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UNION GAP SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
JANUARY 2023
Superintendent’s Message:
Greetings from the Union Gap School District! It is hard to believe that we have completed the holiday season and looking towards spring! As the weather changes and we spend more time inside, it is vital to remind families to make sure students are dressed appropriately before they leave for school.
Also, winter brings snow. ☹ As a reminder, there are many ways to obtain information on whether school is delayed or cancelled. Robocalls, ParentSquare, district website, social media, district app or local news will provide this information. Classes will begin at 10:30 am for ALL students (regardless of grade level) when we have a two-hour delay. Bus routes will run two hours later than normal on late start days. Breakfast will not be served.
Parents/Guardians: The final decision on whether your child attends school is always up to you. Please call us at 248-3966 to let us know you kept your child home due to your local road conditions. The decision to delay school will be announced as soon as possible but likely by 6 am.
Union Gap School District uses ParentSquare as a communication platform for district, school and classroom communications. ParentSquare automatically generates an account for each parent/guardian using their email address and/or phone number that has been provided to the school. The district is also moving to utilizing ParentSquare for secure document delivery which means that you will not receive your child’s report card or be able to sign up for conferences unless you are registered in ParentSquare. Registered means that you have created a username and password. All parents/guardians not registered, receive an email/text reminder on a weekly basis.
Over 200 of our students attended October’s Cub Academy. Given it was our first time providing this type of learning opportunity for our students, we are pleased with the positive feedback we received from students, parents and staff. We are in the process of planning our February Cub Academy intersession, February 21-24.
The periodic school newsletter will continue to be distributed as described below due to the extensive expense of mailing/printing:
- We will only mail the August/September AND Annual Performance Report in January due to costs.
- All other newsletters are posted on the district’s web site https://www.uniongapschool.org and a hard copy is available for review in the district’s office.
Note: The City of Union Gap and the Union Gap School District do not have the same boundary lines. However, it’s less expensive for the school district to mail out the required bi-annual newsletter to all addresses in the City of Union Gap (bulk rate) versus mailing to only patrons residing in the Union Gap School District boundary area.
Our goal is to continue to communicate consistently with our community. We greatly appreciate any suggestion that will help us continue to provide a safe and positive learning environment for our students. As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns.
~ Lisa G. Gredvig, Superintendent
HAS YOUR ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, OR EMAIL CHANGED?
If so, please contact the Main Office (248-3966) and give them your current address/phone number/email address. This is very important if the need arises to contact you for safety and/or academic reasons.
Thank you!
Thank you to the following businesses for your generous donations to Union Gap School. Your monetary assistance and your personal help towards our family nights have been truly appreciated by students, families, and Union Gap School Staff. We want to thank you for the Christmas dinners, coats, and your time.
Union Gap Police Department, Union Gap Fire Department, Michael Briggs/Knights of Columbus, Kyle Hopkins/American Rock Products, Wesco Paint & Equipment, and Pepe’s Cakes.
THANK YOU, Secret Santa! You brought joy and happiness to some of our families.
ATTENTION UNION GAP PRESCHOOL FAMILIES:
The Union Gap School provides Child Find screenings throughout the school year at no cost to families. The purpose of this screening is to identify preschool age children who are at risk for developmental delays and may require special education services.
You may want to consider the following questions: Does your child:
- Have a vision or hearing problem?
- Have difficulty speaking or expressing him/herself?
- Do things much later than other children the same age?
If you have concerns about your child’s development, please call 248-3966.
Union Gap School Board Honorees:
These students were honored for their academic excellence for the month of November 2022:
- Ayrionna Atkinson
- Ivan Cervantes
- Diego Gomez
- Yeraldin Paredes
- Alejandro Ramirez
- Ricardo Rivera
- Jenifer Salamanca
- Alexandro Trejo
Back row: Diego Gomez, Alejandro Ramirez, Ricardo Rivera, Alexandro Trejo, Jenifer Salamanca, Kathryne Pottenger, Ivan Cervantes and Melissa Butler
Front row: Yeraldin Paredes, Christie Tirado, Linda Doria and Ayrionna Atkinson
School Facility Security Measures
Union Gap School District utilizes a variety of state of the art security systems as well as a partnership with the ESD 105 School Safety Operations and Coordination Center (SSOCC) to ensure the safety of all students, staff, and visitors. We wanted to share some of the security features that go into creating a safe environment for teaching and learning.
One the most important features for day to day operations is our visitor management system to ensure all visitors are accounted for and that only pre-screened adults are allowed into the building, this includes parents, contractors, volunteers, vendors, and other guests.
Additionally, we have a great surveillance system to ensure we have good visibility throughout our campus as well as on our buses and an excellent access control system that helps keep our building secure from the outside and allows us to issue electronic "keys" that can easily be disabled if lost.
Lastly, we utilize a variety of emergency communication systems to help relay important information to staff and local law enforcement, which we feel is critical in the event of an emergency.
Safety is always a very high priority at Union Gap School and we will continue to research and implement new safety features and methods to ensure we continue to offer the safest environment for our staff and students!
Union Gap School Board Honorees:
These students were honored for their academic excellence for the month of December 2022:
- Yara Castaneda-Alvarez
- Aylin Hernandez
- Delyna Martinez Delgado
- Eli Olivera
- Juan Torres
- Ethan Zamora
Back row: Kara McDonald, Maggie Bledsoe, Danielle Eaton, Beljica Franco-Cortes, Kelley Carey, Kelli Lemke Front row: Yara Castaneda-Alvarez, Ethan Zamora, Eli Olivera, Juan Torres, Delyna Martinez Delgado and Aylin Hernandez
Union Gap Police Department
Union Gap Police Department secured funds to help about 100 of our families who may need a little help with a food basket during this Christmas holiday. Food basket consisted of a ham, potatoes, gravy, stuffing, canned vegetables, apple juice, milk, butter, rolls and a pie which were distributed on Saturday, December 17th.
Native American Culture Family Night – Fry Bread by A&B Native American Cuisine
Union Gap School Band participated in the Union Gap Lighted Holiday Parade
Thank you, Tina Hull and Desi Reinmuth, for your many hours of volunteer time you happily donate to Union Gap School for our students and families. We appreciate you both very much!
DATES TO REMEMBER
Jan. 16 NO SCHOOL-Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday
Feb. 15 Class Photos
Feb. 20 NO SCHOOL-Presidents’ Day
Feb 21-24 Cub Academy Intersession or NO SCHOOL
Nondiscrimination Statement:
The Union Gap School District does not tolerate discrimination in connection with any programs, activities, or employment based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, including gender expression or identity, creed, religion, age, veteran or military status, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups. Inquiries regarding compliance procedures may be directed to the school district Civil Rights Coordinator, Mr. Patrick Vincent, 3201 S. 4th Street, pvincent@uniongap.org (509) 248-3966. You can report discrimination and discriminatory harassment to any school staff member or to the district's Civil Rights Coordinator, listed above. You also have the right to file a complaint. For a copy of your district’s nondiscrimination 3210 policy and procedure, contact your school or district office or view it online at www.uniongapschool.org.