2023-2024 Welcome Letter and Important Information for Families

August 7, 2023

Dear ER Taylor Family:

 

It is our pleasure to welcome you to the 2023-24 school year.   As we gear up for the first day of school on August 16th, we would like to share with you important information that will support your student to have a successful start to the year.  Whether this is your family’s first experience at our school, or you are a returning family, we hope that you will find this information helpful.  It is also important to note for returning families, that we are continuing almost all of the school policies and procedures that supported student, staff, and family safety last year.  We feel that having continuity from last year and having a predictable environment to return to, will support our students to do and be their best.   

 

The one major change to our schedule this year is that we will be returning to our lunch schedule from the 2019-20 school year, in which two grade levels of students will first eat together and then play together at lunch recess.   We are excited to return to this previous schedule, because it supports more time for instruction in the morning, and is more manageable for our cafeteria and noon monitor staff.  This will also be better for students, because they will be able to eat their lunches at a more regular lunch time, particularly for our lower grade students.   

 

We are also excited to welcome new staff members to the ER Taylor Community and celebrate all of our amazing staff for their dedication to enacting our school’s mission of supporting your student(s) to be “college bound!”  The first new member of our community I would like to introduce is our new Assistant Principal, Shirley Duong.  Ms. Duong  comes with incredible experience and talent, and we are very fortunate to have her as a leader at ER Taylor.   Here are the other new staff members and their roles:

 

• Lara Dowell - Spanish Biliteracy, Kindergarten 
• Jennifer Marquez - English plus (Gen. Ed.), 2nd grade 
• Morgan Nilsen - Spanish Biliteracy, 4th grade
• Sallie Salazar - Autism focused Special Day Class (SDC), Kindergarten - 2nd grade
• Kaley Pon - School Climate Coordinator
• Melissa Wheeler - SDC paraeducator 
• Leslie Morales Hu - Noon Monitor 
• Saydha Henderson - Instructional Aide
• Yuliana Cruz - Instructional Aide 

 

We also want to welcome you to come to our campus and see who your student’s teacher will be, starting Friday, August 11th.  Class lists will be posted on our family bulletin board, on our Pre-Kindergarten portable (next to the Bacon Street gate), starting that Friday morning.   There will also be an ER Taylor uniform sale on Tuesday, August 15th, starting at 10:00AM on our school campus, which coincides with our Kindergarten family orientation and teacher meet and greet (new Kinder families, please look for a separate family letter with more information about this event).

 

And with that, enjoy the rest of your summer, and we’ll see you on August 16th for the first day of school! 

 

Sincerely, 

 

David Norris, Principal 

Shirely Duong, Assistant Principal 

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO KNOW

 

First Day of School

• School starts on Wednesday, August 16, 2023.   Classroom assignments will be posted Friday, August 11th.  
• The first day will be an early dismissal day, so please plan ahead to pick up your student at 12:50!

 

School Hours 

• Grades 1st - 5th: 7:50 - 2:05  (Early dismissal each Wednesday is at 12:50)
• Kindergarten: 7:50 - 1:50 pm.  (Early dismissal each Wednesday is at 12:50)

 

First Day Line Up Spot - How will my student know where to go?

• All general education students will have their class assignment (Teacher’s name and room number) posted on our Pre-Kindergarten portable starting 8/11, along with curbside class assignment postings on the first day of school.  When you look up your student’s class, identify their class room number and help your student remember their room number.   
• Once general education students enter our campus on the first day of school, they will meet their teacher in the morning at their classes’ line-up spot on our turf field.  Students will line up behind their class number on the field.  
• For new Kindergarten families, class assignments and room numbers will be shared at our Kindergarten Orientation on August 15th, and students will get to practice lining up in their line up spots.  
• All students in our Autism focused, Special Day Class (SDC) program will meet paraeducators in our Sensory Garden on Burrows Street, whether they are being dropped off by their families, or come to our school via SFUSD bus transportation.  

 

Student Drop Off Hours

• Our gates open at 7:30 every morning, and there will be supervision from 7:30 - 7:50 on our lower playground, or in the Sensory Garden for students in our SDC classes.  General education students are expected to wait at their line up spots on the turf field, unless it is a rainy day schedule, in which case they will wait in the hallway outside of their class.  Students can also eat breakfast during this time, in our cafeteria. 
• Students in our SDC classes will wait in our Sensory Garden with paraeducator supervision, and will be walked over to their classes once the bell rings at 7:50.  On rainy days, students will wait inside the building with para supervision.

 

School Entry Policy & Routine

• General education students will enter our campus through our Goettingen Street or Bacon Street gates. Families are not allowed to enter the playground in the morning, and will have to say goodbye to students before they enter our campus.
• Kindergarten and 1st grade students will enter through the Bacon Street Gate.  This gate will close promptly at 7:50.
• 2nd - 5th grade students will enter through the Goettingen Street Gate, which will close at 7:55. 
• If you have a student in either Kinder or 1st grade AND a student in 2nd grade or above, both students can enter through the Bacon Street Gate.  Students will then line-up at their classroom line up spot on the turf field 

 

Late Arrivals

• Students that arrive after 7:55 are considered tardy. After 7:55, families will need to bring their students to the late arrival entrance on Burrows Street.  Students will have to line up for a tardy slip inside of our main building.  1st - 5th grade students will then go directly to their classes.  Kindergarten students will be escorted to their classes.  

 

Family Parking

• If you choose to park in the neighborhood and walk your student(s) to either the Goettingen Street or Bacon Street gates, please be mindful of street cleaning days on Tuesday and Thursday.  Please also be mindful of our neighbors and avoid parking in their driveways and make sure you do not double park, or park in any of the white zones, as you may be ticketed.  

 

Morning Rolling Drop Off

• For families that are driving to school, but do not wish to park, you can access our rolling drop off zones set up on Goettingen Street and on Bacon Street.  Both rolling drop off zones will be supervised from 7:30 - 7:50 and will be marked by orange cones. Once dropped off, students will enter through either gate, like all other students. 
• To enter the Goettingen Street rolling drop off zone, drive down Goettingen Street heading South toward Bacon Street.  To enter the Bacon Street rolling drop off zone, drive down Bacon Street heading West toward Somerset Street. Drivers must follow the directions of the drop off zone supervisors and once their student(s) exit the vehicle, the cars must exit the drop off zone. Please do not wait in the drop off lane, while your child enters the gate. Your student(s) should be able to independently exit your vehicle. 

 

Dismissal & Pick Up 

• General education students who are being picked up directly after school will be brought out to the turf field right before dismissal to meet families at their class’ line up spot.  
• The Bacon Street gate will be opened for Kindergarten dismissal around 1:45 PM (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday), and at 12:50 on Wednesdays, so families can come onto our campus to meet their student(s).  
• The Goettingen Street gate will be opened around 2:03 PM  (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday),  and at 12:50  on Wednesday, so families can come onto our campus to meet their student(s).  
• If you arrive early before either of the gates are opened, please line up going down Bacon street (toward Somerset St.). or going down Goettingen Street (toward Burrows St.).   This ensures an orderly and fair entry process for all. 
• After meeting your student, we ask that you promptly leave the playground.
• Students in our SDC classes will be brought to Sensory Garden at 1:50 each day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday), and at 12:40 on Wednesday, for pick-up by families, or to wait to load onto their bus, when it arrives. 

 

Dismissal & After School Programs

• If your student is in an afterschool program, they will be directed by their teacher or a school staff member to the pick up location for their after school program.  If your student is enrolled in an afterschool program, but won’t be attending their program on any given day, please make sure to have your student inform their teacher. 

 

Dismissal & Students Walking Home Unaccompanied by an Adult

• Only 4th and 5th grade students can walk home unaccompanied by a parent or guardian.  Before this happens, the school must have a signed note from a parent or guardian giving them permission to do so.  Students will then be dismissed by their teacher to walk home, after they are brought to their line up spot with the rest of their class. 
• Once the school receives a written note from a family member, an Administrator or one of the ER Taylor Social Workers will contact the family interested in this, to discuss the specific circumstances of their student walking home unaccompanied.

 

Early Pick Up

• If you need to pick up your student early from school, for any reason, come to our main entrance at Burrows Street and ring the doorbell/buzzer.  After identifying yourself, you will be buzzed into our school.  You will then go directly to the main office to request an early pick up.  Our office team will call your student’s class and have them report to the main office to meet you. 

 

Late Pick Up

• If you are running late, your student(s) will be brought by their teacher to our late pick up area, which is next to the school building on our basketball court.  An ER Taylor staff member will supervise students who are not picked up after 2:10 PM on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and after 12:55 PM on Wednesdays.  Around 2:30 (or 1:15 on Wednesday), students who have still not been picked up, will be brought to the main office.

 

School Visitation Policy

• If you choose to visit our campus, whether it is for a one time visit or ongoing volunteering, you must always sign-in, in our main office, first!  If you are planning on visiting a classroom or have a meeting with a staff member, you must also get a visitor’s badge from our main office team, which will signify to all staff members on campus that you have already signed in.  
• Any adult who is not a SFUSD employee or community based partner, who is in the school building without a visitor’s badge, will be asked to identify themselves and be escorted to the office or to an Administrator. 

Student Essentials - What to Bring and What NOT to Bring, to School

• It is important that students bring a backpack to school everyday, along with any assignments, books, and school supplies they need.  If you need support with getting a backpack, please check in with an Administrator or School Social Worker about this.    Students should also bring their Wednesday “Take Home” folder to school on Tuesday or Wednesday morning, so family announcements, forms, and fliers can be sent home on Wednesday afternoon.
• Students should NOT bring toys to school, or anything that will cause distractions or would not be used for educational purposes.  Students can get permission to bring items of this nature by their teachers, in special circumstances. 

 

Lunch & Snack Policies 

• All students have access to our school’s breakfast and lunch program, however you are also welcome to have your student(s) bring their lunch from home. Students who opt for school lunch, will eat in our cafeteria.  Students who bring their lunch from home will eat outside at our picnic tables, or in their classrooms on rainy days.  Lunch service takes place at the following times: K/1st: 11:00 - 11:20 AM 2nd/3rd: 11:30 - 11:50 AM 4th/5th: 12:00 - 12:20 PM.  Breakfast is served daily in the cafeteria for all students from 7:30 - 7:45.   If you choose to send your student with lunch from home, please make sure that the food will be safe to eat without needing to be refrigerated or heated. 
• Per our new wellness policy, NO candy or gum is allowed at school, and snacks need to be brought in individual portion bags/containers.   It is also encouraged that all students bring healthy lunch, snack, and drink choices to school that are low in sugar.  It is also important that students not share lunch or snack items with others. 
• Families are not allowed to eat on our campus with students.  If families are interested in eating with their student(s), they will need to sign them out and take them off campus for lunch. 
• Every family also needs to complete a SFUSD Multipurpose Family Income Form, which supports students to be able to access free or reduced price lunch, based on family income. 

 

School Uniform & Dress Code Policy 

• ER Taylor is a uniform school, so all students are expected to be in a school uniform, unless they have a waiver signed by a parent, that exempts them from wearing one.   The ER Taylor Administration will be engaging families about this policy, to determine the best ways we will proceed as a school around uniform usage and compliance.
• The ER Taylor uniform colors are: Black pants or skirts, white or maroon collared shirts or blouses, and a maroon sweater, if you choose.  If a student is not in uniform, the (general) ER Taylor dress code follows the SFUSD dress code, outlined in the SFUSD Family and Student Handbook

 

Cell Phone Policy

• Students who choose to bring their cell phones from home, must keep them in their backpack, and are not allowed to use them, unless they have been given explicit permission from an ER Taylor Staff member.  If a student does not meet this expectation, the phone will be confiscated and returned to the student or a family member. 

 

School Communication  

• It is the goal of our school to make sure all families are properly informed about everything that pertains to our students.  To ensure there is strong communication between the school and families, all school wide fliers and announcements will be sent out in paper form each week on Wednesday, via our Wednesday “Take Home” folders.
• We will also be sending this information to families through your ParentVUE account, and we will be sharing reminders about events and school meetings via recorded messages sent to your phone numbers that you have provided to us. The school Administration will also continue to send out our monthly newsletter, “The Panda Times,” with all the happenings for the month.   And don’t forget to check out the ER Taylor Website (https://www.sfusd.edu/school/er-taylor-elementary-school) for more school info, and the SFUSD Website (https://www.sfusd.edu/), which provides information about district-wide happenings. 

 

Parent/Guardian Involvement

• There are multiple ways families can be involved in school, beyond supporting their student’s education and partnering with your student’s teacher.  Families can participate in, or observe, parent leadership groups, including our monthly School Site Council (SSC) Meeting, Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meetings, and our monthly English Language Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) for families whose students are English Learners.   
• We will also be offering multiple family workshops and family events throughout the year, and will be continuing our monthly Principal Chats.