The Eagle Report

Can you believe February is here already? TEAM Powell is starting the second semester with high expectations for all of our Eagles. This mid-point of the academic year is the perfect time for families to reset goals and habits for your student at home. On February 9, parents will be able to access the first semester Grades (MS) or Achievement Report (TK-5). Please take this opportunity to celebrate progress, reflect, and set goals for a successful second semester. With your support, they will soar!

Safety is important to us from the moment the student is dropped off until the moment the student is picked up at the end of each day. Therefor, we ask that all families to cooperate with safety expectations in the parking lots and around the school. Please see below for key reminders and updates for procedures dropping off and picking up students at the end of the day.

This month, we continue to focus on safety and productive learning environments. Please check out the links below to our Student Success Assemblies, The Powell Way and Check Your Five which support our school discipline plan. Additionally, the middle school students have an assembly on the dangers of vaping and how to prevent the use of vaping. At Powell, we strictly enforce disciplinary consequences for any student bringing a vape, or any controlled substance, onto campus.

The African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child" reminds us of the importance for everyone to take part in the continuous improvement of our school. February has several Parent Meetings for the community to get involved. See the February Parent Meetings for the details. And be sure to read on for highlights about our music program and Mrs. Sarabia's class ambassadors to Japan!

Thank you for being a partner with us in your child's success!

Soaring Together,

Dr. Dunn, Acting Principal, Mrs. Lund, Assistance Principal

Mrs. Fieri, Principal (temporary leave) & Mrs. Lloyd, Facilitator

9:00 AM - 3:05 PM for Grades TK-3rd

9:00 AM - 3:10 PM for Grades 4-5

8:55-3:15 for Grades 6-8

THURSDAY: 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM for Grades TK-5

Please help make our arrival and dismissal time safe and pleasant! You can make a positive difference by knowing and following the procedures.

MORNING DROP OFF:

Drop off in the Victoria St parking lot starts at 8:15 am

Drop off in the Susana Rd parking lot starts at 8:30 am

• Pull all the way forward using the Valet Drop Off zones

• Use the Valet Zone curbside and NOT the parking lot area when dropping off

• Do NOT double park along the curbside

• Do NOT block or park behind cars that are in a parking spot

• Do Not park in the handicap zone unless you have handicap placard

• Do NOT double park behind parked cars

• Watch for students when you are driving near the school and SLOW DOWN

AFTERNOON PICK UP:

ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

• Walk with their class to the Victoria St Parking Lot Gate (3:05 pm Gr 1-3, 3:10 pm Gr-5)

• If your child has permission to walk home with a middle school student or someone other parent/caregiver, inform the teacher by sending a note/message

• Elementary students should meet older siblings in the middle of the quad near the staff parking lot

• Ensure your student knows who is picking up them up and where to meet them

• Students who are picked up late can wait under the blue tent. Rec aides will ask for your child’s name and radio for them

• TK and K families continue to be required to sign-out your child from the classroom and use the gate at the TK/Kinder parking lot

• Kinder parents will walk through the kindergarten gate, not the P1 gate.

MIDDLE SCHOOL (MS) STUDENTS

• MS students walk out the gate in the Susana Rd staff parking lot only

• This MS Gate is open and supervised for dismissal 3:15 pm-3:25 pm

• MS students who walk younger students will meet them out the Central Courtyard at 3:15 and exit through the MS Gate (MS students will not be allowed to exit the Victoria St Gate or the Front Buzzer Gate)

Students who exit the gate WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to re-enter the campus. Once students exit the campus gate, they are expected to proceed home. This includes students in WRAP or after-school sports programs. The WRAP director will meet WRAP students in the Central Courtyard.

We are working on making sure the ice cream truck that habitually parks on Victoria St is NOT present selling to our students at dismissal time. There have been safety issues with students hanging around outside the campus, exiting/re-entering without permission and families unable to find their students afterschool.

VISITORS TO ENTER CAMPUS

• Ring the bell at the front gate buzzer

• Provide your name, reason for visit and identification card/license

CALLS TO THE SCHOOL

• Provide your name
• Student’s name
• Reason for call
• Call back number

PICKING UP WRAP STUDENTS

After 4:00 pm, the Office is closed. Use the entrance on Susana Rd to pick up WRAP students. The office is closed at 4:00 pm.

We THANK ALL THE FAMILIES for making our school drop off and pick up a safe, positive transition for all of our Eagles!

Regular attendance is essential for success in school. If your child is going to be absent or if you need to report an absence, please send a note to school or call our attendance clerk at 310-631-8794. Parents only have 5-days to clear any unverified absences, after five days the attendance code must be "unexcused" even if the student was sick.

When you send in an absence note, please write down the first and last name of the student, grade level, and the dates the student was out. This will help our Attendance Clerk get the attendance coded correctly and prevent truancies or unverified absences.

We are excited to plan for this wonderful, FREE outdoor learning experience for our fifth graders. The teachers will be attending with the students Tuesday, February 20-Friday, February 23. Please review this information with your fifth grader. The Camp Oakes Principal, Mr. Jeff Wood, will host a parent meeting at Powell Friday, February 2 at 8:30 am. Hope to see you there!

LBUSD Outdoor Education Website

Family Resource Handbook

Student Packing List

We invite all of our Powell community to attend these meetings and have your voice heard. We look forward to seeing you in February!

Grade 5 Camp Oakes: Friday, February 2 at 8:30 am (Gym)

RE-SCHEDULED MEETINGS

ELAC: Tuesday, February 13 at 9:00 AM

SSC: Wednesday, February 14 at 3:30 PM

PTO: February 8 at 2:30 PM

School of Choice Workshop Wednesday, February 7 at 9:00 am or 3:30 pm

This meeting is for fifth and eighth grade families. We will be hold two sessions for students entering middle school or entering high school for the 2024 - 2025 school year. These informative sessions will provide important information about how to use ParentVue, how school of choice works and guide you through the application process. Please see the flier for additional details.

Powell K-8 held its first ever Festive Family Night on December 20, 2024. Our instrumental music teacher Ms. Ma joined forces with our WRAP, Student Council and PTO to celebrate winter traditions and holidays around the world. Our Powell instrumental students treated our families to a concert full of winter melodies. Our staff set up booths with fun games, activities, and food that showcased how different countries and cultures enjoy celebrations throughout the winter months. We even had a photo booth and caricature artist to provide our families with keepsakes from the event. This educational and festive event for our Powell families was the start of a new winter tradition here at Powell!

Mrs. Sarabia and her fourth grade scholars are ambassadors to a school in Yokkaichi, Japan! These 21st-century pen pals have been using video technology to learn about each other. The Japanese class sent our students a video of their school and what they do. In response, Mrs. Sarabia's students chose the parts of our school that they wanted to share with them. To produce the video, our students wrote their scripts, chose their settings to film, and rehearsed with each other. We are very proud of their work and their representation of our school. We congratulate Mrs. Sarabia and her super 4th grade scholars! We hope you enjoy the cross-cultural connections evident in these videos by the youth ambassadors.

Our Powell Eagles will study African American artists — poets, writers, visual artists, and dancers — who have historically served as change agents through their crafts. Ask your child who they are learning about!