Viking News

Good evening Viking Families!

First of all, in honor of Patriot Day on September 11, we recognize the heroes, helpers, and first responders who protect and care for our communities. We invite our families to join us in reflecting on the importance of unity, compassion, and helping others.

We had a great Picture Day last week, and will hold a make-up Picture Day on Monday the 14th. This will only be for students who were absent for our 1st round. Our photo company has a list of students who missed pictures, and will call them out of class sometime that morning.

Our Vikings have been doing a great job with learning our school expectations and how to be safe, responsible, and respectful. Next week, they will participate in rotations led by our Viking staff, to learn more about how to be successful in each area of the campus. Ask them about what they learned!

September is Attendance Awareness Month, and we want to support our Vikings to maintain regular attendance at Del Rio! We know that all students will be sick once in a while, and it is important to stay home when they have a fever or vomiting. As much as possible, it is helpful to their school success to schedule appointments and vacations outside of school hours so that they have fewer interruptions to their learning. Please also remember that school starts at 8:15 am, and we need to lock the gates at that time. Students arriving after 8:15 am will be welcomed in through the office. I am sharing a helpful graphic that explains the benefits of regular attendance, as well as the possible harmful effects of chronic absenteeism. If there are things that make regular attendance hard for your family, we would love to partner with you to see how we can help! Also, please remember to call or email the school for every absence. Attendance reporting information is included below!

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

• Make up Picture Day - Monday, September 14th
• Earthquake Drill - Thursday, October 15th
• Parent/Caregiver Conferences - October 16th - 23rd. Early release at 12:25pm for TK-5th grade students for all 6 days.

Be sure to stay up to date with all of our school happenings by following us on social media:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DelRioElementaryVikings/

Instagram: @DelRioVikings

I visit classrooms everyday and share out examples of the learning adventures of our students as often as possible!

Please take some time to read our Del Rio STEM Academy Handbook. It outlines many of our school rules, procedures, and programs that will help your student to be successful!

• If you are not in the drop off/pick up line, you may not double park or block parking spaces in the parking lot. Do not park on the red curb in the traffic circle. You must use a parking spot in the lot even if you are waiting with your car!
• Please do not block the crosswalk at the entry to our parking lot, and be vigilant about watching for students!
• Have your child ready with their backpack with them, so that the driver does not need to get out of the car. Please stay with your car and continue to pull forward!
• If you are dropping off in the car line at the front gate, please remember that the driver must stay with their car, and that you need to pull all the way up to the stop sign at the top of the circle so that we can keep traffic flowing.
• Please wait until you have gotten past the cones/crosswalk to let your student(s) out of the car. It keeps everything moving faster!
• Your car must be pulled up to the curb before any students can enter or exit a vehicle, so please do not double park!
• If you do park in either parking lot, you must walk up and accompany your student using a crosswalk. They will not be allowed to walk out to cross into the parking lot on their own.
• For pickups, it would be helpful if you wrote your child's name/teacher/grade on a sheet of paper and kept it on the dashboard! That will help our staff to locate students and keep things moving!

Del Rio STEM Academy is a great place for our Vikings to learn! Our amazing teachers and staff put so much time and effort into supporting our students and our community, and we want to celebrate them! If you would like to share your appreciation for one of our staff members, complete this survey. I will highlight our shout outs from the community with our staff in and our Viking News reports.

Here are a couple of our recent Staff Shout Outs:

• Thank you to Ms. Hernandez, Rocio, Sabrina, and Jessica! Thank you to the amazing kindergarten teacher and supporting staff for making the transition into kindergarten feel so smooth and comfortable! 💕 Starting a new school year can be a big adjustment, and we are so grateful for the patience, kindness, and support you’ve shown from the very beginning. Thank you for helping make this new chapter such a positive experience! - The Ballesteros Family
• Thank you to Ms. Mocny, noon duties at the gates, student leaders and duty supervisors in TK/K area for helping students walk to the TK/K area safely. Many have held their hands, greeted them with a warm friendly smile and made them feel safe during morning drop off! Our family appreciates the level of warmth and support given to the littles! - The Sosa Family

We are excited to share the continuation of our cell phone policy, "During the Day, Off and Away," for the 2026-2027 school year (Board Policy 5131.8). Our goal is to create a safe and focused learning environment for all students by minimizing distractions and promoting their mental well-being.

Key Points:

• Cell Phone Usage: Students must turn off and store their phones in their backpacks upon entering campus. Phones should stay off until they leave campus.

• Communication: Classrooms have landlines for students to contact parents when necessary. Phones will be accessible in emergencies.

• Academic Benefits: Reducing phone usage helps students stay focused and engaged in class.

• Safety and Security: This policy helps prevent cyberbullying, ensures students focus during emergencies, and reduces the risk of theft or loss.

Support and disciplinary measures are in place for policy violations to help students adjust.

Thank you for your support as we work together to enhance our students' learning experience and well-being.

Emails, text messages and phone calls from OUSD including those from your principal, teacher and the district office will be directly sent to you using the email address and phone number you provided in AERIES during data confirmation. It’s important that all the emergency contacts listed in AERIES have updated contact information so everyone can receive important messages from OUSD.

You no longer need to download any third party apps to receive messages from our school.

Please remember that ALL absences from school need to be reported to our school, letting us know the reason that your student has missed school! When you need to report your student's absence, please email us Attendance.des@oside.us. Often our main office phones are very busy in the mornings and this is a faster and easier way to report your student's absence! You can also call our Attendance Line at (760)901-7301, but please speak slowly and clearly, as many times the messages are difficult for our staff to hear.

In the Spring, I shared some upcoming changes to our breakfast program. Beginning on the first day of school, all students may go to the cafeteria from 7:45 to 8:15 to eat breakfast, free of charge. If you think your student will be eating at school, please plan to have them here as early as possible to have time to finish eating before the bell rings at 8:15. Students will line up and go straight to class at 8:15!

Email: lorrah.hogue@oside.us
Website: delrio.oside.us
Location: 5200 North River Road, Oceanside, CA, USA
Phone: (760)901-7300
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DelRioElementaryVikings/

Instagram: @DelRioVikings