Eagle News - Sept 8, 2025

Our 2025–2026 school year is off to a wonderful start! This week, teachers have been busy creating welcoming classrooms, getting to know students both personally and academically, and setting clear expectations for a successful year ahead. As a school, we are committed to continuous growth. During our first week back together as a staff, we focused on finding ways to do things even better, ensuring long-term improvement for our school community. We made great progress last year, and we are excited to keep building on that momentum.

This past week, teachers took some time to assess their students in Reading, Math and Foundational reading skills through an computer based adaptive test. Although this does take up some class time, its incredibly important to better plan ways to support students and measure their growth throughout the school year. Students will take the same test three times per year. We are planning to share the results and set some goals in the near future.

Our school year is getting of to great start! Let's continue to make improvements. Go Eagles! 🦅

Warmly,

Alfredo Belanger, Principal

Antonio Ramos, Asst. Principal

At Washington Elementary, PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) is how we teach and celebrate positive behaviors. Our Eagle Code—Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible—guides students in the classroom, cafeteria, playground, buses, and more. PBIS helps us create a safe, respectful, and welcoming school for all.

This week, students will take part in PBIS Rotation Stations to review our Eagle Code expectations. These lessons give students and staff a chance to be clear on what it looks like to be safe, respectful, and responsible in key areas of our school. This round, we are focusing on expectations in the cafeteria, playground, and school buses. Thank you for partnering with us in reinforcing these important routines!

This week our school will start our weekly Community Time assemblies (20-minutes once a week).

• Thursdays for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders

• Fridays for K, 1st, and 2nd graders

These short gatherings help us build culture, celebrate, and learn together. They also give grade-level teachers extended time for their professional learning community work. From time to time, we’ll share Community Time highlights here in the newsletter.

Each year throughout the Woodburn School District we distribute the Student-Parent Handbook. This is an important resource that provides information about rights and responsibilities, expectations and accountability, and systems and procedures. Linked here is this year's version.

• English: Student-Parent Handbook
  
• Español: Manual Para Estudiantes y Padres
• Russian: Руководство для учеников и родителей

After school each day, we encourage you to check in with your student to find out how it went. Some students are ready to talk right away, others may need a little time before they're ready. As a helpful guide, here are some questions you might consider, perhaps picking one or two each day.

• What made you smile today?
• What’s something new that you learned?
• What was something interesting that happened?
• Who is someone who helped you today?
• What are you most proud of today?
• What students did you spend time with today?
• Who did you sit with during lunch?
• What did you do during recess and who was with you?
• What did you learn during (math, reading, etc.)?
• What was the most difficult thing that happened today?
• If you could change one thing about today, what would it be?
• What’s something that you’re looking forward to getting to do tomorrow?

At Washington Elementary, one of the ways we support student success is through regular classroom testing. These assessments are not just “tests”—they are important tools that help teachers measure how students are growing in their learning. The information we collect allows us to see what students already know, where they may need extra support, and how we can adjust instruction to meet their needs.

By working together and using this data, we can ensure every Eagle continues to make steady progress toward their goals. Thank you for encouraging your child to do their best and for partnering with us in their learning journey!

The weather at the beginning of this school year has been great. Sun shine and clear skies. As Oregonians we can tell the nights are getting a bit cooler and we know that rain is right around the corner. Let's enjoy the rest of this great weather and take some time to sign up for FlashAlerts for the not-so-great weather.

At Washington, our district will send out communication as soon as it becomes available. If you would like automatic Woodburn School District notifications, you can register to receive email or cell text messages by clicking on the FlashAlert link below. Washington will also post closures on our social media sources. Let's be informed.

WSD Flash Alerts

We want to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that every student, family, and staff member in Woodburn School District feels safe and welcomed in our schools. We recognize that concerns about immigration policies and enforcement can create stress and fear for many in our community, and we want to assure you that our schools remain a place of safety, learning, and inclusion for all.

Here is some more information on Family Preparedness

• Wednesday 9/10 - Fall PBIS Round up
• Monday 9/15 - Washington School Site Council Meeting
• Tuesday 9/16 - 2nd, 4th, and 5th Grade Field Trip to Powerland Heritage Park
• Monday 9/22 - Parents' Club Meeting (PUENTE)

Want to keep up to date? Check out out WSD Event Calendar

There are three steps you'll need to take to become a volunteer:

• Read this Volunteer Handbook
• Watch this Safety Presentation
• Complete this Volunteer Packet, your application, the online volunteer training, and an online criminal history verification information form

You will need either a driver's license or other state-issued ID for safety reasons.

You can complete your training online, and turn in your completed volunteer packet to the Washington office at any time during regular office hours (school days, 7:20am-3:30pm)

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to us! You can reach administrators by email at Abelanger@woodburnsd.org or Aramos@woodburnsd.org or by phone at (971) 983-3050, or by clicking on the "Contact" button at the bottom of the newsletter. We'd love to hear from you!

Home of the Eagles

Email: Abelanger@woodburnsd.org & Aramos@woodburnsd.org

Website: http://washington.woodburnsd.org/

Location: Washington Elementary School, East Lincoln Street, Woodburn, OR, USA

Phone: (971) 983-3050

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WoodburnWashingtonElementary