Cheetah Chatter! August 28, 2026

Posted Date: 08/28/26 (03:59 PM)

Reed and AVID: Helping our Students Succeed

Dear Cheetah Families,

You might hear your student come home and talk about AVID. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. We, at Reed, are proud to be an AVID school.

For those of you who are new to Reed, AVID is a college-readiness system that equips students with the essential academic, organizational, and critical thinking skills needed to thrive in higher-level coursework and beyond. Through a supportive, community-centered classroom environment, AVID helps students take ownership of their learning and build confidence in their abilities.

Key Benefits for Participating Students

Organizational Habits: Students learn skills through the AVID framework, focusing on managing their time, thoughts and materials.
Enhanced Critical Reading & Writing: Students learn proven strategies—such as summarizing, synthesizing text, and using sentence frames—to deepen comprehension across all subjects.
Strong Organizational Habits: The program emphasizes structured organizational tools, including desk caddies, color-coded binders and folders, and self-reflection logs, helping students stay focused and prepared.
Focused Goal-Setting & Purpose: Teachers work with students to set clear academic goals, build vocabulary, and engage in meaningful reflections on their learning behaviors.
Collaborative Learning: Students utilize thinking maps, anchor charts, and peer discussions (such as Author's Chair) to collaborate, articulate their thoughts, and solve problems together.
Pathway to Higher Education & Careers: AVID fosters a college-going culture early on, demystifying higher education and empowering students to reach their full potential.

We look forward to partnering with you to support your student's growth, achievement, and future goals.

Have a great weekend,

Principal Moore

End-of-Day Pick Up Reminders

The end of the school day is an exceptionally busy time in our office. To help us ensure your child is ready when you arrive, we kindly ask for your partnership with early pick-up requests:

Call by 2:00 PM: If you need to pick up your child before dismissal, please call the office prior to 2:00 PM (12:00 PM on Wednesdays).

Allow Extra Time: Students are not always in their main classrooms during the afternoon. They may be at recess, in specials (PE, Music, library, technology), or participating in special school events. Retrieving a student from the playground or a specialist room, having them return to their classroom to gather their belongings, and walking to the office takes time.

Calling ahead gives our staff sufficient time to locate your child and have them waiting for you in the office without causing unnecessary delays for your schedule.

Thank you for your support and cooperation in keeping our end-of-day routines running smoothly!

Keeping Personal Belongings Safe

To help students stay focused on learning and to keep their favorite items safe, we ask that personal belongings stay at home. The only exception is playground balls, which students are welcome to bring for recess. Thank you for supporting your child by keeping school a place for learning and play!

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!

September 3: Popcorn Day (Bring your $1)

September 3: PTO Meeting 6:00 PM (Dinner); 6:30 PM (Meeting)

September 7: No School-Labor Day

September 15: School Pictures

September 17: Popcorn Day (Bring $1)

September 25: Cheetah Run

9:00-10:00: Kindergarten and 3rd Grade

10:00-11:00: 1st and 4th Grade

11:00-12:00: 2nd and 5th Grade

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.

Bikes, Scooters, and Wheels

To help keep all students, families, and staff safe, we ask that no motorized bikes, scooters, segways, or similar devices be used on campus. Additionally, all bikes and scooters must be walked—not ridden—while on school grounds, including sidewalks, pick-up/drop-off areas, and blacktops. For safety reasons, skateboards, rollerblades, and similar items are not permitted on campus during school hours. Thank you for supporting a safe and welcoming environment for everyone!

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!