Letter From the Principal
August, 2021
Meet the Principal
As the new principal of Lee Elementary School, it is my pleasure to welcome you back to the 2021-2022 school year. I am excited to begin this new adventure with each and everyone of you with a sense of normalcy as we enter the buildings this fall. I wanted to take this opportunity to share a little bit about my experience and who I am.
I have been in the education field for the last 18 years and started my career as an educator in Independence, Oregon. I then joined SKPS in 2013 where I spent my first four years teaching in an elementary bilingual classroom. I have experience as a behavior specialist and have served the last three years as an assistant principal at five different schools. I am committed to creating a caring environment where students, families and staff feel a sense of belonging once they step into the building. In addition, I am a mother of four amazing children, who range from elementary age, middle school, and high school age.
I am honored to serve as the new principal at Lee Elementary School, where we believe that by working collaboratively with parents, our community and staff; we can create a supportive learning environment where all students can learn.
Getting Ready for the 2021-2022 School Year
We are so excited to welcome your children back to our building in-person, five days a week! When students return in September of this year, they will notice some improvements to our offices, intercom system, an added vestibule to welcome families and a new roof.
We are looking forward to a school year that feels a bit more “normal,” although the world still looks and feels quite different these days. As you have likely heard, face coverings will continue to be required indoors for all students, staff, and visitors per a government mandate. We will continue to follow other safety protocols, including physical distancing, handwashing and sanitization, and frequent cleaning.
There is a slight change to our bell times this school year 9:15-3:45pm. Students may arrive at 8:45am for breakfast but please keep in mind that there will not be supervision before that time. Doors open at 9am for all students to enter the building. Late start will occur every Wednesday and students will begin their school day at 10:15am with breakfast being served at 9:45am.
All students are eligible for no cost breakfast and lunch again this year. Arrival and dismissal procedures will be very similar to what they were last school year. More information about volunteers will be shared later in the month of September.
Open House
We would like to invite you to Lee's Open House event on Tuesday, September 7, 2021 from 5-6pm. Parents of incoming kindergarteners are invited to attend our Open House event as well. This event is a great opportunity for students in all grades to bring school supplies and meet their teacher. We will be following safety protocols and ask that only one adult per student attends to reduce the number of people in our building at one time. We will be sending a Remind message about arrival procedures soon. The school supply list can be found on Lee’s school website.
Tuesday, Sep 7, 2021, 05:00 PM
Lee Elementary School, Venice Avenue Southeast, Salem, OR, USA
Meet the Staff
I want to share a few updates and welcome some new staff to Lee!
Eduardo Rodriguez - 5th Grade Bilingual
Janelle Everetts - 5th Grade ESOL
Yaneth Bartshe-Bilingual Consuelor
Haley Stukel/Olivia Masek-Mcintosh - Speech Language Pathologist
Kirsten Norton - Dev ½ Sped Instructional Assistant
Kaley Klinger - Analyst
Rafael Martinez - Evening Custodian
I also want to share with you that Klarissa Barajas will be a teacher candidtate supporting in our 3rd Grade ESOL classroom and our 4th Grade Bilingual classroom this school year.
Mrs. Norton
Mrs. Bartshe
Ms. Barajas
IMPORTANT DATES
As required by the state, we will be completing a fire drill within the first 10 days of school. We will also have a lockdown drill this month and more information will be shared via our school website and social media account.
This is a great time of year to make sure you have access to your ParentVUE account and that your information is up to date. If you need any assistance with your account, please do not hesitate to call the Lee office (8-4:15pm) and we will be happy to assist you!
Looking forward to seeing you!
Warmly,
Erica Manzo
Principal