Family Newsletter August 9, 2026

Posted Date: 08/09/26 (11:00 AM)

Santa Rita Elementary

Family Newsletter

August 9, 2026

Happy Sunday Hummingbird Families,

We want to send a huge thank you to all our families for helping us kick off such a smooth, positive, and successful start to the school year! Seeing our scholars return with bright smiles and big enthusiasm has made these first days truly special.

We deeply appreciate your partnership in setting our campus up for success right out of the gate. Thank you to everyone who completed their student data verification on Aeries, showed patience and caution driving through our parking lot, and made sure our Hummingbirds arrived on time ready to learn every morning. Your support makes a world of difference, and we are looking forward to an incredible, growth-filled school year ahead.

Please continue reading through the rest of this post below for important campus updates, upcoming dates, and reminders for the week!

Ms. K & Mrs. Zavala

📅 Upcoming Important Dates:

August 12: Chuck-e-Cheese Night. Join us for our first fundraiser of the year. Share with your families and let them know you are there to support SRES. A percentage of your total goes to our school.(1:30-9:00pm)
August 17-28: School Spirit Weeks. Join us in our annual color event where we wear a different color every day. These spirit weeks help welcome our TK/K students and helps them learn their colors. Flyers with assigned colors for each day will be sent home Wed/Thursday this week.
August 27: Back to School Night from 5:30-7:00pm

Safety & Wellness

Parking Lot & Drop-Off

Please continue to follow our 3-lane parking lor rules and safety expectations to make drop-off as safe, smooth, and efficient for all of our students and families.

Our 3-Lane System

Row 1 (Express Unload): Reserved strictly for students who can exit the car independently. Drivers must remain inside the vehicle to keep the line moving smoothly.
Row 2 (Assisted Unload): Designed for parents who need to step out briefly to help their child exit the vehicle. Please do not leave your car unattended in this lane.
Row 3 (Park & Walk): If you plan to walk your child all the way to the school entrance, please park in a designated spot in this row.

⚠️ Key Safety Reminders

⏰ Plan Ahead & Arrive Early: Parking is limited, and drop-off takes longer during the first few days. Please give yourself extra time!
🪧 Follow the Signs: Pay close attention to posted parking lot signage and staff directing traffic.
🚶 Stick to Crosswalks & Sidewalks: Please talk with your children about parking lot safety. Remind them to always use marked crosswalks and sidewalks—running across the parking lot is never allowed.

Thank you for your patience, cooperation, and extra care in keeping our school community safe every morning!

After School Program

On site program-Right at School (RAS)

Please sign up your student by August 17th if you would like them to be considered for the after school program. Once onboarded, Right at school will reach out with their start date.

Click here to add your child to the waitlist.

Starting in a couple of weeks, our after-school program pick-up times will be changing to ensure the safety of our students and to help them get the most out of their program time.

Our front doors will remain closed during program hours until designated pick-up times. We kindly ask that you honor these specific times to prevent disruptions to student learning and activities. If an urgent matter arises and you need to pick up your child outside of these times, please call the RAS phone number directly to reach our staff. The phone number will be taped to the front door window.

New Pick-Up Times Effective 8/24/26:

First Pick-Up Window: 3:00 PM

Next Pick up Window: 4:00 PM

Final Pick-Up Window: 5:00-6:00 PM

Thank you for your cooperation and partnership in keeping our campus safe!

Additional After-School Options:

We are also happy to share after-school opportunities offered by our community partners:

Boys & Girls Club of Salinas: Click here for details and registration. Please notify the office if you are interested. We have a list of students interested so we could add a pick up stop to Santa Rita.
Salvation Army Kids Café: Call 831-443-9655 for more information.

Family Engagement

🤝 Get Involved & Partner With Us

Santa Rita thrives when our families are involved! We invite you to join one of our active school committees to share your perspective and help us make magic happen.

Please click on the link below to complete our google survey if you are interested in joining our committees.

SRES Community & Engagement Survey

Volunteers & Chaperones

If you are interested in volunteering or chaperoning this school year, please make sure to register through RAPTOR for clearance. Visit the District website and complete all the steps to volunteer.

Santa Rita Attire

If you would like to purchase school attire, click on the images to go to the link. Production of the items will begin once our store closes on August 21st. All items will be delivered to our school and we will distribute them to the students.