08/23/2026
🌟𝕎𝔼𝕃ℂ𝕆𝕄𝔼 𝔹𝔸ℂ𝕂 𝕋𝕆 𝕊ℂℍ𝕆𝕆𝕃🌟
The first days of school are here, and we are so excited to officially begin our first year as the Little Pack! As we settle into new routines, new routes, and a brand-new school, here are a few important reminders to help everyone have a smooth start.
🐾Schoolwide Reminders
•Arrival & Dismissal
Please be mindful of our scheduled arrival and dismissal times and allow a little extra patience during the first several days as students, staff, and families learn our new routines. Doors will open at 7:30am and the Tardy bell will ring at 7:55am. If you arrive after 7:55am, you must park and walk your child in to check them in at the front office. Parents, you are welcome to park and walk your child in for their first day of school. Our dismissal bell will ring at 2:55pm.
•First-Day Transportation
Please make sure your child's teacher knows exactly how your child will be getting home on the first day of school and notify the teacher of any transportation changes before 12:00pm.
🚗Carpool
If your child is in kindergarten or 1st grade and did not receive a carpool tag, you will receive it tomorrow. You may pick it up in the morning or we will send it home in their folders.
Please follow your assigned Gray or Blue Carpool Lane assignment and have your carpool tag visible. Following the assigned route will help us keep traffic moving safely and efficiently. Reminder:
🔹Blue Lane: PreK, Kindergarten & 1st Grade
▫️Gray Lane: 2nd Grade and 3rd Grade
▪️Families with Siblings:
If your family has a student in 2nd or 3rd grade, your family will use the Gray Lane, unless your youngest child is in Pre-K.
If your youngest child is in Pre-K, your family will be assigned to the Blue Lane.
🚌Bus Riders
During the first few weeks, bus routes and times may fluctuate as we learn our new routes. Please be at your child's bus stop and watching for the bus 15 minutes before through 15 minutes after the estimated arrival time.
Remember, an adult must be present at the bus stop to receive PK–3 students in the afternoon. If an adult is not present, the student will be returned to school.
📲ClassDojo
Make sure you have joined your child's ClassDojo. This will be one of the primary ways teachers share classroom information, reminders, and updates.
🍎Breakfast and Lunch
We are so fortunate as a district to be able to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students. This begins tomorrow morning and all 1st through 3rd graders can go straight to the cafeteria to eat their breakfast as soon as they arrive. During the first week, Kindergarten students should go straight to their classrooms in the morning. Teachers will bring all kindergarten students to the cafeteria in the morning to eat as a class and
explicitly teach and practice breakfast procedures. Once students have had an opportunity to become comfortable with their new school and classroom routines, students may begin going to breakfast as soon as they arrive from the car rider or bus rider lane.
We will have staff on duty to help all students find their way through the building.
✏️Snacks, Water & Supplies
Students may bring a snack and water bottle each day. Donations of classroom snacks are also greatly appreciated! Don't forget to send in your child's requested school supplies.
📋Open House Paperwork
If you were unable to attend Open House, please be on the lookout for paperwork coming home with your child. Complete, sign, and return any requested forms as soon as possible.
🐾Kindergarten Families
Kindergarten will have staggered entry Monday–Wednesday.
🐾Pre-K Families
Our Pre-K team will be completing scheduled home visits this week and looks forward to meeting our families and beginning to welcome the youngest members of our Little Pack!
Pre-K students will begin school on a staggered schedule beginning Monday, August 31. Your child's teacher will provide specific information regarding your child's schedule during the home visit.
🐾EC Adaptive Families
Please check ClassDojo for specific arrival, dismissal, classroom, and first-day information from your child's homeroom teacher.
💻SchoolCash Online Update
We are currently experiencing technical difficulties with our SchoolCash Online system. We are working with the company to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
Thank you for your patience! We will notify families as soon as a solution has been reached.
💙 Our First Day in the Books
The first few days will be a learning experience for all of us as we establish new routines in our new home. Thank you for your patience, flexibility, communication, and partnership as we work together to make the first days of Washington Elementary School safe, smooth, and special for every child.
I hope you have a restful evening and a calm heart knowing our staff is so excited to meet your child, a founding member of the Little Pack!
Respectfully,
Dr. Kelly Makepeace
Principal
