We are very excited to welcome all our Road Runner students, families and staff back to Howard Elementary School for the 2024-2025 school year! We hope you all had a terrific, restful summer and are looking forward the exciting learning journey that awaits this year! We're thrilled to be joined by our new Assistant Principal, Tamara Hughes, who will further support our school alongside Principal Jett. Here is a to a great year! Remember to always be safe, kind, and responsible, and "Beep! Beep! Be your best, and be a reader!"

If you know of anyone who lives in Howard’s neighborhood and has a kindergarten or new student, let them know the time to enroll is now! Students must be enrolled by Friday, August 30th to attend the first day of school. If your student attended Howard last year, you’re already enrolled for this year.

Our office is open 9am-3pm daily for the remainder of the summer. Our office will be open at 8:00am when students return to school on September 4th. New (and returning) families are welcome to contact our secretary, Becky Lamb, at (541) 790-4900 or lamb_b@4j.lane.edu.

You can also visit the district registration page linked here.

Construction on Howard Avenue is set to begin on August 16th, bringing much-needed safety improvements to the two-lane road. Despite being signed at 25 miles per hour, a 2018 speed study revealed that 50% of drivers exceed the speed limit, with 15% traveling at 35 mph or more. In response, community members, neighbors, and parents have advocated for a safer environment for students and others who walk and bike along Howard Avenue.

This project is particularly crucial for students at Howard Elementary School and Kelly Middle School, both located on Howard Avenue, ensuring a safer and more comfortable route for their daily commutes.

Howard Ave will be under construction from mid-August through the end of September. The September construction will impact students and families traveling to and from school, so please visit the Safe Routes to School Projects webpage to see the recommended detour and plan your routes accordingly.

Project Highlights:

• Protected Walking and Bicycling Space: A curb protected space will be built on the south side of Howard Avenue, extending from where the current sidewalk ends between Grove Street and Lake Drive to River Road.

• New Sidewalk Segment: A short stretch of sidewalk will be added along the south side of Howard Avenue near the intersection with River Road.

• Enhanced Waiting Space: Increased space for pedestrians and cyclists to wait will be added at the southwest corner of River Road and Howard Avenue.

• Installation of Speed Cushions: Speed cushions will be installed from N Park Avenue to River Road. Speed cushions, similar to speed bumps, are a type of traffic calming device that slows down people driving but still enables emergency vehicles to safely and efficiently use the street.

KINDERGARTEN: First day of school is Wednesday, September 4th, 7:55am-1:10pm
GRADES 1 – 5: First day of school is Thursday, September 5th, 7:55am-2:25pm

Kindergarten students do not start with an assigned classroom and class lists are built as we learn more about our students. This year, we are following this schedule:

Students with last names A–L: Attend Sept. 4 (W), 5 (Th), 9th (M), 10th (T), 11th (W)
Students with last name M–Z: Attend Sept. 4 (W), 6 (F), 9th (M), 10th (T), 11th (W)

No Kindergarten Sept. 12th & 13th (parent/teacher conversations)
Regular school schedule begins on Monday, Sept. 16

Kindergarten families should visit the 4J Kindergarten Smart Start Website for details.

We understand that the Kindergarten Smart Start schedule may present childcare challenges to some of our families. We are sharing the new schedule now, well in advance of the start of school, to help you best plan for September, as we are not able to offer childcare on the days your child is not scheduled to attend class.

Kindergarten families, please take a few minutes to complete the survey below to let us know a little more about your student before they begin on Wednesday, 9/4.

We have a staff of about 90 people who make Howard the amazing place it is. We are in the process of updating our Howard Staff page. Below are the teaching assignments for this year:

• PK: Justine Lee

• KG: Lexy Chipman, Natalie Niccum, Shelly Silver

• 1st: Katie Crown, Jenny Klein, Crystal Thomas

• 2nd: Abbey Jost, Nicole Kerins, Angela Larsen, Ashley Pond

• 3rd: Keegan Caughlin, Charissa Charpie/Stephanie Peterson, Jenn Dillon, Allison Kreider

• 4th: Jessy Corliss, Kyla Esselburn, Jenny Groshong, Cory Sorenson

• 5th: Bryan Prideaux, Suzy Rock, Kerri Soriero, Bryan Varga

• Special Education: Katie Gates, Kenny Long, Lisa Perkins, Kim Sullivan, SLP- TBD

• Student Supports: Corianne Rice-Heinke (Title Coordinator), Jennifer Choate (Instructional Coach), Evan Andreason Bauer (Student Success Coordinator), Sienna Griggs (Library Media Specialist), AimieLisa Hook (School Counselor), Amanda Coburn (ELD), Dani Schroeder (School Psych).

• PE: Tami Brittenham, Music: Eli Oestrich

Class lists will be emailed to families on the afternoon of Friday, August 30, just prior to Labor Day weekend. Watch for an email from your child’s new teacher!

Kindergarten students will not be assigned a teacher until the second week of school.

Howard will host a Meet Your Teacher event on Tuesday, September 3rd from 3:00-4:00, two days before the first day of school for 1st-5th grade. Classrooms will be open from 3-3:30 to meet your teacher, then join us for some fun on the playground from 3:30-4:00. Families must supervise their children for this event.

This is a great opportunity to check out your child’s classroom, meet some of their friends, and get to know new classmates. Please plan on attending!

(Procedures below also available in a slidedeck LINKED HERE)

Morning Drop Off: We have two options if you’re dropping off your student. Please choose the option that meets your and your student’s needs.

• Park and Walk Up: Students who need more time or help getting out of the car, those who want a hug good-bye, parents who want to get out of their car, or parents who want to watch their student walk into the building should park in the parking lot in the mornings and walk their students through the parking lot. Students should not walk through the parking lot alone.
  

• Drop Off Loop: Use the drop off loop if your student can exit your car quickly and safely on their own. Parents must remain in their vehicles and pull away as soon as their student has stepped away from the car. Students must exit the right (passenger) side of the vehicle next to the curb. Do not allow students to step out into the drive-through loop. To keep the flow of traffic moving, cars should be stopped in the drop off lane for no more than about 30 seconds.

NO PARKING IS ALLOWED IN THE DROP OFF LOOP. If you need to exit your vehicle, please pull into a marked parking spot.

NO DROP-OFFS IN THE PARKING LOT: For student safety, we are no longer allowing students to be dropped off in the front row of the parking lot. Please use the drop off loop only.

Park and Meet the Teacher:

• REQUIRED FOR KINDER & FIRST GRADE STUDENTS WHO ARE PICKED UP. Parents of Kinder and 1st grade students must park and walk up to their student’s teacher. Staff must see you and connect you with your student. Please meet the K-1 teachers at the poles in front of the building.

• 2nd-5th Grade: Please use this option if your student likes to socialize after school, if you’d like to check in with your student’s teacher, or if your student needs help getting into your vehicle or buckling up.

• This option is for parents who don’t mind waiting in line and students who can enter their vehicle quickly and independently. Students must be able to buckle themselves independently as parents in the pick up loop must remain in their vehicles.

• Parents wait in their vehicles behind the cones in the hashmarked area against the curb in the pick up loop. (yellow ovals on the map below)

• Students will get in the pick up line to wait for their parents to pull into the pick up zone. (turquoise box on the map below)

• Cars will pull into the pick up zone 3-5 at a time. If your student is in line when you reach the pick up zone, they will step out of line and into your vehicle. As soon as they are in the car and buckled, please pull away from the curb to allow the next car to move forward. (green ovals on the map below)

• If your student is not yet in line when you arrive in the pick up zone, you’ll be asked to go around and get back in line. (This may be frustrating for some, but it keeps our line moving.)

• IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT THE PICK UP LOOP:

• No parking is allowed in the loop at any time. If you need to leave your vehicle, use the parking lot.

• Students may only enter their cars when they are in the pick up zone. This helps us better ensure their safety.

• Students must enter the vehicle on the right hand side (passenger) of the vehicle.

• Keep the passing lane clear. No parking, stopping, or picking up students in the passing lane (the white arrow on the map below).

4J’s Transportation Department has a system for finding your child’s bus stop and times. The steps are as follows:

Go to www.4j.lane.edu, select the “department” tab, next select the “transportation” tab, and then finally select “find my bus stop” and enter your address. This will give the most accurate information available.

As you gear up for the school year, and consider the construction work outlined above, it’s time to think about how your child(ren) will get to school. September weather and the start of the school year are a great time to set new goals for the family. Making small changes to your daily routine can lead to a surprising number of benefits for your family and community! We encourage students to walk, bike, skate, scoot, bus or carpool to school for their health and readiness to learn, the safety and congestion in our parking lot, and the environment. If you’ve got to drive, but still want the health and academic benefits for your child and want to avoid the challenge of the parking lot, try parking a few minutes from school and walking the rest of the way. It’s a great time to connect with your child and could become a favorite part of your day!

If you have concerns about your route or would like help planning a walking/biking route or starting a biking or walking group, contact 4J’s Safe Routes to School Coordinator at mazze_s@4j.lane.edu or 541-790-7539. You can find tip sheets on walking and biking and more on the Safe Routes to School regional website at www.eugenespringfieldsrts.org/local-resources

All students in 4J schools can get a student pass to ride Lane Transit District (LTD) buses for free. Student transit passes can be used to travel anywhere within the LTD service area. Student passes can be used at any time—after school, on weekends and during school breaks, as well as to get to and from school each day.

To get a free LTD student transit pass, available as a tap card or Umo smartphone app, guardians/parents can make the request for elementary students; middle and high school students can request their own passes. Passes are valid from September 1 of the current school year to September 30 of the following year and can be renewed by the school each year for ongoing free service.

All students are provided breakfast and lunch free of charge. If your student would like to eat breakfast, please make sure they arrive at school by 7:30 each morning. Bus riders generally arrive in time to eat.

Breakfast will begin serving at 7:30 in the cafeteria and will end at 7:50. Students wanting breakfast may walk to the cafeteria. When they finish eating, they will walk to their designated congregation area to line up.

Breakfast and Supervision: When students finish eating breakfast, they must go to one of our other supervised areas (K-2 on the playground and 3-5 on the track).

Students arriving late should check in at the office and will receive a grab-and-go breakfast.

Breakfast and lunch menus for Howard are available HERE.

For students with nut allergies, we offer a Nut-Free Table for students to eat. Students may bring a friend with them to the Nut-Free Table if the friend has a school-provided meal, which are always nut-free.

We have students and staff who have rapid reaction life-threatening allergies to nuts.

• PLEASE, do not bring food or body care products containing these allergens into our Howard community.

• Everyone must WASH HANDS with soap and water (sanitizer does not kill food proteins).

One of the most reliable predictors of school success is regular attendance. Absences for any reason result in lost instruction time. We know that students who fall behind often become discouraged learners. It is our hope that we can work together to encourage your child’s regular attendance and success at school. We understand that there are many factors in your lives that make it difficult, at times, for your child to be in school or on time. However, it is important that we work with you to reduce these to an absolute minimum. Class activities start promptly in the morning. This morning class time is one of the most important times of the day. When a child comes in late, not only have they missed valuable class time, it is disruptive to their classmates.

When your child is going to be late or absent from school, please call the attendance line at 790-4940, before 8:15 a.m. and inform the office staff. You may leave a message on the voice mail, if calling before office hours. Please leave the name of your child, their teacher’s name, and the reason for the absence. It is extremely important that this be done, as every child must be accounted for on a daily basis. As a friendly reminder, according to Oregon Truancy Regulations, if your student has eight unexcused half-day absences in any four-week period, you will receive a letter from the school notifying you of our attendance concerns.

Arrive On Time!: Please plan to drop your student off by 7:45 so they can arrive at class on time. Students must be in their seats at 7:55am to be marked present and on time. Students arriving to class after 7:55am are marked late. All our classes begin the day with a morning meeting to build community and connect with one another. We then move quickly into academics. Being on time ensures your student starts the day off on a positive note.

There will be some grace during the first week of school, but starting the first full week of school, all doors will close promptly at 7:55.

Please make sure that your child knows what they are expected to do when the school day is over before they leave home in the morning. Staff are not available to hand deliver messages throughout the day and when the bell rings at the end of the school day it is difficult to connect with individual children. We are happy to deliver messages in an EMERGENCY situation, but if at all possible please make sure that your child(ren) knows who will pick them up if they should walk home, or ride the bus before they leave for school.

The school supply list is LINKED HERE for your access. If your student needs a backpack, please connect with Megan Newell (newell_m@4j.lane.edu), our school’s Family Resource Coordinator, at (541) 790-4900 for a free backpack.

We wanted to share a great opportunity for those who need a little extra help this school year. Project Hope provides students with shoes, socks, backpacks, and school supplies before the school year starts. This event will take place on Sunday, August 25th here at Howard. Tickets will be available on August 19th.

How it will work:

• Students will receive a ticketed time slot by registering online. Please make sure to save the confirmation email that will have a QR code.

• Students MUST be present to receive items.

• Please come at the designated time on your ticket as they are trying to minimize lines!

If you have any questions, please reach out to Vanessa Vasquez at 541-790-6880.

The PTO is excited to hold in-person events this year! If you'd like to help plan some events, join us for the first PTO meeting on Wednesday, September 11th at 6:00pm in the library. Monthly meetings are the second Wednesday of every month at Howard at 6:00pm. If you have questions, the PTO will have a table at the Meet Your Teacher event on Tuesday, 9/3, or you can email howardelementarypto@gmail.com. Thanks!

Ensure your child’s health records are current. We want to be aware of respiratory-based diagnoses, allergies, or other health conditions. Here is the district webpage for Students with Health Problems. There are forms that can be filled out for the school that are appropriate for the diagnosis. Please email, bring to the office or stop by if you need assistance.

Howard Elementary is able to provide all co-custodial or non-custodial parents a duplicate copy of all district-labeled mailings. Please let the school office know if you would like the name of a co-custodial or non-custodial parent added to the student’s enrollment information.

We will be taking a LOT of pictures and video this year showcasing and celebrating our students' learning. Attached is our school district's Objection to Release of Directory Information form, which includes a checkbox families can fill out and return if they prefer their student NOT be in publicized photographs or videos - this includes all media (news, etc), and any publications the school sends out (newsletter photos, Facebook, Instagram, school website, YouTube videos, etc).

Again, this is a form to fill out if you DO NOT want your student to appear in publicized photographs or videos about Howard Elementary. Otherwise, it is passive consent and you do not need to fill anything out if you're alright with your student(s) being in photographs and videos. The form is linked below if you choose to print, fill it out and return it. Thanks so much!

Smart and cell phones, and smart watches, must be turned off and turned in to classroom teachers at the beginning of the school day. Devices will be returned before dismissal.

• Smart and cell phones and smart watches are a tremendous distraction to learning, and perpetuate cyberbullying and harassment.

• If a parent or family member needs to reach their student during the school day, call the school office at 541-790-4900. If a student needs to contact a parent or family member, they should ask to come to the office and use the school phone.

• Some students must have access to a smart phone, watch, or other device during the school day for medical purposes. These exceptions must be in writing as part of a student’s health plan.

In addition to personal technology, students should leave their most beloved, prized, or expensive items at home. We are not responsible for these items if they are lost, stolen, broken or “traded.” These items can be serious distractions from student learning. The final point about trading cannot be stressed enough. Frequently, one of the students involved in a “trade” is later upset that a prized possession has been given away to another student, and conflict arises as a result of it. One example of this is Pokemon card trading. It is highly discouraged - especially if they are a serious distraction from learning. So, keep them away (preferably at home), and out of sight. Otherwise, Principal Jett and Assistant Principal Hughes will have to “catch ‘em all.”

We ask students to dress comfortably and appropriately for the weather and for the usual activities of school. Students have 40 minutes of recess per day, 60 minutes of PE per week, and do many activities in class where they are moving around, sitting on the floor, and being active. Students should be able to run, play, jump, and crawl in the outfits they wear. Clothes should be long enough and fitted enough that private areas remain covered when students do any typical physical activities like stretching their arms over their head, crawling, jumping, or climbing.

Dress for the Weather: During the colder months, please wear layers as we go outside even in the rain and the cold. We stay inside if it is pouring rain, but we do go out in light or moderate rain. It’s Oregon - we’d be inside much of the year if we stayed in every time it rains. We do have a covered play area if students prefer to stay dry. We also go outside as long as the temperature is above freezing and the playground structures are thawed.

Shoes: We highly recommend wearing closed-toe shoes (preferably sneaker type shoes) every day. This ensures students are always ready for PE and recess. Students should NOT wear flip flops, slides, or open toed shoes to school. Between running activities and wood chips on the playground, we see many injuries related to these types of shoes. They also limit the kind of play students can do.

Please contact Megan Newell at newell_m@4j.lane.edu if you need help with clothing, jackets, or shoes for school.

In addition to the Howard Website and school newsletters, stay connected with Howard happenings through our social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram, and YouTube Channel. These accounts are used to share information, events, and activities happening at Howard throughout the year. Hopefully, this becomes an easy way for families to stay in touch and get reminders about events at school.

Regarding Bullying, Intimidation, Harassment, Discrimination, Hazing and Retaliation – Eugene School District 4J has policies and programs to prohibit and prevent bullying, intimidation, harassment, discrimination, hazing and retaliation. Discrimination is prohibited on the basis of disability, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, marital status, socioeconomic status, source of income, cultural background, familial status, physical characteristic, or linguistic characteristic of a national origin group, in any instructional program, extracurricular activity, or in the provision of any other service or benefit.

The district encourages students, parents and other patrons to share their concerns with district officials if they believe they or someone else has been the victim of bullying, intimidation, harassment, discrimination, hazing or retaliation. They can be assured that no reprisal or adverse action will occur as a consequence of initiating a complaint. Complaint forms and information about the complaint process are available in all 4J school offices and at the 4J Education Center, 200 North Monroe Street, Eugene, OR 97402. For more information, contact your school principal or the superintendent’s office, 541-790-7707.

School to Inform Parents if Their Student Receives a Threat – “Oregon law requires schools to inform parents if their child’s name appears on a targeted list (i.e. a “hit list”) that threatens violence or harm from another student.” We will be using the following procedure to inform you if your student either receives or makes a serious threat of violence or harm.

If your child’s name appears on a list threatening violence or harm by another student, we will attempt to meet with you personally, or talk by telephone, within 12 hours of learning about the threat. We will tell you about the threat, who made it (if we know) , and the action we are taking to respond to it. We will also send you a notice within 24 hours, stating that your child received a threat. Our number one priority will be to make sure that school is safe for your children.

If your child made the threat, we will let you know that he or she made it and the action we are taking, including informing the parents of the student who received the threat that your student made. We are also required by the district’s “Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook” to inform the police.