The Carriage Connection

I am thrilled to be beginning my second year as principal of Carriage and am looking forward to reconnecting with our returning families and welcoming those who are new to our school community.

Warm regards,
Renee Nicholson
Principal, Carriage Drive Elementary
916-971-5241 rnicholson@sanjuan.edu

August 12 Wednesday

• Meet The Teacher 8-9am

• First Day of School - 1pm dismissal

August 20 Thursday

• Back to School Night

• 5:00- 5:25- Whole School Welcome in MP room- Principal's Message

  5:30- 6:00- All GRADES OF SDC, TK, K & 1st classroom presentations

  6:05- 6:30- 2nd & 3rd classroom presentations

  6:35- 7:00- 4th & 5th classroom presentations

• SSC meeting 2:30 - 3:30

9/7- NO SCHOOL

9/15- Conversations @ Carriage 7:45- 8:30

9/21- SSC @ Carriage

9/25- SOM Assemblies

10/2- 1st Tri. Progress Period Ends notices will be shared with home 10/13

10/7- Fall picture day

10/8- Mc Teacher Night- Fundraiser at Mc Donalds- more information to come

10/13- Conversations @ Carriage 7:45- 8:30

10/23- SOM Assemblies

10/27- ELAC Meeting 7:50- 8:30

.Spirit Week- more information to come

10/29- LUNCH WITH A LOVED ONE- schedule and times to come

Back to School Night on August 20th 5:00-7:00. Please mark your calendars

The agenda will be as follows:

5:00- 5:25- Whole School Welcome in MP room- Principal's Message

5:30- 6:00- TK, K & 1st classroom presentations

6:05- 6:30- 2nd & 3rd classroom presentations

6:35- 7:00- 4th & 5th classroom presentations

We can’t wait to see you and welcome everyone back to Carriage!

To welcome our families we have a "Meet The Teacher" event scheduled at 8am on August 12th, the day before school starts. Here you can meet your teacher and ask questions.

To get your student's teacher assignment you will first fill out your income verification form. This helps fund our school fieldtrips, extra supplies, activities, and education for staff to support higher achievement for our students. If you want to print the form below and fill it out prior you can just hand it in when you arrive and go straight to meet your teacher.

Other forms such as Medical Authorization, and Photo Opt out forms will be available, as well.

CARRIAGE SHIRTS FROM LAST YEAR WILL BE ON SALE FOR $10.

VERY IMPORTANT: INCOME Verification Matters-

Please complete your income verification as early as possible. This state reporting change makes early collection more important than ever.

Why Income Verification Matters

Income verification is essential for every San Juan Unified school. Accurate income information helps maximize funding and ensures students have access to valuable programs and services. Income data is used to determine:

• Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) funding for school sites

• Title I eligibility

• Priority access to programs and services for eligible students, such as online tutoring, summer learning opportunities, and other supports

Please remind families that all income information is confidential and is used only to determine eligibility for funding and student support programs.

NOTE: Students who receive qualifying government assistance (such as SNAP, CalWORKs, or certain housing assistance) are automatically eligible for Sun Bucks and are already included for LCFF and Title I purposes.

English Learners and foster youth automatically qualify toward LCFF funding. Priority should be collecting income information for students not designated as EL or foster youth.

Collection methods and resources:

⭐ Option 1 – Parent Portal

Encourage families to complete either:

• Universal Benefits Application (UBA) (recommended if the family may qualify for Sun Bucks), or

• Parent Portal - School Funding Form

Both forms are available in the Parent Portal (Q).

Parent Portal displays shown here:

💻 Option 2 – School Funding JotForm

Families may complete the School Funding JotForm using this School Funding Jot Link form or QR code above.

Copy/Use this link/QR code on parent communications, websites, Back to School nights, etc. This link will be mass sent to families, weekly, beginning in August. Submissions are collected electronically and entered into the student information system by the Office of Student Learning Assistance (OSLA).

Please see policies, information and support available for your student's immunizations

We are so excited to welcome you to a new school year! School begins on August 13th, and our staff is already busy preparing for the arrival of our students and another wonderful year at Carriage.

M,Tu, Wed, and Friday

7:45-2:15

Thursday

7:45 - 1:00

I am thrilled to be beginning my second year as principal of Carriage and am looking forward to reconnecting with our returning families and welcoming those who are new to our school community.

We hope you will join us for our annual Teacher Meet and Greet on Wednesday, August 12th!

See link below for full Bell Schedule.

Carriage Walking Tickets and the California Recess Law:

"California's recess law, established by Senate Bill 291, requires public elementary schools to provide at least 30 minutes of daily recess on regular instructional days and at least 15 minutes on early-release days, starting with the 2024-2025 school year. The law also prohibits withholding recess as a form of discipline, unless a student's participation poses an immediate safety threat."

At Carriage we provide a minimum of 40 minutes of recess through out your child’s school day. This allows us 5- 10 minutes of time that can be flexible. Occassitonally a student may be assigned a walking ticket durig this flexible time, as an alternative recess activity, but it will not exceed 10 minutes. *Behaviors that are immediate safety threats will be will be reviewed on an individual basis with the administrator and family.

At its June 23 meeting, the Board of Education approved updated e-transportation guidelines to support student and staff safety.

Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, only Class 1 e-bikes will be permitted at elementary, K-8 and middle school campuses. All other forms of e-transportation including electric scooters, and electric skateboards will not be allowed on school grounds,

Staff and families can learn more about e-bike classifications, safety requirements and district expectations at the district's E-Transportation webpage.

Parking routes:

Cell Phone Policy

As we gear up for an incredible new school year, we want to share an important update regarding our district-wide learning environment.

Following a recent Board policy modification, San Juan Unified is expanding our personal mobile device restrictions to better support our younger learners. Moving forward, all elementary, middle, and K-8 schools will transition to an all day prohibition on student use of personal mobile devices devices.

Our high school policy remains the same: high school students must keep personal devices turned off and stored out of sight during all instructional periods, but may continue to use them responsibly during non-instructional times like lunch and passing periods.

The "Why": Giving Our Students the Gift of Focus

Research consistently shows that constant digital notifications significantly disrupt learning, lower academic performance, and increase social anxiety. By establishing clear boundaries around personal technology, we aim to give our students the gift of time—time to focus deeply on their education, engage in face-to-face community building, and minimize digital distractions during the school day.

Welcome back Carriage families! We know it will be an adjustment to get the kiddos up in the morning for school again. If they are late just make sure to check in at the office first for a late pass so we make sure they safely get to class and are accounted for. We are doing fun prizes for attendance and being on time this year again! If they are absent please see below on how to communicate. Thank you. We look forward to seeing everyone.

Ways to report your student's absence

Call 916-971-5325 and leave a voicemail

Email carriageabsence@sanjuan.edu or

Log in to parent portal and report

We are fortunate to have school supplies at Carriage for your students. If there is something extra your teacher requests that is on a classroom basis. We also have a small supply of backpacks for students who need them. Please stop by office and we will coordinate this for you.

Donations- We do always appreciate things like whiteboard markers, crayons, kleenex, bandaids, etc. if you have those but they are not required whatsoever!

PLEASE SEND YOUR CHILD WITH A WATER BOTTLE, IF POSSIBLE. It will be a hot start to the year!

Thank you.

Healthy Choices Before the Bell

As we begin the new school year, we encourage families to help students start each day with healthy habits. Water and a nutritious breakfast help students stay focused and ready to learn. Please avoid sending students to school with sugary coffee drinks (such as Starbucks beverages), energy drinks, or soda. If a student arrives with one of these drinks, they will be asked to finish it in the cafeteria before school begins. These beverages will not be permitted on the playground and must be discarded before students head to class. Thank you for partnering with us to support a healthy and successful learning environment for all students.

We are also grateful for another year of free breakfast and lunches for our students.

Gates open at 7:15. Breakfast served 7:15 - 7:40. Menus are posted at the beginning of each month in the office, in class, and on our district page.

https://www.sanjuan.edu/resources/school-meals

Please update any new information regarding your student on parent portal. This includes phone numbers, addresses, etc. This is also where you will find your student's teacher assignment and upcoming progress reports and report cards. Here is the link below.

We are so fortunate to have new and returning staff at Carriage. Please give a massive shout-out to:

Returning

Jessica Uhde is our Art Teacher. She will be here Monday through Thursday

William Chan is our Music Teacher. He will be here on Monday through Wednesday.

Owen Zielsdork is our PE teacher and will be here on Mondays and Thursdays, and Fridays

New

Isabel Dieppa is our new Theater Teacher. will be here on Thursday and Friday

Stephanie Prieto is our new 1st grade teacher.

Sandra Alfaro Rodriguez and Heidi Jones is our new 2nd grade teacher.

Shelby Carney is our new 4th grade teacher.

Deborah Martinell is our new recreational aide.

https://www.sanjuan.edu/resources/before-after-school-programs/bridges-after-school-assetsWe also offer afterschool care for grades 1st - 5th here at Carriage. Please pick up an application in the Carriage office, if interested.

Email: rnicholson@sanjuan.edu
Website: https://www.sanjuan.edu/Carriage
Location: 7519 Carriage Drive, Citrus Heights, CA, USA
Facebook: Carriage Drive Elementary Cougars

Phone: (916) 971-5241