12/11 - ACE Day - students released at 2:10 pm

12/16-12/20 - Holiday Spirit Week

12/17 - Purple Up!

12/18 - Recess Takeover & PTA Holiday Express - 10 am

12/19 - Winter Concert - 6:30 pm

12/23 - 1/3 - Winter Break

Dear Families,

At Saltar's Point, fostering a safe and respectful environment is a top priority. As part of our efforts to support social and emotional learning, we believe it’s essential to clarify the distinction between two behaviors often mistaken for each other: bullying and being mean.

While both behaviors can hurt others, understanding the difference helps us address them more effectively and support our children in building positive relationships.

What Is Being Mean?

Being mean usually involves unkind words or actions that happen spontaneously and without premeditation. Examples include:

• A child teasing another about their appearance during an argument.
• A friend refusing to share or excluding someone from a game once.

While these actions can be hurtful, they are often impulsive and not repeated. Being mean can stem from frustration, poor judgment, or an inability to manage emotions in the moment. It’s an opportunity for teaching empathy, self-control, and the importance of kindness.

What Is Bullying?

Bullying, on the other hand, is intentional, repeated, and involves a power imbalance. It includes behaviors such as:

• Name-calling or insults meant to demean someone.
• Physically harming or threatening someone repeatedly.
• Spreading harmful rumors or excluding someone from a group deliberately and over time.

Bullying reflects a pattern of behavior designed to harm, intimidate, or exert control over another person. It can occur in person, online, or through social dynamics.

By working together, we can guide our children in creating a school environment where everyone feels safe, valued, and included. Our district's Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying policy is available on our district webpage.

If you have any questions or would like additional resources, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

--

Alex Clauson

Principal

Saltar's Point Elementary

In Counselor Time, we are exploring the idea of a Group Plan and a My Plan. A Group Plan involves following the expectations in a group setting, such as a classroom. A My Plan means doing what you enjoy doing without worrying about other people’s expectations. Occasionally, students want to do a My Plan when it is time to follow the Group Plan. This can cause disruption in the school setting and, if a My Plan is allowed to continue, students learn that they can do what they want when they want to do it. This is not a recipe for success in the long run. Like a lot of areas in life, people need to match expected behaviors to the context they find themselves in. I’m looking forward to the conversations this topic generates.

Saltar's Planned Absence Form

District website

Saltar's Point school website

Saltar's Point Facebook page

ParentSquare

Skyward

If your student has a fine/fee or if you want to put money on their lunch account you can pay online through https://wa-steilacoom.intouchreceipting.com/signin.

If your student has a lost book(s), the fine can be removed either from payment, finding and returning the book(s), or replacing the book.

We would love to have you volunteer, if you are a new parent to the district please click on the link to get signed up to volunteer. If you are a current volunteer in the district please contact the volunteer coordinator to make sure that Saltar's Point is added to your profile.