August Letter

  Garfield Elementary

Family Newsletter August, 2026

GRRR: Garfield Cheetahs are Responsible, Respectful and Ready

Hi Garfield Families,

I hope this letter finds you all enjoying these final days of summer. My hope is that this letter will provide you with some information regarding the reopening of our school. I am happy to provide the most updated information we have regarding plans so you can make the best decisions for your family. Please reach out any time. Email may be the best way for me as I will be in planning meetings, at times, over the next few weeks. My email: bchertok@osd.wednet.edu

First Day of School:

1st thru 5th Grades- September 3, 2026

Kindergarten - September 9th

Preschool - September 10th

Back to School Meet and Greet - September 2nd, between 12:00-1:30

This will be an opportunity for students and families to drop off materials, see their classrooms and visit with staff. Our PTA will be there to answer any questions you might have. We will also have a table set up with free school supplies, including backpacks. 

Start and End Times

Here is our schedule:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday :     8:25 -2:45

Wednesday:         8:25 - 1:55

AM Preschool:      8:25 - 11:00

PM Preschool:      12:15 - 2:45

*No Preschool on Wednesdays

Class Lists:

Families can access teacher assignments beginning at 5:00 PM on August 28th, through Family Access. Please call the office if you are not able to view for any reason. We will also have staff on hand, for the Meet and Greet, to help as well.

Arrival and Dismissal:

 Preschool, Kindergarten, buses and childcare can use the entrance at the front of the school.  We ask that if you drive, please park and walk your child to the front of the school. Students in grades 1-5 will enter through the back of the school.  Families are welcome to accompany their kids inside the school but we will ask for you to wait in the main hall until 8:25. We also ask that classroom drop-offs are done quickly so staff can attend to the start of the day responsibilities. We will have teams of people on hand to help families navigate the system. We will have supervision available at 8:20. Students will be dismissed out of their classroom exterior doors. Families are welcome to wait in those areas or make arrangements to meet kids on the back playground. We will have supervision around the school and patrol available after school. Preschool, Kindergarten, students who ride buses and daycare vans will depart from the front of the school.

Please note: with the reduction in staffing we will no longer have Mo available to walk students to and from school. We realize this has been a real support to our families and we are interested in discussing how we might, as a community, come together to look at alternative options for this school year. 

Volunteers, Visitors, student pick-up during the school day:

This year we are excited to continue with opportunities for volunteers. Please look for future communications from our school and your teacher regarding opportunities. All volunteers must complete  a background check, found here:  Olympia School District - Volunteer prior to starting. Please stop by our office and we can make note of that. If you need to pick your student up during the school day, please come to the front of the building and ring the bell for our office staff. We will retrieve students and bring them to the front for you. We can also set up appointments for meetings in the school. Please contact your child’s teacher or our main office to make those arrangements.

Breakfast and Lunch:

Again, we are very pleased to offer free breakfast and lunch to all Garfield students this year. Our only responsibility is to have every family complete a brief survey regarding income. This information is kept confidential and is only used to provide the state with information that keeps our school eligible for this opportunity. Completion of these forms is very important. It allows us to continue offering free meals AND it determines significant funding for our school used for resources, including teachers and staff. Please stop by or call the office if you did not receive this information.

Bus Route Information:

Bus Route Information for the 2026-2027 School Year is now available on Infofinder.

To access Infofinder, go to the Olympia School District website (osd.wednet.edu), and click on “Get Started" icon on the top. More detailed instructions for how to use the infofinder website are available on the Olympia School District website under "Departments" and then "Transportation".

Staffing at Garfield: We have had some changes to our staffing and completed most hiring for this year:

A Message from our PTA:

Welcome to the 2026/2027 School year from the PTA!  We look forward to putting on many fun events for the school and building a great community.

Please use this link to sign up for the PTA or sign up at the Meet the Teacher Event:  https://olygarfieldpta.givebacks.com/shop/items/1043704

The PTA will once again be providing snacks for all the classrooms.  We use donations from families and the community to provide a daily snack to each child at school.  Please use this link to donate to the snack fund:  https://olygarfieldpta.givebacks.com/shop/items/1071806

The first PTA meeting of the year will be on Tuesday September 8th in the School Library!  Please join us to plan some fun activities for the year!

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to the PTA:  olygarfieldpta@gmail.com

The Olympia School District will provide equal educational opportunity and treatment for all students in all aspects of the academic and activities program without discrimination based on race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, honorably-discharged veteran or military status, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, marital status, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. The district will provide equal access to school facilities to the Boy Scouts of America and all other designated youth groups listed in Title 36 of the United States Code as a patriotic society. District programs will be free from sexual harassment. Auxiliary aids and services will be provided upon request to individuals with disabilities.