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Dear Cougar Families,

College and Career Week brought so many opportunities for our students to explore, ask questions, and imagine possibilities for their futures! Thank you to our family and community speakers for sharing your experiences with our Cougars. A special thank-you to our school counselor, Jessica Hassani, for coordinating our speakers and helping make these connections possible.

It’s been wonderful to see our students’ curiosity and creativity throughout the week.

Our teachers continue to build on their data discussions and parent-teacher conferences to plan instruction and connect students with support. Our focus on Academic Conversations gives students opportunities to explain their thinking, listen to different perspectives, and learn from one another.

We are still celebrating our community’s incredible $20,000 Jog-a-Thon fundraising effort! Thank you also to everyone who purchased and sold Drive for Schools tickets. We look forward to sharing the final results and confirming whether we reached our $6,000 goal to earn Dress Like a Storybook Character Day on Friday, October 23.

Thank you to the volunteers and families who helped bring Trunk or Treat together for our Cougar community! These events take time, creativity, and teamwork, and we appreciate everyone who contributes to making them special.

Please see the information below about our upcoming Día de los Muertos celebration and other school happenings. Thank you for the many ways you help our students feel connected, supported, and excited to come to school!

With Gratitude,
Principal Brittany Birchall

Drive for Schools Fundraiser 100% of Donations Goes to Soquel Elementary School!

October 20 - SSC 5pm

October 26 (Monday) - Picture Retakes

October 28 - C2C Día de Los Muertos/Sugar Skulls Workshop MU Room 5 - 7 pm

October 30 - Halloween Parade

We are always grateful for the support our volunteers provide to our school. Your help in classrooms, on field trips, and at special events is an important part of our school community.

Recently, the State of California passed a new law requiring school volunteers to serve as Mandated Reporters. As a result, all volunteers are required to complete Mandated Reporter Training each year.

We use Keenan Safe Schools Training to provide this online training. Please click the self-registration link below and complete the training at your earliest convenience:

Keenan Self-Registration Portal:
https://soquel-keenan.safeschools.com/register/c02ca60f

After completing the training, please email it to ddamer@suesd.org or bring a copy of your certificate of completion to the school office.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by email or call the school office at 831-464-5655.

Beginning November 13, volunteers who have not completed the required training will not be able to volunteer until the training is completed.

Thank you for your continued support of our students and our school community!

We will be holding picture retake morning on Monday, 10/26, 9 - 11 am. All students and staff who have not had their photo taken this school year will be asked to go to the MU Room to get their photo taken. Anyone who would like their child to have their photo retaken should make sure that their teacher is aware and bring in their original photo packets to give to the photographer. Volunteers will go to the classrooms to pick up students to get their phot taken.

If you are able to help with picture retake morning, please reach out to Mrs. Damer to sign up.

ddamer@suesd.org

Hi Soquel El families, Cradle to Career is excited to invite you to our upcoming Sugar Skulls Workshop. Families will have the opportunity to decorate sugar skulls, learn about the cultural traditions of Dia de Muertos, and enjoy a fun evening. Please see this flyer to register for this fun and educational event.

We will be holding our annual Halloween Parade on Friday, 10/30, beginning at 10:20 am. Students are welcome to wear their costumes. We will walk down Porter St, turn onto Soquel Dr, turn onto Main St and return to school by way of the pedestrian bridge behind the school and enter thru the garden gate. Once back, we will hold a short dance party to show off our costumes. We will have other options available to students who choose not to participate in these activities. Here are a couple of restrictions with regards to costumes:

Join us in celebrating this Latin American tradition of Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead). Día de los muertos is celebrated each year on November 1 & 2. Everyone is welcome to bring a picture, Day of the Dead bread, flowers, food or any article to put on the ofrenda to honor your loved one. Our ofrenda will be displayed in the MU. Please make sure to label your articles with your child's name and teacher so that we can return them to you.

We will be setting up the ofrenda on Monday, October 19 @2:30pm. Come lend a hand and learn more about this tradition.

Please bring your articles to the MU after October 19

Our Cougars had an incredible time at the Soquel High School track for our annual Jog-a-Thon! It was a day filled with running, school spirit, smiles, and plenty of Cougar fun.

A special shout-out goes to all our parent and guardian chaperones who walked with us and helped supervise and support our students throughout the event. Your presence helped make the day safe, organized, and successful.

We also extend a huge thank-you to our Home and School Club for all the time, planning, and energy that went into creating such a memorable experience for our students.

Thank you to School Resource Officer Adam Roberts and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office for supporting our transportation and providing additional safety precautions for our Cougars traveling to and from the event.

We are also grateful to Soquel High School Principal Julia Hodges for welcoming our students and supporting our HSC at the high school. It was exciting for our Cougars and future Knights to experience running on the Soquel High School track!

It was an extra-fun day in Cougar Land, and we appreciate everyone who helped make it possible. Go Cougars!

~Principal Birchall

Projected completion date: Februrary 2027

Cougar Cubs

Hi Soquel El families, I am so excited to continue working with our school community, classroom chorts, and students this year. Last year we successfully launched CYBHI (Children's and Youth Behaviors Health Initiative), receiving money from the State of California for mental and behavioral health support we already provide! In order to continue receiving reimbursement, we need families to update the consent to share information from each school year. If you did not do this with your back to school registration, please complete this consent form.

I am so thankful for your ongoing support as we start the new school year.

Jessica Hassani,

School Counselor

jhassani@suesd.org

(831)464-5655

If you would like additional information about the CYBHI program you can check out this informational FLYER or reach out to me at any time!

Drive for Schools Raffle

Friday, October 16 is the LAST DAY to turn in raffle ticket stubs and payment to your teacher or the school office.

We need every family to raise at least $200 and help with two HSC events this year. Selling raffle tickets is a great way to take care of your fundraising.

Our school keeps 100% of the money we raise, thanks to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk!

-Prizes include:

Cash prizes from $500–$25,000

Disneyland tickets

Golden State Warriors tickets

Restaurant & movie gift cards

Hotel stays

Grocery gift certificates

And many more!

-Pick a Prize: This Friday after school, students who have sold tickets can stop by the “Pick a Prize” table.

-School Reward: We’re currently at about $4,000 in ticket sales! If we reach $6,000 by Friday, we’ll have a “Dress Like a Book Character” day on Friday, October 23!

-Need more tickets? Pick them up from Ms. Damer.

Save the Date: Trunk or Treat & Haunted House

Friday, October 16 | 5–8 PM | On Campus

$5 per person | Under 3 free

Each class will decorate a car! Contact your Class Parent if you’d like to help decorate or donate treats.

More information and tickets will be available at the event.

Dining for Dollars – Evarista’s Comal

Friday, October 23 | 8:30 AM–2:30 PM
1855 41st Ave, Suite F02, Capitola

Enjoy a meal while supporting Soquel Elementary!

Yearbook Photos

Please send photos from school events and activities to Ms. Damer at ddamer@suesd.org.

Include your child’s teacher’s name or the event name (Jog-a-Thon, school dance, carnival, etc.).

Popsicle Friday Volunteers Needed!

We need volunteers to help with Popsicle Fridays!

Sign up to volunteer

To keep arrival and dismissal safe, smooth, and welcoming for everyone, please help!

🐾 Slow Down
Please drive slowly and cautiously at all times while entering, exiting, and moving through the parking lot.

👀 Watch for Pedestrians
Students and families are walking through the area. Stay alert, look carefully, and always yield to pedestrians.

🚙 Pull Up to the Curb for Drop-Off & Pick-Up
When dropping off or picking up your child, please pull all the way forward along the curb. This helps traffic continue to move safely and creates space for other families.

🅿️ Parking? Please Use a Parking Space
If you are walking your child onto campus in the morning, please park in one of our beautiful new parking spaces. Please do not park or leave your vehicle along the curb, as the curb needs to remain available for safe and efficient student drop-off and pick-up.

❤️ Kindness + Patience + Safety = A Safe and Positive Experience During Arrival/Dimissal for All

Busy arrival and dismissal times work best when we all slow down, stay alert, show a little patience, and look out for one another. Thank you for helping us create a safe, kind, and welcoming environment for every student and family.

When we work together, we keep our Cougar community safe and joyful! 🐾

Step 1: Log in to Infinite Campus

Log in to your Infinite Campus Parent Portal:

https://soquelunionca.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/parents/soquel.jsp

You may also download the Campus Parent app through Google Play or the Apple App Store.

Step 2: Select “More”

Once you are logged in, click More.

Step 3: Select “Online Registration”

Click Online Registration.

Step 4: Select Existing Student Registration

Choose:

26–27 Existing Student Registration

Do not select New Student Registration.

If you do not see the option to register an existing student, please contact your school office for assistance.

Step 5: Begin Registration

Click your student’s name, then select Begin Registration.

Please note: You must include three emergency contacts before submitting the registration.

Questions?

Contact the Soquel Elementary School office:

Phone: (831) 464-5655
Email: ddamer@suesd.org

Supervision at Soquel Elementary begins at 8:00 a.m. If your student arrives before 8:00 a.m., an adult must remain with them until school supervision begins.

TK and Kindergarten students should be dropped off and picked up at their classrooms. When the morning bell rings, all families must exit campus, including the TK/K yard. At dismissal, please wait outside the TK/Kinder gate until the dismissal bell rings before entering campus.

• Home and School Club: meets monthly, fundraises for art & music and provides community events for Soquel El. The first meeting will be on August 12th at 6:30pm with childcare provided.

• School Site Council: meets monthly, and is an oversight committee for the school. A great way to learn a lot about Soquel El. and to give input in a short amount of time.

• English Language Advisory Council: meets monthly and is an advisory group for parents of multilingual students.

• Cradle to Career: parent advocacy group supporting parent leaders to lead initiatives at Soquel El.

• Classroom/school volunteers: more information will be shared at Back to School Night. To volunteer during school hours, fingerprinting (once at Soquel El. - not annually) and a TB test (every four years) are required. Please review the guidelines:

BREAKFAST and LUNCH MENUS are available on the CNS website here. Sign up to receive the monthly menu automatically by email here.

Remember to order LUNCH! Raise your hand and be counted! Students should tell their teacher if they want lunch during morning attendance.

When are Meals Served?

MONDAY through THURSDAY

Breakfast is served during morning recess.

Lunch is served during lunch recess.

FRIDAY

Breakfast is served before school.

Lunch is served during morning recess.

Questions about CNS? Please contact Amanda Timar, CNS Director, atimar@suesd.org or 831-464-5649

If your child requires medication during the school day, please have their doctor complete the appropriate health care plan and medication authorization form. These forms are available in the school office.

Once the forms are completed, please bring them with the prescribed medication to the office. Whenever possible, we ask that all forms and medications be submitted before the first day of school to ensure we are fully prepared to support your child’s needs.

Student Insurance

Please see this link if you are interested in Student Accident & Health Insurance: https://www.peinsurance.com/products/student-insurance/student-accident-insurance/

SUESD Parent Letter regarding Student Insurance:

English & Spanish: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ChiIPFOnSe9gF2dQAv-rI2pdmEkzOv-Q/view?usp=sharing