Viking News

Good evening Viking Families!

I hope that everyone is enjoying their summer break! Our 2026-2027 school year will begin on Thursday, August 13th! It is time for our returning families to complete data confirmation, so please take a few minutes to log into AERIES to update and confirm all of your student's information. It is really important that we have updated contact information for all students and their caregivers so that we can communicate with you throughout the year. Once this is completed, your student will be enrolled in their class for the upcoming school year! If your address has changed, you will need to bring two proofs of residence to our office as well. Our office will be open from 9:00am to 2:00pm from August 5th -11th if you would like to come by to ask questions or get support. Our office will close early, at 11:00am on the 12th so that we can finish processing all of our registrations for the 1st day of school. We will reopen at 10am on the 13th, after we get all of our registered students settled in classrooms!

As I said, school begins on Thursday, August 13th at 8:15am! We have many incoming students who are new to school or new to the neighborhood and we are so excited to meet you! I know that students and families are anxious to find out who their teacher will be for the upcoming school year, and I would like to invite you to our Meet the Teacher event on Wednesday, August 12th from 2:00-3:00pm! Students and families are invited to join us on the blacktop to find out their class assignments and to meet their teacher in person! TK and Kindergarten families will also join us for Orientation in the MPR at 2:00pm. If you aren't able to attend this event, class assignment information will be available in AERIES by 4:30pm. Also, we will have staff members available to help connect students with teachers on the first day of school.

The first two days of school (August 13th and 14th) are minimum days! All TK - 5th grade students will attend from 8:15am to 12:25pm. Just our TK and K students will continue with minimum day schedules for the first 12 days of school (August 13th - 28th). Please make arrangements so that students are picked up on time. Also, please see the Arrival/Dismissal Procedures below so that you can support safe conditions in our parking lots. If you have any questions, our office staff is here to help!

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!

Enjoy the rest of your summer and I will share more information as our first day approaches!

• 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 2025-2026 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.

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 are a couple of our recent Staff Shout Outs!

• Thank you Ms. Hogue and Mrs. Mocny! Your patience and kindness make a world of difference in my child's education. thank u ! thank u ! The McNamara Family
• Ms. Cornell is an amazing, dedicated teacher, I'm so glad my children were in her class, and I want to thank her so much for her patience and hard work in teaching them well. - The Rendon Family

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!

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