Lemur Weekly Update

Happy Sunday, Lemur Families!

Thank you for all of your patience, cooperation, and careful driving skills in our parking lots during drop off and pick up each day. There are several conversations happening behind the scenes with local city officials, and while I will hold out hope that something good is able to come from these conversations, the reality is that the way we conduct ourselves during pick up and drop off times is the most important thing we can focus on to keep people safe each day.

I don't know why this is happening, but for some reason some of our older students are saying that Lunch with a Lemur has been cancelled. Just in case you've heard this at home, let me reassure you that Lunch with Lemurs is NOT cancelled. I haven't scheduled it yet because I continue to hope for some cooler weather. Lunch with Lemurs will be scheduled in the near future - I promise!

A few of you have asked about the progress of our shade structure, and all I can say is that is still in progress. The inspection for grout and concrete should be taking place this week, and if everything passes inspection, the next phase of the shade structure can begin. Keep your fingers crossed that things move quickly from here.

We have two great opportunities to have families on campus this week with the Book Fair and our PTO Linco Night! More details can be found in the information below, but I hope to see all of you join in the fun.

Mrs. Johnsrud

Monday, September 30th

• Choir Practice -1:40pm
• Girls on the Run - 3:00pm

Tuesday, October 1st

• WPUSD School Board Meeting - 6:30pm

Wednesday, October 2nd

• Girls on the Run - 3:00pm

Thursday, October 3rd

• Book Fair Hours: 2:40pm -4:00pm
• Student Leadership Meeting - 2:45-3:30pm

Friday, October 4th

• PTO Linco Night (Leaman Bingo) - 6:00pm in the MPR
• Book Fair Hours: 2:40pm -6:00pm

Upcoming Events

October 10th - Safety Awareness Day (Grades 1st- 3rd)

October 10th - Dine Out at Leatherby's 5pm

October 11th - No School

October 14th - No School

November 14th - Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day

November 15th - Fall Festival

We are excited for our upcoming Book Fair! Our Book Fair is a lot of work, and we need help from our families. If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up for a shift here: Book Fair Volunteers. You can earn your classroom teacher $5 in Scholastic Dollars by working a shift! Be sure to visit our Book Fair Homepage

Beginning in October, our district school psychologists will be providing a monthly feature titled, "Ask the School Psychologist" that will be shared in the district and principal newsletters. Even though it's not October yet, the topic of the first feature letter is too important not to share: How Much Screen Time is Too Much?

Safety Protocols -Student safety is a top priority and I've been working closely with our district and site staff to ensure that we have all safety measures in place. Recently, we had schoolwide "hold" drill and made sure that all components of the plan were successful. To learn more about the safety protocols on campus, please take a look at the Standard Response Protocol Handout for Families

Bikes & Scooters - We are so fortunate to live in a neighborhood where students can ride their bikes to school! Families - we need your help to make sure students are following the safety rules while they ride to and from campus. Please remind your students to follow the rules of the road. We've heard from a few neighbors that some of your kids may need to pay better attention to the traffic around them.

Have you updated your child's registration information for the 24-25 school year? It is essential that we have current registration, emergency contact and health information for your children. Please ensure all required forms are e-signed and submitted.

Information & Instructions
PowerSchool Parent Portal Log In Link

Need Assistance?

• Contact your child’s school office with any questions.
• If you don’t have a Parent Portal account, you should have received an email or letter with setup instructions.
• Forgot your student’s Access ID/Password? Contact your child’s school for assistance.
• For technical support with your Parent Portal account, email HelpDesk@wpusd.org
• If you forgot your username or password, use the 'Forgot Password' link on the log-in screen.

WPUSD is offering a Student Chromebook Service Plan for families to purchase to cover damage or replacement of the student’s Chromebook for the school year. For more information or to register, click here.

For questions regarding becoming a volunteer, please reach out to cmeijer@wpusd.org and jhess@wpusd.org

What is considered an excused absence?

By law [EC § 48205], excused absences are: illness (fever 100° or more], persistent runny nose (not allergy related), vomiting, diarrhea, medical/dental appointments), death in the family, specific religious reasons, required appearance in court, and exclusion from school for contagious disease.

How do I clear my child's absence with the school?

It is important that you communicate with our front office when your child is absent. There are several ways to clear an absence:

• If your student is absent, you will get an automated attendance text/email via Parent Square. Simply reply to that with the reason of your student's absence.
• If you call before 7:30AM you can leave a message on our attendance line at 916-916-409-2402.
• You can email cmeijer@wpusd.org and jhess@wpusd.org (Please email both of our school clerks)
• If you are unable to do any of the methods above, you can call our school between 7:30-4:00PM an office staff member will answer. Due to the number of incoming phone calls and limited staff we ask for this to be a last resort option.
• It is extremely helpful for the teacher to know about any absences, but communicating directly with your child's teachers does NOT clear an absence.
  

What can I do if my child needs to be out of school for a length of time?

If you are planning to have your child out of school, please request a Travel Study from our front office. A Travel Study does not replace a teacher's instruction, but it does allow students an opportunity to continue learning while they are not at school.

• Inform the front office of the planned absence as soon as possible. Travel Studies require school notification no later than five school days in advance. We always appreciate ample notice.
• Once the office has been informed, you will receive an emailed copy of the travel study contract to sign electronically.
  
• Your child's teacher will be notified of the absence and will put together assignments/classwork that will be missed. The work will be given to your child the day before your child's Travel Study begins.
  
• All work must be submitted the day your child returns to campus.

If you have any questions, please reach out to our front office.

Did you know that our breakfast and lunch is provided at no cost to students? You can find the menu here: WPUSD Menu All of the items on our menu are clickable and will give you details about the menu items. Several item also include photos of the items being served.

Our campus gates open in the morning at the following times:

• 7:45am - Breakfast - Students who are eating breakfast can entire campus at 7:45am and must go directly to the cafeteria
• 7:55am - Campus is Open to Students - Supervision is provided on campus

Our campus gates open in the morning at the following times:

• 7:45am - Breakfast - Students who are eating breakfast can entire campus at 7:45am and must go directly to the cafeteria
• 7:55am - Campus is Open to Students - Supervision is provided on campus

When checking students out early from school, it is important to know that we will begin checking your ID to ensure that students are being checked out by someone who is cleared to check the students out. Please be sure to bring your ID with you each time you check your child out early.

Tip: Take a picture of your ID with your phone and mark it as a favorite. We can use a photo of your photo ID to verify your identify.

Our Student Handbook includes many important pieces of information and can be found on school website. Over the past few weeks of school, we've had some real challenges in our drop off/pick up lines that have raised concerns about safety for kids and drivers. Thank you for remembering the the Three Ps of Parking Lot Success!

The Three P's of Parking Lot Success:

• Be Prepared - When dropping your children off in the mornings, please make sure that when you pull up to the curb, your children are ready to get out of the car. Thank you for making sure shoes are on, hugs and kisses are completed before pulling up to the curb, and items are organized for a quick exit.
• Be Patient - The parking lot can be a busy place, and we appreciate you being patient when things aren't moving as smoothly as we'd like.
• Please Park if Necessary - If you know you will need extra time to get your child in or out of the car, please park in a parking spot. Our curbs are for quick loading and and unloading, our hope is to move cars through as quickly as possible.
• Thank you for remembering that our curbs are for drop off and pick up only.

From our Handbook: Students may be dropped off in front of the school along the white curb area (North and West parking lots) which are for drop-off /pick-up only; drivers must remain in their vehicles in these areas. If you are walking your student to school, we ask that you say goodbye to your child at one of our gates. If it is necessary to speak with a staff member, please park your vehicle in one of our parking lots, stop by the office and our office personnel will see if he or she is available.

Cinnamon Johnsrud - Principal

cjohnsrud@wpusd.org