Welcome Back Letter 23-24

August 18, 2023

Dear Washington Wildcats,

It’s time to get ready to come back to school!

This is my first year as principal here at Washington, and in the few short weeks I have been here, I am so impressed by the kindness of our staff and community. I can't wait to get to know you all better this year. Together, we will make the 23-24 school year the best one yet!

School begins on Thursday, August 24th. We are looking forward to welcoming our students back to school, and starting another wonderful year here at Washington.

Your child’s teacher and class placement for this year will be emailed to you on Wednesday, August 23rd. Your child's assigned teacher will email you with a welcome letter Wednesday afternoon introducing themselves and sharing some information about their class.

See you soon at Washington!

- Principal Alyssa Jaramillo

August 24th, Thursday: First Day of School

First day schedule: 8:30am - 12:00pm

Needed Materials

All your child will need to bring to school is a backpack, a reusable water bottle, and a jacket, if needed. If you choose, you may send your child to school with a snack for recess. After the first day, they may also bring a lunch, if desired. Please use a backpack that is large enough to fit a folder easily. Washington Elementary provides all the necessary school supplies for students. Toys should remain at home.

Free Meals at School

All students may have a free morning snack at recess and free lunch daily provided by the school.

On the first day of school due to the 12:00pm dismissal, lunch services will begin on the second day of school. Click here to see the snack and lunch menu.

Back to School Coffee Date with the PTA - August 24th at 8:30am in the MPR ☕

After drop off on the first day of school, our wonderful PTA invites you to head up the stairs to the main entrance of the school to go to the Multipurpose Room (MPR) to have a coffee and connect with other Wildcat families.

School Arrival

TK through 5th grade students should arrive at school starting at 8:15 am, gates will open at 8:20am. Students will come onto campus independently, and line up with their class. Don’t worry! All our staff will be available to help keep our students safe and make sure that they get to the right classroom. Please make sure your child knows the teacher's name and classroom number. Please see the map above of our designated gates for TK/K and 1st-5th grades. Older siblings may use the TK/K gates to walk siblings onto campus.

It is difficult to park here during drop off time. If you are able to walk to school or ride a bike/scooter, that is encouraged. There is a bike rack on campus for kids to use. Bikes and scooters must be walked on campus. If you need to come in the car, please use the white loading zone at the front of the school to drop off your child. Adults must stay inside the car if using the loading zone. If your child needs assistance, please plan for extra time into your drop off time to park legally in the neighborhood so you can walk your child to the gate.

If you arrive late, please have your child come up the stairs to the main door to the school. They will check in with Ms. Baker and get a late pass before they go to class.

School Dismissal

TK/K students will be dismissed by their teachers at the same gates as arrival.

For grades 1-5, please create a plan with your child to either pick them up at gate C or D.

If there is an emergency and you are running late for pick up, please call the office.

Safety During Arrival and Dismissal

Our top priority is the safety of our students, staff, and families. We need to all work together to ensure our school is a safe place, especially during arrival and dismissal from school. When crossing the street, please use designated crosswalks only. Cars must be pulled up to the curb before having a student enter or exit the car, asking students to walking between cars in the loading zone or street is extremely dangerous. Please follow staff instructions regarding the loading zone, parking, and using crosswalks and encourage others to make safe choices as we come and go from campus.

Wildcat Wednesdays!

Every week on Wednesdays our students are staff are encouraged to show their Wildcat pride by wearing Wildcat Wear and/or clothing that is green. This is a fun way to build community and school pride. Stay tuned for more details about how to place an order for Wildcat Wear.

Medical Authorization Forms

If your child has an allergy, medicine, etc that needs to be kept at school, please find the appropriate form here. Please bring the medicine on the first day of school to be stored in the nurses office rather than in a child's backpack. It does get busy on the first day of school, please include the form and medicine in a large ziplock bag. I will follow up with you within days of school starting.

School Supplies

Washington Elementary supplies all the necessary materials. Please have your children bring a backpack, reusable water bottle and any necessary personal items. Breakfast and lunch is provided next year free of charge thank you to our state. No need to sign up.

Free and Reduced Applications

The state provides extra support for families that qualify which go beyond free lunch. Please fill out the attached form and send it in to the office. Printed copies are also available in the office. Filling out this form can help our school get additional funds and also can qualify your family for additional services. We ask that all families please fill it out each year.

Champions Before & After Care

If you are interested in before or after school care, it is on Washington Campus. It is managed by Champions. If you have any questions, please contact them directly. Here is the website: Champions.

We rely on our wonderful parent volunteers to help us with lunchtime supervision, field trips, and school and classroom events. We encourage all families who are able to volunteer at our school to please complete these documents and turn them in to Jen Baker in the office. Once you have done the Live Scan document, you will not need to redo it as long as your children are in BSD schools.

Please stay tuned for lunchtime supervision sign ups.

Washington Website / Calendar

These times/dates have been added to the Washington calendar, to add the Google calendar to your existing calendar please click here.

The Washington School website is currently under construction and will be updated soon. It can be found here.

We are looking forward to a great school year with you!