Santa Margarita School Newsletter

Dear Santa Margarita Parents,

I wanted to send out a big "Thank You!" to the Marines from the Single Marine Program for coming out and putting on the PE Fitness Challenge for our students. I heard from so many students about how much they enjoyed the event. I also heard from the many parents who came out to cheer on their students as well. I made sure to share those comments with the Marines at the end of the day as they received their Letters of Appreciation. I can remember a few opportunities I had as a young Marine to volunteer in the community and how impactful those experiences were on me. Seeing the smilies on their faces after the event, I know our students, families, and school staff created a great experience for them as well. I look forward to bring the program back to Santa Margarita in the future.

I also wanted to thank the parents who attend "Coffee with the Principal" on Friday morning. I appreciate the opportunity to hear from our community as we all continue to work together to create the best possible learning experience for our students.

Please take a minute to review the calendar below. Remember that conferences are coming up and will begin on Friday, October 11th. We will be on minimum day schedule from the 11th through the 18th, so please plan on picking up your students at 12:25 during this time.

Also, please mark your calendars for our first Lunch on the Lawn on October 25th. We would love to have as many families as possible come out and have lunch with their children.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Dan Jarvis

Principal

Warm regards,

Daniel J. Jarvis

Principal

Parent teacher conferences will be held from Friday, October 11th until Friday, October 18th. We will be on minimum day schedule during conferences to allow teachers to meet with families to review their students' progress. Please make arrangements to pick up students at 12:25 each day. Teachers will be reaching out to schedule a conference time.

This Tuesdsay, October 8th, we will have OUSD staff members in front our campus rolling out the red carpet for our students. These Show Up and Shine events are occurring at all OUSD school to remind students how excited to see them in school each and every day.

We are excited to announce our first "Lunch on the Lawn" event for the year on Friday, October 25th. Parents are invited to come have lunch with the children on this day. Like last year, we will have the lawn area and lunch tables available, however, if you would like to bring lawn chairs or a blanket, you are welcome to do so.

Our PE teacher will be starting a before school running club called "Miles of Smiles." He could use a couple of parent volunteers to support with the program. If you are interested, please let us know. Also, please review the OUSD Volunteer Procedures in the newsletter below.

Hello from BrightLife Kids,

Please join us for our upcoming webinar for Mental Health Month. What does "good mental health" mean to you? What about overall well-being? And how do you know if your child is doing okay? Join us for “Mental Health Check-Up: How is my child really doing?” on Wednesday, October 9th from 12pm-12:30pm, the eve of World Mental Health Day as we explore the vital signs of your child’s mental and emotional health. You'll come away from the webinar with knowledge and tools you can start using right away. We'll help you understand your child's behaviors and how they might relate to their well-being.

Any and everyone is welcomed to join! Register using the link below:

>> Register Here <<

Don't forget to visit BrightLife Kids and refer any families using Brightlife.kids/referral

As part of our Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports Plan, we provide students with a set of clear and consistent school rules and expectations. The Mustang Pledge lists out our school rules and the Mustang Way describes the schoolwide expecations around the campus based on our school rules.

Just a reminder that Dogs are not allow on OUSD campuses. The community is welcome to access our school sites when students are not present, but dogs may not enter the premises regardless if they are on a leash or not.

Help Students get connected with Tutor.Com!

Tutor.com provides 24/7, expert, individualized academic support for students K-12. Students can access this resource in ClassLink. Please Note: Military students will use Tutor.com (Military).

How Tutor.com Works

Top 10 Facts about Tutor.com for Parents

Meet our school counselors and brief description of the services they offer. If you have any questions regarding counseling services, please reach out to our school counselor, Mrs. Guadalupe Frias at (760) 901-7961 or guadalupe.frias@oside.us

Link to Menus

During Back to School Night, teachers may be sharing opportunities to volunteer on campus and in classrooms. We encourage and welcome volunteer support. Please see the volunteer procedures below from page 6 of the School Handbook.

Volunteer Procedures

All visitors and volunteers to our campus must sign-in at the office, provide government I.D., and

wear a visitor’s badge while on campus. If you would like to volunteer or assist in the classroom

regularly, please contact your child’s teacher and complete the volunteer process. Please review

OUSD Volunteer procedures here. Once the volunteer process is completed your child’s teacher

will contact you to arrange a day and time for you to volunteer.

While on campus, we ask that all volunteers:

● Follow and support the policies and rules of the school.

● Respect and maintain the confidentiality of matters that occur within the school. Please do

not discuss a student with others. Confidentiality is of the utmost importance. If you have

a concern about any issue, contact the teacher/principal to protect students’ privacy

rights.

● Expect children to treat you with respect. Students who are disrespectful or disobey a

school rule should be reported to the person in charge (teacher, administration).

● Attend strictly to the duties and area for which you have volunteered. Please do not use

this time to monitor your child’s class or inquire about his/her progress.

● If you are volunteering, your other children should not accompany you.

● Please switch your cell phone to vibrate while working in the classrooms. If you need to

make a call, please step out of the classroom.

As you know, good attendance is essential to academic success. We expect and encourage parents to make sure their child arrives on time and attends regularly.

If your child is absent from school, please call School Office 760-901-7900 and provide the following information:

(information can be left on the message machine after office hours)

Your Child's Name - First Last (legal last name please)

Teacher's Name

Specific Reason for Absence (illness, doctors/dentist appointments and or personal)

Anticipated Length of Absence

Absences must be cleared with the office within 5 days of the absence. Those absences not cleared within 5 days will remain Unexcused.

***Every student is allowed 3 personal excused absences in a school year.

If your child is sick for three or more days due to illness, please bring a doctors note to the office.***

Your child’s attendance is important to their success in school. When students have 3 or more absences that are unexcused, parents will receive a letter indicating the attendance concern. This is the first step of the School Attendance Review Team process. A second letter will be sent out if absences or tardies continue to be a concern, and the school will be following up with the family to find ways the school can help or provide resources to the family to support school attendance.

If a student exceeds 10 absences (unexcused or excused) in a school year, the Administration will be

notified and a school attendance contract may need to be signed by parent, student, and administration. If attendance continues to be a concern, the Administration will submit the student to School Attendance Review Team. The School Attendance Review Team is designed to intervene when a school district identifies students who have problems with school attendance or school behavior. When a student develops a pattern of irregular attendance, including truancies, excessive tardies, early releases, and/or excessive excused absences, a school administrator may refer a student and the student's family to SART.

A student attending Santa Margarita on “School of Choice” or an Inter-district transfer who has attendance concerns including habitual absences, tardies, and/or late pick-ups may result in this approval being revoked.

In the school handbook, we do ask that parents/families do not check-out their children within 15 minutes of dismissal. The last few minutes of the school day are often used for important activities such as wrapping up lessons, making announcements, or distributing homework. Allowing students to leave early can disrupt these activities and affect the learning environment for other students. We appreciate your understanding.

Please review the 24-25 Santa Margarita School Handbook.

Please review the 24-25 OUSD Student/Parent Handbook

Under the district safety guidance along with PMO, the following procedures are in place for the

safety of all students, families, visitors, and employees:

Parking lots are not safe for unaccompanied children. Please do not have your child walk across the parking lot/drop off/pick up area unaccompanied.

To drop off or pick up your children, please do not get out of your car. If your child is not able to exit the vehicle without your assistance, please park your vehicle and walk your student up to the gate. It is dangerous to get out of your car in the drop-off/pick up lane. It also causes a traffic delay for all other families dropping off/picking up students. To drop off/pick up your student, please pull up to the yellow curb. This area is marked as a drop-off/pick-up lane.

Please follow the yellow curb as far forward as possible so that we can optimize the available space and allow room for as many vehicles as possible. It is CRITICAL that drivers DO NOT PARK IN THE DROP-OFF/PICK-UP LANE, as it disrupts the flow of traffic.

Please DO NOT stop any part of your vehicle next to the RED curbs.

Unaccompanied children may NOT be left in an unattended vehicle.

Also, the parking lot near the Kindergarten area is staff parking. This is not a pick up/drop off area.

Please see the updated OUSD’s updated student cell phone use policy. During the Day, Off and Away

Email: dan.jarvis@oside.us
Website: smargarita.oside.us
Location: 1 Carnes Road, Oceanside, CA, USA
Phone: (760) 901-7900
Twitter: @SM_Mustangs