Bulldog Bulletin

9/3: Kindergarten Meet the Teacher! (5:00-6:00pm @ Awbrey Park)

9/4: Teacher Welcome Emails Sent to Families

9/7: Labor Day Holiday

9/8: First Day of School: Kindergarten (8:30am-1:45pm)

9/8: Grades 1-5: Meet the Teacher! (4:30-5:30pm @ Awbrey Park)

9/9: First Day of School: Grades 1-5 (8:30am-1:45pm)

9/30: Back to School Night! (6:00-7:30pm)

10/7: Awbrey Park Site Council Meeting (5:00pm, Room 16)

10/9: No School (K-12)

10/16: Jog-a-Thon!

Dear Awbrey Park Families,

We are excited to welcome you to the new school year! This summer has been filled with campus improvements, including a new playground and covered outdoor area, an updated HVAC system providing ventilation and cooling in the gym and cafeteria, and new LED lighting throughout the building and classrooms. While the rain arrived a bit earlier than expected, we hope to complete our remaining landscaping and parking lot striping this week.

With school starting in just a few days, please take a moment to review the key information below regarding arrival and dismissal procedures, Nutrition Services updates, Kindergarten Smart Start, and grade-level supply lists.

Arrival & Dismissal Updates

• Morning Drop-Off: Morning drop-off remains unchanged. Parents will continue to drop students off along the curb in the back parking lot next to the gym.
• Afternoon Dismissal: Dismissal will look a bit different this year. Students and staff will line up under the new covered area. Please review the updated pictures and pause parking information below for full details.

Upcoming Events

• Meet the Teacher (Grades 1–5): Mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 8, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. This is a great opportunity for students to visit their classrooms, meet their teachers, and connect with classmates.

First Days of School Schedule

• Kindergarten: Tuesday, September 8 — Special Early Release Day (8:30 a.m.–1:45 p.m.)
• Grades 1–5: Wednesday, September 9 — Regular Early Release Day (8:30 a.m.–1:45 p.m.)

If you have any questions or concerns as we begin the new school year, please don't hesitate to reach out. See you soon!

Sincerely,

Jared Tiecke, Principal

Kindergarten: Tuesday, September 8th, 8:30am-1:45pm.

Grades 1-5: Wednesday, September 9th, 8:30am-1:45pm.

Regular School Hours:

Monday - Tuesday & Thursday - Friday, 8:30am-3:00pm

Wednesday, 8:30am-1:45pm (Early Release)

Office Hours:

Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:00pm

All students will enter the building through the front exterior gates and will be greeted by staff to help guide them to their classroom. For students who are interested in breakfast, cafeteria doors will open at 8:05am and classroom doors will open at 8:20am. More information to come on arrival and dismissal procedures. Stay tuned!

Medications:

If your child needs to take any medication at school, please drop it off at the school office before the first day. For more information on medication requirements, please see the following message from our school nurse, Suzie McCall (click here).

At the start of each school year, it is important to ensure your child’s health records are current. We want to be aware of respiratory-based diagnoses, allergies, or other health conditions that may affect their school experience.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our school office at 541-790-4050 or contact our school nurse, Suzie McCall, at mccall_s@4j.lane.edu.

Please join me in welcoming our new Awbrey Park staff!

• Jordan Zeigler (1st Grade Teacher): Ms. Zeigler (or Ms. Z!) comes to Awbrey Park from Adams Elementary, where she previously taught 1st and 3rd grades.

• Meagan Hamilton (4th Grade Teacher): Ms. Hamilton joins our 4th-grade team from Spring Creek Elementary, where she previously taught 4th grade.

• Jenny Bemiller (5th Grade Teacher): Ms. Bemiller joins us as our new 5th-grade teacher from Holt Elementary, where she taught 1st, 2nd, and 4th grades.

• Hickory Sothras (Educational Assistant): Ms. Sothras joins us from River Road Elementary as one of our new Educational Assistants.

• Anne Regali (Special Education Educational Assistant): Ms. Regali joins our team from Sheldon High School, where she previously served as a Special Education EA.

All students will enter the building through the front exterior gates and will be greeted by staff to help guide them to their classroom. For students who are interested in breakfast, cafeteria doors will open at 8:05am and classroom doors will open at 8:20am. If your child is not eating a school breakfast, please wait until 8:15am to drop your student off at school.

Students arriving before the classroom doors open should wait in line outside their assigned entry locations. See the list (and map) below for your assigned grade level entrance:

• Kindergarten: Side Gym Door (Awbrey Park Staff will greet your child as you arrive, check them in & walk your student to the gym)
• 1st Grade: Outside of Red Hallway (Near North Exterior Gate)
• 2nd Grade: North Exterior Gate
• 3rd Grade: South Exterior Gate
• 4th Grade: South Exterior Gate
• 5th Grade: South Exterior Gate

To help with the flow of traffic, we ask that parents/guardians dropping off their student enter and exit through the east parking lot entrance (green arrows) and proceed to the back of the building. Please avoid using the west parking lot (staff lot) or front parking lot (bus zone) to drop off your child. Students may be dropped off along the curb/pick-up/drop-off zone in the back parking lot.

Dismissal Procedures:

At the end of the school day, students will exit the building with their classroom teacher, using their designated entry/exit locations. Bus riders will be escorted by staff to their bus. Students biking or walking will exit with their teacher. Students waiting to be picked up will wait with their teacher in the designated waiting areas in the back parking lot under the covered area.

Parents/guardians may “pause park” along the curb to pick up their student(s) at dismissal (back parking lot).

Please note the following rules for “pause parking”:

• Drivers must remain in their vehicles at all times.
• Drivers should pull forward as space becomes available.
• When getting in or out of the vehicle, students must use the door closest to the sidewalk. Student should not exit the vehicle on the driver’s side for both safety and traffic flow reasons.

Drivers should follow the one-way direction traffic flow indicated in the map below. K-2 drivers should display their student name plates in vehicle windows at pick up.

If you are walking with your child before or after school, please meet your student in the front of the school and use the designated cross walk areas. Thank you!

We’re excited to welcome our youngest students to the start of their schooling through the Kindergarten Smart Start Program. 4J has re-designed the first seven days of school for our youngest students to help set them up for success this year and beyond.

Providing this unique start allows for smaller classes and time to connect with families, giving teachers the opportunity to understand your child’s unique strengths, as well as their academic and social needs from the very beginning. Kindergarten Smart Start will help ensure a successful and personalized introduction to school for each student and a smoother start for all students.

Kindergarten Smart Start, Sept. 8–16, 2026

All Kindergarten Students Attend: Sept. 8-9 (T-W) & Sept. 14-16 (M-W)
Last name A–L: Attend Sept. 10 (Thurs.)
Last name M–Z: Attend Sept. 11 (F)

No Kindergarten Sept. 17 & 18 (parent/teacher conversations)
Regular school schedule begins on Monday, Sept. 21

Kindergarten families, visit the 4J Kindergarten website for more details!

The 4J transportation department has provided an online resource to help students and families find their bus stop and eligibility information for bus transportation. For more information, please take the following steps:

1. Go to the 4J website at https://4j.lane.edu/busroutes
2. Login into My Ride K-12 via website or mobile app (Be sure to register first!)
   
3. Follow the directions on the links provided above
   

Please see our school supply list for the 2026-27 school year! Please provide items from the "All Students" list and your student's grade level specific list.

If your family needs assistance with shoes, backpacks, or school supplies, please reach out to our Student Success Coordinator, Kristen Gianforti (gianforti_k@4j.lane.edu(opens in new tab) | 541-790-4050).

Our office is now open for new student registrations. If you know of any new or kindergarten age students in the Awbrey Park community, encourage them to contact the school office and register today! Our office is now open from 8:00am-4:00pm daily. Families may also call the Awbrey Park office at (541) 790-4050 or email our School Secretary, Jade Chrissis at chrissis_j@4j.lane.edu for more information.

Enrollment information is also available on the 4J website: Click here!

Join us for a Meet the Teacher event on Tuesday, September 8th from 4:30-5:30pm at Awbrey Park Elementary School! This is a wonderful opportunity for students and families to see their classrooms, meet their teacher, and get to know classmates.

Kona Ice will be here for families who might be interested in purchasing a cold treat, socializing, and connecting with our school community. Hope to see you there!

All students will receive one free breakfast and one free lunch this school year. No paperwork is required. However, please make sure to report any food allergies to both the school office and your child's teacher.

NEW THIS SCHOOL YEAR: Students purchasing additional meals, second entrées, or à la carte items will be charged according to the current Nutrition Services price list, with charges billed directly to their meal account. See the 4J Nutrition Services website for more information.

The cafeteria opens at 8:05am daily for breakfast. When students are finished eating, they should walk to their designated entrance and be ready for class at 8:30am. Students arriving late will have the option of a grab-and-go breakfast in the cafeteria until 10:30am. Breakfast and lunch menus are available on the 4J website here! (Be sure to filter to Awbrey Park Elementary School)

At Awbrey Park, we provide a nut-free table for students with nut allergies. Students are welcome to bring a friend to the nut-free table, as long as the friend has a school-provided meal, which is always nut-free.

The YMCA offers before and after-school care right here at Awbrey Park! Families can choose from 2, 3, or 5-day options, and space is still available.

Visit the YMCA website or call 541-686-9622 for more information.

Awbrey Park Elementary PTO Meeting

Whether you're curious about how the PTO works, eager to learn about upcoming events, or interested in seeing how we fund classroom initiatives, everyone is welcome!

This month, Mr. Tiecke will join us for a Q&A session with families. Have questions about busing, schedules, curriculum, or even Kingston the Bulldog? He'll be there to answer them all.

Come meet the PTO, ask questions, and enjoy some snacks! ASL interpretation will be provided. We hope to see you there!

For more information, please email PTO President Jasmine Lawrence at awbreypto@gmail.com or visit the PTO website.

As you prepare for the upcoming school year, be sure to check the 4J Back to School Checklist on the district website. If you have any questions or concerns about the information provided, please reach out to our school office at (541) 790-4050.

As you gear up for the school year, it’s time to think about how your child(ren) will get to school. September weather and the start of the school year are a great time to set new goals for the family. Making small changes to your daily routine can lead to a surprising number of benefits for your family and community! We encourage students to walk, bike, skate, scoot, bus or carpool to school for their health and readiness to learn, the safety and congestion in our parking lot, and the environment. If you’ve got to drive, but still want the health and academic benefits for your child and want to avoid the challenge of the parking lot, try parking a few minutes from school and walking the rest of the way. It’s a great time to connect with your child and could become a favorite part of your day!

If you have concerns about your route or would like help planning a walking/biking route or starting a biking or walking group, contact 4J’s Safe Routes to School Coordinator at mazze_s@4j.lane.edu or 541-790-7539.

You can find tip sheets on walking, biking and more on the Safe Routes to School regional website.

All students in 4J schools can get a student pass to ride Lane Transit District (LTD) buses for free. Student transit passes can be used to travel anywhere within the LTD service area. Student passes can be used at any time—after school, on weekends and during school breaks, as well as to get to and from school each day.

To get a free LTD student transit pass, available as a tap card or Umo smartphone app, guardians/parents can make the request for elementary students; middle and high school students can request their own passes. Passes are valid from September 1 of the current school year to September 30 of the following year and can be renewed by the school each year for ongoing free service.

Elementary students need to have a parent or guardian request the pass from the school office, but there’s no longer a permission form to sign.

Eugene School District 4J is required by federal and state laws, as well as School Board Policy KAB (Parental Rights), to inform parents, guardians, and students 18 years of age or older (“eligible students”) of specific rights regarding educational records, directory information, privacy, surveys, statewide assessments, and human sexuality education. Detailed information about these rights is available on the 4J Annual Notices for Families website.

Each school year, the district provides annual notifications and permission forms to parents, guardians, and eligible students on various topics, including:

• Walking field trips

• PG & PG-13 movies (Grades 4–8 only)

• Release of directory information

• Notice of human sexuality instruction

These forms are optional and available here. If completed, they can be submitted to classroom teachers or the front office and will be updated in our student information systems. For any questions, please contact the school office at 541-790-4050.

The Eugene 4j School District administers both reading and math assessments to each of our students three times a year—fall, winter, and spring. Students scoring below the 20th percentile may be recommended, by the building-level team, to receive instructional interventions in reading and/or math. Students receiving interventions will have their progress monitored during regular intervals. At our school, all students receive 90 minutes of reading instruction and 60 minutes of instruction in the area of mathematics, each day. Parents/guardians will be notified if their child is recommended to receive additional reading and math instruction.

Linked here is additional information about Title 1 in Eugene School District 4J.

Eugene School District 4J has policies and programs to prohibit and prevent bullying and harassment, including intimidation, cyberbullying, hazing and teen dating violence. District policy also prohibits discrimination, meaning any act that has the purpose or effect of unreasonably differentiating in treatment in any instructional program, extracurricular activity, or in the provision of any other service or benefit on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation (actual or perceived), gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, marital status, age, disability, military or veteran status, or any other factor protected by law.

The district encourages students, parents and other patrons to share their concerns with district officials if they believe they or someone else has been the victim of bullying and harassment, including intimidation, cyberbullying, hazing and teen dating violence, sexual harassment or discrimination. No reprisal or adverse action will occur as a consequence of initiating a complaint in good faith.

Incidents should be reported to the school principal or other staff member. An optional Student Safety Reporting Form is available in the front office of the school. If the complainant has worked with the school and is not satisfied with the resolution, or if the principal is alleged to have engaged in wrongdoing, a complaint may be directed to the superintendent’s office. Complaint forms and information about the complaint process are available in all 4J school offices on the 4J website at www.4j.lane.edu/complaints and at the 4J Education Center, 200 North Monroe Street, Eugene, OR 97402. For more information, contact your school principal or the superintendent’s office, 541‑790‑7707.

It has always been our practice to keep parents informed if their son or daughter receives a serious threat of violence or harm at school, but it is important for you to know about a procedures we have implemented to comply with recent changes in State Law.

Oregon law requires schools to inform parents if their son or daughter’s name appears on a targeted list (i.e., a “hit list”) that threatens violence or harm, or when he or she receives a threat of violence or harm from another student. We will be using the following procedure to inform you if your student either receives or makes a serious threat of violence or harm.

If your son or daughter’s name appears on a list threatening violence or harm, or if he or she receives other threats of violence or harm by another student, we will attempt to meet with you personally, or talk by telephone, within 12 hours of learning about the threat. We will tell you about the threat, who made it (if we know), and the action we are taking to respond to it. We will also send you a notice within 24 hours, stating that you son or daughter did receive a threat. Our number one priority will be to make sure that school is safe for your children.

If your son or daughter made the threat, we will let you know that he or she made it and the action we are taking, including informing the parents of the student who received a threat that your student made. We may also be required by the district’s Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook to inform the police.

Awbrey Park Elementary School is able to provide all co-custodial or non-custodial parents a duplicate copy of all district labeled mailings. Please let the school office know if you would like the name of a co-custodial or non-custodial parent added to the student's enrollment information.

Boys and girls in grades 3–8 can build their skills and compete in weekly 3v3 games on Wednesdays from Sept. 23 to Oct. 28. Sessions run from 5–6 p.m. for grades 3–5 and 6–7 p.m. for grades 6–8.

Registration is $65, and scholarships are available for qualifying families. Click here to learn more.

Email: tiecke_j@4j.lane.edu
Website: https://awbreypark.4j.lane.edu/
Location: 158 Spring Creek Drive, Eugene, OR 97404, USA
Phone: (541) 790-4050
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AwbreyPark