Dearest Eastshore Families,
Welcome to our new families and welcome back to our returning families! We are very excited to begin this new school year with all of you. This message contains important information about the start of school so please grab a cool drink, sit back and enjoy the updates!
Welcome new staff members!
We are fortunate to have a number of new educators joining our team this year:
Adrienne Larson: Vocal Music Specialist K-6
Alexandra Hill: Science Specialist (return from Maternity Leave in November)
Maria Goode: Science Specialist (Long Term Substitute for Mrs. Hill)
Kendra Cornell: Education Specialist
Kevin Bradford: School Psychologist (Thursdays)
Ali Garrison: Fourth Grade Teacher
Tessa Heyer: Fourth Grade Teacher
Please help us welcome them all to our Eastshore family!
Campus access:
As you know, we maintain a closed campus to ensure the safety of our students and to provide staff with superior supervisory ability. However, the campus will be open for the first two days of school to allow students and parents to find classrooms and identify drop off and pick up locations together.
On the first and second days of school all staff will be on the playground and around campus to support families in finding their children’s classrooms. Teachers will also instruct students on before school procedures such as where to line up and where to hang/put backpacks. You can identify staff members as those who wear bright orange vests. Feel free to approach any staff member to help you locate your child’s classroom or any other location on campus.
As a reminder, the parking lot is reserved for staff entry and parking only. PLEASE DO NOT PULL INTO OR PARK IN THE PARKING LOT, even if you see a vacant spot. Staff arrive at different times throughout the day and all spaces are reserved for staff. If you drive to school, please park on Eastshore or Woodspring and make sure you abide by the posted traffic/parking signs. There is also limited parking at the back of the school on Beechwood. Staff will be monitoring the entry and exit to the parking lot to ensure that only staff have access.
Irvine Police Department will cite traffic and parking violations; please be sure to abide by all posted signs. Thank you for setting a good example for your child by abiding by all traffic and parking laws and by driving slowly near our school.
Starting on Monday, August 26th, the campus will be closed. Parents may escort their students to the walkway at Firwood Park adjacent to the playground. Students may also be dropped off at the front of the school on the sidewalk outside of the parking lot. Any areas inside the parking lot (such as the Kindergarten play area and first grade classrooms) are only accessible to Kindergarten parents for pick up and drop off. Please see attached map for visual directions.Campus Access Map.docx
Welcome Back Coffee
Our wonderful PTA will be hosting the annual Welcome Back Coffee on the first day of school right after drop off. Please join us in the MPR for some coffee and breakfast snacks. It is a great opportunity to meet this year’s PTA Board, the Principal (Mrs. Kadam) and School Support Teacher on Special Assignment (Mrs. Duncan), and to learn about upcoming events. We will be sharing Measure E (new construction) updates and providing a tour of the campus as well.
This year we will be expanding the opportunity for parents and administration to dialogue by holding a monthly Coffee with the Principal. We hope to highlight specific topics that are important and interesting to our families while providing an informal atmosphere for constructive conversation. Please plan to join us!
Annual Survey Results
A committee of dedicated staff met early in the summer to review the results of the Annual Survey. We had a whopping 254 responses – more than ever before! The team reviewed the results in detail, read every single comment and analyzed the data to help us determine action planning for the upcoming year. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and we look forward to refining our practices to ensure community satisfaction with our school policies, practices and procedures. Thank you again to all who participated. Your constructive input really does make a difference!
Information Access
In addition to attending monthly PTA meetings and quarterly School Site Council meetings, parents can stay informed about everything happening at Eastshore via our school website at www.eastshore.iusd.org . A weekly feature called “This Week at the Shore” will be updated every Monday morning. It will keep you abreast of all events for the week. The school calendar can also be accessed on the website, which will help parents plan for minimum days and school holidays, etc.
Class Assignments
Please log into your Parent Portal on Wednesday, August 21st after 1:00 p.m. to find out who your child’s teacher will be for this school year. You can also complete the Data Confirmation process (for each child) at this time. It is imperative that you complete this process so that we have updated information and are able to contact you in the event of an emergency and so that you will receive electronic school communication. In the documents section of the Data Confirmation area you will find everything you need to prepare for the school year including bell schedules, the calendar, and volunteer registration (which must be completed annually). The Student Handbook, which includes all school guidelines, can be found in the Accept/Deny section. Please read through these guidelines with your child.
Also, Suggested Routes to School can be found in the documents section and may be of great help as you navigate the best way to help your child arrive at school on time.
Please let us know prior to August 21st if you are having trouble accessing the Parent Portal. It is your link to everything school related for your child.
Respect, Integrity, Responsibility
These are the attributes we value most highly at Eastshore. We expect all students and staff to interact politely and courteously while at school and we encourage you to support our efforts by reinforcing these expectations at home. Students will be expected to greet and/or respond courteously to each other and adults on campus as well saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ when appropriate. Each month we hope to emphasize specific social interactions to build social competency. Thank you in advance for your support.
Back to School Nights
We encourage all parents to attend these informational evening events. These are adult only events so please make child care arrangements in advance in order to join us. Students may not be left on the playground, unattended, during Back to School Night. Thursday, September 5th is a minimum day for all students in grades 1-6.
Kindergarten: August 22 at 6:00 p.m. in the MPR
Grades 1-3: September 5 from 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Grades 4-6: September 5 from 7:10-8:10 p.m.
You made it! Thank you for taking the time to read this long message. We hope you found it informational and helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about the start of school.
We look forward to seeing you on August 22nd!
Best regards,
Lisa Kadam, Principal
