Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion

Dear friends and families of Yujin Gakuen,

I hope you are enjoying your last week of summer break. We have one 3-day weekend before school starts. Staff have a mixture of excitement to see our students and families and pressure to get our classrooms and building ready. This year, with the work being done to reinforce the inner gym, staff were not able to get into the building before last Friday. In most years, teachers begin setting up their classrooms well before school begins.

This week, we are repeating much of the information shared in last week’s newsletter; however, there are some updates, including the information about Picture Day, a change in arrival for students eating breakfast, and an update on staff.

One important change is the arrival procedures for breakfast. Students can arrive as early at 8AM to eat breakfast. They will need to enter at the main entrance, not at the south entrance as we said in last week’s newsletter. We believe this will cause fewer problems with traffic patterns. Breakfast will be ending at 8:20 and students will be sent to the classroom at that time.

If students do not want to eat breakfast, they will come to school at 8:20. The tardy bell will ring at 8:30. If students are later than that, they will need to knock on the door to be let in and check in at the office. Starting this year, students are no longer allowed to bring their breakfast into the classrooms to eat.

With breakfast being served in the cafeteria is one of the big changes this year, compared with last year, and a sign that things are returning to “normal.” We are hoping this will be a great year, and our best year at 850 Howard.

Thank you for supporting Yujin Gakuen. 🌸

Yours sincerely,

Kocho Sensei

School Hours
8:30-3:00 (Mon-Thurs)
8:30-1:45 (Friday)
Doors open at 8:20

Arrival and Dismissal
School hours are 8:30-3:00 Monday-Thursday; 8:30-1:45 on Fridays.

• Students who arrive early (8:00 AM) for breakfast may come to the entrance at the main entrance.
• There is no supervision before 8:20 am (except in the cafeteria) or after 3:15 pm (2:00 pm on Fridays).
• Students must be accompanied by an adult at all times and therefore not dropped off early to wait. Students may enter at 8AM in order to eat breakfast. They must remain in the cafeteria until 8:20.
• The building is off limits until 8:20, and students (who do not eat breakfast in the cafeteria) may enter at that time.

Student Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures
We are doing some revisions of the drop off and pick up procedures.

• Kindergarten and first grade – all kindergarten and first grade students (and siblings) should arrive and be picked up at the south entrance.
• Grades 2-5 – all students in grades 2-5 will be dropped off and picked up at the main entrance.
• This year, we will not be using the entrance on the west side, where first grade dropped off and picked last year.

You can download this document Traffic Patterns YG 2022 for a more clear image.

Meet Your Teacher, Tuesday, Sept. 6th, 11:00AM to Noon

Yujin Gakuen will host an IN-PERSON “Meet Your Teacher/Open House” event on Tuesday, September 6th from 11:00-12:00, the day before the first day of school.

This is a great opportunity for your child to view their new classroom and introduce themselves to their new teacher and classmates. Please plan on attending!

Health and Safety

COVID Protocol Updates

School District 4J will release information to families soon, but with only a few exceptions, schools are for the most part back to business as usual.

Now that there are no cohorts or distancing requirements, schools are once again allowed to have breakfast in the cafeteria, hold all-school assemblies, go on field trips, host Kidsports games in gyms, and hold cultural events on site.

Students and staff who test positive for COVID will continue to stay home for 5-days from the onset of symptoms.

When to keep students home
Here is a ​set of guidelines​ to help all kids stay healthy and ready to learn. This is a great resource if you have questions about when and for how long, to keep your student home from school.

Watch for more information from 4J, but please contact Kocho Sensei (Thomas Piowaty) if you have any questions.

Visitors and Volunteers
Visitors and volunteers will continue to be limited, same as last spring. Parents will not be able to walk their children inside, and they will need to wait outside at pickup. This practice will not change from  last year.

Front Office
Only YG and Kelly staff will be able to enter the front office and the doors will remain locked. If you need to provide information to our Secretary, please call 541-790-4606.

Breakfast and Lunch

• Again this year, ALL 4J students will receive breakfast and lunch at no charge.
• Students are still welcome to bring lunch from home.
• Students will not be able to heat food items in a microwave.
• We encourage students to bring a water bottle that can be refilled throughout the day.
• If bringing a cold lunch, please pack items for your students that they can independently open. Of course we are still able to assist if needed, we are just trying to limit our contact with the personal items of others.
• Lunches brought from home will need to be free of nuts.

School Supplies

School District 4J is providing most of the supplies families usually buy. Please plan on sending your student to school with a backpack (no wheels, please). Your child’s teacher may have a few other small supply requests which they’ll share once school starts, but we have the pencils, crayons, markers, scissors, and other basics are provided. See 2022-2023 School Supply Lists on the 4J website for more information.

Student’s Personal Items
Students should bring minimal personal items to school (backpack, coat, device, possible cold lunch). All personal items should be labeled with your child’s name. All toys should be left at home.

Students Late to the Office

Any students arriving at 8:30 AM or later, will need to enter through the main office, even if they usually enter through the south entrance. Late students must check in at the office before going to class.

There will be some grace the first week of school, but students who arrive at 8:30 AM will be marked tardy.

Student Attendance and Tardies

One of the most reliable predictors of school success is regular attendance. Absences for any reason result in lost instruction time. We know that students who fall behind often become discouraged learners. It is our hope that we can work together to encourage your child’s regular attendance and success at school. We understand that there are many factors in your lives that make it difficult, at times, for your child to be in school or on time. However, it is important that we work with you to reduce these to an absolute minimum. Class activities start promptly in the morning. This morning class time is one of the most important times of the day. When a child comes in late, not only have they missed valuable class time, it is disruptive to their classmates.

When your child is going to be late or absent from school, please call the attendance line at 541-790-4606, before 8:45 a.m. and inform the office staff. You may leave a message on the voice mail, if calling before office hours. Please leave the name of your child, their teacher’s name, and the reason for the absence. It is extremely important that this be done, as every child must be accounted for on a daily basis. As a friendly reminder, according to Oregon Truancy Regulations, if your student has eight unexcused half-day absences in any four-week period, you will receive a letter from the school notifying you of our attendance concerns. Please understand that if irregular attendance continues, we will be obligated to make a referral to a truant officer for further investigation.

Before and After School Care

The YMCA offers a before and after school program. It is currently full, but it’s not too late to get on the waiting list. Visit the YMCA Website for details.

The After School Adventure Program (ASAP) provides after school care at Emerald Park. They pick up students from YG and either walks them or transport them to their site at Emerald Park. See the ASAP website for more information.

Parking Lot Reminders

The parking lot is for families who want to walk their child to the building entrances during arrival or who wish to meet their child at the end of the day at dismissal.

If a student arrives before the doors open at 8:20 AM, they will wait in their car or stand on a sidewalk spot by the main entrance. Families dropping students off by car are encouraged to park in the west parking lot. This greatly reduces traffic congestion in our parking lot.

Curbside Pause Parking Reminders

In the mornings, students may be dropped off along the curb. At the end of the day, drivers can pause park along the curb to pick up their students when they come out at dismissal. Please note the following expectations for pause parking:

• Drivers must remain in their cars at all times.
• Drivers should pull forward as space becomes available.
• Drivers should NOT stop in marked crosswalk areas.
• When getting in or out of a car, students must use the door on the sidewalk side. Students should never get in or out of a car on the driver’s side. It’s unsafe for the student and it slows traffic.
• Drivers must remember to ALWAYS yield at the painted crosswalks and sidewalks.

Thank you for being patient and understanding as we coordinate our drop off and pick up procedures and the associated traffic. We expect to see some “hiccups” as we get started, but things will move along smoothly after the first week or so.

If you have questions about the arrival and dismissal procedures, please contact the office at 541-790-4606. Thank you for supporting Yujin Gakuen.

YG PTO Meeting Thursday, September 22nd @6:30 PM in the cafeteria.

We are once again allowed to conduct in-person PTO meetings and our first meeting of the year will be Thursday, September 22 at 6:30 PM in the cafeteria.

Come to our parent group meetings to learn how you can help the first few days of school, hear about plans for the year, and receive an update from the principal. Information about childcare will be provided in an upcoming newsletter.

Project Hope

Project Hope provides students with shoes, socks, backpacks and school supplies before the school year starts. This event will take place at two locations on Sunday, August 28th in the afternoon. Please register through the link below for one location only.

1. North Eugene High School, 200 Silver Lane (SOLD OUT)
2. Willamette Christian Center, 2500 W 18th Ave 

How it will works:

• Students will receive a ticketed time slot by registering online. Please make sure to save the confirmation email that will have a QR code.
• Students MUST be present to receive items.
• Please come at the designated time on your ticket as they are trying to minimize lines!

If you have any questions, please reach out to Vanessa Vasquez at 541-790-6880.

August Office Hours

August 22nd – September 6th
8:00 AM to Noon and 1:00PM to 3:00 PM

The exterior doors will remain locked. Upon arrival please call the office or knock on the door, and someone will greet you at the door. Our office number is: 541-790-4606.

Welcome New Staff!

Please welcome the following new staff to Yujin Gakuen! Note that this is a repeat from last week, but there are some updates that will be in blue.

• Alison Johnson (Kindergarten English) –  Alison Sensei was our “Go To” and preferred substitute last year. She will be joining our staff, replacing Taylor Sensei. Alison Sensei has experience as a special education teacher and has also worked at Yujin Gakuen as an education assistant. Alison Sensei is also a YG parent, and has many connections with staff and families.
• Sara Dubose Shepard (1st Grade English) – Sensei Sara will be teaching first grade this year, replacing McKenzie Sensei who moved back to the Portland area. Sensei Sara comes to us from the Springfield school district where she taught first grade at Mt. Vernon for the past two years. She is currently pursuing a masters in education as well as a reading interventionist certificate.

• Risa Miura (1st Grade Japanese) – Risa Sensei recently graduated from the University of Oregon where she majored in Language Teaching Studies. Risa taught English in Japan at a “cram school” for three years, and she also taught first year Japanese at the university.

• Michael Latteri (PE Japanese) – Michael is a Yujin Gakuen alum. He did some substitute teaching last year for us. This year, he will be teaching PE in Japanese. This will help restore the 50-50 balance of Japanese and English once again.
• Janesta Sola (Education Assistant in Kindergarten) – Janesta is not new to Yujin Gakuen, but she changed her assignment from special education assistant to kindergarten.
• Jody Garratt (1st Grade Japanese) – Jody was a part-time second grade teacher for us, working with Naoko Sensei. Jody will be back at the start of this year in order to support first grade for the first couple of weeks. This will help our new teacher get off to a smooth start. 

Below and on the YG Staff Directory Webpage is our classroom teaching assignments for the year:

KG: Takako Schneider and Alison Johnson
1st: Risa Miura and Sara Dubose Shepard
2nd: Sayaka Chesterman and Maran Reyes
3rd: Kenji Naito and Amanda Christie
4th: Jemei Suematsu and Jenny Kneale
5th: Mariko Maddock and Kelly Stroh

DISTRICT NOTIFICATIONS

Regarding Bullying, Intimidation, Harassment, Discrimination, Hazing and Retaliation – Eugene School District 4J has policies and programs to prohibit and prevent bullying, intimidation, harassment, discrimination, hazing and retaliation. Discrimination is prohibited on the basis of disability, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, marital status, socioeconomic status, source of income, cultural background, familial status, physical characteristic, or linguistic characteristic of a national origin group, in any instructional program, extracurricular activity, or in the provision of any other service or benefit.

The district encourages students, parents and other patrons to share their concerns with district officials if they believe they or someone else has been the victim of bullying, intimidation, harassment, discrimination, hazing or retaliation. They can be assured that no reprisal or adverse action will occur as a consequence of initiating a complaint. Complaint forms and information about the complaint process are available in all 4J school offices and at the 4J Education Center, 200 North Monroe Street, Eugene, OR 97402. For more information, contact your school principal or the superintendent’s office, 541-790-7707.

School to Inform Parents if Their Student Receives a Threat – “Oregon law requires schools to inform parents if their child’s name appears on a targeted list (i.e. a “hit list”) that threatens violence or harm from another student.” We will be using the following procedure to inform you if your student either receives or makes a serious threat of violence or harm.

If your child’s name appears on a list threatening violence or harm by another student, we will attempt to meet with you personally, or talk by telephone, within 12 hours of learning about the threat. We will tell you about the threat, who made it (if we know) , and the action we are taking to respond to it. We will also send you a notice within 24 hours, stating that your child received a threat. Our number one priority will be to make sure that school is safe for your children.

If your child made the threat, we will let you know that he or she made it and the action we are taking, including informing the parents of the student who received the threat that your student made. We are also required by the district’s “Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook” to inform the police.

504 Parent Notification – See the linked 504 Parent Letter from Eugene SD 4J 504 Coordinator Della W. Thomas highlighting some of the developments that pertain to Section 504.

Upcoming Events

Monday, September 5 – Labor Day Holiday

Tuesday, September 6
11:00-12:00, Open House, Meet the Teacher on site

Wednesday, September 7 – First Day of School
8:00-8:20, Breakfast in the cafeteria
8:20am, Doors open
8:30am, Class begins
3:00pm, Dismissal

Friday, September 9 – Early Release
8:00-8:20, Breakfast in the cafeteria
8:20am, Doors open
8:30am, Class begins
1:45pm, Dismissal

Wednesday, September 14 – Picture Day!
Orders can be placed before picture day at:
mylifetouch.com with the Picture Day ID: EVTDV67MT

Friday, September 16 – Early Release
5:30-7:00 Back-To-School BBQ and Picnic at Yujin Gakuen

Thursday, September 22
3:15-4:00, Site Council Meeting
6:30-7:30, PTO Meeting in the Cafeteria

Friday, September 23 – Early Release

Friday, October 14 – No School
Professional Development and Planning Day