Bordeaux Elementary School

Dear Bordeaux Families,

Welcome back, Bordeaux Bulldogs!

I am incredibly excited to begin my sixth year at Bordeaux Elementary and am looking forward to seeing our students back in the building. Mrs. Beutel and I are ready to begin another year together, and we are both excited about what the 2026–27 school year will bring. Our teachers have been busy preparing their classrooms, planning for students, and working together during professional learning to make sure we continue providing the high-quality instruction and support our students deserve. We are fortunate to have such a talented, dedicated, and caring staff, and I know they are eager to get started and help every student have a successful year.

Our amazing custodial team—Mr. Mike, Mr. Todd, and Mr. Scott—has also been hard at work all summer. While many of us have been enjoying some well-earned summer R&R, they have been putting in the time and effort to make sure our building is clean, welcoming, and ready for students. We truly could not be ready for the start of school without them, so please be sure to thank them when you see them!

A Few Important Dates

A reminder that school officially begins for 1st through 4th grade on Wednesday, September 2nd, and Kindergarten begins on Tuesday, September 8th.

Before that, we will host our annual Open House on Tuesday, September 1st, from 4:00–5:30 p.m. This is a great opportunity for students to meet their teachers, find their classrooms, and get familiar with the building before the first day. Parents and guardians are welcome to walk their students to class and take a peek at where so much learning and growing will happen this year.

Students are also welcome to bring their school supplies to Open House and leave them in their classrooms. This means one less thing to carry on the first day!

Our PTSO and Food Service team will also be hosting a free Back-to-School BBQ during Open House. We will have transportation information, including bus routes, available in the gym, and a member of our transportation team will be there to answer questions.

Welcoming Some New Bulldogs

We are excited to welcome several new members to the Bordeaux team this year!

Ms. Watkins – School Counselor
Mrs. Yarter – 2nd Grade
Mrs. Klashorst – 1st Grade
Ms. Holien – 3rd Grade
Ms. Moore – Special Education
Ms. Fidler – Special Education
Mrs. Kimball – formerly Ms. Howe, who got married over the summer!
Ms. Randi – Paraeducator
Ms. Joy – Paraeducator
Ms. Anderson also got married – but will remain Ms. Anderson for now 😊
Mrs. Goodwin is returning to us to teach 1st grade.

We are thrilled to have each of them joining (or returning to) our team and know they will quickly become important members of our Bordeaux family.

First-Day Reminders

On the first day of school, we ask for your help in keeping our students and staff safe by not walking students to their classrooms. I know it can be tempting to walk your child in, especially on the first day, but there is a very good reason for this procedure.

We have more than 510 students and over 60 staff members in our building. That is a lot of people sharing the same space, and one of our most important responsibilities is creating an environment that is safe and secure for everyone.

When classrooms are open to a large number of adults during arrival, it becomes much more difficult for us to monitor who is in the building and maintain a safe environment. There will be many opportunities throughout the year for families to come into the school, including our Fall Carnival, Open House, conferences, and other special events.

There is also a positive reason for allowing students to make that walk into school on their own. It gives them an opportunity to practice independence, take responsibility for getting where they need to be, and begin the day by making connections with their teachers and classmates. Our staff will be out and about helping students find their way, welcoming them, and making sure everyone gets where they need to go.

This is a routine we have successfully used at Bordeaux for many years, and we have found that it provides a smooth and positive transition from summer back into the school year.

Morning Drop-Off

If you are dropping your student off in the morning, please pull forward as far as possible so we can keep traffic moving efficiently.

We have limited supervision available before school, so if your schedule allows, dropping students off after 8:45 a.m. is extremely helpful. Students arriving before 8:55 will be directed to the cafeteria, where they can eat breakfast or spend some time visiting with friends before heading to class.

Afternoon Pick-Up

Our parent pick-up procedure will remain the same as last year.

Please continue to line up in your vehicles along the street and wait patiently until you are able to enter the parking lot. We will not be walking students up to the road to meet their cars or allow students to run up to the road. Instead, we ask that you wait your turn to enter the parking lot.

Once you are in the parking lot, please continue moving forward as far as possible along the building. Students will walk to their cars once they are safely stopped and pulled up as far as possible.

This system allows us to see the adults picking up students and helps us make sure every child gets safely into a vehicle or leaves with their designated guardian. It also helps the process move much more quickly when everyone follows the same procedure.

A couple of important reminders:

Please do not double park or block other vehicles in.
Continue moving forward as space becomes available.
Please be patient with one another—we are all trying to get somewhere!
School officially ends at 3:30 p.m.
Please do not leave your car once you are in the pick-up line.

Everyone has somewhere to be after school, and when we all follow the system, we can get everyone on their way much more quickly and safely.

Here We Go!

I truly believe we are in for another fantastic year at Bordeaux.

Your children are going to be loved, supported, challenged, and cared for every day they walk through our doors. By the time June rolls around, I think you will be amazed when you look back at just how much your child has grown—not only academically, but socially and emotionally as well.

We have an incredible group of teachers and support staff who care deeply about kids and are committed to making a difference every day. I am proud of this team and excited to see what we accomplish together this year.

Thank you for trusting us with your children and for being such an important part of the Bordeaux community.

As always, it’s going to be a great year to be a Bordeaux Bulldog!

Sincerely - Kyle