It is my absolute honor to serve as the Principal of Arroyo Vista Elementary! I plan to communicate with families regularly throughout the school year in many ways, and this is your first glimpse of a monthly newsletter. Future newsletters will contain photos of school and share the good news about student learning and well-being, but I wanted to reach out to you before the first day of school to give you some information, especially if you are a new family to our school.

If you are new, I'm new, too! I was a principal in La Cañada for eight years, and I live in that community with my husband and two greyhounds. I've been enjoying my daily drive to AV, and I am truly enjoying being a part of the South Pasadena community. I have dedicated my life to service and love working with children. I come with the experience of working with all age levels, academic levels, and maturity levels and am committed to helping students grow and learn, even from their mistakes.

The amazing AV staff is excited to welcome students and families back. The custodial team is busy deep cleaning classrooms. New AV Assistant Principal, Timaree Hayes, has been busy helping me plan for the first days of school and has been so helpful with answering any questions I have had. The Office Staff returns on August 1 and will be available to parents at that time. The teaching staff is waiting to get back into their classrooms, and many teachers have been making plans for the new school year from home! Our classified staff will be ready on Day One, as well. The PTA, led by Erik Gammell and Patti Urzua, already has some exciting events planned for the year. I look forward to partnering with all of these important constituents and with all AV families to create the best 2023-24 school year!

In this newsletter, I will highlight a lot of information about the start of the school year and preview some upcoming events. You can learn about other forms of communication in this newsletter, as well. The blue rectangles are buttons that connect to important links. I invite you to sit back, relax, and read on.

Go Wildcats!

Sincerely,

Emily Blaney

Between Wednesday, July 26 at 8:00 am and Monday, August 14 at 12:00 pm, you are required to view and verify annual parental notifications for your child and verify your child’s information online at my.spusd.net (click on Current Students-Parent Portal). You will be able to update the contacts and medical sections in AERIES, but not your child’s address. This can only be done in person at your child’s school site, upon presentation of required residency documents. Please make sure each parent or guardian has a separate contact in the “Contacts” section, with all relevant information, including parent/guardian education level.

On August 15 and 16, parents/family members may walk their student(s) to their classrooms. Arrive early (but not too early) for the best photo opportunities!

TK and Kindergarten have a special schedule the first day of school:

AM Kindergarten: 8:10 - 9:40 a.m.

PM TK and Kindergarten: 11:35 - 1:05 p.m.

1st - 5th Graders follow their regular schedule, which is attached at the end of this newsletter.

After the first couple of days of school, students may enter campus through any of the four gates listed below. Parents/Caregivers may walk students to the gate or drop them off via the drop-off lane.

Gate Assignments for Dismissal Only:

Students will exit campus through the following assigned gates:

El Centro Street Gate: 1st and 3rd Grade (Kawakami & Diaz)

Kinder Cawston Ave. Gate 1: Kindergarten, SDC K-2

Cawston Ave. Gate 2: SDC Preschool (arrival and pick-up), PM TK

Cawston Ave. Gate 3: 5th Grade

Doran St. Gate: 2nd, 3rd (Bose, Cabot, Mukhopadhyay) and 4th grade

All students that attend an after school program will meet at the lunch tables.

If you are picking up students from different grade levels at the same dismissal time, they may exit from the youngest sibling’s gate.

Once the students have started their first day of school and parents have a chance to dry their eyes, I hope parents can stay and catch up over coffee, provided by our PTA. This get-together will take place in the multi-purpose room.

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Back to School Night is during the first week of school this year. I hope you can attend this Parent-Only event to meet the AV administration, PTA leadership, and, of course, the teachers! This is the schedule. Please note: TK and Kindergarten students will all be on the AM schedule on this day (8:10 - 11:35 a.m.). 1st - 5th grade students will have an early dismissal time of 2:00 p.m.

5:30 - 6:00: 3rd - 5th Grade Parent Welcome

6:00 - 6:45: 3rd - 5th Grade Parents in Classrooms

6:30 - 7:00: TK-2nd Grade Parent Welcome

7:00 - 7:45: TK - 2nd Grade Parents in Classrooms

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

ParentSquare is connected to Aeries, so when you register, you automatically are set up to receive communication from the school and the district. ParentSquare will also be used in emergency situations. I use ParentSquare to send updates and reminders. Families will also receive this monthly Smore newsletter through ParentSquare. It is helpful to have the ParentSquare App because all communication stays there and is easier to pull up than looking through your email.

If you subscribe to the Weekly Wildcat, you will receive an informative email every Sunday from PTA. You'll know all about the upcoming events that PTA supports as well as all of the enrichment offerings from our community partners. While you're on the PTA website subscribing, be sure to join PTA!

This website is still being updated for the new school year, but I suggest you subscribe to the AV school calendar. You can see upcoming events and have one added layer of communication. The website also has links about policies, schedules, and resources for parents and students.

Arroyo Vista PTA has a wonderful Instagram account to share some great photos, videos, and graphics about school events. I will also start using Instagram to share moments captured during the school day.

Many teachers use the Weekly Wire, an envelope that is sent home on Tuesdays. Teachers may use the envelopes for graded classwork and other class notices as well as for flyers that are distributed at school. Teachers will explain their communication methods at Back to School Night.

I also love to communicate face to face and will be present as much as possible on campus. You may receive phone calls from me, and feel free to call me in the office if that is your preferred method. I am also available by email: eblaney@spusd.net. The flowchart summarizes the main communication methods for families.

Occasionally, there will be modified schedules. For example, TK and Kindergarten classes will have "double session" days about once per month when all students will be on the AM schedule, as they will on August 17th for Back to School Night. 1st - 5th grade classes will have early dismissal times on certain days throughout the year, and Aug. 17 is one of those days.

South Pasadena Unified continues to offer free brunch and lunch for students this year thanks to California's Universal Meal Program. Brunch is served during the morning break, and lunch is served during the lunch break. Students use their 6-digit ID number as their PIN. Menus can be found on the Food Services website. Students can also bring their own food from home, but remember that Arroyo Vista is a Peanut-Free school.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

Students in grades TK - 2nd will have opportunities to use technology in the classroom with the teacher. Students in grades 3rd - 5th will participate in a 1:1 program, where a Chromebook is assigned to each student individually, and students can bring their Chromebooks back and forth to school. Students will be assigned a new Chromebook in 3rd grade. Families are highly encouraged to purchase insurance for $29 per year in case of accidental damage, loss, or theft. Chromebook Guidelines and Insurance Forms are available at the end of this newsletter. We will also have copies in the main office.

Image by Katherine Gomez from Pixabay

You will be able to check to see who your child’s teacher is and corresponding classroom number by viewing your child’s information on the Parent Portal at my.spusd.net after 5:00 pm on Monday, August 14. If your child has not been assigned to a classroom, please come to the Arroyo Vista office at 8:00 am on the first day of school.

IImage by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

Diane Shanahan: K-2 SDC Class

Timaree Hayes: Assistant Principal

Gina Tolleson: 1st Grade

Jennifer Simon: 4th Grade

Thank you for making it the end of this newsletter! Reach out if you need anything.

Email: eblaney@spusd.net
Location: 335 El Centro Street, South Pasadena, CA, USA
Phone: (626) 441-5840