Podesta Ranch Newletter 03/09/2025

I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend! What a wonderful Read Across America week and Awards Assemblies this past week. We appreciate all you do to partner with our school to make every day amazing for your student.

PBIS Focus: Be Responsible, Be Kind, Be Safe

At Podesta Ranch, we continue to emphasize our PBIS expectations:
✅ Be Responsible in learning and daily tasks.
✅ Be Kind to peers and staff.
✅ Be Safe in all school areas.

Please connect with your student and teacher to encourage and reinforce all of our behavior expectations.

Thank you for your partnership in fostering a positive and supportive school environment. Looking forward to another great week ahead, our final before Spring Break!

Sincerely,

Alyssa Barban, Principal

Congrats to all our students who received an award on Friday, March 7th, 2025 for most improvement in academics. We are so proud of all our students who put forth so much effort into their academic career. A special thanks to all the families for partnering alongside us for their success. We cannot have done this without all the support at home and appreciate all you do in and out of the classroom.

Friendly Reminder to SPRING FORWARD one hour on Sunday, March 9th, 2025! 😴

• When: Starting Saturday, February 1st, 2025
• How: Online Enrollment (Lodiusd.net or scan the QR code on attached flyer)
• TK Eligibility: Children turning 4 years old by Monday, September 1, 2025
• Kindergarten Eligibility: Children turning 5 years old on or before Monday, September 1, 2025
• 1st grade Eligibility: Children turning 6 years old on or before Monday, September 1, 2025

Please click on the image on the right for the digital flyer for more information.

Attached is Podesta's calendar of events for March 2025.

Please click on the image for the pdf file of the calendar.

Friendly reminder that our campus will be closed on Monday, March 17th, 2025 to Friday, March 28th, 2025 for Spring Break.

School will resume Monday, March 31st, 2025 @7:45 AM.

Upcoming minimum days are the following:

• Wednesday, April 9th, 2025 - lunch on the lawn
• Wednesday, May 7th, 2025
• Wednesday, May 21st, 2025 - lunch on the lawn
• Friday, May 30th, 2025 (last day of 2024/2025 school year)

Please be sure to pick up your children at their designated dismissal time as staff have meetings and professional development immediately after school. All PM TK and Kindergarten classes start at 8:15 AM.

SAVE THE DATE! Come out and have dinner with us on Friday, March 14th, 2025 at El Pollo Loco on Trinity Parkway. More information to come.

If you are in need to make library book payments or would like to purchase Chromebook Insurance through the District, please click on the image on the right or scan the QR code for access.

You may also click on the blue words PAYMENT below for the digital form to turn in to pay.

PAYMENT

Click on the image on the right for the digital Screen Time Handout for parents.

Click on the image on the right for family resources avaliable in the San Joaquin area.

Please click on the BLUE words below to access the LUSD Counseling Website.

COUNSELING

The Bridge Program is now accepting registrations at select (5) Lodi USD school sites for their Spring Intersession Program over the Spring Break. See below for more info!

Locations:

1. Nichols Elementary: (1301 S Crescent Ave, Lodi CA)
2. Washington Elementary: (831 W. Lockeford St, Lodi CA)
3. Clairmont Elementary: (8282 LeMans Ave, Stockton CA)
4. Wagner-Holt Elementary (8778 Brattle Pl. , Stockton CA)
5. *Oakwood Elementary (1315 Woodcreek Way, Stockton CA)

*Oakwood Elementary "Registrations" limited to Oakwood & Creekside students only

Dates & Times:

• Monday, March 17th to Friday, March 21st, 2025
• 8 AM - 5 PM.

Space is Limited and Enrollment will be based on a first-come basis for all sites.

Registration Deadline: March 10, 2025

REGISTER TODAY - Click below to learn more!

English: Spring Intersession Flyer

Spanish: Spring Intersession Flyer - Spanish

You may also click on the image on the right to see the flyer in English.

Join us for FREE nutritious breakfast each morning at 7:45 AM!

Please click on the image on the right to see a live view of the cafeteria menu for our school. Make sure to click on the drop down menu for Podesta Ranch Elementary School.

Click the BLUE WORDS MENU below for the digital pdf copy of the lunch menu.

MENU

For more information about lunches and nutrition on the LodiUSD website, please click on the BLUE words below.

FOOD SERVICES

Friendly reminder that every WEDNESDAY is College and Career Wear Spirit Day and every FRIDAY is School Spirit Wear Day.

Free breakfast is served every school day at 7:45 AM - 8:00 AM. If your child intends on eating free breakfast at school, they may arrive no earlier than 7:45 AM. If they are not eating breakfast, children should not arrive at school before 8:00 AM in lieu to safety concerns. No adults are supervising the students before 7:45 AM.

Please remember to NOT pick up or drop off your child in the bus loop or parking lot area, especially by the DEAD END section of the parking lot. Bus loop is ONLY for our SPED students and busses, and families are highly advised to accompany their child when walking through the parking lot. We do not have adults supervising these areas. Please park your car in the parking lot if you are planning to pick up your students directly from their teachers. Please leave the drop off area ONLY for moving vehicles that are picking up/dropping off quickly, and refrain from double parking, as we need ease of car movement for student and driver safety. Lastly, please do not exit the entrance area into the parking lot during drop off/pick up times to avoid collision from oncoming traffic.

Thank you for partnering with us and modeling to our students the importance of following traffic and road safety rules. 👍

One of our site goals, and our challenge from the Superintendent, is to improve attendance and curb truancy. The law states that students will attend every day, on time, and ready for school. With a new system in place, absences are carefully tracked, and notices are automatically sent to guardians. You have 10 days to clear an absence. On the 11th day it reverts to all unexcused and is considered truancy.

If you request IS, it must be requested 2 weeks prior and approved by IS administration. Please do not wait until the night before.

Please click on the blue words student and family handbook for the pdf of school rules/policies for 2024-2025 school year, as it has important information about all school expectations.

You may also click on the image on the right for the same document.

As the weather becomes colder and as a safety reminder, please send your student to school in appropriate attire, including shoes. Our dress code can be found in the Student Handbook in your student's planner or online. Students are expected to wear closed toe/heeled shoes. Students with sandals, slides, or Crocs will be asked to sit out during recess and PE to ensure student safety on the playground, stairwell and in the bark box.

Please click on the image on the right for the digital Student Handbook regarding their dress code.