Viking News

Good evening Viking Families!

Last week, the CA Dashboard shared updated progress for all schools in California. We are proud to see our school has made significant improvements on all indicators! This dashboard also takes into account the finalized CAASPP scores for our students, which have showcased our great progress. Del Rio students made the most progress of any elementary school in OUSD in ELA this year, and have shown the most sustained progress in Reading and Math over the last 5 years. Our students are doing great things, and our amazing teachers and staff have been working so hard to help our students to continue to learn and grow. Way to go Vikings!

Thank you so much for your partnership this week as we completed our Parent/Caregiver conferences. Our teachers were so excited to meet with you to share all of the hard work that your students have been doing so far this year. Beginning Monday, we will get back on our regular dismissal schedule.

Red Ribbon Week is next week! Throughout the week, we will discuss ways that our Vikings can develop healthy habits. Mrs. Rogers and our Student Leadership team have some fun lunch recess activities planned, and we will have daily Spirit Days. For our Spirit Day for Friday, students may wear their Halloween costumes, as long as they follow district guidelines: no inflatables, no masks, no full face paint, no weapons or accessories, nothing bloody, gory, or scary. Please make sure to wear closed toe/heel shoes! Families are invited to join us to watch the parade at 8:25am, and can sign in at the front or back gates!

Del Rio is looking for someone to join our Duty Supervisor team! If you are interested in this paid position, supporting our student supervision at recess, please stop by the office and we can share more information.

Great news! We just got in a new order of our Spirit Shirts! If you would like to purchase one for $15, they are available in the office.

We are excited about our upcoming Fall Festival on Wednesday, October 28th from 5:00 - 6:30pm! We can really use help getting set up for the event, so please sign up if you can be here to help with decorations! Thank you for all of the candy donations that have been sent in or "fed to our Candy Monster" out front! Please keep the donations coming! We also need donations of store-bought cakes, cupcakes, or cookies for our Cake Walk! You can drop them off in the office starting on Monday. Thank you!

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

• Red Ribbon Week - October 26th - 30th. Spirit Days are linked below!
• Fall Festival - Wednesday, October 28th from 5:00 - 6:30pm. We need donations of individually wrapped candy, so be on the lookout for our Candy Monster donation box near the front office if you are able to help!
• Costume Parade - Friday, October 30th at 8:25am. Costumes need to adhere to the following guidelines: no inflatables, no masks, no full face paint, no weapons or accessories, nothing bloody, gory, or scary. Please make sure to wear closed toe/heel shoes! Families are invited to join us to watch the parade at 8:25am, and can sign in at the front or back gates!
• Veterans Day - No School on Wednesday, November 11th

Be sure to stay up to date with all of our school happenings by following us on social media:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DelRioElementaryVikings/

Instagram: @DelRioVikings

I visit classrooms everyday and share out examples of the learning adventures of our students as often as possible!

Email: lorrah.hogue@oside.us
Website: delrio.oside.us
Location: 5200 North River Road, Oceanside, CA, USA
Phone: (760)901-7300
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DelRioElementaryVikings/

Instagram: @DelRioVikings

Del Rio STEM Academy is a great place for our Vikings to learn! Our amazing teachers and staff put so much time and effort into supporting our students and our community, and we want to celebrate them! If you would like to share your appreciation for one of our staff members, complete this survey. I will highlight our shout outs from the community with our staff in and our Viking News reports.

Here is a recent Staff Shout Outs:

• Thank you to Mrs. Honkus! She communicates often with parents and a is fun teacher. - The van Schie family

Please take some time to read our Del Rio STEM Academy Handbook. It outlines many of our school rules, procedures, and programs that will help your student to be successful!

• If you are not in the drop off/pick up line, you may not double park or block parking spaces in the parking lot. Do not park on the red curb in the traffic circle. You must use a parking spot in the lot even if you are waiting with your car!
• Please do not block the crosswalk at the entry to our parking lot, and be vigilant about watching for students!
• Have your child ready with their backpack with them, so that the driver does not need to get out of the car. Please stay with your car and continue to pull forward!
• If you are dropping off in the car line at the front gate, please remember that the driver must stay with their car, and that you need to pull all the way up to the stop sign at the top of the circle so that we can keep traffic flowing.
• Please wait until you have gotten past the cones/crosswalk to let your student(s) out of the car. It keeps everything moving faster!
• Your car must be pulled up to the curb before any students can enter or exit a vehicle, so please do not double park!
• If you do park in either parking lot, you must walk up and accompany your student using a crosswalk. They will not be allowed to walk out to cross into the parking lot on their own.
• For pickups, it would be helpful if you wrote your child's name/teacher/grade on a sheet of paper and kept it on the dashboard! That will help our staff to locate students and keep things moving!

We are excited to share the continuation of our cell phone policy, "During the Day, Off and Away," for the 2026-2027 school year (Board Policy 5131.8). Our goal is to create a safe and focused learning environment for all students by minimizing distractions and promoting their mental well-being.

Key Points:

• Cell Phone Usage: Students must turn off and store their phones in their backpacks upon entering campus. Phones should stay off until they leave campus.

• Communication: Classrooms have landlines for students to contact parents when necessary. Phones will be accessible in emergencies.

• Academic Benefits: Reducing phone usage helps students stay focused and engaged in class.

• Safety and Security: This policy helps prevent cyberbullying, ensures students focus during emergencies, and reduces the risk of theft or loss.

Support and disciplinary measures are in place for policy violations to help students adjust.

Thank you for your support as we work together to enhance our students' learning experience and well-being.

Emails, text messages and phone calls from OUSD including those from your principal, teacher and the district office will be directly sent to you using the email address and phone number you provided in AERIES during data confirmation. It’s important that all the emergency contacts listed in AERIES have updated contact information so everyone can receive important messages from OUSD.

You no longer need to download any third party apps to receive messages from our school.

Please remember that ALL absences from school need to be reported to our school, letting us know the reason that your student has missed school! When you need to report your student's absence, please email us Attendance.des@oside.us. Often our main office phones are very busy in the mornings and this is a faster and easier way to report your student's absence! You can also call our Attendance Line at (760)901-7301, but please speak slowly and clearly, as many times the messages are difficult for our staff to hear.

In the Spring, I shared some upcoming changes to our breakfast program. Beginning on the first day of school, all students may go to the cafeteria from 7:45 to 8:15 to eat breakfast, free of charge. If you think your student will be eating at school, please plan to have them here as early as possible to have time to finish eating before the bell rings at 8:15. Students will line up and go straight to class at 8:15!