Joan Austin Jaguar Family Update

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Dear Families and Students,

Welcome back! School is starting tomorrow! Our staff is very excited to see your children and celebrate coming back together to learn, enjoying each other, and being at school!

The first few days, teachers will be spending time building classroom communities, having students get to know each other, and connecting with each of your children. We want students to LOVE coming to school!!!

Our Joan Austin mission continues to focus on insuring that all students feel valued, loved, and challenged academically.

We will also have more opportunities for families and parents/adults to participate and volunteer this year. It may look different, but your involvement and support makes our school community stronger and better.

It is an honor to be the principal at Joan Austin. I am grateful that you trust me to send your child/children to school each day.

With gratitude,

Jen Bailey,

Joan Austin Principal

School hours for students are 8:00 - 2:40 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and 9:00 - 2:40 on Wednesdays. As part of our safety protocols, all school doors will remain closed and locked until 7:50. Students will begin entering the building at 7:50 (8:50 on Wednesdays).

We are excited to welcome our students back to school in person this year. In order to accomplish this, the district is going to be sure to follow all OHA and ODE requirements. At this time that includes...

• Social distancing of 3 feet in all areas (6 feet distancing in cafeteria)

• Requiring masks in school for staff and students

• Keeping students home if they have colds (this is standard school practice, but even more important in the era of COVID)

• Greeting students as they enter school, visual health check, and providing hand sanitizer

• Using hand sanitizer and washing hands frequently

This is always an exciting topic! Things to remember:

• Cars/vehicles will loop through the large parking lot this year for pick up and drop off.
• If you drop off or pick up, your student in a car we ask that you use the drop-off and pick up lane and pull as far forward as you can.
• Please have your child ready to go with a mask on and seatbelt off once you pull up to the cones.
• There will be staff directing you where to stop. We ask that you STAY IN YOUR CAR in the drop-off and pick-up lane.
• At pick up, staff will bring your student to you in your car. We understand that it takes a while to get the procedures down.
• If you need to buckle up your child once they get in the car, please pull forward to the "buckle up" area. This helps move the traffic faster! Thank you!

YES all students will be offered a breakfast as they enter school each morning. If students eat breakfast at home, they do not need to grab a breakfast. In all classrooms, teachers will be spacing kids out who are eating. In all classrooms we will be practicing social distancing and keeping masks on at all times besides breakfast.

Parents are welcome to drop their child off closer to the 7:58-7:59 time if their child is not eating breakfast and if this feels more comfortable.

Message from the district: We decided that classrooms are the best way to grant access for all students since our cafeterias can not safely sit the entire school in those spaces at the same time. We are working to provide as much distancing as possible for the students who eat in the classrooms, separating them from other students when possible.

One of the questions I have been asked is about Supply Night. At this point, we are not able to bring that many people together at one time. Luckily this year Newberg School District has committed to purchasing school supplies for our students. Our staff is working on new ways to welcome our students to the start of the school year. There will be many staff supporting on the first days of school to be sure students all get to the right places.

Communication: We have multiple ways to communicate with parents. It is vital to be sure to have your email and phone numbers correct in our system in order to get these communications.

In addition please follow Joan Austin on Facebook and Instagram (@joanaustinjaguars) as you will find lots of information there as well as pictures and videos of all the great stuff happening at school. Classroom teachers will also have systems to communicate with you such as SeeSaw and Remind. As you get this information from your teachers, be sure to sign up for these apps to stay connected. Of course, emails and phone calls with questions are alway encouraged as well.

Office:
Mrs. Bailey, Principal – baileyj@newberg.k12.or.us
Mrs. Hyatt, Counselor – hyattm@newberg.k12.or.us

Mrs. Anita, Head Secretary - lefflera@newberg.k12.or.us

Ms. Maya, Secretary – benhamm@newberg.k12.or.us

Mrs. Woodruff, Bilingual Secretary - woodruffl@newberg.k12.or.us

Call the Office: 503-554-4550.
The office is open from 7 am to 3:30 pm each day. If it goes to voice mail, please leave a message and someone will call you back as soon as possible.

Email: baileyj@newberg.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.newberg.k12.or.us/joanaustin
Location: Joan Austin Elementary School, North Center Street, Newberg, OR, USA
Phone: 503 554-4550
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AustinElementary/
Twitter: @joanaustinjaguars