Washington Woods Family Newsletter

Baud's Blog

Welcome Back, Woods Family!

It was so great seeing our students and families at Open House! Our building was full of smiles, excitement, and lots of happy reunions. We are so excited to welcome our students back on Monday and officially kick off another great year at Washington Woods!

As we get ready for the first day, I want to share a few important reminders and pieces of new information to help everyone have a smooth start to the school year.

Please take the time to read through the important information below about Parent Drop off and Pick up, and snacks at school.

Stay Connected

Don't miss out on all the great things happening at Washington Woods! We invite you to follow our Washington Woods Elementary School Facebook (search Washington Woods Elementary) and Instagram pages for important reminders, school updates, student celebrations, and a glimpse into the wonderful learning happening throughout our building. You can also stay connected through weekly newsletters once school starts Moving forward you can expect these on Mondays!) , and our school website (links below).

Thank you for trusting us with your children each day. It is truly a privilege to serve this incredible community. We are excited to begin another year of learning, growth, and making memories together.

We'll see you soon!

Mrs. Libby Baud

Principal, Washington Woods Elementary

🚗 School Dismissal Manager

If you have not already done so, please set up your School Dismissal Manager account and enter your child’s regular dismissal plan as soon as possible. Please use the QR codes below to upload the app. The email you have in powerschool is your username. You can click "forget password" and follow the prompts to create a new one and get started.

School Dismissal Manager is the tool families will use throughout the school year to:

Enter and manage your child’s regular dismissal plan
Make changes to your child’s dismissal plan
Report an absence
Report an appointment or other planned early dismissal

Please note: All dismissal changes must be made by 1:30 p.m. each school day. The system will close for dismissal changes at 1:30, so please make sure any changes are entered before that time.

We know the first few days of school can feel like a lot of information at once, so please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions. Our goal is to make sure dismissal is safe, smooth, and predictable for everyone!

🚗 Parent Drop-Off & Pick-Up

A few important reminders will help us keep arrival and dismissal safe, efficient, and moving smoothly this year.

🚙 Morning Drop-Off: 7:35-7:48

We have two separate drop-off lines:

Front Circle Drive: Grades K–1 and siblings
Follow the white shamrocks to the Front Circle Drive.

Back Circle Drive: Grades 2–5
Follow the yellow shamrocks to the Back Circle Drive.

Please note the change to the Front Circle Drive route this year!
Be sure to check the map below so you know which route to follow.

A few tips for a smooth morning drop-off:

Have your child ready to get out of the car quickly, with all belongings packed and ready to go.
Students should exit the vehicle on the curb side.
For everyone's safety and to keep the line moving, parents should remain in their vehicles.
We will have adults outside to help students get out of the car when needed.

Important: The doors at Front Circle Drive and gate to the Back Circle Drive will close at 7:48 a.m. If you arrive after the doors or gate has closed, please park and walk your child to the office. (Anytime you are bringing your child in late, you need to walk them to the office to sign them in)

🚙 Parent Pick-Up

Front Circle Drive- Kindergarten- 1st grade (and siblings)

Back Circle Drive- Grades 2-5

This year, students will be dismissed from their classrooms at 2:35 p.m. Teachers will take attendance and begin sending students to their cars once they have been accounted for.

We are also excited to be using the Fast Lane feature through School Dismissal Manager this year. When you arrive in the pick-up line, you will scan the QR code provided. This allows us to see which students are in the cars waiting and send children out in the order of the cars in line.

FastLane Parent Check-in Method

QR Code: We will be utilizing FastLane during our afternoon dismissals. You will be asked a series of questions when creating a FastLane dismissal. Select the Any Parent of… option, unless it is necessary to be specific, so that no matter which parent shows up their PIN number will be valid for pick-up. To scan the QR Code at the check-in point, make sure the SDM app has been given access to your phone’s camera before the first day of FastLane check-in. Click the blue Scan QR code button and follow the on-screen instructions to check-in. FastLane will begin on August 17, so be sure your child’s default dismissal is correct before this date.

Thank you for helping us make arrival and dismissal safe, organized, and as smooth as possible for our students and families!

🍎 Snacks & Food at School

We have made a change to our approved snack expectations this year. To help keep our classrooms and school spaces as safe as possible for students with allergy needs, students may only bring snacks that are included on the district-approved snack list.

Please take a moment to review the list and choose snacks from the approved options when packing your child’s snack.

If a student brings a snack that is not on the approved list, they will be asked to bring that item home. We will be able to provide an approved snack for the student that day, but moving forward, families will need to send a snack from the approved list.

🎂 Birthdays & Food at School

We are also making a change to birthday celebrations. Families will no longer be permitted to send food items to school for student birthdays.

We know birthdays are special, and we look forward to celebrating our students in ways that do not involve bringing food into the classroom.

In addition, any classroom activities or PTO-sponsored school-day events that involve food will go through an approval process with Mrs. Baud and Mrs. Southworth, our school nurse, before the event.

Thank you for helping us create a safe environment for all of our students and for partnering with us as we put these new expectations into place!

Safe Visitor

What is SafeVisitor?

In an effort to constantly improve and enhance school safety, we use the SafeVisitor visitor management system at all WWS schools. This comprehensive system enhances our building entrance security to better check and authorize visitors to our schools.

Access SafeVisitor Here

When do I need to complete a SafeVisitor background check?

A SafeVisitor background check is required for anyone who visits our schools, including family members of our students. The following are examples of activities in the schools which require a completed SafeVisitor background check:

Lunch Guests
Classroom Parties
Classroom Volunteers/Helpers/Room Parents
Field Trip Chaperones

2026-2027 Calendar

The Shamrock Blast - Click here to view the District Newsletter!

Powerschool

The Powerschool Parent Portal is an essential part of every WWS student's journey. Please visit and bookmark the link below for easy access. New families should have received a Parent Portal Letter via email, so please check for that (check Spam too!). You can alwaus email our Secretary at garverr@wws.k12.in.us for help.

Log into Your PowerSchool Parent Portal Here