Welcome Back Duveneck Dragons!
Duveneck Elementary School, August 3, 2021
Community, Connection & Dragon Pride
Dear Duveneck Families,
Welcome to Duveneck Elementary School! I am thrilled to welcome you to the 21/22 school year. I look forward to meeting and getting to know each and every one of you as we launch into a new school year of learning, building friendships and uniting as a strong Dragon community.
Originally called “Green Gables,” Duveneck was renamed in 1982, when the school combined with Crescent Park Elementary School. The name “Duveneck Elementary School” was chosen in honor of Frank and Josephine Duveneck, local legendary philanthropists. Frank and Josephine Duveneck are widely known for their open generosity, advocacy of human rights, and for their efforts toward environmental protection and preservation. As a school community, we aim to inspire and emulate these important values. For pictures and quotes from the Duvenecks, please admire the murals near our school office.
Duveneck values inclusion and connection and the campus is a hub of student, teacher and community energy. Our school’s test scores have consistently been among the highest in the state, and we continue our commitment to providing a balanced education program for our students. Duveneck is devoted to developing the whole child - academically, socially and emotionally. We honor every student’s learning needs and provide support for each child to access curriculum as well as to cultivate social connections that foster community and belonging. Our students establish relationships that provide joy and empathy for others, and most importantly, our dedicated staff helps to support the process of learning while having fun.
One of the most impressive features of Duveneck School is our community. Our robust Parent Teacher Association (PTA) orchestrates numerous community-building events throughout the year and our staff works hard to ensure that students have many opportunities to build friendships so no one feels left out or alone. Close to 60% of our students and their families walk or ride their bikes to school. Our students and families bring a wealth of multiculturalism, speaking dozens of languages as well as coming from many different countries in our world. What brings us all together is our passion for teaching and learning, our commitment to academic success for each student and the emotional well-being of all our students, families and staff.
Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter carefully because it is filled with very useful information to get you and your family acclimated to our school. The staff and I appreciate the partnership we have with you, the student’s families. It is because of our cooperation, communication and collaboration that our students excel and thrive at Duveneck School!
As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions that may arise - it is my honor to serve this amazing community.
Yours in Partnership,
Leslie Crane
Principal
Duveneck Return to School & New Family Information Evening
Here is the zoom link for the event: https://pausd.zoom.us/j/93844597166
On-Site Day Care
Kids' Club
Right At School
Class Placement Notifications
Learning Options for 2020/21 School Year
In-Person at PAUSD
We are excited to welcome students back to school in person! Cultivating care and connection among our students, staff, and families, is a top priority that will be all the more impactful with regular and meaningful collaboration with you, our parents, and guardians. Our staff will be taking the best of what we have learned throughout the pandemic to enhance programs that will support the social, emotional, and academic learning needs of each and every student. Teachers are receiving intensive training using Orton-Gillingham strategies for the teaching of phonics and phonemic awareness. These strategies in concert with research-based reading strategies already being used in the classroom will support our emergent, benchmark, and advanced readers. Additionally, language arts and science curricula will be piloted this year in order to make informed curriculum adoption decisions this spring.
Virtually through Stride
While I would like to see every Duveneck Dragon back in school, a virtual independent study program, or VISP, is being made available by the district via a third-party program called Stride. There will be an informational webinar detailing the Stride program tonight at 6:00 PM. Decisions regarding enrollment in Stride are due Friday, August 6th.
Please click here for more information about tonight's webinar.
Complete your Annual Update
Be sure to complete your Annual Data Update or ADU as soon as possible. The District sends ADU information to each family via email each year. If you did not receive this information please contact Registration Services at RegistrationServices@pausd.org or call 650-329-3707. Once your ADU information has been updated, we can complete the class placement process for your student(s).
Part of the ADU includes a box that you can check to give permission to share your contact information with other members of the school community including PTA and room parents. This box must be checked in order for the school to share any of your contact information with any school-affiliated group including your child's classmates. Please be sure to update or enter your decision in the ADU.
Medicines/Immunizations
Medical Forms:
If your child takes over-the-counter or prescription medications, they cannot be distributed or brought to school until forms signed by a parent/guardian and your child’s pediatrician are on file with the School Office. All necessary forms are accessible through: https://www.pausd.org/school-life/health-wellness/health-services
For families new to PAUSD: Please check the Health Services website for important information about immunization requirements.
Please contact Cecelia Perez, Office Clerk, ceperez@pausd.org, if you are unable to access a printer and need paper copies of any needed forms at or call 650-322-5946.
Health & Safety Updates
We are proud that we have been able to keep our community safe at school during the pandemic by following county guidance. The health and safety of our students, staff, and families remains a top priority. The Santa Clara County Health Department (SCCHD) has aligned with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidance and PAUSD will be following their requirements so that we can continue to keep our communities safe.
We also want to acknowledge that some families are nervous about the safety of their children eating snack and lunch at school. Please be assured that we will take every precaution to ensure their safety when they are sitting at the picnic tables or other designated areas that we create for eating during recess and lunch times.
Please read the most recent information linked below (as of 8/03/21).
School Hours
Grades 1-3:
8:05 AM - 2:35 PM Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
8:05 AM - 1:05 PM Wednesdays
Recesses: 9:50 - 10:10 AM & 1:40 - 2:05 PM
Lunch: 11:15 - 12:00 PM
Grades 4-5:
8:05 AM - 2:35 PM Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
8:05 AM - 1:05 PM Wednesdays
Recess:: 9:50 - 10:10 AM
Lunch: 11:40 - 12:25 PM
Kindergarten:
August 12 - October 8, 2021:
8:05 AM - 11:45 AM Monday - Friday
Recess/Snack: 10:00 - 10:30 AM
October 11 - June 2, 2022:
8:05 AM - 2:30 PM Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
Recess/Snack: 10:00 - 10:30 AM & 1:30 - 1:55 PM
Lunch: 11:45 - 12:30 PM
8:05 AM - 1:05 PM Wednesdays
Recess/Snack: 9:50 - 10:20 AM
Lunch: 11:45 - 12:30 PM
Transitional Kindergarten:
8:15 AM - 11:15 AM (all year long)
Recess/Snack: 9:30 - 10:00 AM
Student Entry & Exit Procedure on Campus
TK Students: Gate at the back of Room 4 that faces Alester Ave.
K-1 Students: Kindergarten Gate by the Kindergarten playground that faces Alester Ave.
2-3 Students: The main hallway
4-5 Students: Gate facing the 2-story building on Channing Ave.
What to Bring to School
Duveneck does not have a School Supply List. Laptops and all necessary school supplies are provided by the school with support from our awesome PTA! Families can choose to shop for such personal items as backpacks, water bottles, and lunch boxes/bags.
You can supply your student with their own mask and we will have disposable masks available at school. Students should have their masks on when they arrive to campus. Please refer to the Current COVID-19 Protocols for additional important information.
Personal Items from Home:
We strongly encourage students to leave personal items such as toys, trading cards, athletic equipment, stuffed animals, at home to prevent loss, theft, or damage and to promote equity at school. Parents/guardians will be notified about any specific requests to bring items from home by your child's teacher.
Any such belongings needed for after-school activities need to remain in your child's backpack or in the office during the school day. While students may have cell phones at school, in elementary school, communication with students is best conducted between adults, so we ask that student cell phones remain in the student's backpack or in the office during the school day.
School Meals Update
School lunches will be provided again this year at no charge. More information will be shared soon!
The Importance of Regular & On Time Attendance
The connection between student attendance and learning is being studied more than ever before. Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels, connect more deeply with their peers and teachers, and have a more positive attitude about school and learning than students who do not have regular attendance. Good attendance habits begin as early as preschool and Kindergarten and affect a student's overall success.
We understand, especially as we continue to navigate COVID-19 and its variants, that there will be times when students will not be able to attend school. The important idea is to make sure your child attends every day when they are not ill or abiding by county health and safety regulations. This includes scheduling appointments before or after school whenever possible, taking family vacations during school vacations, and letting your child know that you believe school is important.
If your child needs to miss school, please contact the office at 650-322-5946, or email us at dunveneckattendance@pausd.org as soon as you know about the absence.
We are here to help! If you are experiencing challenges with timely attendance, your child's teacher and I will be reaching out to brainstorm solutions with you. Our goal is to reduce chronic absenteeism in order to ensure the social, emotional, and academic success of each of our students.
Thank you for helping us to help your Duveneck Dragon thrive!
Palo Alto Partners in Education
THANK YOU for your generous donations to PiE!
Donations of any amount to our education foundation, Partners in Education, or PiE, are also vital ways to support every student at Duveneck School. We simply could not continue to provide the level quality classroom, art, and music programs without the classroom aides and instructors that PiE funds! Please be on the lookout for PiE donation day events, or you can send a check to the office any day!
Donations to PiE in any amount count! THANK YOU!
Calendars & Schedules
IMPORTANT DATES & HOLIDAYS 2021-2022
2021-2022 School Year Begins Thursday, August 12
Back to School Night Tuesday, August 31 (Virtual)
Labor Day Monday, September 6
Student Holiday (PAUSD Staff PD Day) Friday, October 1
Veteran’s Day Thursday, November 11
Thanksgiving Break Mon.-Fri., November 22-26
Winter Break Begins Monday, December 20
School Resumes Tuesday, January 4
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Monday, January 17
Local Holiday (No School) Friday, February 18
Holiday (No School) Monday, February 21
Student Holiday (PAUSD Staff PD Day) Friday, March 11
Local Holiday (No School) Monday, March 14
Spring Break Mon.-Fri., April 4-8
Memorial Day Holiday Monday, May 30
Last Day of School Thursday, June 2
MINIMUM DAYS
1:05 PM Dismissal
Every Wednesday All year long
Last day before Winter Break Friday, December 17
Last day before Spring Break Friday, April 1
Last Day of School Thursday, June 2
Duveneck Elementary School
Email: lcrane@pausd.org
Website: https://duveneck.pausd.org/
Location: 705 Alester Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, USA
Phone: (650) 322-5946