunteer with us.
If you have completed the background check in the past, and are wondering if you are still active in the system, email Sara Gilds at sgilds@pps.net, and she will let you know.
Visitors in the Building
For the safety and security of our students, we will continue to ask that parents only enter the building if they are volunteering, have an appointment, or are picking a student up. This helps ensure that we know who is in the building at all times.
When you do enter the building for one of the above reasons, make sure to check in at the office and, if you're staying, print a visitor/volunteer badge.
Thank you for your cooperation.