Falls Elementary

Welcome Back, Falls Elementary Families!

Our Open House was a wonderful success! It was exciting for staff to welcome our students and families back to Falls Elementary and watch them delight in exploring our new spaces. The school was filled with smiles, laughter, connections, and excitement as students reconnected with friends and families visited with staff.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the evening so special.

What a great way to kick off a new school year at FES!

First graders in Mrs. Eldien’s class, Mrs. Wendt's class and Mrs. LaVigne's class spent the week getting to know their classroom, learning routines, exploring the school, and getting to know their new classmates and friends!

Please continue to participate in the Box Tops program, especially over the summer months. The funds generated help support our Bronco Pride PBIS program, where students earn incentives for demonstrating Bronco Pride behaviors. Your participation truly makes a difference, and we greatly appreciate your continued support!

A huge thank you to those who are already participating — you are making a difference!

Arrival & Dismissal

Thank you, families, for your continued patience, flexibility, and cooperation as we refine our pick-up and drop-off procedures! We’ve received many positive comments and appreciate your support.

• Staff are stationed throughout key areas to help with student safety and traffic flow.
• We anticipate paving completion will help traffic flow even more smoothly.
• We are working with school and city officials to establish a designated crosswalk on 15th Avenue which would be a new addition, and we will identify and place additional signage.
• We do have a staff member walking students from the sidewalk near the bike rack to the front of the school as well as near the sidewalk as traffic enters the loop.
• Older students may wish to be dropped off on the sidewalk near the bike rack area.

How Families Can Help the Drop Off and Pickup Process

• If you are first in line, please pull all the way forward as far as possible.
• Have students enter and exit on the right/passenger side.
• Have students ready to go so they exit or enter the vehicle quickly and safely.
• Please remain in your vehicle; staff are available to assist students.
• Follow staff directions and drive slowly.
• Stay alert and watch carefully for students and pedestrians.

We will continue to monitor traffic patterns and make adjustments as needed. Thank you for your patience, positivity, and partnership as we work together to make arrival and dismissal safe, smooth, and efficient for everyone!

Students in Ms. Erickson’s PE class took on a fun team-building challenge!

• Using only jump ropes, teams had to move hula hoops from Point A to Point B—without touching the hoops!
• Success required communication, creativity, collaboration, and lots of problem-solving.
• There were plenty of laughs, creative ideas, and a few “let’s try that again!” moments!

A great reminder for all of us: When we work together toward a common goal we are unstoppable!

Teamwork really does make the dream work—and apparently, it also moves hula hoops!

Technology is an important part of our children's world, and learning to use it safely, responsibly, and kindly is something we can work on together.

Just as we teach our students how to be Bronco leaders at school, families can help children practice being good digital citizens at home. This includes being kind online, protecting personal information, making thoughtful choices about what we share, balancing screen time with other activities, and knowing when to ask a trusted adult for help.

Family Conversation Starter:
Ask your child: “What would you do if you saw something online that made you uncomfortable, said something untrue, or if someone was being unkind?”

A few helpful resources for families:

• American Academy of Pediatrics Family Media Plan – Create technology expectations that work for your family.

• HealthyChildren.org – Find practical advice about children, screens, social media, privacy, and healthy technology habits.

• StopBullying.gov – Learn about cyberbullying, online safety, and ways parents can support their children.

• Common Sense Media – Explore family-friendly information about media, technology, apps, games, and online trends.

One of the most important things we can do is keep the conversation going. Let children know they can come to a trusted adult when something online doesn't feel right.

At Falls Elementary, being a Bronco leader matters online, too!

What can second graders create with two pipe cleaners, one popsicle stick, and a piece of foil? Anything they can imagine!

This first-week challenge in Mrs. Koenig's 2nd grade class was a fun way for students to get to know their teacher, classroom routines, and one another. As they created, students practiced working independently while sharing ideas and inspiration with classmates. Along the way, they built creativity, problem-solving skills, confidence, and a sense of classroom community.

A few simple materials + BIG imaginations = an awesome start to second grade!

Working Together: Communication & Partnership

We truly value the partnership we share with our families. Strong relationships between home and school help create a supportive, caring environment where students can learn, grow, and thrive.

We want families to feel comfortable reaching out when questions, concerns, worries, or conflicts arise. Open and respectful communication gives us the opportunity to listen, better understand the situation, and work together toward solutions—with the well-being of our students at the center of our efforts.

Start with the person closest to the concern.
If something happens in the classroom, on the playground, on the bus, during an activity, or in another school setting, we encourage you to begin by reaching out directly to the staff member or school involved. Often, a conversation can provide helpful context, answer questions, and help determine any next steps that may be needed.

Give us the opportunity to listen and respond.
We understand that when a concern involves your child, emotions can be strong. Your child matters deeply to you—and our students matter deeply to us, too. Please reach out so we have the opportunity to listen, gather information, and understand what happened. There may be different perspectives or information to consider, and taking the time to communicate helps us work together toward a thoughtful resolution.

A note about student privacy.
Schools have an important responsibility to protect the privacy of every student. At times, this means we may not be able to share details about another student, an investigation, or actions that have been taken. Please know that our inability to share those details does not mean a concern has been overlooked or ignored.

Thank you for your trust, communication, and partnership. By working together with kindness, respect, and a shared commitment to our students, we can continue building a school community where everyone feels heard, supported, and valued.

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At Falls Elementary, we want every student to feel safe, respected, and supported. When a concern arises, sharing it with us is an important first step. When we know what is happening, we listen, support our students, gather information, and take appropriate steps to help.

We encourage students and families to reach out—even if you are unsure whether a situation is bullying. Students having conflicts may need adult help too! You do not need to have all the details or determine exactly what happened before contacting us. Tell us what you know, and we will help from there.

How Can a Student Report a Concern?

Students can:

• Tell their classroom teacher.

• Tell the principal, social worker, paraprofessional, or another trusted staff member.

• Report the concern to an adult in the school office.

• Ask a parent or guardian to help them report the concern.

• Tell an adult right away if they or another student feel unsafe.

How Can a Parent or Guardian Report a Concern?

Parents and guardians can:

• Contact their child’s classroom teacher.

• Contact Mr. Glowack or Mrs. West

• Call or visit the Falls Elementary school office.

• Share the concern verbally or in writing.

• Provide as much information as possible about what happened, when and where it occurred, who was involved, and whether there were witnesses.

• Reach out again if the concern continues or your child shares additional information

Please Keep Us in the Loop

Sometimes children share things at home that we may not have seen or heard about at school. Your communication helps connect the pieces and gives us the opportunity to respond and support your child.

Please never hesitate to reach out because you are unsure whether something is “big enough” to report. We would rather know about a concern and work through it together.

When we know, we can help. When we work together, we can make a difference.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep Falls Elementary a safe, caring, and welcoming place for every Bronco!