Viking News

Good evening Viking Families!

I hope that everyone is enjoying their summer break! Our 2024-2025 school year will begin on Thursday, August 15th! It is time for our returning families to complete data confirmation, so please take a few minutes to log into AERIES to update and confirm all of your student's information. Once this is completed, your student will be enrolled in their class for this school year! If your address has changed, you will need to bring two proofs of residence to our office as well. Our office will be open from 8:30am to 2:30pm from August 5th-13th if you would like to come by to ask questions or get support. Our office will close early, at 11:00am on the 14th so that we can finish processing all of our registrations for the 1st day of school. We will reopen at 10am on the 15th, after we get all of our registered students settled in classrooms!

As I said, school begins on Thursday, August 15th at 8:15am! We have many incoming students who are new to school or new to the neighborhood and we are so excited to meet you! I know that students and families are anxious to find out who their teacher will be for the upcoming school year, and I would like to invite you to our Meet the Teacher event on Wednesday, August 14th from 2:00-3:00pm! Students and families are invited to join us on the blacktop to find out their class assignments and to meet their teacher in person! TK and Kindergarten families will also join us for Orientation in the MPR at 2:00pm. If you aren't able to attend this event, class assignment information will be available in AERIES after 3:30pm. Also, we will have staff members available to help connect students with teachers on the first day of school.

The first two days of school (August 15th and 16th) are minimum days! All TK - 5th grade students will attend from 8:15am to 12:25pm. Just our TK and K students will continue with minimum day schedules for the first 12 days of school (August 15th - 30th). Please make arrangements so that students are picked up on time. Also, please see the Arrival/Dismissal Procedures below so that you can support safe conditions in our parking lots. If you have any questions, our office staff is here to help!

I have exciting information to share about Del Rio's new designation as a STEM Academy! OUSD has created four magnet schools in our district. We will be expanding upon our work in our STEM Lab to create more opportunities for our students to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics! I will share more as we begin our school year, but this will be an exciting journey for our school community. Check out this flyer for more information!

Be sure to stay up to date with all of our school happenings by following us on social media:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DelRioElementaryVikings/

Twitter: @DelRioVikings

Instagram: @DelRioVikings

I visit classrooms everyday and share out examples of the learning adventures of our students as often as possible!

Enjoy the rest of your summer and I will share more information as our first day approaches!

Pre-Registration for 2024-2025 school year is open on our OUSD website.

Aeries Online Enrollment allows you to quickly start the process of enrolling a student for school. Information about the student such as emergency contacts, medical and language information will be collected.

Once in Aeries, to get started enrolling a new student click the “Enroll A New Student” button. Make sure to select “2024-2025” year from the drop down menu. After you have pre-registered online, school sites will be reaching out to families in May 2024.

Transitional Kindergarten (TK): Use Aeries Online Enrollment to enroll your student in TK if they turn five between Sept 2nd, 2024 and June 2nd, 2025. Click here for more information about TK enrollment.

For the following programs, please note the process for enrollment.

State Preschool Students
Please go to the state preschool website for all registration forms and information. OUSD hosts 2 state-funded preschool sites:

• North Terrace School
• Santa Margarita School

Please note that Santa Margarita is only available to families with access to Camp Pendleton.

Special Education Preschool Students (With existing IEP newly moved into the district)
To be assigned to an attendance school Special Education Preschool Students must register in person at:

OUSD Educational Support Services (ESS)
2080 Mission Ave
or call (760) 901-7878 to make an appointment.

Please bring a copy of your child’s current IEP, birth certificate, immunizations, and proof of residency (2 documents).

Dual Language Immersion (also known as Two Way Bilingual Immersion)
After you have pre-registered your kindergarten student, if you are interested in enrolling them in this program, please fill out this form.

Please remember that ALL absences from school need to be reported to our school, letting us know the reason that your student has missed school! When you need to report your student's absence, please email us Attendance.des@oside.us. Often our main office phones are very busy in the mornings and this is a faster and easier way to report your student's absence! You can also call our Attendance Line at (760)901-7301, but please speak slowly and clearly, as many times the messages are difficult for our staff to hear.

Safety is our first priority, and it is important to keep that in mind at morning drop off and afternoon dismissal. Here are a few things to remember so that we can all work together for successful transitions:

• If you are not in the drop off/pick up line, you may not double park or block parking spaces in the parking lot. Do not park on the red curb in the traffic circle. You must use a parking spot in the lot even if you are waiting with your car!
• Please do not block the crosswalk at the entry to our parking lot, and be vigilant about watching for students!
• Have your child ready with their backpack with them, so that the driver does not need to get out of the car. Please stay with your car and continue to pull forward!
• If you are dropping off in the car line at the front gate, please remember that the driver must stay with their car, and that you need to pull all the way up to the stop sign at the top of the circle so that we can keep traffic flowing.
• Please wait until you have gotten past the cones/crosswalk to let your student(s) out of the car. It keeps everything moving faster!
• Your car must be pulled up to the curb before any students can enter or exit a vehicle, so please do not double park!
• If you do park in either parking lot, you must walk up and accompany your student using a crosswalk. They will not be allowed to walk out to cross into the parking lot on their own.

I will be out front helping to keep things moving and safe, so let me know if you have questions.

We are excited to share our new cell phone policy, "During the Day, Off and Away," for the 2024-2025 school year (Board Policy 5131.8). Our goal is to create a safe and focused learning environment for all students by minimizing distractions and promoting their mental well-being.

Key Points:

• Cell Phone Usage: Students must turn off (ringer/tone/sounds off) and store their phones in their backpacks upon entering campus. Phones should stay off until they leave.

• Communication: Classrooms have landlines for students to contact parents when necessary. Phones will be accessible in emergencies.

• Academic Benefits: Reducing phone usage helps students stay focused and engaged in class.

• Safety and Security: This policy helps prevent cyberbullying, ensures students focus during emergencies, and reduces the risk of theft or loss.

Support and disciplinary measures are in place for policy violations to help students adjust.

Thank you for your support as we work together to enhance our students' learning experience and well-being.

Please take a few moments to read through our Del Rio STEM Academy Handbook. It includes information about how to contact our staff, how to report attendance, school policies and procedures, and available supports for your student. Reach out to our office if you have any questions!

In the Spring, I shared some upcoming changes to our breakfast program. Beginning on the first day of school, all students may go to the cafeteria from 7:45 to 8:15 to eat breakfast, free of charge. If you think your student will be eating at school, please plan to have them here as early as possible to have time to finish eating before the bell rings at 8:15. Students will line up and go straight to class at 8:15!

OUSD messages families using a platform called Blackboard Communications. This allows teachers and staff to send an email, text or voice message directly to the email address or phone number you have listed in Aeries. It’s important that all the adults in your student’s life have updated contact information in Aeries so everyone can receive important messages from your student’s school.

You no longer need to download any third party apps to receive messages from OUSD. The only district supported app that families should download is the OUSD app.Check your email or spam folder. Your login and password for the app have been sent from

noreply@parentlink.net to the email you have in Aeries.

Our hard working PTO needs your help! If you would like to join the PTO, or help with events and planning, you can contact them at pto.delriovikings@gmail.com.

Also, check out Amazon Smile! Choose Del Rio as you sign up, and .5% of all amazon purchases are donated to our school!

Are you interested in before/after school care? Del Rio STEM Academy is proud to offer before and after school care through our district's THRIVE Program. For more information, visit the OUSD website. To register, click HERE.

We believe that partnerships with our families are essential to the success of our students and our school! Call, email, or stop by the office if you have questions or need support. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to see updates on the learning adventures happening around campus!

Email: lorrah.hogue@oside.us
Website: delrio.oside.us
Location: 5200 North River Road, Oceanside, CA, USA
Phone: (760)901-7300
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DelRioElementaryVikings/
Twitter: @DelRioVikings

Instagram: @DelRioVikings