Dear Dragon Families,

We hope your school year is off to a wonderful start! We are thrilled to see all of our students back in action and learning. ParentSquare is up and serving as our primary communication platform. Make sure to check it regularly for important updates and announcements directly from our office and your child’s teacher.

Most of our online educational resources are conveniently accessible through ClassLink, with more tools and programs being added. We encourage you to explore ClassLink with your child to see what resources are available to enhance their learning experience.

We’re also excited to announce that our ICIA YouTube Channel will be launching soon! This will be a fantastic way to get a first-hand look at some of the amazing PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) songs that tie directly into our character education curriculum. Stay tuned for fun and engaging videos that will help reinforce the values we teach in class.

A special warm welcome to our new South Campus families, who began their school year on August 12th. We are so happy to have you as part of our ICIA community!

As the school year progresses, we want to remind everyone to please be mindful of our drop-off times. For the safety and convenience of all, we recommend dropping off your child after 8:05 AM, except on Thursdays, when anytime before 8:10 AM is best.

We have many exciting events coming up before our Fall Break—so be sure to check below for more details. We look forward to a fantastic month of learning, community building, and celebration!

Thank you for your continued partnership in making this a successful year for all!

9/2 Labor Day - No School

9/3 Spirit Week - Check Parent Square

Vision and hearing screening K, 2nd 1st(boys only)

9/13 South Campus Picture Day - Makeup Pictures for Main Campus

9/17 Mid Autumn

9/20 Minimum Day 12:40 Dismissal

Dragon Dash PTO Event

FALL BREAK

We want to ensure that our students have a smooth and enjoyable start to each school day. Here are a few important reminders regarding morning supervision, breakfast, and snacks:

Morning Supervision:
Morning supervision is available at the designated line-up and drop-off areas beginning at 7:45-7:50 am. If you arrive early, feel free to sit with your child for breakfast from our cafe. The cafe closes at 8:05 am. Please note that supervision in the breakfast area is sporadic until we are able to find some parent volunteers. We recommend eating with your child and then walking them to the lineup or having breakfast at home.

Snack Time:
We also recommend packing a healthy snack separate from their lunch for break time. Please choose something small and easy to eat and clean up. The school does not provide snacks for every child during recess. However, if your child is hungry at break and informs a supervisor, we can provide something from the cafe.

Lunch Updates:

https://www.iciacademy.org/family-resources/lunch-calendar

Behavior Expectations Matrix: We have updated our Behavior Expectations Matrix to better reflect our commitment to a positive school environment. We encourage all parents to talk to their children about appropriate behavior at school. In the newsletter, you will find a video example of how we are introducing our expectations to the students. We believe that consistent communication and reinforcement at home will greatly support our efforts in school.

Teach your child to be assertive but not aggressive. Being assertive means expressing oneself confidently and firmly while respecting others, whereas aggression involves forceful behavior that disregards the feelings or rights of others.

If your child feels lonely, help them come up with ways where they can make new friends, maybe by getting involved with a school activity, brainstorming how they could initiate conversations, or considering opportunities for your child to interact with family friends or neighbors who have children of similar ages, facilitating potential friendships outside of school.

Check in with your student regularly about how they are feeling about school, their relationships, academic pressures, activities, etc.. Encourage the use of specific emotion vocabulary to express themselves, as well as regulation strategies to manage heightened emotions.

Try some of our recommended books to read and discuss as a family.

• Ensure your child understands that they can always approach you to talk about challenging situations at school, including conflict and bullying.
• When your child confides about bullying, listen intently and gather all the details first before responding. Try to not react emotionally while acknowledging their bravery for speaking up.
• Work with your child to create a plan on how to report and deal with bullying. Consider options like talking to the person bullying, staying close to friends, or telling a teacher. It can be helpful to Role-play scenarios to practice how to handle situations.
• Depending on your student's age and the nature of the situation, decide together whether they should report it alone or with your help.
• Activity to look at the school policy to notice what actions are required, what supports are present, etc. These are often printed in the school handbook or posted on the school website.
• Should a meeting with the school be needed, Inform your child about reaching out to the school, and send a written request for a meeting, including your child's account of the incidents. During the meeting, focus on solutions rather than assigning blame. Keep a documented record of your discussions with the school.
• Teach your child how to handle cyberbullying:Don't answer back
• Save the messages in case they are needed for reporting
• Tell an adult
• Block the person bullying
• Report it on the applicable online platform (such as Instagram).
• Report to the school. If the cyberbullying involves classmates or occurs within the school community, consider reaching out to school authorities. They can provide additional support to your child.
• Educate on Online Safety: Use any online situation that occurs as an opportunity to educate your child about online safety measures, such as being cautious about sharing personal information and setting privacy settings on social media accounts.

PTO will be kicking off the membership at Back to School Night. Be sure to purchase on August 7 to get some awesome giveaways with purchase. Check out PTO's website here: ICIA Dragons PTO - Irvine Chinese Immersion Academy (iciacademy.org)

Stay Home Policy:

If your child is experiencing any symptoms, we strongly advise staying home to prevent the potential spread of illness. It is important to note that individuals with flu-like symptoms should remain at home until they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.

Covid Guidelines: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/COVID-19-Isolation-Guidance.aspx

For all absences and doctor's notes, please email attendance@iciacademy.org.

Attendance and punctuality are important to every child's educational program. Upon accepting placement into ICIA, you are committing to your child's punctual attendance throughout the school year. If you cannot commit to this agreement, evidence of poor attendance in conflict with Compulsory Education Law may result in a removal from the ICIA program and a return to your child’s neighborhood school.

Our Family Handbook is also in Chinese now. Please refer to this as this is the latest and greatest rules and policies at ICIA.

We are proud to offer several on-campus enrichment programs. Families will need to register directly with the programs. Dragon's Den staff will take your child afterschool to their respective class. After class, they will bring them to room 15 for pick up. Should they be picked up late, they will incur late pick up fees.

Thank you! Modern Brain, Irvine Academy of Music / Irvine Academy of Chess, Bricks4Kids, Pregoni Futbol Training, Coming Soon - Performing Arts Club