Stingers Weekly

Dear Stingers Families,

As we gear up for our first full 5-day week, we are excited to keep our positive momentum going strong. Tomorrow, September 14th, marks an exciting day as we warmly welcome our PEEP students for their very first day. Our PEEP teachers are ready to greet these students with open arms and big smiles!

🏫We’re also thrilled to invite everyone to our Open House this Thursday from 4:00–5:30 PM. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet your child’s teachers, explore classrooms, and learn more about the great year ahead. PTO meeting immediately following Open House.

📸Picture Day is Coming this Wednesday, September 16th
Please mark your calendars to ensure your child looks their best for this special day!

Volunteer Background Check Information
We love having volunteers who support our school community in so many ways—field trips, Popcorn Fridays, classroom reading, and more. To keep all our students safe, volunteers entering the building where students are present must have a background check on file. Forms are available in the office if you’re interested in becoming an approved volunteer. Once approved, the background check is valid for 6 months before needing renewal. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Here’s to another amazing week of learning, growth, and community!

Warm regards,

-Principal Aaron Mason

Email: masonad@kalmazoopublicschools.net

Phone: 269-337-0770

Here are steps we take at Washington to support our students and families attendance:

• Report your absences so they are not unexcused. You can call or email our secretary, Mrs. Howells-Douglas to report these absences. Her email is: howellsdouglaskj@kalamazoopublicschools.net. Email works the best. Voicemail works, but takes the longest for us to get to, so you might get an absent letter until we have a chance to listen to the voicemails and update the system.
• School Wide and Classroom Incentives that support school attendance when students are healthy and able to attend.
• Individual Student Plans- If your child is struggling with social emotional reasons for not wanting to come to school, please reach out to your classroom teacher and our home support specialist Ms. Sutton, suttonhj@kalamazoopublicschools.net.
• Finally, we support our students' and families' by getting to know them and their specific needs. If a family works with our secretary and their classroom teacher on special circumstances, such as weekly doctor appointments, we document this and take this into consideration.

Be on the look out for our Attendance Incentives!!

We still have a few kindergarten spots available!

If you know a 5-year old who isn't enrolled yet, help us spread the word! They can still enroll now, claim one of open Kindergarten spot, and become a Washington Writers' Stinger!

The PTO will have their first meeting on Thursday, September 17, 2026 following open house. Stick around and find out the amazing fundraisers, and exciting things they have to help our students and community! See you there!

During Arrival: Begins at 8:30

Students getting dropped off, or walking to school:

Kindergarten students will enter through the main doors. Parents may park on Lane Blvd. and escort their child to the main door school personnel will take the student to their designated area.

First grade and Second grade students will enter through the main doors. Parents may park on Lane Blvd. and escort their child to the main door school personnel will take the student to their designated area.

Third-Fifth Grade students will enter through the main doors. Parents may park on Lane Blvd. and escort their child to the main door school personnel will take the student to their designated area.

• Students that are walking must cross at crossing guard if they are crossing Portage Road. Once across the street they must walk to the front entrance of the school following the sidewalk. They will then be escorted to their designated area by school personnel.

• To keep the building safe and secure for our students: Parents please take your photos and say your good-byes outside at the front door entrance, as parents are not permitted to walk students to their designated areas. We know this can be difficult on the first day, but we promise to wrap around any students who need extra support and guide them to their designated area for you! Teachers will also be there to walk students to their classroom.

Students Riding the bus:

Students will exit the bus from our bus loop on Lay Blvd. and will be escorted to our back door entrance by school personnel. Students will enter and be escorted to their designated area.

It is Illegal to park in the bus loop on Lay Blvd. All students being dropped of must be dropped off on Lane Blvd. using the front entrance.

Dismissal is at 3:50 for a full day and 12:00 on a half day.

*We recommend you discuss with your child, "How do I get home?" so they feel confident and less anxious about their dismissal plan. You can also email and let your classroom teacher know how your student gets home.

Students will be dismissed by grade level K-1 will be dismissed first accompanied by an adult. 2nd-3rd will be dismissed second accompanied by an adult. 4th-5th will be dismissed last accompanied by an adult.

Parents picking up may wait at the designated front entrance area for child to be dismissed by teacher. Students that walk will be dismissed once outside. Students that are crossing portage road must cross with the crossing guard. They must follow the sidewalk to wait by the crossing guard. Once walkers have crossed the street they must stay across the street. Kindergarten pick-up and walkers will be with an adult, and can be picked up at the enclosed gate by the little playground out front.

Students riding the bus will be walked out by a teacher to their designated bus, once on their bus students must adhere to the bus expectations and stay on the bus.

• When calls are made to sign students out early, the teacher will be notified promptly. However, students will not be called down to wait in the office. Students will be called down when a parent arrives to sign them out.

Parents be mindful of dismissal changes: Any dismissal changes need to called into the office by 3:00 PM. Office will not be making changes past 3:00. Office staff deliver any changes to dismissal plans to teachers between 3:00-3:30.

Teachers are made aware and make the proper shifts to students dismissal plans. This allows us to make sure students get where they need to be at Dismissal.

Please help us ensure a safe and easy dismissal by calling the office before 3:00 PM for any dismissal changes.

Thank you,

Mr. Mason

In the classroom:

• No hats
• No Hoods
• Pants must be worn on the waist, and should not fall below the waistline.
• No cell phones, use of personal electronic devices, or use of phone Watches during the school day

Cell phones and personal electronic devices are to be left in lockers or turned in to teacher at the start of school. They may not be out during the school day.

Please read and review the KPS student code of conduct for a full list of KPS conduct expectations before your student attends school.

The first Saturday detention will take place this Saturday, September 19, 2026. Please note that if your student receives a Saturday detention letter, that it is the responsibility of the parent to transport to and from detention. Doors open at 7:45-8:00, breakfast will be served and will end at 8:00. Students will be have grade level appropriate work to complete during that time. They must stay the whole allotted time for detention. Please read document over and discuss with your student/s about following the 3 B's throughout the school day. That includes bus rides to and from school. If you have any questions feel free to reach out.

Thanks,

If you haven't filled this form out yet please do so.

The district and our building needs ALL household to fill out and sign the Education Benefit Form. This report is critical in determining the amount of money that KPS receives from a variety of state and federal supplemental programs, such as Title I A, At-risk (31a), Title II A, E-Rate, etc. It also can result in gaining or losing funding for additional services for our students based on how many families fill it out. These additional services include: Instructional supports, Title I Tutors, counseling, social work, health services, parent and community engagement supplies, technology, and more. Please complete this form as soon as possible. All information on the report submitted is confidential. Without your assistance in completing the form, our schools cannot maximize the available state and federal funds.

Paper forms were sent home with your child. If you need another form please contact the office or your student's teacher. Another way to fill it out is by clicking here or below to get to the form. Select "Apply for Benefits." After accepting the terms and conditions, select the "Education Benefit Form."

Click the apply for Benefits form and complete the form as soon as possible. This form filled out by all Washington families greatly impacts the funding we receive to support our students!

Our Parent Portal through PowerSchool is important for many different tasks. On the parent portal is where you can update any emergency contacts or who you would like to allow to pick up your child from school. You will be able to view your child's report card and grades right on the portal. You can fill out the Student Information Form and the Student Acceptable Use Form right on the portal. Many of you have already done so and we greatly appreciate it! Students and parents/guardians must read, sign and agree to the KPS Student Acceptable Use Policy for continued use of KPS Chromebooks.

If you are struggling to login you can put your email as the username and click forgot password. This will allow you to create a new password and login.

First Day Shoe Fund provides new athletic shoes to students at Kalamazoo County public elementary schools at no cost. Paper Forms went home last week. There is a flyer attached below.

www.firstdayshoefund.org/order

Please note the hard deadline of Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 16th. If you do not fill out the order form before this date, we will not be able to order shoes after this date.

If you have any questions please reach out to Mrs. Sutton our Home School Support Specialist.

Sept. 7th- Labor Day No School

Sept. 14th- First Day for PEEP students

Sept.16th- picture day

Sept. 17th- Open House 4:00-5:30

Sept. 17th First PTO meeting following Open House

Sept.29th First day shoe fund

Oct.7th Count Day

Oct. 20th PreK-12; no students

Oct.30th PreK-12 half-day; records day 12:00 Dismissal

Nov. 5th-K-8 half day 12:00 Dismissal

Nov 6th K-5 half day dismissal 12:00 Dismissal

Nov. 13th PreK-5; no school

Nov 25th-Nov 27th-Thanksgiving Break

Dec. 9th PreK-12; no students

Dec.21-Jan. 1 Winter Break