Lyman Elementary
September 2022
Note From Mr. McPhee
Dear Lyman Parents and Guardians,
Welcome back to Lyman Elementary!
I hope your summer was filled with family adventures and activities, and your children are rested and ready for another productive year at Lyman Elementary. I am excited about this school year and our return to a normal learning experience for our students. I am so proud of our outstanding staff at Lyman Elementary and our continued learning journey together.
We have done some major improvements to our building and the playground this summer. The school has new siding and paint. It looks beautiful. This major improvement to the physical plant of the building was a long time coming and came to us through a capital levy improvement project that we voted for a few years ago. The building is in solid shape for many years to come.
We have also made some much-needed improvements to the playground with our new big toy, new swings, improved drainage, and fresh wood chips. Our next project of resurfacing the gravel walking/running track is in the works.
Our parent group has supported many projects and fundraisers around our campus over the years, and I appreciate their assistance in helping provide a rich school experience for all our students. The first meeting will be Tuesday, September 13 at 6:00 p.m. in the library. I hope you will consider attending the Lyman Parent Group meetings held throughout the year.
We have one change to staffing this year with our return of music! Please welcome Kerri Kincaid to the Lyman family. Kerry will be here every Wednesday to teach our students the foundations of theory and music appreciation. This addition of music instruction allows us to continue our common vision of quality instruction in every classroom every day and to refine our instructional practice in order to help all students achieve at creative and high levels.
As we move through the 2022-2023 school year, I look forward to working with staff, students, and parents as we continue to develop a culture of collaboration and high expectations for all members of our school community. I believe that continuous improvement in classroom instruction, strong communication, school systems, and home partnerships provide the solid foundation our students need to excel here and in the future.
As the monthly online newsletters come home to you, please take a few minutes and read about the specific activities and events that are happening each month.
Finally, I look forward to seeing you all very soon.
Sincerely,
Scott A. McPhee
Important Dates
1 ~ First Day (Grades 1-6)
1-6 ~ Kindergarten Family Connection Meetings
7 ~ First Day (Kindergarten)
7 ~ Late Start Wednesday
12 ~ Seahawk Monday
13 ~ Parent Group Meeting, 6:00
14 ~ Late Start Wednesday
21 ~ Late Start Wednesday
22 ~ Back To School Parade, 6:00
22 ~ Open House, 6:15-7:15
28 ~ Late Start Wednesday
30 ~ Wildcat Award Assembly, 9:35
September Wildcat Character Trait: Courage
Back To School Parade
We would love to have you join us before Open House for our Back to School Parade.
Each teacher will send out information on what students should wear. It is always fun to see what creative theme the teachers/students come up with.
First Day Paperwork
Each year, the district requires families to review and update important information. Typically, this has been done via paperwork sent home on the first day of school. This year, we are asking parents to complete the information electronically. If you have more than one active student in a school, there will be a separate link for each student in the message box.
To begin the Online Verification process, you will need to log into Skyward Family Access. If you don’t know your login or password use the “Forgot Password” and enter the email address that we have on file for you. Then click on the link for each student. All steps must be completed in order to be able to “Submit”. Please e-mail Miss Kristi if you are having trouble getting logged in and she can try to assist.
Morning Drop-Off and Afternoon Pick Up
Afternoon pick-up ~ Please see the map to the right. Please pull forward and park as close as possible to utilize the space.
Attendance
Please call or email the office before 10:00 am on the day of your student’s absence. If it is a pre-arranged absence a note or email can be sent in advance to the office. Even if you notify the teacher, please notify the office also because the information doesn't always get passed along. The e-mail for attendance is lymanattend@swsd101.org.
If we don’t hear from you, state law requires that we contact you. If we don’t hear from you by 10:00 our automated calling system will give you a call to inform you that your student has an unexcused absence.
For students arriving after 9:25, please walk your child up to the office to sign your student in. If you need to pick your student up early, please come to the office to sign him/her out. We will call for your student to come to the office after you sign your student out. We ask that families please try to schedule appointments after school or on non-school days to reduce disruptions to our learning environment.
Meals at School
The Food Service Department is excited to announce the continuation of free breakfast and lunch meals for ALL students for the 2022-2023 school year. The continuation of free meals is possible through implementation of the United States Department of Agriculture Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). CEP is an option for school districts that have at least 40% of students who directly qualify for free meals through a variety of assistance programs, including Basic Food benefits, Medicaid, TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), McKinney Vento or Migrant programs.
With the implementation of CEP, the Sedro-Woolley School District will no longer distribute and process Free and Reduced-Price Meal Applications. To ensure that the other educational services are still available, the district will reach out to families who previously qualified for free or reduced-price meals through meal applications to complete a Family Income Survey. This survey allows the district to track income data for families that is used to determine funding levels for a variety of educational programs offered throughout the district. The surveys will be mailed to households, and can be returned to the school office or Food Service office at 780 Cook Road, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284.
Please note that CEP allows the service of one free breakfast and one free lunch meal daily. If students wish to have more than one meal per day, they will need to have money added to their food service account online or in the school office and will be charged accordingly. In addition, milk is an a la carte item. When taken by itself, the charge is $0.60. Students can get milk for free by ensuring they select a reimbursable meal, which can include milk, fruit and vegetables. Students are not required to get the daily entrée.
The Food Service is looking forward to providing free meals again to all students. Any questions about CEP or the Food Service Program can be directed to the Food Service office at 360-855-3515.
Note from Nurse Alysha
We know that sometimes accidents happen, and therefore we like to encourage parents of primary-age students (Kindergarten-2nd grade) to send an extra change of clothes (socks, underwear, and pants) in their backpacks in case they need them! We ask that these are in a plastic bag, labeled with your student’s name.
If you have any questions, please contact Nurse Alysha at
360-855-3535.
Cutting Hunger On The Weekends
Helping Hands is accepting enrollment in the Cutting Hunger On Weekends (C.H.O.W.) program for families in Skagit County. Families who have already signed up for the C.H.O.W. program and received deliveries from them last year do not need to sign up again. You will continue to receive the weekly food bag delivered to your home on Friday.
What is Cutting Hunger On Weekends (C.H.O.W.)?
Over 10,000 kids in Skagit County are on the free and reduced lunch program. Through C.H.O.W., over 2,000 kids receive access to food each week across Skagit County. Additional support for this program is through Helping Hands’ partnership with Skagit Publishing, allowing food to be delivered to students along newspaper routes.
With school starting up, Helping Hands wants to help support your family by ensuring everyone has safe access to fresh and healthy food. If you have kids ages 0-18, we want to help your children get FREE, supplemental food by delivering it directly to your door. Visit www.weekendfood.org to get signed up.
Lyman Apparel
Lyman Wildcat gear is available for purchase! The folks at Oliver-Hammer are ready for you to come in and get everything you need to show your Wildcat spirit. Oliver-Hammer is located on Metcalf Street in Sedro-Woolley.
Thank you Lyman Parent Group for getting this set and making this available to our families.
Follow the Lyman Parent Group Facebook page to stay in the loop on all of the Parent Group sponsored activities.
Transportation
Lyman Elementary
Website: https://www.swsd.k12.wa.us/Domain/405
Location: 8183 Lyman Avenue, Lyman, WA, USA
Phone: 360-855-3535