Welcome to Parents 12-13 - Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary School

Santa Cruz Gardens
Elementary School
August 29, 2012
Dear Santa Cruz Gardens and Opal Cliffs Families,
Welcome to the 2012-13 school year! We hope you had a great summer and are as excited as we are to begin
the new school year. Our faculty and support staff have been preparing for the big first day for a few weeks now. In
fact, they and their family and friends have logged many “volunteer hours” behind the scenes to get our classrooms and
office areas set up. To those of you who pitched in already: Big Thanks!
As you may know, there have been a few staffing changes over the summer. Our classes are happily full, which
bodes well for our district. We have some combination classes, because our enrollment by grade level doesn’t always
come out in neat and tidy groups of 29 (our average class size). Teachers have put much thought into how to support our
combination classes and will appreciate your support for them and all of our students, as well.
Our very successful Transitional Kindergarten program is in its third year and is now located at the new Opal Cliffs
school. We will miss Ms. Michelle McBride and her wonderful aide, Ms. Kay Johnson, but we will be in touch with them
on a daily basis, as we will be providing them some regular office support (attendance, phone messages, etc.)
We are fortunate to be starting this school year with a stable staffing situation, with most of our teachers from last year
returning. You will recognize their names and faces, with of course, some grade level changes. When Ms. Mallard
accepted another teaching position at the end of the school year, we were very fortunate to find another highly qualified
4 th /5 th grade teacher, Mr. Ethan Ducker. Mr. Ducker came highly recommended, having student taught in 5 th grade at
Soquel Elementary School. He then has been teaching first grade through middle school, before “returning” to our district!
Our new Resource Specialist, Ms. Chris Boles, is not new to our district, but fortunately for us, has transferred to us
from New Brighton Middle School. She has taught all elementary grades in both general and special education classes.
We feel very fortunate to have Ms. Boles on board.
Please also welcome two new teachers to our Sea Star Academy for children with autism. Ms. Kara Bolles will be
teaching in Room 1 and Ms. Grace De Gala will be teaching in Room 2. We have recently hired several new Behavior
Intervention Assistants for Sea Star Academy, as well. Please welcome Isaac Chavarria, Manuel Contreras, Stephanie
Heichel, Nancy Hall, Lindsay Horejsi, Tye Ripma, Emily Garber, and Rita Vitielo, our new “BIA’s.”
Thanks to our wonderful Home and School Club and the many families who fundraise and donate to our school,
we have been able to fund our librarian, Michelle Jesberg and our library aide, Carol Bryant at the same levels as last
year. Our wonderful “arts enrichment” (music, and dance) teacher, Leah Mendez, will also be returning, thanks again to
HSC.
We are so very fortunate to have been able to hire such a wonderful group of hard-working and qualified people.
Now for a few scheduling and attendance details:
-There will be morning yard supervision starting at 8:00 a.m. Please do not drop off your children before that time. If
you need to drop off students before 8:00 a.m., please consider enrolling in the on-site day care program,
Campus Kids Connection, whose program begins at 7:00 a.m.
-Daily schedules: Regular Schedules Jr. Kinder at Opal Cliffs Early Birds 9:00 -1:30
Late Birds 10:15 - 2:45
Santa Cruz Gardens : Kindergarten Early Birds 8:30 – 1:00
Late Birds 9:45 – 2:15
1st - 3rd Grades 8:30 - 2:40
4th - 5th Grades 8:30 - 3:15
• Every Friday Minimum Day Schedules Jr. Kinder at Opal Cliffs 9:00 – 12:15
Santa Cruz Gardens : Kindergarten 8:30 - 11:45
1st - 3rd Grades 8:30 - 12:00
4th - 5th Grades 8:30 - 12:10
-The 24-hour Attendance Hot Line number is 464-5645.
-BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT:

Opal Cliffs is scheduled for THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20.
Santa Cruz Gardens is scheduled for THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13.
-The school calendar is attached.
•Class changes – Before we left for summer, teachers and administration spent a great deal of time considering
many factors including parent input to create the most educationally balanced classes possible. We put much
thought and many hours into these decisions, taking into account a number of factors, including gender balance,
diverse needs and strengths, leadership and personality issues, as well as written parent requests. We have done
our very best, so I am asking for your patience, flexibility and effort to give the current class assignments a
chance to work, but also to understand that if we have to make changes, we will once again consider all of the
above educational factors.
In keeping with district-wide practice, I will not be considering requests for changes during the first 10 days of
school. However, should you have a request for a change, you may submit it in writing for consideration using our
forms at any time.
All District schools are at capacity and having to reconfigure classrooms and teacher assignments is a possibility.
In the event that we have to change student placements, we will do everything we can to minimize these
changes. However, please realize that it is hard to predict the number of new students and respective grade
levels; therefore, any enrollment increase may have a “domino effect” on assignments after class lists are posted,
and may continue after school starts.
•First Day of School Packet - Please complete the Emergency Card information and return it on AUGUST 30,
with your child to the classroom teacher. These cards help us navigate daily parent communication and
emergencies. Included is also the Santa Cruz Gardens Information to Parents. Please review it with your
child(ren) and keep it in a safe place to refer to as necessary. There is a wealth of information about the school
including but not limited to attendance policies, before and after school dismissal and medications at school. The
last page reviews school and playground rules. Inasmuch as we have exceptionally focused and well-mannered
children, this gentle review will help reinforce learning goals and positive behavior. The packet also includes
important information such as Parents' Rights, and the On-Line Internet Agreement for students. This
agreement, along with the acknowledgment of receipt of Parents' Rights and other pages will need to be signed
by parents and students and returned right away to the classroom teacher. Those students who return all
paperwork by Friday, August 31, will have their names entered in a “Friday prize drawing.”
•Child Nutrition Program – Our computerized data system program allows us to complete the paperwork
quickly. Students have laminated cards and you are able to pre-pay for meals much in advance. Please do
return free and reduced lunch applications as soon as possible even if you qualified last year. Meal
prices have changed.
Lastly, please take extreme care while dropping off and picking up your children. The beginning of school is always a
crowded time. It is imperative that students are NEVER asked to walk in the parking lot in between cars. If there are
no available parking spaces in the school lot, I strongly urge you to park outside the school grounds and either walk in to
pick up your children, or have your children meet you in a specified place along one of the streets near the school. Our
students’ safety is extremely important and all of us need to keep this in mind all year long.
Santa Cruz Gardens is an exceptionally fine school. I believe this is so because the staff, parents and students work
together to make the educational experience one of the best. It is a privilege to be a member of this outstanding learning
community. You can be certain that I will continue to care for your children and strive for high achievement in all areas. I
look forward to seeing everyone soon. Please feel free to call the school office at 464-5670 if you have any questions or
concerns.
Sincerely,
Molly Whiteley
Principal
Santa Cruz Gardens School