Family Newsletter October 25, 2026

Posted Date: 10/25/26 (12:05 PM)

Santa Rita Elementary

Family Newsletter

October 25, 2026

Happy Sunday Hummingbird Families,

Welcome to one of the most exciting, festive weeks of our entire school year (so far) ! Please be sure to read this newsletter all the way through, as it contains critical times, locations, and procedures for our upcoming Trunk or Treat at Gavilan View on Thursday, our campus Halloween Costume Parade on Friday, and our Día de los Muertos altar and community events.

Here are the key updates and reminders as we kick off the week:

🍫 Chocolate Fundraiser Update: A huge thank you to all our scholars and families for your incredible enthusiasm—we have officially distributed all of our chocolate boxes! As a quick reminder, each chocolate bar is $2, and each box contains 40 bars (totaling $80 per box). Please turn in the collected money to the front office as soon as your box is completely sold out so we can finalize our tally. Thank you for supporting our school programs!
📸 Picture Retake Day (Wednesday): See below for additional details on how to order pictures.
🏆 October Attendance Challenge Finish Line: We are in the final week of October, and the race for our Monthly Attendance Challenge is on! We cannot wait to see which classroom takes the trophy this month. Consistent, on-time daily attendance is essential for the whole child—it fosters academic growth, strengthens daily social-emotional connections, and ensures every student feels a deep sense of belonging on campus every single day.

Be sure to check out the full sections below for event maps, spectator arrival details, and altar viewing schedules! We look forward to seeing our community at our upcoming events.

Ms. K & Mrs. Zavala

Lifetouch Photo Retakes 10/28/26

Who It’s For: Any scholar who was absent on our original picture day, or students who purchased a photo package and would like a retake.
Retakes: Please make sure your child returns their original photo packet to school on Wednesday to hand to the photographer.
New Orders: If you did not buy photos previously and wish to purchase, order envelopes are available in the front office for pickup. Please complete the form and send it with your child on retake day. You may also purchase packages online using the Picture day ID: EVTPN9NH6 on the Lifetouch website.

Family Engagement

Día de los Muertos Altar & Community Celebration with CBDIO

In partnership with CBDIO (Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño), Santa Rita Elementary will be setting up our annual Day of the Dead altar in the breezeway to honor this meaningful cultural tradition as we remember and celebrate our loved ones who have passed on.

Community Ofrendas: Families are warmly invited to bring items, photos, or ofrendas to add to our school altar and to view the traditional Mixteco altar display.
CBDIO Community Event: CBDIO also invites all Hummingbird families to their special Día de los Muertos celebration happening in the Santa Rita cafeteria this Friday, October 30th!

Please see the attached flyer below for full event times and details! 👇

Halloween Parade

🎃 Annual Halloween Costume Parade: Friday at 1:30 PM!

We are excited to celebrate Halloween with our annual costume parade this Friday at 1:30 PM, and families are warmly invited to watch!

The front gate will open at 1:30 PM for parents and guardians to walk back to the basketball courts and enjoy the parade. The parade will begin promptly at 1:35PM
Once the parade concludes, please head directly to your child’s assigned dismissal gate. Scholars will return to their classrooms to collect their backpacks and belongings before heading to normal dismissal.
No Early Sign-Outs: To keep our classrooms orderly and minimize office congestion at the end of the day, we will not be signing students out early. Please coordinate with your child ahead of time on your designated pickup plan.

Please see the map below for parade viewing areas and walking paths! 👇

Trunk or Treat

👻 Reminder: Combined Trunk or Treat at Gavilan View!

Don’t forget to join us this Thursday at 5:30 PM for an evening of community fun:

Where: Gavilan View Middle School (Basketball Courts)
Trunk or Treat: Starts at 5:30 PM until candies run out!
Día de los Muertos: Enjoy GVMS altar displays and family activities (5:30-7:00).
Candy Donations: We are still accepting unopened candy, fruit snacks, and wrapped treat donations in the Santa Rita front office through Thursday morning to ensure we have plenty for our scholars!
We can't wait to see our two school communities come together!

💬 Hummingbird Home Connection (Weekly Question)

As our scholars participate in school events, manage items like fundraisers, and interact with peers each day, building strong character habits like honesty and personal responsibility is essential:

Family Talk Prompt: "Being honest and responsible helps build trust with our family, our teachers, and our friends. What does it mean to be trustworthy, and why is it important to make thoughtful choices when handling things that belong to us or to others?"

Encourage your scholar to express their thinking using full sentences:

Being trustworthy means...
It is important to be responsible because....

Taking time to talk through scenarios about honesty, respect for personal belongings, and keeping promises helps children develop integrity, empathy, and strong decision-making skills.

Safety & Wellness

Safe Communities, Safe Schools Climate Survey: Your Voice Matters!

This week, Santa Rita is launching the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Climate Survey. Your input is essential in helping us develop meaningful safety action steps and continuously improve our campus environment for all students and families.

3rd–5th Grade Scholars: If you haven’t already done so, please return the purple permission slip tomorrow! This form explains the survey details, and students need a signed and dated slip from a parent/guardian to participate or opt out.

Hummingbird Families & Staff: We will also have dedicated surveys for our parents and staff members.We strongly encourage every member of our school community to participate. Sharing your honest voice and perspective helps ensure Santa Rita remains a safe, welcoming, and supportive place to learn and grow!

Hummingbird Highlights

Our Safe School Ambassadors and student leadership group met on Friday to learn about Actions they could take when they see mistreatment on the playground. We then worked on our posterboards to announce our "Gratitude Grams" that will go on sale Nov 2nd (more information will be shared next week). We are proud of this dedicated group of students.

We are also very proud of our boy and gril volleyball teams for their dedication during the last volleyball games. They had a great season. Thank you to our amazing coaches!!

Go Hummingbirds