It is a pleasure to welcome everyone back to another new and exciting school year. I hope all of you enjoyed your summer activities and had an opportunity to enjoy some quality time with your children. I was fortunate to travel to Maui and spend some special time with my family. I also attended a family wedding in Elko, Nevada and a family reunion in Yosemite. While it's hard to leave those beautiful summer days behind, we are all looking forward to the start of another great school year! This time of the year is a wonderful time for your children to meet new friends, become involved in different activities and undertake some new challenges. However, some children may also be anxious about what the school year will hold, who their teacher is and how to make new friends. Please be assured that all of us here at Yerba Buena will do everything possible to ensure a smooth transition for your children into their new classrooms. I am very fortunate to have a talented and dedicated team of teachers and support staff that will guide your children as they continue their educational journey throughout the school year.
Our district/school teams have been preparing our school and classrooms so that our Yerba Buena School continues to be clean, safe, inviting and appealing to our families and our community. Thanks to the City of Westlake Village for the completion of our grass softball and soccer field and to the City of Agoura Hills for the support of the entrance areas into Yerba Buena.
Welcome to Mrs. Julie Bluestein, our front office secretary and to our newest students on our campus, our Yerba Buena Kindergarten-Juniors. We now have a class of four and five year olds who are our beginning pioneers to the eventual move of our District's Buttercup Pre-School program on to our Yerba Buena campus (some time during the school year). I wish to welcome back all of our Yerba Buena staff members and support staff. We all support the universal message of being caring, generous, accommodating to others and being more connecting and compassionate in all of our encounters together.
This year we are implementing a new character development program called
Character Counts! This program teaches that the character and conduct of our youth reflects the character and conduct of society; therefore, every adult has the responsibility to teach and model the core ethical values (trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship), and every social institution has the responsibility to promote the development of good character. Our first pillars of character will focus on
RESPECT. Discussions and modeling will highlight these categories: Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule; Be tolerant of differences; Use good manners, not bad language; be considerate of the feelings of others; Don't threaten, hit or hurt anyone; Deal peacefully with anger, insults and disagreements. We also will be implementing a new system of discipline procedures from the curriculum of
Second Steps. This includes a stronger dress code and behavior referral form which includes parent notification of any incident that may happen on the playground and a student action plan to help students with a plan on how to avoid future breaking of school rules.
For those of you who are new to Yerba Buena, the elementary school day begins at 8:05 a.m. with students lined up on the school playground (basketball area) with their class. The playground is supervised from 7:50 a.m. - 8:05 a.m. so plan ahead to avoid traffic. Please follow the drop-off and pick-up procedures of following the road slowly around the center circle and pull all the way up to the top of the driveway. Students need to be ready to exit the car as soon as you stop. Drivers are asked to NOT leave their car at any time and to proceed carefully around the circle and out the drive through. IF YOU NEED TO OPEN YOUR CAR TRUNK or you need more time to say good-bye to your child, please turn to the right of the upper drive area and pull behind the staff parking spaces along the side of the YB Multi-purpose Room. This will assist us in keeping the drive-through moving without any stoppage. Remember, start out earlier, carpool, walk to school, and make sure that you make plans with your kids prior to coming through the carpool line. Please be patient and courteous to each other and always watch out for children!
I look forward to developing and promoting a strong relationship between home and school. Please check our website for upcoming calendar dates of special events and performances that will be happening throughout the school year.
I'm looking forward to a spectacular and wonderful school year! Please support our PFA and thanks for being a member of our Yerba Buena family.
-Brent A. Noyes
Principal
ABSENCES
If your child is absent, you must call the office (818-889-0040) to report his/her absence on the day of the absence and/or follow up with an absence note to the teacher on the day your child returns to school. Students are deemed truant (in violation of compulsory attendance law) if they have three or more unexcused absences and/or tardies (30 minutes or more in duration) within one school year (Education Code Section 48260).
TARDIES
It is very important that all students arrive to school on time. Please make sure if you drive your child to school, to drop him/her off no later than 8:04 A.M. If your child is walking, be sure they leave on time. A late student (after 8:05 A.M.) must come into the office to get a late pass.
EARLY ARRIVALS
Please remember your child may not come to school before 7:50 A.M. daily. Supervision begins at that time.
LATE PICK UPS
We are having a problem with some parents picking their children up late from school. Be sure to pick up your child on time. You have the option of either signing your child(ren) up with the YMCA or the 28 Minute Club.
EARLY PICK UPS
If you will be signing your child out early one day, be sure to write a note to the teacher telling him/her what time to send your child to the office to meet you.
PARKING LOT
Parking in the parking lot is for the YB staff, district personnel and parent volunteers. Please do not park next to the red curb as this is the emergency zone.
FORGOTTEN LUNCHES/HOMEWORK
If your child leaves his/her lunch at home, you are welcome to bring it to the office. Please let your child know that he/she is always welcome to come to the office to pick up their lunch or call home for a lunch. Your child's homework is his/her responsibility. Please do not bring forgotten homework to the office; the student should bring it to school the following day.
MORNING LINES
Students are requested to assemble on the blacktop playground (within the basketball area square in the center of the playground). Classroom numbers are painted on the blacktop indicating where your child should be lined up. Room numbers are from kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth and fifth, starting at the East side, closest to the YMCA Day Care, to West side, closest to the Great Wall of YB). Staff is on duty to assist you. After teachers pick up their students, parents are invited to begin moving towards the front entrance of the school. Parents: please remember not to park in marked staff parking spaces.
TRAFFIC RULES
To drop off and pick up students, parents are to enter the Oaks drive through and pull all the way up to the end of the parkway. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CAR in this area unattended at any time. For those parents who need to exit their car to open up their car trunks or to assist students in and out of cars, please continue out of the drop-off area and turn to the right of the drive-through into the parking lot to the right side of the MPR. This will assist us in keeping the FLOW of cars moving through the regular drop-off area. Please be mindful of students crossing by the bridge and be alert at all times for the safety of our students! Of course, students and parents are encouraged to carpool and/or walk and bike to school.
WE WOULD VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR COOPERATION WITH OUR RULES: IT REALLY DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE! THANK YOU.
The YB library will close for the year on Friday, May 30. All library materials are due on that day in order to allow us to do our annual inventory before the school year is over. Textbooks are due June 10. Please help your students return these items on time. Any unreturned materials will prevent your student's report card from being released. (Item added 5/20/08)
From: Mary Schillinger, Assistant Superintendent, Education
Contact Person: Kristy Adams (818) 878-5218
April 16, 2008
For immediate release: The Las Virgenes Unified School District is seeking applicants, who reside within the district’s attendance area, to serve on the District’s Curriculum Council. Three positions are available, each for a two-year term ending June 2010.
Applicants do not necessarily need to be teachers or former teachers. A college degree is not a necessity. It is more important that people have a strong interest in curriculum and instruction in the school district. Applications and additional information on this Board appointment may be obtained by calling the District Office at (818) 878-5218. Deadline for filing applications is Friday, June 6, 2008, at 4:00 p.m. (item added 4/25/08)
