Cheetah Chatter! July 31, 2026

Posted Date: 08/03/26 (02:18 PM)

Happy New Year Cheetahs!

In education, we are fortunate to celebrate New Year's twice! So as we gear up to celebrate another "Happy New Year", a welcome back to our Cheetahs, and Reed's 20th birthday, we are excited for what is on the horizon!

We are preparing for another fantastic year here at Reed Elementary. Whether you are a returning family or joining us for the first time, we are excited to welcome you and eager to kick off the new school year.

Have you registered your students?

Do you have a student who is new and will be attending Reed Elementary this year? If you do have a student who will be attending Reed Elementary for the 2026-2027 school year, but have not yet enrolled them, please do so ASAP!

If you have an incoming kindergartener who is not yet registered, please complete their enrollment as soon as possible to help us finalize class placements and staffing.

Open House!

Join us at Reed on Tuesday, August 11 from 4:00-6:00pm.

Meet your teachers, get transportation badges for riding the bus, and get information from the PTO this year.

Please bring your school supplies to Open House! You can leave them in your classroom with your teacher, and they will be ready for the first day of school!

Class Placements

Thank you for your patience as our class placements are still being finalized. On Friday, August 7th, parents and guardians can login to PowerSchool to find out who their child's teacher will be for the school year.

Our Class Placement Process

Please note that our staff puts a tremendous amount of care, thought, and intention into creating balanced, supportive learning environments for every student. When making placement decisions, we carefully weigh a wide variety of factors (including academic strengths, social-emotional needs, and classroom dynamics) to ensure every class is well-balanced and set up for success.

Because changes to one placement can impact the overall balance of an entire classroom, we are unable to accommodate individual request changes. Thank you for your trust and support as we work to create the best possible learning environment for all of our Cheetahs!

Drop Off for School

Morning Drop Off - For the first two days of school, we invite our families onto campus to walk students to their classroom doors and say goodbyes. However, beginning Monday, August 17th, we ask that families drop-off and pick-up students from BEHIND the fence/gate both on campus and at the gate at Deer Flat Rd.. The field, blacktop areas, and classroom doors should remain clear during the hours of 8:00-4:00pm. Feel free to wait out front on the sidewalk or grassy areas along the fence. Please help us by staying consistent with morning and afternoon drop-off and pick-up routines.

Busing and Transportation Information

Transportation & Bus Routes

Q: When will my child's bus stop be available? Where can I find the route and schedule?

A: This year we are excited to offer a new tool for parents to track their child's bus in real time!

We are thrilled to bring BusRight to our families this upcoming school year! BusRight is an easy-to-use school bus tracking app. It lets parents see their child's bus location in real time. Parents can also get estimated arrival times and instant updates on delays. Students will pick up their bus pass at their school.

In August: Parents will get an invitation email. It will have instructions on how to set up your BusRight account.

About a Week Before School Starts: Your child's specific bus stops and schedules will be available in two places:

BusRight app: Download the app from Google Play or the Apple iOS store.
PowerSchool: Log in and click on the Transportation tab. There, you can see your child's bus number, stop location, and exact pickup/drop-off times.

Drop Off/Pick Up Reminders

Safety of your child(ren) is our priority. Please pick up and drop off your child in the designated areas.
Be patient, especially as we start the school year and the pick/up drop off routines are new to many families. We will have staff to support you and others outside.
Give yourself extra time to safely drop off/pick up.
Be patient with other parents/guardians in the drop off/pick up line.
No drop off/pick up in the bus lane.
Do not park in the drop off/pick up lane. If you need to park, use a designated parking spot.
Drop off may begin no earlier than 8:30am.
Pull forward as far as you can. Discuss with your child(ren) the type of car (color, make, model) you will be in at pick up.
Use designated cross walks to access the parking lot or sidewalks.
Call the office by 2:00pm if there will be a change in the way your child will normally go home so the teacher can be made aware. (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) Notify the office of changes by 12:00 PM on Wednesdays.

Important Safety Information

Students may not be dropped off prior to 8:30 AM, and do not have supervision on the playground for students until 8:30.
Students that are eating breakfast at school can enter the cafeteria beginning at 8:30 AM. Students that are not eating breakfast at school should line up by their classroom door.
Please help us keep your children safe by not dropping them off unsupervised before the allowed times.
Only students and staff are allowed inside the school gates beginning at 8:30 AM.

Mark your calendar for these important dates!

August 11: Open House 4:00-6:00 PM

August 13: First Day of School! 8:50 AM!

August 19: 5th Day of School

September 7: No School-Labor Day

September 15: School Pictures

September 30 Parent/Teacher Conferences (More information to come)

October 1: Parent/Teacher Conferences (More Information to come)

October 2: No School-Fall Break

October 9: No School-Professional Development

October 26: Picture Retake Day

November 3: No School-Election Day

November 6: End of Trimester 1

Supporting Your Child's Academic Progress

Volunteer in the classroom or on field trips. We welcome your expertise! To become a volunteer, please fill out the volunteer form (available on the district website).
Get involved with Reed PTO. This organization supports the school through planning, volunteering and fundraising. Email reedptokuna@gmail.com for more information.
Ask your child about his/her day. Be specific (ex: tell me about math today.)
See Reed website for updated calendar and district information.
Follow Reed Elementary School on Facebook!
Be familiar with school regulation and policies found in the Student Handbook.
Please keep nurse informed of any special needs (medical conditions, medicine changes, family circumstances, psychological support, etc.)
Check your child’s backpack each evening for important documents.

Early Release Wednesdays

Wednesdays are early release days. This means your students will be dismissed at 1:30 PM EVERY Wednesday. We thank you in advance for planning accordingly for pick up.

Overhead view of a school parking lot with directional arrows for drop-off and pickup.

Pick Up, Drop Off, and Parking Lot Safety

Safety of your child(ren) is our priority. Please pick up and drop off your child in the designated areas.
NO drop-off/pick-up in the bus lane.
No traffic or parking allowed in the bus lane.
Please pull forward as far as you can. Students will use the sidewalks to get to the building/playground at the beginning of the day and again to get to you car at the end of the day.
If you plan to walk up to pick up your students, please park in a parking spot in the parking lot and use crosswalks.
Drop off may begin no earlier than 8:30 AM.
Use designated cross walks to access the parking lot or playgrounds.
Be patient, especially as we start the school year and the pick up/drop off routine are new to many families.
Call the office by 2:00 PM if there will be a change in the way your child will normally go home so the teacher can be made aware of the change in plans.

Cell phones and smart devices

Reed is a learning zone. We strive to have uninterrupted instruction time and we want kids to be able to play with each other.

For that reason, we have any students with cell phones turn them off/silence and leave them in their backpacks during the school day (except for medical uses). Smart watches can be used as watches or tools (example: the calculator function), but not as a cell phone (example: texting).

If a student is using their phone or smart watch while on campus, we have them bring it to the office for the rest of the day. If they do it a second time, we have them bring it to the office and keep it there for a parent to pick up.

Please help us protect instruction and social interaction time for our Cheetahs!