Principal News 8/28/26

Hello Emerald Heights Families!It was so nice to see so many of you at our Meet & Greet last Thursday! Thank you to everyone who was able to attend, and for those who couldn’t make it—we can’t wait to welcome your student on Monday. We are so excited to begin the 2026–2027 school year!

First Week of School

Monday, August 31–Wednesday, September 2: Half days — dismissal at 11:45 a.m. and no lunch
Thursday, September 3: Early release — dismissal at 1:55 p.m.
Friday, September 4: First full day — dismissal at 3:25 p.m.
Doors open at 8:55 a.m. Please do not drop students off before 8:45 a.m.Breakfast is free for all students and available before school.

Important - Kindergarten families: Kindergarten students only attend the three half days Monday–Wednesday. There is no school for Kindergarten on Thursday or Friday. Those days are reserved for individual family meetings with your child’s teacher. Most families signed up for a meeting time during Meet & Greet. If you still need to schedule yours, please call the office or send your child’s teacher a ParentSquare message.

Drop-Off

At the flagpole, you may turn either left or right for morning drop-off. Please use your blinker so our traffic staff know which direction you are going.
Parents may walk students into school on the first day only. If you park and walk your child to the plaza or into school, please use a designated parking space—do not park or stop along the curb.

Student Pick-Up — Please Read Carefully

If you are picking up your student at the end of the day, please do not arrive before 3:15 p.m. We also strongly encourage families to stagger arrival rather than all arriving right at dismissal time. On a regular school day, arriving at 3:30 or even 3:35 is fine and makes a huge difference in keeping traffic from backing up into the neighborhood. The same idea applies on our half days and early-release day.

Please place your student pickup card in the curbside window.

As you approach the flagpole, use your blinker to show whether you are turning RIGHT or LEFT. This helps our traffic staff know where to send you and keeps the line moving.

K–1 → TURN RIGHT

Kindergarten and 1st grade families use the south side of the plaza.

• Two curbside pickup lanes
• Wait until you are through the parking lot before forming two lines so parked cars are not blocked
• Stay in your car - staff will bring your child to you
• Wait for staff to release your section
• If you have older children too, pick up all siblings on the K–1 side

Grades 2–5 → TURN LEFT

Grades 2–5 families use the north side of the plaza.

• One pickup lane
• Keep pulling forward as space opens
• Once your child is safely loaded, please continue out so we can keep the line moving

Easy reminder: K–1 = RIGHT | Grades 2–5 = LEFT
If you have children in both groups, use the K–1 side.
Please be patient during the first few days while everyone learns the routine. It will get faster!

A Few More Reminders

Breakfast and lunch are free for all students this year. Breakfast and lunch are eaten in classrooms. Remember, there is no lunch during our first three half days.
Please label lunch boxes, coats, sweatshirts, water bottles, and other belongings with your child’s name.
Look for your child’s green folder on the first day - more information will be coming home there.

Watch D.O.G.S. Kickoff

Dads, grandpas, uncles,  father figures - we would love to have you join us!
Thursday, September 24 | 6:00–7:00 p.m.
Come join us for pizza and learn about this opportunity to be involved in our school this year!

We can't wait to welcome your child back to school! We are going to have a wonderful year! Thank you for your patience, flexibility, and partnership as we get everyone back into our routines.

Here we go, 2026–27!

Stephanie Brush
Principal
Emerald Heights