8.18 Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Day / PTA Kindergarten Play Date 3-5pm

8.21 Kindergarten Family Connections Meetings

8.27 Welcome Back Event 3-4pm (meet the teacher) / PTA Back to School Picnic 3:30-5:00 (Brew Dogs & Mimi's Ice Cream Trucks)

9.1 First Day of School

9.2 No Late Start Wednesday (school starts at 8:15am)

9.4 No School

9.7 No School

9.9 Late Start Wednesday Begins (9:15am)

9.16 Back to School Night 5:30-7:00

School Supply List: Click here 

Welcome back, Chambers families!

We are excited to begin another wonderful school year together! Whether your family is returning to Chambers or joining our school community for the first time, we are so glad you are here. We know the beginning of a new school year can bring a mix of excitement and nervousness, especially when your child is starting at a new school. Please know that our caring staff will be ready to welcome your child, help them learn our routines, and make sure they feel safe, supported, and connected.

This newsletter includes many important details to help your family prepare for the start of school. Please take time to read everything carefully, follow the included links, and mark your calendar with important upcoming dates. We cannot wait to welcome our students and families back to Chambers and begin a great year of learning and growing together!

Gratefully serving Chambers students, staff and community,

Mrs. Gann

Teacher Placement: On August 26th at 4pm, families can log into Family Access and find out their child’s teacher. Please remember that teachers and administrators worked closely together in the spring using a number of factors to create balanced classrooms and therefore, placement change requests are not available. You will need to first log into Family Access and update your demographic information to see teacher placement (see Family Access Update action item below).

Welcome Back Event/Meet the Teachers (repeat): August 27th from 3-4pm we will host a casual meet and greet. Classrooms will be open so you can meet your child’s teacher, preview curriculum samples, and drop off school supplies. Please click here to see our school supply list. If you are unable to attend, please send school supplies with your child on the first day of school. If you need assistance with school supplies, please contact our counselor, Betsy Quay at equay@upsd83.org or through the ParentSquare app. There is also the Back to School Night in September with evening times to accommodate for more schedules (more information in an upcoming newsletter).

As we begin the school year, we encourage all families to review the UPSD Primary Student Handbook. The handbook includes important information about school expectations, procedures, safety, attendance, student behavior, and other topics that help our schools operate safely and consistently. We appreciate your partnership in reviewing this information with your child.

Below are reminders about two topics that frequently generate questions from families.

Birthday Celebration Reminders: We want every student to feel known, valued, and celebrated at Chambers. Students who would like to have their birthday recognized will hear their name during the morning announcements and receive a special birthday pencil from the office. Classroom teachers also have a plan for recognizing birthdays in a simple and meaningful way and will share more information at Back to School Night or through classroom newsletters.

To protect instructional time, ensure equity, and reduce allergy exposure, families should not send treats, food, gifts, or other items to school for their child’s birthday. Individual birthday celebrations and the distribution of food or gifts will not take place during class. Thank you for helping us follow the UPSD Primary School Handbook guidelines while ensuring that birthdays are acknowledged in ways that are meaningful, equitable, and reasonable.

Please Leave Toys at Home: To help students stay focused on learning and prevent personal belongings from becoming lost, damaged, or a source of conflict, toys and trading cards should remain at home. This includes stuffed animals, action figures, collectible items, electronic toys, and other items brought from home for play. Toy weapons and look alike weapons are never allowed at school.

Students may bring an item when requested by a teacher for a specific classroom activity or when it has been approved as part of an individual student support plan. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe, focused, and welcoming learning environment for all students.

Arrival/Dismissal Procedures (repeat): Please review our arrival and dismissal procedures to help our systems run smoothly. It usually takes a few days to work out some kinks so expect some delays. We appreciate your patience and understanding. We averaged 15 minute total dismissal times last year and I look forward to continued efficiency in this area. There is typically an increase in traffic during the start of the school year, so please be patient and follow all safety rules and procedures.

Permanent Daily Dismissal Plan (repeat): In an effort to streamline our dismissal procedures, we are asking each family to share with us your student’s dismissal plan for the 26/27 school year. This will also help us improve our systems to make parent drop-off and pick-up as efficient as possible. Please complete the Transportation for 26/27 School Year form. If you have multiple students, please complete one form for each student. Once we have your student’s dismissal plan, any daily or permanent changes need to be communicated to the Main Office. 

Family Access Update (repeat): Family Access is now open for you to update your student’s basic and emergency information. We ask all families to provide the most current information about their student, including up-to-date health information, phone numbers and email addresses for families and emergency contacts. (Please note that you are not able to update information on the Skyward Mobile App and need to log onto a computer to update information. If you need assistance with computer access you can visit our school or district office).

From our Nutrition Services Department (repeat): breakfast and lunch at our Primary Schools will continue to be free of charge. Milk by itself is not funded under HB 1238 and will cost $0.75 each if purchased outside of a reimbursable meal.

Complete a free-reduced price meal application every year. Meal applications determine the percent of students enrolled who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and our ability to offer free breakfast and lunch under Meals for Washington Students (HB 1238) is determined annually by the State. This also determines if you qualify for reduced field trip costs and reduced summer school rates if your child is eligible to attend that program.

 

The first day of school is September 1st (Kindergarten students have a staggered start. Kindergarten families will be emailed that information by August 21st). School starts promptly at 8:15am. Students eating breakfast may be dropped off at 7:45am and all other students can be dropped off at 8am. Our dot system on the ground is still in place and is very helpful for students as they learn how to travel to their new classrooms. See the list of classrooms below.

In our continued efforts to keep student safety as our foremost priority, only staff and students are allowed beyond the school office during the school day (including arrival and dismissal times). We will make extra staff available to support students during the first few days as they learn our arrival routines. If you feel you have a unique situation and your child may need additional support, please contact me or the Assistant Principal, Catie Bartley.

Students arriving prior to 8am will go directly inside to our cafeteria (if eating breakfast) or to the gym (bus riders not eating breakfast). Staff will guide students to follow their colored dots to their classroom beginning at 8:05.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership with us to help create a smooth start to what will be a great year.