The Ottomon Times

Happy New Year! As we kick off January, we are excited to welcome our students back to school after the winter break. This month is a time for new beginnings and renewed energy as we dive into our learning adventures. We have many engaging activities and events planned to inspire our students! Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community. Let’s make this month a great one together!

Many of you have received an attendance letter from our district regarding your child's absences. These letters are indicating that your child is on track to EXCEED their 10 allowable absences per year. This letter may have come to you even if you have phoned our office letting us know your child will be out.

Here are some action items you can take:

1) If your student is absent due to doctor or dentist appointments, always bring a note. This excuses the absence entirely and does NOT count towards those 10 absences.

2) Plan vacations when school is out. Some upcoming dates are listed in the calendar section below.

3) Practice good sleep patterns, health and hygiene to stay healthy.

4) Come to school every day unless you have a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea.

If you need any support with attendance, please reach out! We are here to come up with solutions for you!

Families are invited to these upcoming workshops and events in January:

• Visit a Community Care Hub to access free district and community resources, learning tools, school supplies, food boxes, diapers and more.

• Jan. 23 at San Juan Central (3700 Garfield Ave. in Carmichael) from 2 to 4:30 p.m.
• Jan. 30 at Northridge Elementary School (5150 Cocoa Palm Way in Fair Oaks) from 2 to 4:30 p.m.
• Attend the Keys to High School Success workshop on Thursday, Jan. 9 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Zoom. Learn important information to help middle school students transition smoothly into high school.
• Attend the Supporting Read Aloud at Home workshop on Wednesday, Jan. 15 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Zoom. Learn practical strategies that families can use to strengthen their student’s reading and writing skills, while encouraging a love of reading.
• Participate in the Loving Solutions series starting Wednesday, Jan. 22, from 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. (and meets weekly) at Thomas Kelly Elementary School. This workshop is designed by parents, for parents raising strong-willed children ages 4 to 12 years old.

Learn more about these upcoming events at www.sanjuan.edu/face.

Families can also visit the video library to watch a video to learn ways to help their students navigate the internet safely. Visit sanjuan.edu/famlilyed to view the video

San Juan Unified would like to invite parents and students to take the San Juan Unified annual district climate survey. Your feedback is vital and informs school and district leaders of the changes needed in their communities. We have attached the online version below and a QR that you can scan as well. If you fill the survey out online, please return the paper copy with your student's name and "completed online" on top so the teachers know the survey is done. We are having a friendly competition and any class with over 90% completion, will win an Otter Pop party! The deadline for the survey is Jan 31.

Thank you so much for your support!

Join us for an incredible Competition Fundraiser supporting Ottomon Elementary on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, from 10:30 AM to 10 PM! We will be competing against two other local schools to see who can raise the most funds. The winning school will receive Dairy Queen's February Round-Ups, meaning every time someone rounds up their total in February, a portion will go to Ottomon! Let’s rally together and make this a win for our school and our kids! Dine in or take out at Dairy Queen (9295 Greenback Ln., Orangevale, CA) and remember to mention this fundraiser or present the flyer to the cashier so that 20% of your purchase goes to our school. We can’t wait to see you there, and let’s show our school spirit!

Exciting news! Candy grams can be purchased from the Student Council by returning the money and order form that will be sent home to your teacher or the office. Additionally, students in 2nd to 5th grade can also buy candy grams during lunch on Wednesdays. Don't miss out on the sweet fun!

Candy grams will be delivered to your student's class on February 14! If you would like to purchase a candy gram as a surprise, please visit the office!

Explore San Juan Unified Community Care Hubs! District departments and community partners share valuable resources and services to families and students.

• Free food boxes, diapers and learning materials!
• January 23 @ San Juan Central, 2 – 4:30 p.m.
• January 30 @ Northridge Elementary, 2 – 4:30 p.m.

Details at sanjuan.edu/CommunityResources

San Juan Unified’s open enrollment period ends at 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24. During this time, you can submit an application to have your student attend a school other than their neighborhood school as long as there is space available and you are willing to provide transportation for your student.

Families can now log in to Parent Portal to view your child’s assigned school for the next school year to help you decide whether to participate in open enrollment. As soon as you log in to Parent Portal, you will see both your child’s school for this school year and their assigned school for the next school year (2025-26) listed just below (see detailed instructions below). No further action is needed if you are satisfied with your child’s assigned school for the next school year. If you would like to apply to make a change, you can complete an open enrollment lottery application.

Because open enrollment is a computer-generated lottery and not approved on a first-come, first-served basis, you can submit your application at any time during the open enrollment period. Applications are available online at www.sanjuan.edu/openenrollment and at the San Juan Central office, located at 3700 Garfield Ave. in Carmichael

TK Lottery opens February 10, 2025 - March 14, 2025, and you will get your email with your results on or after March 28, 2025. You must accept the lottery results by April 7, 2025, to guarantee placement.

Enrollment for K-12 begins February 3, 2025!

Mark your calendars for March 7! We are SO excited to welcome author Crystel Patterson, who will be visiting us to share her amazing stories. She will be selling her books, which will be autographed for you!

The order form is attached below. Please fill it out and return it to your teacher or the office. Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to get a signed book from an incredible author! Please return paper order forms no later than February 28 and online ordering needs to be completed by Wednesday March 5!

Strategies for Supporting Students with Homework Completion

We understand that some students may struggle with completing their homework. Here are some helpful strategies to support them:

1. Establish a Routine: Create a consistent homework schedule. Designate a specific time and quiet space for homework each day to help students focus.

2. Break Tasks into Smaller Steps: Encourage students to break down large assignments into smaller, manageable tasks. This can make homework feel less overwhelming and easier to tackle.

3. Use a Homework Planner: Help your child use a planner or calendar to track assignments and due dates. This can improve organization and accountability.

4. Set Goals and Rewards: Work with your child to set achievable homework goals. Celebrate their accomplishments with small rewards to motivate them.

5. Encourage Questions: Remind students that it's okay to ask for help. Encourage them to reach out to teachers or classmates if they are unsure about the homework.

6. Limit Distractions: Minimize distractions during homework time by turning off the TV and keeping phones or other devices out of reach unless needed for assignments.

7. Stay Involved: Check in on your child's homework progress regularly. Show interest in what they are learning and be available to provide support when needed.

8. Communicate with Teachers: If homework completion continues to be a challenge, consider reaching out to your child's teacher for additional support or resources.

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By working together, we can help our students develop good homework habits and succeed in their learning. Thank you for your support!

I wanted to reach out to inform you that Loving Solutions Parenting Class is being offered beginning January 22nd. This 8-week class will be held from 5:45-7:45pm at Thomas Kelly Elementary. The class is free for all participants and childcare as well as dinner will be provided each week. This class is for parents of strong-willed 5–10-year-olds looking for tools to assist with setting boundaries for school and home. Below is a link for more information and to sign up. Please share with any and all families you think would be interested or might benefit from with fantastic class!

We are excited to share that the video recording of our recent Winter Performance is now available! If you missed the live show or would like to relive the joyful moments, you can watch the performance at your convenience. To access the recording, please click the link below. Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to sharing more memorable events with you in the future!

Attention Parents!

We are excited to inform you that we have free bus passes available for students in TK-12th grade in the office! These passes can help your child travel to and from school easily.

Please note that the bus passes will expire on June 30, 2025, so be sure to pick one up soon!

Hello Families,

Getting back into routine is tough. Being on time helps students build healthy habits for their future. Students learn better when they have plenty of time to have breakfast with us and play with their friends prior to school starting.

Pro-Tip 1: Try setting an earlier morning alarm (15 minutes) all of next week. It can make mornings smoother!

Pro-Tip 2: Have outfits out and ready (including shoes and socks, and have backpacks packed and ready to go by the door. Your Principal uses this process every single day!

Thanks for your support!

NEW WAY TO REPORT YOUR STUDENT'S ABSENCE: If your child is sick or not going to school, you can now report it online! Log into the parent portal, select the three lines on the top right, click 'Report Absence,' choose your student(s), enter reason, then click 'Submit.' This helps the attendance clerk keep records updated and also helps you, if you have students at different schools. Thanks for your support!

See further down for directions on logging into your parent portal!

It's that time of year again! Yearbooks are now available for pre-order! Yearbooks are $18.00 if purchased now through 4/11/25 or get a personalized book for $21.00 through 3/27/25.

Click the link below to see the flyer that has more information!

Visit shop.memorybook.com school code 232788M to order now!

We love having PE this year! We would like if you could help us by reminding your child on PE days, to wear tennis shoes. We have students in crocs trying to participate in PE and it can be dangerous with them running around and playing. Thank you so much for your help!

Please be sure to check our lost & found rack on a regular basis! Also, if your student's NAME is on the label of their jacket/water bottle/sweatshirt, we will be able to return it directly to them rather than putting it on the lost & found rack.

Would you like to be a volunteer in your child's class? Drive on a field trip? Help out on campus? Please follow the directions on the link below to start the process!

Note: If you started the process but did not receive any communication on when to schedule your fingerprinting, please go ahead and move onto step 4 and set up your fingerprinting appointment. Thank you so much for your patience!

Every Thursday - Early out at 12:55

January 20 - NO SCHOOL - MLK Day

January 21 - DQ Competition Fundraiser - All Day!

January 27 - Awards Assembly - Please wait for a notification from your child's teacher regarding awards

February 17-21 - President's Break - NO SCHOOL

March 11-14 - Conference Week - Dismissal at 10:55 (March 10 is a regular day with 2:15 dismissal)

March 21 & 24 - NO SCHOOL

March 31 - Awards Assembly - Please wait for a notification from your child's teacher regarding awards

April 10 - Open House from 6:00 - 7:00pm

April 11- Minimum Day - Dismissal at 11:55

April 11 - NO BRIDGES

April 14-18 - Spring Break - NO SCHOOL

April 28 - Awards Assembly - Please wait for a notification from your child's teacher regarding awards

Come join us in coordinating and planning events here at Ottomon! Our PTA has created a way to sign up electronically! It takes less than 90 seconds!

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Three things to do in Parent Portal:

1. Please verify all phone numbers and addresses are correct. This is really important so you receive our communication and we can contact you if your child is ill or has an emergency.
2. View your child's teacher. You can also find this out at the Meet the Teacher BBQ on Monday, August 7 or find out the first day of school!
3. Fill out the school funding form. Even if you do not eat school breakfast or lunch, this funding really helps our school! Thank you!

English Directions:

https://www.sanjuan.edu/cms/lib/CA01902727/Centricity/Domain/721/ParentPortalTutorial.pdf

Direcciones en Espanol:

https://www.sanjuan.edu/cms/lib/CA01902727/Centricity/Domain/721/parentportaltutorial%20spanish.pdf

Valuing our diverse, rural community, Ottomon Elementary's mission is to empower all students to develop their unique strengths and academic abilities through a focused commitment on literacy, analytics, and the arts.

Email: ottomones@sanjuan.edu
Website: www.sanjuan.edu/ottomon
Phone: 916-979-8228