Henry's Helman Herald

Welcome Back to School:

I hope you have enjoyed a screen free summer filled with real books, games, sporting activities, bike riding and family time. You will be hearing quite a bit this year about cautions around screen time at an early age from our Joyous Generation parent group. Our very active PTA will be sharing information with all of you about open meetings and the many exciting ways PTA supports our students and staff. It is going to be a great year and we can't wait to get started.

Our staffing for 2026-2027 school year is as follows:

Team K/1: Tanner Marks (K), Tia Mclean (K/1), Sara Evans Collay (1)

Team 2/3: Brian Doak (2), Kelly Martin (2/3), Juliana Quick (3)

Team 4/5: Reece Jensen (4), Joe Dunbrasky (4/5), Allana Drossos (5)

Site - Based: Steve Schmitt

Special Education: Erin Finney

PE: Kevin McMann

Music: Amy Merwin

Child Dev. (CDS): Kari Smith

Math Intervention: Sarah Lang

Reading Intervention: Karen Turner

Youth Advocate: Lawson

Unfilled as of yet: Special Ed Educational Asst.

Media: Aneiage VanBean

Speech: Erikkson Baird

School Psych: Kim Hosford

EA Support Team: Robin Bayouth, Christy Hope, Sheila Jarvis, Sallie Ehrman, Ian Ousley, Traci Ordonez, Paula Stonerod, Spencer Nix.

Food Service: Julie, Elise

Custodians: Joanie Rogers, Logan Boyd

ELD: Dylana Garfas

Office Manager: Arianna King

Children will always be the focus of our intention and planning. We look forward to meeting our new classes and sharing all the happy and magical events at Helman.

Warmly,

Susan Hollandsworth

Office Schedule

Helman office is open for regular hours, 7:45 - 4:00pm Monday through Friday. Please encourage anyone you know to register as soon as possible.

Class Placements for Students

Class placements will be released on August 28, 2026 for grades 1-5. Kindergarten placements will be made during the first week of school. More details will be provided to kindergarten families soon.

School Schedule

School begins on August 31 with a half day and 12:30 release for grades 1 -5.

First day of school picnic schedule is as follows:

1st grade - 11:20 - 12:00

Grades 2 and 3 - 11:30 - 12:10

Grades 4 and 5 - 11:40 - 12:20

Kindergarten will have their first day of class on September 1 with a 12:30 release. After the first day, kindergarteners will follow the same schedule as the rest of the school with a 1:30 release on Wednesdays and 2:50 release other days of the week.

Supply Lists

The supply list can be found on our school website or here

Student personal electronic devices must be powered off and securely stored from the time students enter the school campus until they exit the school campus. Personal electronic devices may be kept by students in backpacks, as designated by each school, but personal electronic devices are not to be stored on the student’s person or in the student’s clothing during regular instructional hours. This includes apple watches, cell phones, and earbuds. Exceptions will be made for medical needs or as directed by an IEP.

https://www.ashland.k12.or.us/page/school-nurse-and-student-health.

Also, when your student is absent for any reason, please notify the office and the teacher of their absence. You can email the office at HelmanOffice@ashland.k12.or.us.

Meal calendars can be found at: https://www.ashland.k12.or.us/page/nutrition-services

We are so grateful for the help many of you provide in our classrooms supporting our students. Please share with others who may be interested in helping out with activities, as all volunteers must fill out the Ashland School District Volunteer paperwork and be approved, in order to help out with projects or activities in the classroom and the school. This link provides details of some responsibilities expected of volunteers. As you scan down the information, also note in particular the phrase regarding non-discrimination. As a community we hold dear to our hearts the tenet that every student belongs at Helman and will be treated with the utmost respect and love. We are fortunate to have such a caring community that surrounds our children with kindness, happiness, and joy.

https://www.ashland.k12.or.us/page/volunteer-in-the-schools

Food backpacks have started, but it is not too late to sign up! This program is supported through the Ashland Elks Lodge #944, ACCESS Rogue Powerpack Program, and our PTA.

The Weekend Food Backpack program provides a weekend supply of food for Helman students who need extra support. This program is designed to increase a child’s access to healthy meals and snacks over weekends and holidays. It is provided free of charge to families that enroll. .

Backpacks are packed by PTA volunteers and distributed every Friday. If you believe your child could benefit from this program, please fill out the form at this link or contact Diane Berry at Diane.Berry@ashland.k12.or.us if you would like more information about the program.

We’re excited to share a new tool that will make transportation easier and more transparent for our families. My Ride K-12, the district’s new bus tracking app, works directly with our routing system and lets parents and guardians see their student’s bus location in real time. You can also view when your student loads and unloads from the bus.

The app is secure, easy to use, and only accessible to parents/guardians who have their student’s ID number.

Getting Started:

1. Download My Ride K-12 from the app store.

2. Create an account using your email and password.

3. Check your email and confirm your account.

4. Sign in and select Ashland School District 5.

5. Add your student by entering their student ID number, then tap “Add Student.”

6. In the app’s Settings, you can adjust language and font size, and turn on features like Notifications, ETA Early/Late Alerts, and ETA Reminders.

If you have questions, feel free to reach out. We’re excited to offer families this real-time transportation support!

7:50 Students may arrive at school, supervision provided in the library and on the playground, breakfast is available (free to all!) in the cafeteria.

8:15 First bell rings, students go to class

8:20 Second bell rings, class begins and students should be in their classrooms

2:50 Daily dismissal Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday

Helman Elementary School

Main Office: Arianna King

Website: https://www.ashland.k12.or.us/o/hes
Location: 705 Helman Street, Ashland, OR 97520
Phone: 541-482-5620