Week Five

What a week in our Viking Village!

One of my favorite moments this week had to be our Father’s Walk. To see so many dads, grandfathers, stepdads, uncles, brothers, and other important father figures walking into John Muir alongside our students was pretty incredible.

More than anything, I loved watching our kids.

There is something special about seeing the pride on a child's face when someone important in their life takes the time to simply show up. And wow—did our families show up! 💙

Thank you to every father figure who rearranged a morning, adjusted a work schedule, stood in the crowd, and helped make the morning so special for our Vikings. Thank you also to our staff members who helped organize, welcome families, direct traffic, take pictures, and keep everything moving.

Events like this are a great reminder that One Village. Every Viking. Every Day. is much more than a tagline.

Our Village is made up of students, families, teachers, staff members, neighbors, and community members who each play an important role in helping our children grow. Sometimes that means showing up for a special event. Other times, it means getting your Viking to school each morning, returning a school form, reading together at night, answering a teacher's email, or simply asking, “How was your day?”

Those little things add up.

As we settle further into the school year, we're also beginning to shift from simply learning our routines to really digging into the work ahead. Our first round of MAP benchmarking is nearly complete, teachers will begin looking closely at student data, classrooms will be setting goals, and we will continue encouraging strong attendance because every day gives our students another opportunity to grow.

And yes—we're still working on dismissal. 😉 We're getting better, making adjustments, and continuing to shave off those minutes while keeping safety first. Thank you for continuing to grow with us as we figure out what works best for our Village.

We have had a busy beginning to this school year, but moments like our Father’s Walk remind me why this work matters so much.

Our kids need people who show up for them.

This week, you certainly did.

Thank you for continuing to trust us, partner with us, and be part of our Viking Village. I can't wait to see what we continue to build together.

One Village. Every Viking. Every Day.

Mrs. Randolph
Principal, John Muir Elementary

Thank you, families, for continuing to work with us as we fine-tune our dismissal procedures. We continue to shave minutes off our dismissal time while keeping student safety our number one priority!

⏰ Staggered Dismissal Schedule

We have started staggering our dismissal times to help us safely and efficiently move students from their classrooms to their assigned dismissal locations without having everyone moving through the building at once.

🚌 3:30 PM — Special Education Busing
Our special education buses will begin loading.

💙 3:35 PM — Kindergarten Walkers
Kindergarten walkers will be released from the side door.

💙 Immediately Following — First Grade Walkers
First graders will be released immediately after kindergarten.

Kindergarten and first-grade families: Please move toward the front of the walker area so your child can easily locate you and we can keep the line moving safely.

⚔️ 3:40 PM — All Other Walkers
Students in grades 2–4 will begin being released to the walker line.

🚗 Approximately 3:35 PM — Car Riders
We may begin moving our car rider line as early as 3:35 PM as students are safely in place and ready for dismissal.

🚗 Car Loop Reminders

Please continue to help us keep our car loop safe and moving efficiently:

• 🚙 Please remain in your vehicle while in the car loop.
• 🔢 Have your car number clearly displayed and visible to our staff.
• 👋 Encourage your Viking to be ready to enter the vehicle when you reach the pick-up area.
• 💺 If your child needs help getting buckled, please allow them to get into the vehicle and then pull forward and out of the active pick-up lane before assisting them. Buckling students while stopped in the pick-up lane holds up the entire line behind you.
• ❤️ Please continue to follow the direction of staff members working the loop. Our first priority will always be getting every Viking to the correct vehicle safely.

🚲 Bikes & Scooters — Please Walk Them on School Property

For everyone's safety during our busy arrival and dismissal times, students riding bikes or scooters must walk them while on school property.

There are many students, families, buses, and vehicles moving through the same areas at these times. Walking bikes and scooters until students are safely off school property helps us prevent accidents and keep everyone safe.

🏡 Remember—We're Part of a Neighborhood Too!

John Muir is fortunate to be part of a residential neighborhood, and we want our Viking Village to be a good neighbor.

As you arrive and leave school, please help us show our neighbors the same respect we expect within our school community:

We do receive concerns from our neighbors during arrival and dismissal, and we need everyone's help. Hundreds of people moving through a neighborhood at the same time can certainly be challenging, but a little extra consideration goes a long way.

Our Viking Village extends beyond the walls of John Muir, and being a good Viking also means being a good neighbor. 💙

⏰ Please Arrive by 4:00 PM

If your child is a walker or car rider, please make sure you are in the appropriate dismissal line no later than 4:00 PM.

Our dismissal areas are staffed specifically to provide safe supervision during dismissal. Arriving by 4:00 helps us ensure that every Viking is safely reunited with their family while also allowing our staff to finish their dismissal responsibilities and get home to their own families in a timely manner.

Thank you for your continued patience and partnership. Each adjustment is helping us create a dismissal process that is safer, smoother, and more efficient for everyone.

One Village really can move a whole lot of Vikings! 💙⚔️

We have officially completed our first MAP benchmark session of the school year! 🎉 We have just a handful of students who still need to complete make-up testing due to absences.

Now the important work begins!

Over the next several weeks, our teachers will begin analyzing the results from this first round of testing. This data gives us a starting point for the year and helps teachers better understand each student's individual strengths, areas for growth, and instructional needs.

Teachers will use this information, along with classroom performance and other data, to help guide instruction, small groups, interventions, and enrichment opportunities.

Families can expect to begin hearing more about their child's individual MAP performance around conference time in November. This will be a great opportunity to talk with your child's teacher about where your Viking is starting the year and the growth we hope to see throughout the months ahead.

Remember, MAP is not about a single score—it's about growth. This first benchmark gives us our starting point. Now we get to see how far our Vikings can go! 💙⚔️

🏈 Have you taken the Stay in the Game Attendance Pledge yet? Click on the Stay in the Game image and make the commitment together as a family!

September is Attendance Awareness Month, and we're continuing to focus on one simple message: being at school matters!

Every day your Viking is here is another opportunity to learn something new, build friendships, connect with a caring adult, and be an important part of their classroom community.

Of course, we know children get sick and there are times when an absence simply can't be avoided. Our goal isn't perfect attendance at the expense of your child's health. Instead, we want to work together to build strong attendance habits and reduce unnecessary absences whenever possible.

📊 What's a Classroom Data Wall?

Over the next few weeks, you may hear your child talking about an attendance data wall in their classroom.

Don't let the words data wall make it sound complicated! 😊

A data wall is simply a visual way for students to see progress toward a goal. Think of it like a thermometer filling up during a fundraiser, a team moving toward a finish line, or Vikings moving their ship closer to their destination. ⚔️⛵

Our classrooms will begin using attendance data walls to celebrate and encourage classroom attendance goals. Students will be able to see their class making progress and understand that when they are at school, they are contributing to their classroom community.

The goal is not to publicly identify or compare individual students based on absences. Instead, we want our Vikings to understand that attendance is something we value and that every person matters to the team.

It also gives teachers another opportunity to help students understand data in a real-world, age-appropriate way: Where are we now? What's our goal? Are we making progress? What can we do together?

🏈 Stay in the Game!

We will continue participating in Stay in the Game!, encouraging our Vikings to build strong attendance habits throughout the year.

Families can help by establishing consistent bedtime and morning routines, preparing backpacks and clothes the night before, scheduling appointments outside the school day when possible, and reaching out to us when something is making regular attendance difficult.

Most importantly, remind your child:

When you're not here, your Village notices. Your teacher notices. Your classmates notice. You are an important part of our team. 💙

💙 One Village. Every Viking. Every Day.

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🚨 IMPORTANT HEALTH OFFICE REMINDER

A big thank you to our families for your understanding, patience, and quick response to last week's immunization reminder.

We know that gathering records, scheduling appointments, and completing paperwork can add one more thing to an already busy family schedule. We truly appreciate how quickly so many of you worked with our Health Office to make sure your child's records were complete and up to date.

Most importantly, thank you for helping us get our Vikings back where they belong—in school, learning with us! 💙⚔️

We appreciate your partnership and your continued support of our Viking Village!

🤝 Coming Home Soon: Our Title I School-Parent Compact

Be on the lookout! Your child will be bringing home our Title I School-Parent Compact from their teacher.

The School-Parent Compact is an important part of our Title I program because it outlines how our school, our families, and our students work together to support student learning and success.

Think of it as a shared promise within our Viking Village. 💙

The compact identifies ways that:

🏫 Our school and teachers will provide high-quality instruction, support students, communicate with families, and create opportunities for learning.

🏡 Families can support learning at home, encourage regular attendance, communicate with teachers, and stay involved in their child's education.

⚔️ Students can take responsibility for their learning by coming to school ready to learn, doing their best, asking for help when needed, and being an active member of our school community.

When the compact comes home, please take a few minutes to review it with your child, sign it, and return it to your child's teacher as soon as possible.

Your signature isn't just about completing another piece of paperwork. The compact represents the partnership that is so important to student success.

After all, that's exactly what we mean when we say:

One Village. Every Viking. Every Day.

📄 Parent's Right to Know — Annual Title I Notice

As a family of a student attending a Title I school, you have the right to request information about the professional qualifications of your child's classroom teachers and instructional paraprofessionals.

We are continuing to share our annual Parent's Right to Know notice this week so all families have an opportunity to review this important information.

Please see the Parent's Right to Know notice below for additional information. As always, if you have questions, please reach out. We value our families as partners in their child's education!

Together, we can help every Viking learn, grow, and succeed!

Our FIRST voyage is ready to set sail! ⛵

Grab your pajamas, find a cozy spot, and join us for our very first Viking Voyage! Who is this week's Mystery Reader—and where will tonight's story take us? 🤫📖