August Principal Update

August Principal Update 

Dear Chautauqua Families,

I hope you and your family are enjoying a wonderful summer filled with time to relax, recharge, and make special memories together. Although summer always seems to pass far too quickly, our office staff continues to be  busy preparing for another exciting school year, and we are looking forward to welcoming everyone back to Chautauqua soon.

As you read through this update, you'll find information about several important topics for the start of school. One change affecting all schools in our district is our upgrade of Skyward to the new Qmulativ Skyward. While this upgrade will provide many long-term benefits, the district-wide data migration delayed our usual timeline for finalizing student placements. We know families are eager to learn classroom assignments, and we truly appreciate your patience as we work through this transition. We will notify families as soon as placements are finalized, and promise it will be before the Open House! 

You will also notice information below about changes to district transportation routes, and with that came a small change to our beginning and ending times.  Please take a few moments to review those updates carefully, as some bus routes and schedules may be different this year.

There is much to look forward to as we begin the school year! This fall we are launching our new Emerge English Language Arts curriculum and OpenSciEd science curriculum. Both programs are designed to engage students in meaningful reading, writing, inquiry, and problem-solving while building strong foundational skills. Our teachers have been preparing throughout the summer, and we are excited to bring these new learning experiences to our classrooms.

Finally, be sure to review the important dates and reminders below. We are especially looking forward to seeing many of you at our Open House before the first day of school.

Important Dates and Information: Here is the district calendar. Remember that so much information can be found on our website.  Bookmark this address:  Chautauqua Elementary.

• Thursday, August 20th 2:30-4:00 PM - Kindergarten Playground Play Date

• Thursday, August 27th 3:00-4:00 PM - PK-5 Open House

  •  Meet your teacher, see the classroom

• Monday, August 31st 9:1o AM - First Day School 1st-5th grades

• Monday-Tuesday, August 31-September 1 - Kinder Family Conferences

• Wednesday, September  2nd 9:10 AM - First Day of Kindergarten 

• Monday, September 7th - Labor Day and School is closed

• Tuesday, September 8th 9:10 AM -First Day of AM Developmental Preschool and First Day of ECEAP Preschool

• Tuesday, September 8th 1:00 PM -First Day of PM Developmental Preschool

• Thursday, September 17th 6:00-7:30 PM Curriculum Night

Kindergarten Play Date is August 20th at 2:30pm.

Hosted by our wonderful PTO, the Kindergarten Play Date is a great opportunity for incoming kindergarten students to meet future classmates, explore the playground, and begin making new friends. It's also a chance for parents and caregivers to connect with one another before the school year begins. Please note that this is a family event. There will not be classroom tours or school staff supervision.

Kindergarten students will begin the school year with two days of family conferences before attending class. Watch for an email soon with information about signing up for your conference 

School Supplies are Ready! 

One of the exciting changes this year is our new Stock the School program, organized by our amazing PTO. Every Chautauqua student will have a complete set of school supplies waiting in their classroom before Open House! Supplies are arriving next week and will be sorted and delivered to classrooms so everything is ready for students as they begin the year.

If you have not yet paid for your child's supplies, please do so by visiting Supplies on the Vashon PTO website, select your child's grade, and complete payment through Square. Tier 1 pricing covers your child's individual school supplies. Tier 2 (recommended) includes your child's supplies plus a contribution toward shared classroom materials that help keep classrooms stocked throughout the year.

Please do not purchase additional classroom supplies. We've got you covered! The only items students need to bring are:

• A backpack (that students can manage independently)

• A lunch box, if bringing lunch from home (that students can manage independently)

Thank you to our incredible PTO for envisioning, organizing, and launching this program—and to our families for supporting it. Together, we're making back-to-school preparations easier for families, more equitable for students, and more seamless for our teachers.

School Dismissal Manager

We will continue using the School Dismissal Manager to communicate your child's daily dismissal plans, including bus transportation, parent pick-up, or walking home. 

Our car drop-off and pick-up procedures remain the same this year. Please:

• Stay to the right when entering the drop-off/pick-up lane

• Pull forward as directed by staff

• Remain in your vehicle at all times. Students should be able to enter and exit the vehicle independently. If your child needs assistance getting in or out of the car, please park in a designated parking space so you can safely assist them.

• When exiting the line, please pass on the left only when directed by one of our adult monitors.

Following these procedures helps us keep traffic moving safely and efficiently for everyone.

Stay Connected with ParentSquare

We'll continue using ParentSquare as our primary communication platform this year.

ParentSquare allows families to receive school communications through the app, email, text message, voice message, or the web portal, and it supports communication in multiple languages.

You'll receive:

• School newsletters

• Important announcements and alerts

• Attendance notifications

• Permission slips

• Classroom and school updates

If you haven't already, we encourage you to download the ParentSquare app and verify your account before school begins.

Student Meals

We're happy to share that breakfast and lunch will continue to be provided at no cost for all students this school year!

Even though meals are free, it is still very important that families who may qualify complete the Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application each year. Eligibility helps our school receive important state and federal funding and may also qualify families for additional benefits, including ASB fee waivers.

To qualify for these additional benefits, families will need to complete:

• The Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application

• The Consent to Share Information Form

Updated forms for the 2026–27 school year will be available soon on our website or in the foyer.  Thank you for taking a few minutes to complete them each year—it makes a difference for both your family and our school.

Transportation and Updated School Hours

This year, the district has made changes to several bus routes and transportation schedules. In particular, Bus Routes #4 and #6 have been consolidated into other routes. As a result, some students who ride the bus may have a new route, stop, or pick-up/drop-off time this year.

We know that identifying your child's new route and stop from the route lists can be challenging. We are working with our Transportation Department to have updated transportation information available in School Dismissal Manager (SDM) by Open House on August 27. Once updated, families will be able to see the default bus and dismissal plan assigned to their student. We encourage you to review this information carefully before the first day of school.

These transportation changes also require a slight adjustment to our school start and dismissal times this year:

We appreciate your patience as the district works through these transportation changes and prepares updated route information for the start of the school year.

Yearbook and ASB

Our annual $50 ASB fee supports many of the experiences that make Chautauqua special, including:

• Field trips

• School assemblies

• Recess equipment and supplies

• Your child's yearbook

Families can pay the ASB fee in advance here through our InTouch system,  or pay at Open House on Thursday, August 27. The fee will be assigned to your student's account, making online payment quick and easy.

Families who qualify for Free and Reduced-Price Meals are eligible for an ASB fee waiver. Please see the Student Meals section above for more information about completing the 2026–27 application.

Thank you for your support in helping provide these experiences for all of our students!

Vashon Kids

Need before- or after-school care? Vashon Kids provides childcare on our campus before school, after school, and on late-start and early-release days. For more information or to register, email vashonkids@vyfs.org.

We will continue sharing updates this summer and throughout the year via ParentSquare, so please be sure to check your messages regularly. If you have questions, don't hesitate to contact our office—we're always happy to help.

At Chautauqua, we believe every child deserves to feel welcomed, known, and treasured. Whether your family is returning or joining us for the first time, we are committed to creating a school community where every student feels a true sense of belonging and is supported to learn, grow, and thrive. Thank you for your partnership and trust as we begin another exciting school year together. Enjoy these last days of summer, and we look forward to seeing many of you at Open House on Thursday, August 27, and welcoming our students for an incredible year ahead!

Julie Kangas, Principal

Karen James, Assistant Principal

Gillian Callison, Office Manager

Caleb Johns, Registrar