Saltar's Point Otter News
Getting Ready for Back to School Edition 8/21/25
Time to Get Ready for School
As we come to the end of summer and the beginning of the school year, we wanted to remind you of a few things.
- Our weekly newsletter will be hitting your parentsquare on Thursday afternoons, it will have a list of upcoming events, message from the Principal, notes from the PTA, messages from our attendance secretary, health room reminders, monthly lunch menu and other useful information.
- If you haven't already, please sign up for a success conference with your student's teacher. The success conferences are not considered an optional conference, and are considered school days, so if you are unable to make it in person, please reach out to your student's teacher. More information about success conferences is below.
- The first day of school for all of our students will be Tuesday, 9/2. On 8/28 & 8/29 students only have to come in at their conference time.
- Check out the school calendar, the link is below along with an attachment of the school year calendar showing half days, holidays and breaks.
- The school supply list is also below, this is for all grades, your student's teacher will let you know if there is anything that is class specific.
- A reminder about our food policy is included in this email, please check it out below.
- Please familiarize yourself with the Family Access in Skyward, you can check your food service account and even get to TouchBase through the link to make payments. You can find bus information under the Busing tab, under Student Info you can request changes such as Emergency Contacts for your student and under Portfolio you can find SBA test scores and report cards.
- If you are unable to log into Skyward, please email saltarspointoffice@steilacoom.k12.wa.us, with your name and your student's name and our office team will be able to help you out with that.
Important Upcoming Dates
Teacher Assignments and Success Conference schedules are available in ParentSquare
8/28 & 8/29 Success Conferences
9/2 - First day of school for all students
Saltar's Point Food Policy
To keep our school safe and healthy for all students, please remember:
Allergies: Many of our students have severe food allergies. Although we are not currently nut free, please avoid sending items with peanuts or tree nuts.
Sharing Food: For everyone’s safety, students should only eat the food they bring from home or receive from the school cafeteria—no sharing with others.
Healthy Choices: We encourage balanced snacks and lunches to help students stay focused and energized.
Celebrations: If you’d like to send a treat for a birthday or class event, please coordinate with your child’s teacher in advance.
Pre-Packaged Items: All food items brought to school must be in a sealed, pre-packaged container with the ingredients list clearly printed.
First Two Weeks: No celebrations with food brought to school may occur within the first two weeks of school.
Thank you for helping us make Saltar’s Point a safe, inclusive place for every student.
School Calendars
Check out the District calendar for upcoming events.
Click on the link to see the District calendar and click on the attachment for the school year calendar showing ACE days, Half Days, Breaks, and Holidays.
Success Conferences - 25/26 School Year
Because of the amazing amount of positive feedback we received from our families and staff, Saltar’s Point will once again be starting our 2025-26 school year with Success Conferences for our students and their families.
During the first two days of school, students and families will be invited to participate in a conference with their new teacher. This is an opportunity for classroom teachers to meet students and their families individually. Students will also become familiar with their classroom environments, as well as their school, as they participate in fun activities.
In these Success Conferences, teachers will:
Talk with families about their child’s strengths, and what works best when they struggle,
Introduce the student to the classroom environment, and
Answer any questions families may have.
There will also be opportunities throughout the school designed to engage families and students. Some examples include:
Fun STEM activities
Scavenger hunts where students will meet their specialists, principal, counselor, school mascot, paraeducators, play on the playground, practice boarding and riding a bus, and more
Information booths for PTA, school lunch, and school bus transportation
Case Manager meetings
For the 2025-26 school year:
Students will not attend school on Thursday, August 28, or Friday, August 29, except for a Success Conference scheduled with their teacher on ONE of these days.
Families will receive an invitation to sign up for their Success Conference date and time through a ParentSquare message sent to families on August 19.
All Saltar’s Point students will be in their classrooms together beginning Tuesday, September 2.
Kindergarten students and families will receive direct communication about their class schedules as part of the WaKIDS process.
All students in grades 6-12 will attend school on August 28 and 29 with their regular schedule.
There will be no open houses in August for elementary schools.
All schedules and teacher assignments for all SHSD students in grades K-12 will be available in Skyward Family Access on Tuesday, August 19.
If you have questions, please leave a comment below, or email Saltar’s Point Elementary School at saltarspointoffice@steilacoom.k12.wa.us.
School Supply List - All Grades
Supplies Needed Throughout the School Year
- #2 pencils
- scissors
- crayons
- colored pencils
- glue sticks
- large erasers
- individual ear buds/headphones
- markers
- highlighters
Individual teachers may request additional supplies for special projects.
Emergency Care Kit
Please send the following in a gallon Ziploc bag labeled with your child's name:
- 5 protein/granola type bars
- 3 bottles of water
- 2 large outdoor garbage bags (for rain protection and to sit on)
- an item from the family (a note or picture)
Appreciated Donations
Donations of the following items are appreciated:
- facial tissue
- odor-free dry erase markers
Helpful Links
How to Pay for Field Trips, Fees, Fines & Lunch Accounts
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.
Do you have FlashAlert for notifications?
One of the platforms SHSD uses to announce school delays or closures is the FlashAlert alert system.
FlashAlert has released a new version of their mobile app. Please first delete the existing FlashAlert app from your mobile device and then install the new version.
FlashAlert iOS app on the Apple App Store
Volunteer reminder for the upcoming school year
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.
If your student is moving up to Pioneer Middle School make sure you reach out to our volunteer coordinator to have Pioneer added to your profile.