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UNION GAP SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
FEBRUARY 2023
SUPERINTENDENT MESSAGE:
Families and Community -
Where has the school year gone? Soon we will have our second intersession Cub Academy week and before we know it, we will be in Spring!
The District has been notified by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) that Union Gap school has met and/or exceeded all IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) compliance categories in a recent audit for the 2021-2022 school year. This speaks to the efforts of our Special Education staff and all of their hard work and dedication to their students.
As always, throughout this newsletter, one will find articles pertinent for our school community as well as various housekeeping items. Our goal is to provide updated information and to communicate with the Union Gap community the educational process of our district. Your continued feedback is vital in the communication process.
School board members spend countless hours, with no pay, working to improve educational opportunities for their constituent’s children. The month of January is recognized as Washington School Board Recognition Month. We thank them for their service to our district. The current Union Gap school board directors are listed below:
- Nicole Rivera (Chair)
- Dianna Grunlose (Vice-Chair & Legislative Representative)
- Jen Silver
- Laura Gutierrez
NO VALENTINE DELIVERIES
Reminder – Union Gap School District has a NO DELIVERY POLICY in regards to Valentine’s Day.
The no delivery items will include:
- Balloons
- Candy
- Stuffed animals
- Flowers
- Cards
This decision has been made due to the drastic increase of deliveries and lack of space. These deliveries not only disrupt the function of the office, but disrupt the academic day of our students and can cause potential safety hazards on our school buses. If you have any questions, please call the office and ask to speak with Mr. Vincent or Mr. Schilperoort. Thank you for your understanding. We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our schools a safe learning environment for your student.
Left Turn and Parking Lots
Parents/Community Members – please do not turn left into the drive through pick up line in front of the school. Signage and cones are posted restricting left turns.
Parking lots are not to be used for picking up/dropping off students unless your car is parked in a stall.
We have had numerous incidents where students and staff have almost been hit by cars making an illegal left turn into the drive through or pulling into parking lots and picking up/dropping off students without pulling into a parking stall.
Please obey all school signage and cones. Your cooperation will provide a safer parking area for yourself, your students and district staff.
Lisa G. Gredvig
Superintendent
DATES TO REMEMBER
- Feb. 15 Pictures Class
- Feb. 20 NO SCHOOL-President’s Day
- Mar. 10 NO SCHOOL-District Professional Day
- Mar. 13-17 Parent/Teacher Conferences, Early Release at 12: 50 p.m.
- Apr. 3-7 SPRING BREAK: NO SCHOOL
- Apr. 13-14 Snow Days, if needed or No School
- May 29 NO SCHOOL-Memorial Day
Union Gap School Board Honorees:
These students were honored for their academic excellence for the month of January 2023:
- Alex Barragan
- Valeria Gonzaga
- Araceli Herrera
- Elizabeth Herrera
- David Sanchez
- Estrella Solis Guillen
Back row: Henri Aguilar, Beth Schwartz, Kristen Bucknell, Jennifer Hunt & Nicole Volland
Front row: Alex Barragan, David Sanchez, Estrella Solis Guillen, Araceli Herrera, Elizabeth Herrera & Valeria Gonzaga.
ROSETTA STONE:
Union Gap School continues to use the Rosetta Stone technology based language learning program.
Students and parents use the program to learn English.
Contact Juanita Justo for more information at 248-3966 ext. 400.
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Union Gap School will begin registering students for kindergarten for the 2023-2024 school year starting March 2, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Registration will be ongoing for the remainder of this school year.
According to state law, a child must be 5 years of age on or before August 31, to be eligible for kindergarten. A birth certificate, proof of address and a completed certificate of immunization are required.
You need to bring the following documents with you when you enroll your child:
- Birth Certificate, verifying child's age
- Immunization Record – please be sure your child is current with their immunizations.
- 2 pieces of Proof of Residence (mortgage/rental agreement and current light bill, cable bill or land line telephone bill)
Requirements for registration can also be found here on our district website.
If you have any questions about registration, call Union Gap School's main office at 248-3966.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by gifting books free of charge to children from birth to age five, through funding shared by Dolly Parton and local community partners in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Republic of Ireland.
When a family signs-up for the program, they are provided a free book via mail every month from birth until the child enters Kindergarten (age 5).
To sign-up, families can use the website: https://imaginationlibrary.com or use a paper form available at United Way of Central WA on their website: https://uwcw.org/imaginationlibrary or at their office at 116 South 4th Street, Yakima.
The program updates books each year.
If you are curious to see the current list of books, they are listed at https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/book-list/.
DECEMBER 2022, STUDENT OF THE MONTH ASSEMBLY PHOTOS
- Melissa Gott with Emma Gonzalez & Leonardo Hacker
- Nicole Sullivan with Nevaeh Alexieff & Zailah Amaya
- Zoey Patnode with Ashley Andrade & Ivanna Carbajal
- Maggie Bledsoe with Hannah Markus (Axel Serrano Curiel-absent)
- Danielle Eaton with Mateo Villanueva & Myra Benge
- Kara McDonald with Camilla Perez-Causor & Angel Mendoza Medina
- Kelley Carey, Damian Santana (absent)
- Kelli Lemke with Melody Guzman
- Beljica Franco-Cortes with Ivy Pacheco
School Improvement Process and the Union Gap Community
All Title I schools are required to complete a School Improvement Plan. The plan must describe strategies for increasing student achievement. As part of the school improvement plan, schools must communicate with parents and provide opportunities for parents to be involved in developing and approving the school improvement plan. Union Gap School has always encouraged parent involvement in the school improvement process and will continue to do so.
We have had parents serve in the past on the Steering Committee which oversees school improvement. The committee meets TWICE a month.
If you are interested in being involved with this process or would like to volunteer in our school, please contact me at 248-3966, extension 306.
Patrick Vincent
Principal
PHOTOS FROM DECEMBER 2022 FAMILY NIGHT
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.