What a fun Friday here at Southwood!! We started off strong today with the first Popcorn Friday of the year provided by the PTO. Then, at the Panther Pride assembly, the Safety Patrol took their oath of office, vowing to help keep the students of Southwood safe! Next, we were able to recognize the recipients of last month's Skill of the Month, composure! Our Golden Awards were after that recognizing the classrooms who worked the hardest around the school showing off their Panther Qualities (safe, respectful, responsible, and kind). And last, but not least, the kids got to throw water balloons at Mr. Means for reaching the Read-a-Thon goal!! Way to go Panthers!
What a great first day yesterday! We hope you’ve enjoyed a restful summer and are ready to dive into new adventures, friendships, and learning. Whether you’re returning or new to our Panther community, we want you to know that we’re here to make your experience memorable and meaningful!
We cannot wait to see students back beginning in one week for the first day of the 2024 - 2025 school year! Please mark your calendars with the upcoming dates below.
August 28: Grades 1 - 9 first day of school
Kindergarten Connections Meetings begin
August 29: Grades 10, 11, 12 first day of school
September 2: No School/District Closed for Labor Day
September 3: Transitional Kindergarten first day of school
Kindergarten Alternating First Day - Families will receive information from their school regarding which date their Kindergarten student will attend
September 4: Full Day ECEAP First Day of School
September 5: All Kindergarten First Day of School
September 9: Developmental Preschool First Day of School
Half Day ECEAP First Day of School
Please reach out to your individual student’s school directly with questions.
DON'T FORGET: Primary election ballots must be returned to drop boxes or postmarked by August 6th. You can still register to vote at https://cd.kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections
A message from our ESD Technology Team:
The district will experience a planned system shutdown from Friday, July 12, to Saturday, July 13, to complete technology upgrades and core system maintenance work. Phone calls to district employees and school offices will not be received during this outage.
In the spirit of freedom, unity, and patriotism, the Enumclaw School District wishes you a Happy Independence Day! We encourage our students, families, and staff to celebrate responsibly and enjoy the festivities.
Please note that the District Office is closed today and will reopen on Friday, July 5, 2024.
It's been quite eventful lately at Southwood! We hosted the AP history students from EHS for some engaging history lessons, and Reagan gave them a lesson in four square. We were honored by a visit from the mayor, who engaged our 5th graders in a thoughtful discussion about government. Meanwhile, some of our talented 5th graders participated in the district-wide track meet. EHS students generously volunteered their time to teach our kids soccer during recess, and today, we welcomed back more EHS students eager to reconnect with their former teachers. Amidst all this excitement, we also celebrated our Panther Pride awards last week!
June is Pride Month, commemorating the Stonewall Uprising that happened in June 1969, a pivotal event regarding LGBTQ+ rights. Enumclaw School District honors the diversity of our community and recognizes that our differences make us stronger. Hate has no home here.
Congratulations to Southwood's Battle of the Books team who won the district competition!! Way to go, Panthers!!!
Reminder From the District Nurse:
If your student has medications in the Health Room please arrange for pick up before the last day of school. All medications remaining in the Health Room after the last day of school, June 18, 2024, will be disposed of.
ESD Activities and Athletics Newsletter for May 20, 2024
https://secure.smore.com/n/rdb32-esd-activities-and-athletics
Update: Our phone lines are currently functioning. However, Lumen is still working to resolve underlying issues.
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We are currently experiencing issues with our outside phone lines. Schools and district offices cannot receive calls from outside lines. Lumen has a technician working to identify and resolve the issue. We currently do not have an ETA for the restoration of service. If parents/families need to contact their school, we recommend using email until this is resolved.
We've had an amazing week here at Southwood!! We are so proud of our Panthers who worked hard testing and our future Panthers who came for kindergarten screening! We celebrated our certificated staff and enjoyed the sunny recess weather! Way to go, Panthers and enjoy your beautiful weekend!!
May 10, 2024, is School Communicators Day! Thank you to the District Communications Team, office managers, principals, teachers, and many other staff members who keep families and the community in the know.
School Nurse Day is May 8, 2024! ESD is grateful for our school nurses and health room professionals!
May 6 - 10, 2024, is Certificated Appreciation Week. Thank you to all the certificated teachers and specialists who go above and beyond for Enumclaw School District students and schools! We are grateful for you this and every week!
Happy Principal's Day to one of the best!! Mr. Means, we appreciate you!
May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month! While initially only federally observed for one week in May, honoring Asian-Pacific American Heritage was expanded to be observed for the entire month of May beginning in 1990. May was designated to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the US on May 7, 1843, as well as the anniversary of the transcontinental railroad's completion on May 10, 1869. A majority of workers who laid tracks for the railroads were Chinese immigrants.*
This month is an opportunity to learn more about the countless Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have shaped and enriched the history of the United States. You can visit the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center online to learn more.
*www.asianpacificheritage.gov
Make sure you are prepared for current and upcoming elections with up-to-date voter registration. You can update or register now at VoteWA.gov
To commemorate School Library Month, we'd like to extend a heartfelt shout-out to our incredible library team! We're immensely grateful for Mrs. Johnson, our dedicated library/media teacher, as well as Mrs. Huizenga and Mrs. Means, who also contribute their teaching talents to our library/media classes. And Mrs. Lucas, our library para, whose support enriches the Southwood library experience every day. Together, these amazing ladies infuse our library with joy and make it a truly vibrant space to be!
