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Dear Cougar Families,

We have so much to celebrate! Our Drive for Schools fundraiser brought in almost $8,000, exceeding our $6,000 goal! Combined with the incredible $20,000 raised through our Jog-a-Thon, these efforts reflect the generosity and commitment of our Cougar community. We truly cannot thank you enough for your support!

Your donations help support our academically rich, developmentally appropriate art and music programs with our talented Suzie Blackburn and Diane Bock. These learning experiences nurture creativity, build skills and confidence, and give our students meaningful opportunities to express themselves. Thank you for helping make them possible!

College and Career Week gave our students opportunities to explore, ask questions, and imagine possibilities for their futures. Thank you to our family and community speakers for sharing your experiences, and to our school counselor, Jessica Hassani, for coordinating these connections.

In our classrooms, teachers continue to use student data and insights from parent-teacher conferences to guide instruction and connect students with support. Our focus on Academic Conversations helps students explain their thinking, listen to different perspectives, and learn from one another.

We’re also looking forward to our Halloween parade! Please review the parade details and costume guidelines below as you plan for the festivities. Costumes should allow students to move comfortably and participate in the school day. Please leave face-covering costume masks and all real, toy, or replica weapons at home, and choose costumes that are respectful and appropriate for our youngest Cougars.

Thank you to the volunteers and families who helped make Trunk or Treat a special community event! Please also see the information below about our upcoming Día de los Muertos celebration and other school happenings.

Your partnership helps make Soquel a place where children feel connected, supported, and excited to learn. Thank you for all you do for our Cougar community!

With Gratitude,
Principal Brittany Birchall

We will be holding picture retake morning on Monday, 10/26, 9 - 11 am. All students and staff who have not had their photo taken this school year will be asked to go to the MU Room to get their photo taken. Anyone who would like their child to have their photo retaken should make sure that their teacher is aware and bring in their original photo packets to give to the photographer. Volunteers will go to the classrooms to pick up students to get their phot taken.

If you are able to help with picture retake morning, please reach out to Mrs. Damer to sign up.

ddamer@suesd.org

October 26 (Monday) - Picture Retakes

October 28 - C2C Día de Los Muertos/Sugar Skulls Workshop MU Room 5 - 7 pm

October 30 - Halloween Parade

November 1st - Daylight Savings Ends, Set your clocks back 1 hour

Words Matter: Kindness the Cougar Way

At Soquel Elementary, we teach our Cougars that being kind includes the words we choose. Racist, homophobic, sexist, and other discriminatory or demeaning language has no place at school. This includes hurtful jokes, slurs, and put-downs—even when a child says, “I was just kidding.” We help students understand that words can hurt, regardless of intent, and that every person deserves to feel respected and included.

Please take a few minutes to talk with your child about choosing kind words, respecting differences, and telling a trusted adult when they hear hurtful language. When children make mistakes, we work together to help them understand the impact, take responsibility, and practice a more respectful response.

Thank you for reinforcing the Cougar Way at home and helping every child feel safe, valued, and welcome!

Helpful resources for families:

• Talking to Children About Racial Bias — American Academy of Pediatrics

• 5 Ways to Talk to Your Kids About Swearing—and Why — Common Sense Media

Halloween Fun: Keeping Our Cougars Safe!

Halloween brings plenty of excitement and creativity! As families plan costumes for school, please help us keep our celebrations safe, comfortable, and welcoming for all students.

• Keep faces visible. Costume masks that cover students’ faces are not permitted.

• Leave all real, toy, and replica weapons at home.

• Choose costumes that respect others. Costumes should not mock or stereotype anyone’s culture, race, religion, disability, gender, or other personal characteristics.

• Keep our youngest Cougars in mind by avoiding graphic or overly frightening costumes.

• Make sure children can see clearly, move comfortably, and participate in regular school activities.

For families celebrating beyond school, remember flashlights or reflective accessories, use sidewalks and crosswalks, and have children stay with a trusted adult or supervised group. Drivers, please watch carefully for excited children in our neighborhoods!

You can find more guidance in the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Halloween Safety Guide.

Wishing our Cougar families a fun and safe Halloween!

We are always grateful for the support our volunteers provide to our school. Your help in classrooms, on field trips, and at special events is an important part of our school community.

Recently, the State of California passed a new law requiring school volunteers to serve as Mandated Reporters. As a result, all volunteers are required to complete Mandated Reporter Training each year.

We use Keenan Safe Schools Training to provide this online training. Please click the self-registration link below and complete the training at your earliest convenience:

Keenan Self-Registration Portal:
https://soquel-keenan.safeschools.com/register/c02ca60f

After completing the training, please email it to ddamer@suesd.org or bring a copy of your certificate of completion to the school office.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by email or call the school office at 831-464-5655.

Beginning November 13, volunteers who have not completed the required training will not be able to volunteer until the training is completed.

Thank you for your continued support of our students and our school community!

Join us next Wednesday October 28th from 5-7pm for a fun, hands-on family workshop.¡We hope to see you there!

Hi Soquel El families, Cradle to Career is excited to invite you to our upcoming Sugar Skulls Workshop. Families will have the opportunity to decorate sugar skulls, learn about the cultural traditions of Dia de Muertos, and enjoy a fun evening. Please see this flyer to register for this fun and educational event.

We will be holding our annual Halloween Parade on Friday, 10/30, beginning at 10:20 am. Students are welcome to wear their costumes. We will walk down Porter St, turn onto Soquel Dr, turn onto Main St and return to school by way of the pedestrian bridge behind the school and enter thru the garden gate. Once back, we will hold a short dance party to show off our costumes. We will have other options available to students who choose not to participate in these activities. Here are a couple of restrictions with regards to costumes:

Your child’s artwork has been included in our school’s art fundraiser through Square1Art. Please check out the flyer to view the QR code;

English

Spanish

Coming home to you soon will be your child's custom catalog from Square1Art. You can get a head start on ordering keepsakes featuring your child's art, online NOW, if you like!

Orders will arrive in time for the winter holidays.

Simply search for your child's art using Art Search, and enter state, school name, and your student's

name. Your student's art and code will appear, and you may order!

Upload additional art if you like, using Art Upload!

Thank you for supporting Soquel Elementary!

Questions: sblackburn@suesd.org

Daylight Savings ends on November 1st. Remember to set your clocks back one hour.

Join us in celebrating this Latin American tradition of Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead). Día de los muertos is celebrated each year on November 1 & 2. Everyone is welcome to bring a picture, Day of the Dead bread, flowers, food or any article to put on the ofrenda to honor your loved one. Our ofrenda will be displayed in the MU. Please make sure to label your articles with your child's name and teacher so that we can return them to you.

We will be setting up the ofrenda on Monday, October 19 @2:30pm. Come lend a hand and learn more about this tradition.

Please bring your articles to the MU after October 19

Our Cougars had an incredible time at the Soquel High School track for our annual Jog-a-Thon! It was a day filled with running, school spirit, smiles, and plenty of Cougar fun.

A special shout-out goes to all our parent and guardian chaperones who walked with us and helped supervise and support our students throughout the event. Your presence helped make the day safe, organized, and successful.

We also extend a huge thank-you to our Home and School Club for all the time, planning, and energy that went into creating such a memorable experience for our students.

Thank you to School Resource Officer Adam Roberts and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office for supporting our transportation and providing additional safety precautions for our Cougars traveling to and from the event.

We are also grateful to Soquel High School Principal Julia Hodges for welcoming our students and supporting our HSC at the high school. It was exciting for our Cougars and future Knights to experience running on the Soquel High School track!

It was an extra-fun day in Cougar Land, and we appreciate everyone who helped make it possible. Go Cougars!

~Principal Birchall

Projected completion date: Februrary 2027

Cougar Cubs

Hi Soquel El families, I am so excited to continue working with our school community, classroom chorts, and students this year. Last year we successfully launched CYBHI (Children's and Youth Behaviors Health Initiative), receiving money from the State of California for mental and behavioral health support we already provide! In order to continue receiving reimbursement, we need families to update the consent to share information from each school year. If you did not do this with your back to school registration, please complete this consent form.

I am so thankful for your ongoing support as we start the new school year.

Jessica Hassani,

School Counselor

jhassani@suesd.org

(831)464-5655

If you would like additional information about the CYBHI program you can check out this informational FLYER or reach out to me at any time!

-We raised $7,595 from Drive for Schools—great job, everyone! Our school keeps all of that money to use towards Art & Music, and other school-wide events.

-Speaking of fundraising… our Jog A Thon raised $20,472! The top three classes were Ms. Oliva, Ms. Jimenez and Ms. Flaniken.

Thank you Soquel El families for all of your hard work and dedication to our students!

-Parents Night Out- Tickets are going fast!

Saturday, November 7

Dinner, drinks, live music, childcare for $100 per person

Email soquelelevents@gmail.com to reserve your spots.

-Yearbook Photos

Please send photos from school events and activities to Ms. Damer at ddamer@suesd.org.

Please include your child’s teacher’s name or the event name (Jog-a-Thon, school dance, carnival, etc.).

-Popsicle Friday Volunteers

We need volunteers to help with Popsicle Fridays!

Sign up to volunteer

-Save the Date for the Winter Boutique on Friday, December 11!

To keep arrival and dismissal safe, smooth, and welcoming for everyone, please help!

🐾 Slow Down
Please drive slowly and cautiously at all times while entering, exiting, and moving through the parking lot.

👀 Watch for Pedestrians
Students and families are walking through the area. Stay alert, look carefully, and always yield to pedestrians.

🚙 Pull Up to the Curb for Drop-Off & Pick-Up
When dropping off or picking up your child, please pull all the way forward along the curb. This helps traffic continue to move safely and creates space for other families.

🅿️ Parking? Please Use a Parking Space
If you are walking your child onto campus in the morning, please park in one of our beautiful new parking spaces. Please do not park or leave your vehicle along the curb, as the curb needs to remain available for safe and efficient student drop-off and pick-up.

❤️ Kindness + Patience + Safety = A Safe and Positive Experience During Arrival/Dimissal for All

Busy arrival and dismissal times work best when we all slow down, stay alert, show a little patience, and look out for one another. Thank you for helping us create a safe, kind, and welcoming environment for every student and family.

When we work together, we keep our Cougar community safe and joyful! 🐾

Step 1: Log in to Infinite Campus

Log in to your Infinite Campus Parent Portal:

https://soquelunionca.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/parents/soquel.jsp

You may also download the Campus Parent app through Google Play or the Apple App Store.

Step 2: Select “More”

Once you are logged in, click More.

Step 3: Select “Online Registration”

Click Online Registration.

Step 4: Select Existing Student Registration

Choose:

26–27 Existing Student Registration

Do not select New Student Registration.

If you do not see the option to register an existing student, please contact your school office for assistance.

Step 5: Begin Registration

Click your student’s name, then select Begin Registration.

Please note: You must include three emergency contacts before submitting the registration.

Questions?

Contact the Soquel Elementary School office:

Phone: (831) 464-5655
Email: ddamer@suesd.org

Supervision at Soquel Elementary begins at 8:00 a.m. If your student arrives before 8:00 a.m., an adult must remain with them until school supervision begins.

TK and Kindergarten students should be dropped off and picked up at their classrooms. When the morning bell rings, all families must exit campus, including the TK/K yard. At dismissal, please wait outside the TK/Kinder gate until the dismissal bell rings before entering campus.

• Home and School Club: meets monthly, fundraises for art & music and provides community events for Soquel El. The first meeting will be on August 12th at 6:30pm with childcare provided.

• School Site Council: meets monthly, and is an oversight committee for the school. A great way to learn a lot about Soquel El. and to give input in a short amount of time.

• English Language Advisory Council: meets monthly and is an advisory group for parents of multilingual students.

• Cradle to Career: parent advocacy group supporting parent leaders to lead initiatives at Soquel El.

• Classroom/school volunteers: more information will be shared at Back to School Night. To volunteer during school hours, fingerprinting (once at Soquel El. - not annually) and a TB test (every four years) are required. Please review the guidelines:

BREAKFAST and LUNCH MENUS are available on the CNS website here. Sign up to receive the monthly menu automatically by email here.

Remember to order LUNCH! Raise your hand and be counted! Students should tell their teacher if they want lunch during morning attendance.

When are Meals Served?

MONDAY through THURSDAY

Breakfast is served during morning recess.

Lunch is served during lunch recess.

FRIDAY

Breakfast is served before school.

Lunch is served during morning recess.

Questions about CNS? Please contact Amanda Timar, CNS Director, atimar@suesd.org or 831-464-5649

If your child requires medication during the school day, please have their doctor complete the appropriate health care plan and medication authorization form. These forms are available in the school office.

Once the forms are completed, please bring them with the prescribed medication to the office. Whenever possible, we ask that all forms and medications be submitted before the first day of school to ensure we are fully prepared to support your child’s needs.

Student Insurance

Please see this link if you are interested in Student Accident & Health Insurance: https://www.peinsurance.com/products/student-insurance/student-accident-insurance/

SUESD Parent Letter regarding Student Insurance:

English & Spanish: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ChiIPFOnSe9gF2dQAv-rI2pdmEkzOv-Q/view?usp=sharing