"The Leopard Print"

Please see the information below for upcoming activities and events at Rio Vista Elementary School. Helpful links are also provided to help support your students!

Remember that instruction begins at 7:50am. Supervision and free school breakfast are available starting at 7:25am, so we encourage you to plan your drop-off for between 7:30-7:40am each day.

We averaged 93.5% attendance last week, which is a 2% IMPROVEMENT from the prior week, and 3.5% higher than the same week last year. THANK YOU! We hope you have enjoyed a wonderful Winter Break, and we are ready for a fresh start and great attendance in 2026

REMEMBER, MISSING ONLY 2 DAYS PER MONTH IS THE SAME AS MISSING AN ENTIRE MONTH OF SCHOOL FOR THE YEAR!!

**We need your help with tardies! We begin instruction AT 7:50am, so please arrive early enough for students to get all of their instructional minutes

1/5 4th Grade Walk Through California (Diaz, Room 807)

1/7 GRIP Parents Supporting Parents Meeting (8am, MPR)

1/8 5th Grade Crystal Cove (Groscost/Miller)

1/8 Musical Rehearsal (MPR, 2:30pm)

Looking ahead

1/13 Disciplina Positiva (8:30am, MPR)

1/15 Musical Rehearsal (MPR, 2:30pm)

1/16 Coffee w/ the Principals (9am, MPR)

Please join us to learn about ways to keep your students safe from the dangers of substance abuse. Our partners in GRIP want to share this information with as many families as possible, so please join us and be sure to invite a friend or neighbor!

Our after school program, CASA, recently has new openings to add students (1st-5th grade). If interested, ask for an application at the front office or reach out to Juan Gomez, CASA Lead Tutor (jugomez@pylusd.org)

School Choice Transfer Request Windows

School Choice Transfer Priority Window- Students in Transitional Kindergarten Through 12th Grade in 2026-27

December 1, 2025, to January 16, 2026 (Priority Window)
Request notifications will take place on or before February 13, 2026.

All Choice Transfer Applications submitted after January 16, 2026, will be placed on a waitlist. Families will be notified if space becomes available.

Additional Information About School Choice

Transfer requests are available to students who live within the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District boundaries. If you wish to apply for a transfer, please review the information listed below:

• The period for Choice Transfers begins on December 1, 2025, to January 16, 2026 (Priority Window). Only transfer requests submitted during this timeframe will be eligible for School Choice consideration.
• Transfer requests submitted during the priority window are equally considered and are not granted on a “first-come, first-served basis.”
• Choice Transfer requests received after the priority window will only be considered based on space and availability.
• Impacted schools (defined by schools that have higher enrollment than projected enrollment and thus considered at full capacity) may not have additional space for the 2026-2027 school year.

• During the open School Choice window, interested families may complete a School Choice Transfer Request through Informed K12. The link to submit applications will be live on December 1, 2025, and can be found on this page.

School Choice Application

To submit a School Choice application for incoming TK - 12th grade students, use the links below:

Submit a TK - 12th Grade School Choice Application - ENGLISH

Envíe una Solicitud de Elección de Escuela de TK.º a 12.º Grado - SPANISH

In-person assistance for completing a School Choice request can be made at the PYLUSD Student Services Office located at 1301 E. Orangethorpe Avenue, Placentia, CA 92870.

If you live outside the PYLUSD boundaries and are requesting an inter-district transfer to continue attending PYLUSD, you must apply for a transfer release from your district of residence. If available, please attach your inter-district transfer release to the online application.

If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact the Office of Student Services at (714) 985-8670.

Gifted And Talented Education (GATE) School Choice Information

Current GATE-identified students attending GATE Magnet Schools do not need to request a School Choice Transfer. Students waiting to hear about qualifying for GATE must adhere to all GATE policies regarding magnet school placement when notified by the GATE Office. Visit www.pylusd.org/gate/ or contact the GATE Coordinator for further information at (714) 985-8650.

Questions?

Have questions about School Choice Transfer Requests? Call the Student Services Department at (714) 985-8670.

For your planning purposes, save the date below:

Date: January 8, 2026

Time: 6:00pm-7:30pm

Location: Valencia High School Auditorium

Here are some other resources about Transitional Kindergarten (TK):

What Is Transitional Kindergarten?

Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Who is Eligible?

Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Registration Process

From our partners at DP:

Greetings!

Thank you again for entrusting us with providing these parenting workshops.

I've attached the Parent Survey Report and Master Weekly Attendance for your reference.

We hope you have an excellent day and look forward to Phase 7 starting January 13!

Please let us know if you need any other information from us.

As a resource for families facing food instability, OC Second Harvest Food Bank provides support across Orange County.

For a full list of locations by city, click this link: Second Harvest Food Bank, as of 10/13/2025.

There is no limit to the number of food distribution locations families can visit.

From our partners in OC GRIP:

Attached are the Anaheim Contigo Flyers, which are available through the Anaheim Community Foundation (not the City of Anaheim directly). Families must be Anaheim residents and will have to go to either the Ponderosa Park Family Resource Center, Miraloma Park & Family Resource Center, Downtown Anaheim Family Resource Center, or any of the mobile Family Resource Centers that are throughout the Anaheim neighborhoods each week to get assistance.

Regards,

Caroline Smith

OC GRIP Anaheim

Students in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District gain an advantage in unique, future-ready career technical education academies and pathways at high school.

Did you know that Esperanza High School offers a Graphic Design Pathway? Check out their website to learn more about it! Please contact the Principal, Kelly Molina at kemolina@pylusd.org for more information.

What is PBIS?

PBIS is the way that Rio Vista teachers and staff reward students for doing the right thing. We are constantly trying to catch our Leopards following the "High Five" Leopard Laws: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Kind, Be Positive, Be Ready.

When they do, they earn PBIS Points that they can use to buy items from the PBIS store! At Rio Vista, we believe that our students are inherently good. They will make mistakes and we will teach them to do better, but they will usually do the right thing and we will celebrate them for it!

Thank you to all our PTA Members! We have more members than last year already, and we are only 11 memberships away from our goal for this year, so please consider joining ($15) if you haven't yet. There is no obligation to volunteer, and your donation goes directly to all students at Rio Vista.

Click HERE to access our amazing PTA website with links to all upcoming school and community events! Scan the QR Code below to join as a member (only $15 per family to join PTA, nothing else is required to be a member!).

Thank you to our incredible PTA Board for their leadership and dedication, and thank you to all of our wonderful parents and families for joining as members (your donation goes directly to students) and for volunteering when possible.

CLICK HERE to sign up quickly as a member of our amazing PTA. Thank you for your $15 donation!!

As a reminder, PTA volunteers can help teachers by taking care of preparation tasks (making copies, cutting things out, etc.) on Tuesdays. Reach out if you have any questions about how you can help.

Also, thank you to our PTA parents who signed up to volunteer supporting valet in the parking lot in the morning!

Remember, everyone is trying to be on time to school and to make it to their next destination safely, so thank you for respecting the rules of the parking lot by only dropping off in the drive through lane, dropping off after passing the cross walk, and not blocking traffic in the drive through lane.

Please be sure to check the Lost and Found regularly to look for items your child may have left behind around campus. Our PTA helpers wash and hang the clothes, so please leave the hangers when you take your items.

At the end of each month, anything left on the Lost and Found cart will be donated to our local Goodwill.

Our number one priority is the safety of all Rio Vista students and families. Please use the crosswalk in the front parking lot, and only load or unload students in the valet line (do not drop off in the staff parking lanes).

Please do not walk in the wheelchair accessible area (marked by blue stripes) where we load students into the cars.

Also, PLEASE DO NOT PARK ALONG ANY RED CURB as that space needs to be available for emergency services in the case of an emergency. Please be courteous to our neighbors and do not park in front of anyone's driveway.

Make sure to remind your students to pay attention at the dismissal area. If we have to call them more than 3 times and they do not come to the loading zone, we will ask you to go back around in line and we'll try again.

Thank you for working together to keep everyone safe!

View THIS LINK to learn more about a free Farmer's Market every 2nd Wednesday of the month, hosted by our friends and neighbors at Melrose Elementary School.

See below for an example of the "CUBES" Method that helps students solve word problems.

See the document below for reminders about our collective responsibilities to each other as parents, students, and teachers. Be sure to ask for a copy of this to sign at your parent/teacher conference this week.

The CalKIDS Savings Program, administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board, provides children born in California with state-funded CalKIDS scholarships that can be used on qualified higher education expenses such as tuition, books, and computer equipment. All children born in California on or after July 1, 2022, are eligible for a scholarship, ranging from $25 to $175, regardless of income. Low-income students are eligible for scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,500. Scholarships are automatically created for eligible students, but must be claimed using the students’ Statewide Student Identifier. Please visit https://calkids.org/ for more information about this program and to sign up.

PYLUSD's Family Resource Center, (FRC) in partnership with Family Health Matters, will be offering free assistance with MediCal and CalFresh applications. The FRC is located next to Topaz Elementary. Please review the flyer for more information including documents you will need. Call 714-714-1259 to schedule an appointment.

FLIER

El centro de recursos familiares de PYLUSD, en asociación con Family Health Matters, ofrecerá asistencia gratuita con las solicitudes de MediCal y CalFresh. El FRC está ubicado al lado de la escuela primaria Topaz. Revise el folleto para obtener más información, incluyendo los documentos que necesitará. Llame al 714-714-1259 para programar una cita.

FOLLETO

Click HERE and HERE for parent resources to help understand and prepare for the ELPAC test.

Students are going to have access to Reflex Math (via CLEVER), a program purchased by the district in order to provide students with the practice necessary to solidify their basic math skills and facts. It's designed for students 1st grade and beyond.

This is a really fun "gamified" program that students love using, which they will have access to at school and at home. They practice a "back to basics" curriculum and earn points that allow them to personalize their home page.

Teachers and parents will all be receiving an email from Reflex Math this week with instructions for how to set up classes and add students.

Reflex Parent Guide- English

Reflex Parent Guide-Spanish

English: Rio Vista Families, our Free State Preschool Program, is enrolling children 3- 4 years of age by or before December 1st. Families will be pre-screened to determine eligibility based on income. Our Preschool Program has achieved the highest quality Star Rating from the Orange County Department of Education. For more information, please call 714-986-7247.

Spanish: Familias de Río Vista , nuestro programa preescolar estatal gratuito está inscribiendo a niños que cumplan 3 a 4 años el 1ro de Diciembre o antes. Las familias serán pre-evaluadas para determinar la elegibilidad según los ingresos. Nuestro Programa Preescolar ha obtenido la calificación de estrellas de más alta calidad del Departamento de Educación del Condado de Orange. Para obtener más información, llame al 714-986-7247.

Attached is the Rio Vista SARC. It is the publicly available accounting of site demographic data, facilities information, and budget details.

(en Espanol)

Below are all the links to the OCDE resource handout and the asynchronous courses where you can learn for yourself about how to keep your children safe in the digital world.

Resource handout-English

Resource handout-Spanish

Asynchronous Plugged-In Parents: Cyberbullying and Digital Drama Parent Presentation-English

Asynchronous Plugged-In Parents: Cyberbullying and Digital Drama Parent Presentation-Spanish

If you haven't already this year, please fill out and return the form below to our front office so we can continue to find ways to support you and your family. If you are unsure if you qualify, the document explains the criteria.

ENGLISH

ESPANOL

For those who qualify, there may be resources available to help with child care and associated costs.

Orange County Head Start

ENGLISH (support)

ESPANOL (ayuda)

Please see the attached flyer for any student or parent who needs help accessing low cost dental care. The Buena Park Dental Clinic serves all low income students who have Medi-cal.

We hold high expectations for ALL students through rigorous and relevant educational experiences that challenge them to become responsible, ethical and engaged citizens.

Website: riovistaschool.org
Location: 310 North Rio Vista Street, Anaheim, CA, USA
Phone: 714-986-7240
Twitter: @riovista310