Lakeview Letter

August Newsletter 2023

A Note from the Principal

Happy August!

I hope this newsletter finds you and your family relaxing and enjoying the sunshine!

My name is Holly Westlund and I am the Lakeview Elementary Principal. I wanted to introduce myself to those I have not yet met and share a few things about this upcoming school year.

About the Principal/Maternity Leave

My name is Holly Westlund and this will be my 2nd year in the district and 11th year in education. I live in Cedar Rapids with my husband, Nick and our five children. My husband, Nick, is a dentist in Cedar Rapids. Our oldest, Emma, is in 4th grade and enjoys reading, playing with her sisters and watching cooking shows. Evelynn is almost 4 and loves to dance and play dress up and is a great help with her younger siblings. Eleanor is 2 and our wild child. This summer we welcomed twins into our family, Elizabeth and Elliott. To say our we are busy is an understatement. As a family we love to read, go on bike rides, and have dance parties. We are also just settling into life as a family of 7 and enjoying the chaos and cuddles.

Last year was my first year in the district and I absolutely loved it. Our family, community and students are top notch and I'm excited to come back in October for year 2!

In the meantime Dr. Josh Lyons will be filling in daily as the principal at Lakeview.

Dr. Lyons is the Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning for the Solon School District and is entering his 6th year in this position and his 24th year in education. Dr. Lyons has been an elementary and middle school teacher, coach, principal, and Regional Administrator for Grant Wood AEA. His family has lived in the Solon community for over 20 years. His daughter, Kerrigan, graduated from Solon High School this past spring and will be attending Wartburg in the fall. His son, Camden, is a sophomore this year. Dr. Lyons's wife, Michelle, is the Lakeview Elementary Music teacher.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to him or myself at any time with questions and or concerns.

Dr. Lyons- jlyons@solon.k12.ia.us

Holly Westlund- hwestlund@solon.k12.ia.us

BG/K-3 PARENT DROP OFF/PICK-UP PROCEDURES

Here are just a few reminders regarding drop off/pick up procedures at Lakeview.

DROP OFF STARTS AT 7:55am. WE DO NOT HAVE SUPERVISION PRIOR TO THIS!

Parent vehicles should stay within the cones when pulling up to the front of the building. One lane has been blocked off in the first tier to allow for only one line of cars at a time.
Be mindful of all crosswalks and drive slowly as children may be crossing.
BG/K-3rd grade students will be standing, by grade level, on the south side of the building. Parents can pull up to a cone and their child(ren) will be brought to their vehicle by a staff member. If you are the first car in line please pull up to the very first cone in the pick-up line. Each subsequent car should pull up to the subsequent cone to ensure safety of our students and staff.
Please wait for a staff member to bring your child(ren) to your vehicle. If needed please allow our staff to help buckle your child so we can keep cars moving quickly.
If you are picking your child up on the hill please be sure to walk them back through the parking lot to your car rather than walking through the line of staff and students getting into cars. This will help with congestion.

We appreciate your cooperation as it helps with traffic flow and increased student safety!

If your child is not following his/her regular routine please be sure to send a note. Notes help our staff know how to help your child at the end of the day should he or she be confused. Please message both your child's classroom teacher and our school secretary at lakeviewoffice@solon.k12.ia.us

Preschool Updates

PRESCHOOL START DATE & HOME VISITS

Preschool does not start school until Friday, August 25th (this is 2 days after the rest of the school).

On Wednesday August 23rd and Thursday, August 24th preschool teachers will schedule a home visit with your family to give further information about the program, answer your questions, and meet your child in their familiar environment.

A sign up genius will come out soon for you to select a time and date for your home visit.

PRESCHOOL DROP OFF/PICK OFF PROCEDURES

Drop Off Routine:

An adult must walk with the child in and sign them in their classroom binder. Siblings cannot drop preschool students off without a parent/adult present. Here is a copy of the drop off map.

Pick Up Routine:

Here is a copy of the pick up map. Preschool siblings that are also parent pick up will go to the PreK line and not the front of the building.

IF YOUR CHILD ATTENDS PRESCHOOL HALF-DAY: You can pick up your child in the bus loop at the back of the building. Your child will be brought out to you by the preschool associates and put into your vehicle.

A Note from the Nurse

Kindergarten Students

Before your child can start kindergarten they we will need the following documents on file:

IDPH Certificate of Immunization
Physical Exam and Lead screening form
Certificate of Dental screening
Certificate of Vision screening

3rd Grade Students

3rd graders need to have a Certificate of Vision Screening completed prior to starting 3rd grade.

Please contact me with any questions.

Bonnie Mann bmann@solon.k12.ia.us

A Note from the Solon Public Library

All after school programs at the Solon Public Library begin in September. Our first BAM POW Thursday early-out program is Thursday, September 7th, please note our weekly BAM POW program is now for students in 1st through 8th grades. We’ll have activities for the different ages from 1:45-2:45 p.m. in the Library meeting room. A fall schedule of activities will be available soon, join us to Build and Make, Play or Watch this fall!

Teens (6th-12th graders) will be able to enjoy Your Space on Tuesdays after school beginning September 5th from 3:15-4:30 p.m. and CATS programs on Thursday, Sept. 14th and Thursday, Sept. 28th, from 4:45-5:45 p.m.

Supervision is provided during the Library program in the meeting room, while children also have the option to enjoy the rest of the Library. These programs are drop-in, no registration. We recommend parents and caregivers discuss their expectations, pick-up procedures, etc. with their children. Library staff are sharing these programs for participating children but this does not provide the need for supervised childcare.

Solon Public Library