News From The Nest

Dear Falcon Families,

We had a great first week back! Thank you for ensuring your Falcon arrives to school on-time, ready to learn!

This week Open Enrollment begins for any students on transfer and any new students who want to attend Fern Drive in the fall. The window is open from 1/12-2/13. Please let any of your neighbors or new families know. You access the OE forms online. See below for more information.

As a reminder, our annual Open House this year is Thursday, February 19th. Please mark your calendar and plan to attend to see what our students have been learning so far this year!

We have kicked off a Kindness Campaign at Fern. We want to continue to foster and celebrate a culture of kindness. Before the break, staff surveyed students about kindness and our school culture and students overwhelmingly agree that Fern is a kind school. Even with that, we want to continue to build that culture and mindset and take active steps towards students continuing to build those skills and to intentionally demonstrate and recognize acts of kindness. Each week we'll be kicking the week off with a Monday morning announcement and a weekly "kindness challenge". This week's challenge is to give one compliment a day. You can support this by talking to your child about and practicing giving a compliment.

This Friday we have our PTA Multicultural Night from 6-8 pm in the MPR. Please join us for this free PTA community event to learn about the many cultures and traditions that make up our Fern Drive community!

Please see the information below about a district Early Childhood Education webinar as well as a webinar for our EL families regarding the state ELPAC assessment that all English-learner students will take in February.

Have a great week Falcon family!

Go Falcons! 💚

Warmly,

Mrs. Lucas

Mark Your Calendars:

January 12th - February 13th ~ OPEN ENROLLMENT WINDOW

January 16th ~ PTA Multicultural Night

January 19th ~ No School, MLK Jr. Day

January 26th ~ District Preschool & TK Webinar

On Monday, January 26th, from 5:00-6:00 PM, families with students who are preschool or TK-eligible are invited to learn about the different early education options in FSD.

Please visit fullertonsd.org/earlyeducation for webinar details.

You are invited to our upcoming ELPAC Parent Webinar on Monday, January 12, from 6:00–7:00 PM.

This online session will help families learn:

• What the ELPAC is

• The Road to English Proficiency

• Parent Resources to Support English Learners

Please join us by using the webinar link: bit.ly/ELPACwebinarFSD.

This webinar is designed to support parents in understanding how the ELPAC assessment helps us monitor and support your child’s English language development.

For questions, please contact the DLA Office at 714-447-7416 or email fullerton_dla@myfsd.org.

We look forward to seeing you online!

Sincerely,

FSD Educational Services

Están invitados a nuestro próximo Seminario Virtual para Padres sobre el ELPAC, el lunes 12 de enero, de 6:00 a 7:00 PM.
Esta sesión en línea ayudará a las familias a aprender:

• Qué es el ELPAC
  
  

• El camino hacia el dominio del inglés
  
  

• Recursos para que los padres apoyen a los estudiantes de inglés
  
  

Únase usando el enlace del seminario: bit.ly/ELPACwebinarFSD.

Este seminario está diseñado para ayudar a los padres a comprender cómo la evaluación ELPAC nos permite monitorear y apoyar el desarrollo del inglés de su hijo(a).

Si tiene preguntas, comuníquese con la Oficina de DLA al 714-447-7416 o por correo electrónico a fullerton_dla@myfsd.org.

¡Esperamos verlos en línea!

Atentamente,
Servicios Educativos de FSD

다가오는 ELPAC 학부모 웹세미나에 여러분을 초대합니다. 일시는 1월 12일 월요일 오후 6시–7시입니다.
이 온라인 세션에서는 다음 내용을 안내해 드립니다:

• ELPAC이란 무엇인가요
  
  

• 영어 숙달을 위한 과정
  
  

• 영어학습자를 위한 학부모 지원 자료
  
  

웹세미나는 다음 링크로 참여하실 수 있습니다: bit.ly/ELPACwebinarFSD

이 웹세미나는 ELPAC 평가가 학생의 영어 발달을 어떻게 모니터링하고 지원하는지 이해하실 수 있도록 마련되었습니다.

문의사항은 714-447-7416번 DLA 사무실 또는 fullerton_dla@myfsd.org로 연락해 주세요.

온라인에서 뵙기를 기대합니다!

감사합니다.
FSD 교육 서비스 부서

Attendance is key in student achievement and success at school.

Thank you for ensuring your Falcon attends school on time every day that they are healthy.

If your child will be absent, please use this google form to clear their absence. You may also call the school attendance line to clear an absence. Independent Study MUST be requested on THE DAY of the absence. For vacations, parents must request Independent Study TWO weeks before the absence.

Each week we hold a raffle for class attendance. Each day, if the class has 100% attendance, the teacher sends a raffle coupon up to the office. On Friday's we draw a primary and upper grade class winner. The winning class receives 3 class Gotcha's, a 10 minute extra recess and has the Falcon mascot in their room for the week.

This week's winners are:

Primary - Mrs. Valenzuela

Upper grades - Mrs. Price

As we head into the winter months, students are often home ill. If your child is absent, you can request Independent Study to make up the absence on their attendance. You MUST request it on the first day of the absence. There is a spot on the google attendance form to request this. If your child is absent, you MUST clear their attendance with either the ABSENCE google form or a call to our office attendance line so that the absence does not become a truancy. TY!

This is a message from Fullerton School District regarding Open Enrollment for

Intradistrict and Interdistrict Transfers for the 2026-2027 school year.

Please note that TK - 7 grade Intradistrict and Interdistrict Transfers must be renewed annually. Open Enrollment begins on January 12, 2026, and closes on February 13, 2026. Parents who reside within Fullerton Elementary School District boundaries, who would like their students to attend a school other than their school of residence, can apply for a transfer by submitting an application online via the Fullerton School District website between January 12th and February 13th.

New this year for junior high: Approved transfers will cover the two-year junior high grade span, so families will not need to reapply each year. A transfer secured in 7th grade remains valid through 8th grade, unless specified otherwise in the agreement. If you reside within Fullerton Elementary School District boundaries and your child is currently a 6th grader and you wish to have them attend a junior high school that is not your junior high school of residence, please apply for an Intradistrict Transfer by submitting an application online via the Fullerton School District website at www.fullertonsd.org.

If you live outside the Fullerton Elementary School District boundaries and currently have your student on an Interdistrict Transfer, the transfer must be initiated in your district of residence. These Interdistrict Transfer forms should be received at the Fullerton School District Office by February 13th for consideration.

Allen Bill: A parent or guardian who is physically employed within the Fullerton School District school boundaries for a minimum of 10 hours per week may be able to enroll their student through the Allen Bill enrollment option.

For more information, please visit our website at www.fullertonsd.org. If you have any questions, please contact the Fullerton School District's Office of Child Welfare and Attendance at 714-447-7529.

Thank you, and we look forward to having your students learn with us in the 2026-27 school year!

In service, Fullerton School District's Office of Child Welfare and Attendance

Here is our latest update from Student Council. Read carefully to see the latest spirit dates.

Link to FSD website Nutrition Page

Lunch and breakfast will continue to be free for all students daily. We will still do a lunch count daily so please discuss with your student the importance to take a correct lunch count. Some students bring a lunch to school and then at lunchtime go get a school lunch. This results in some lunch shortages of the choice meal that day. Lunch options are still available and all children will be fed but often when this happens, the "lunch of the day" runs out. Please review with students the importance of this an accurate lunch count.

📚Read With A Loved One dates for the remainder of the year: 📚

An important reminder to drive SLOWLY and SAFELY through our parking lot and on Fern Drive. Cars are driving too fast through our parking lot and students are also exiting cars in the drive through lane. This is not safe and we need to follow our drop off/pick up protocols. Students are only permitted to exit their car on the SIDEWALK side of their car in the drop off lane, NOT the drive-through lane. A reminder that adults are not permitted to exit the car. Students should be ready to exit when their car pulls into the drop off lane. As cars pull away, please be sure you are driving SLOWLY and cautiously. Drive slowly on Pico and Fern Drive as well. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Our students, families and staff should be safe at all times.

Month of November PTA update.

Each month, be sure to take a look at the latest news and events from PTA.

Please sign up here to host a table to share and celebrate your native culture!

Our 25-26 Foundation Board Members

President, Kristen Jones

Vice President, George Benfit

Secretary, Nanette Roller

Treasurer, Joe Conti

• The PowerSchool Parent Portal will be live beginning Fri, 8/8. If your child took the state test last spring, you can find their CAASPP test scores there.
• Fern Drive School Handbook
• Fern Drive Website
• FSD Website
• Follow us on Instagram and Facebook

Follow Fern Drive on IG: fern_drive_falcons

Follow our PTA on IG: ferndrivepta

Follow our Foundation on IG: ferndrivefoundation