Good evening Didion TK-8 families, 

This is Mr. Eder, your principal. We are a little less than a week away from our first day of school on Thursday, August 31st! This message is full of important updates and reminders. Please check your email for in-depth details about the following items. If you did not receive a corresponding email OR text message with this phone call, please call the main office so we can update your contact settings in our information system. You will generally get messaging from me by email, robo-call, or text message (or a combination of all three). 

If you miss a message, don’t worry! This message, as well as an archive of all of my messages throughout the school year, will be posted on our school website at https://didion.scusd.edu/updates-mr-eder  

The email includes information on the following: 

First Day of School and Dismissal Time

Campus Safety and Supervision, Arrival/Dismissal

Dismissal Locations for Students Not Attending an After-School Program

Traffic and Pedestrian Safety

Crosswalk Help

First Day of School Welcome for Students

First Day of School Coffee and Donuts with the PTA and Principal

TK & Kinder Orientation and Middle School Welcome

Class Lists

School Supply Lists

First Day Paperwork – LCFF Application

First Day Paperwork – Parent & Student Handbook

Grade 6-8 Cross Country Team

Athletic Participation Forms

School Calendar and Upcoming Events

I hope you and your children are as excited for the start of school as the Didion staff is! We’ll start off our first day of school on the blacktop for announcements at 8:00am arp. Thank you and have a great night! 

First Day of School and Dismissal Time 

Our first day of school – Thursday, August 31st – is also an early release day. Every Thursday is an early release day for staff collaborative time. Our daily bell schedule lists all of the dismissal times for the various grade levels. 

Campus Safety and Supervision, Arrival/Dismissal

Didion staff start supervising the blacktop each morning at 7:45. There is no staff supervision prior to 7:45, except for students who are having breakfast in the cafeteria, which opens at 7:30. 

Each morning, parents may enter the campus and walk their children to their classroom lines until we lock the gates shortly after the first bell. We ask that only staff and students enter the hallways unless the parent has checked in with the main office and has a scheduled meeting in a classroom. Similarly, after school we ask that parents do not enter the hallways and stay on the blacktop area after the gates are opened to allow for the safe egress of all students.  

After school there is no staff supervision provided. After school, all students must either report to an after-school program, or get picked up/head home . For the safety of all students, we ask that families do not allow younger non-school-aged siblings or relatives to play on the play equipment or blacktop before school and immediately following dismissal. Please note that our new play structure is not intended for children under the age of 5.

Dismissal Locations for Students Not Attending an After-School Program

·         Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten: Teachers walk their classes out the main gate to the front of school to meet parents

·         1st & 2nd: Teachers walk their classes out to the blacktop to meet parents

·         3rd – 8th: Students will be dismissed directly from class and may exit campus through the main gate, the side gates near 4th R and rooms 7 and 12, or through the gate at Lewis Park. The blacktop and the front of school are the busiest locations after school; for grades 3-8 parents who are picking up their child after school, it is recommended that you pre-arrange a location to meet them out of one of the other gates (but NOT in a staff parking lot).  

Traffic and Pedestrian Safety

Morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up are very busy times around our school. Please note (and remind any family members who may be dropping off or picking up your child) that the area in front of school on Harmon Drive is a loading zone , and cars should not be parked or left unattended. Cars may be parked across the street or past the loading zone signs. Please do not drive into or park in staff parking lots before or after school to drop off or pick up your child. Students who exit campus through the gate near rooms 7 and 12 should walk safely down the sidewalk all the way to Harmon Drive. 

When crossing the street, all pedestrians should use one of the marked crosswalks, or cross where there is an available crossing guard.

Please be sure to drive slowly through the entire neighborhood, beyond both crosswalks, and watch for families and students who may be walking or biking. Please do not perform u-turns in front of the school, as this unexpected maneuver can be dangerous to oncoming cars, cars that are pulling away from curbs, or to pedestrians. It is important that we model for students the behavior that we want them to develop and practice. So, I immensely appreciate everyone exercising patience, calm, and care when driving near the school during these times. 

Crosswalk Help

Speaking of crosswalks and safety, Mr. Eder needs help in the crosswalk for the 23-24 school year! A huge THANK YOU to the parents who have already volunteered to help out! If you’re interested in committing to regular days, or are available just on an on-call basis, please fill out this survey. 

First Day of School Welcome for Students 

On the first day of school, we will again be rolling out a special welcome for our students at our main entrance starting at 7:45. It will be a great opportunity for parents to take pictures and help their children transition to coming onto campus on their own. We will also be having blacktop announcements on the first day of school, and the first day of every week. Teachers and staff will be available on the blacktop on the first day of school to help welcome and direct our students. 

First Day of School Coffee and Donuts with the PTA and Principal 

After Blacktop Announcements finish on the first day of school, all parents are welcome to attend a first day meet and greet event sponsored by the PTA. Coffee and donuts will be provided! The event will be held under our the shade structure, outside of the cafeteria.  

TK & Kinder Orientation and Middle School Welcome 

Our kindergarten teachers have made contact with all of their families to invite them to Kinder Orientation on Monday, 8/28. If your child is a new 23-24 kindergartener and you did not receive information about the orientation, please contact the main office. Our TK parent Orientation is scheduled for Tuesday, 8/29 at 4pm. If your child is a new 23-24 TK student, and you did not receive information about the orientation, please contact the main office.

All of our middle schoolers will engage in a series of welcome and orientation activities during their 1st period advisory class for the first few days of school. On the first day of school, 7th and 8th graders should report to their advisory classes, which will be posted with the class lists in the glass display case and on the Didion Website on 8/28.  

Class Lists 

Class lists will be posted the week of August 28th online and in the main display case in front of the school. Please note that changes may occur to class lists after school starts due to any leveling or concapping that may need to happen because of over-enrolled classes. In over-enrolled classes, all students – even students who were the latest to register and are subject to concapping – will be listed on the class roster. For students who are not impacted by concapping or leveling, class lists are final. Please do not reach out to request class changes. 

School Supply Lists

Classroom supply lists are posted on our website for Kindergarten through middle school. 

First Day Paperwork – LCFF Application 

Want to get a head start on filling out “First Day Packet” paperwork?? You can access the LCFF application online now before school even starts! Families play a critical role in ensuring our Sac City Unified schools are properly funded. Although all students receive free meals regardless of income, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) application still determines how much funding our district receives. You can help our school community by completing the LCFF application by October 31, 2023. It only takes a few minutes for you to help us protect critical funding for our students! 

·         Fill out one application per household, whether online or paper, by October 31, 2023. The online application is also available in district supported languages.

·         Include all children and adults living in the household. 

·         Families who wish to complete the paper application will receive it in their student’s Back to School packet. Please return the completed application to their school’s front office.

·         Please note that all the information submitted remains strictly confidential. 

First Day Paperwork – Parent & Student Handbook

The district requires that you and your student review and sign the Annual Parent & Student Rights Notification and Standards of Behavior Handbook, which is available on our website to read in multiple languages. Use the link on the page or click here to sign the handbook digitally. It takes most families only 3-5 minutes; please complete this task as soon as possible. The handbook contains a wealth of information to help you throughout the coming school year. 

Grade 6-8 Cross Country Team

6th-8th grade students who are interested in joining the Didion Cross Country team are invited to sign-up and attend an informational meeting and warm-up on Tuesday, 9/5 at 2:45 – 3:45. Students should meet at the tables in front of gym, wearing running shoes and comfortable clothes, and bring water. There will be a parent meeting on September 7th at 4pm in room 17. Reach out to our coach, Ms. Predmore-Miyata, with questions. 

Athletic Participation Forms

Sports physical forms are required in order to participate in any sport training or competition.  The form must be filled out by a physician. All insurance, including Medi-Cal, covers sports physicals for free; it is considered well-child care. Appointments for sports physicals should be scheduled as early as possible as some providers may have a delay in scheduling non-urgent appointments. 

All children up to age 18 are eligible for insurance. If a student does not have insurance, please contact Student Support and Health Services for help accessing care at (916) 643-2351. If a student does not have insurance or is unable to schedule an appointment with their provider, a sports physical can be obtained at most Urgent Care Clinics for $35 to $70. Call several to compare prices.

School Calendar and Upcoming Events

Bookmark our school calendar to stay updated on all campus events! If you click on the “Agenda” tab at the top of the embedded Google Calendar, you can see a comprehensive ‘year-at-a-glance’ list of events that are already scheduled. Please note that dates/times of certain events are subject to change, so please check the calendar regularly and look for updates from Mr. Eder via email and robo-call. 

* Didion Main Office: 916-395-4575  

* Please visit the school website for an archive of all email blasts, robo-calls, and updates.