YG Family Newsletter – March 16, 2023
Dear friends and families of Yujin Gakuen:
We have a busy evening as we have a kindergarten orientation and our March PTO meetings. We hope we get a strong turnout. We hope that our new incoming parents will stay for the PTO meeting to learn about how much our PTO and our parents do for our school community.
Today is our last day of school this week. Please note that Friday is a workload relief day. Staff will use the day to get caught up on work, and students will stay home and have an extended weekend.
Thank you for supporting Yujin Gakuen!
Yours sincerely,
Thomas Masaru Piowaty
Principal, Kocho Sensei
Yujin Gakuen Japanese Immersion Elementary
Eugene School District 4J
piowaty_t@4j.lane.edu | 541.790.4640
Many parents call the office to report an absence, but if you prefer to send an email, please send your email to: dialyujin@4j.lane.edu. The office staff will check this email each morning to ensure that absences are entered into our student management system. |
No School- March 17, 2023 Hi YG families! As a reminder, we do not have school tomorrow! March 17th is Staff Workload Relief Day. We hope you enjoy the long weekend! |
Congratulations to the YG OBOB Team!Big Steps: The Year We Did OBOB placed in the Final Four at the Oregon Battle of the Books competition last Saturday! They will represent Yujin Gakuen at the finals in Salem. Best of luck to the team members: Astoria, McKenzie, Heather, Sekai, and Maisie. |
Classified Staff Appreciation TreeLast week, for Classified Staff Appreciation Week, students wrote notes of appreciation to our wonderful and dedicated education assistants, office staff, custodians, and nutrition services staff. Our classified staff were touched that our students had such kind words of appreciation. |
Students Sharing FoodWe noticed that some students were sharing food or bringing snacks to share in the cafeteria. We are reminding students not to share food. Please remind your child that they should only eat their own food. They should not accept food offered to them by another student, and they should not bring food to share. Thank you for talking with your child(ren) about how to prevent the spread of germs. We also need to remind everyone that we have students with nut allergies, some very severe. When bringing food from home, please be mindful and be sure to pack food that is nut free.
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Speed MonitorFor your information, a traffic speed monitor has been installed in front of our campus. The county deployed the speed monitor in response to a complaint. We hope this will give drivers some feedback about how fast they are driving. |
Hi YG Families! This May, the YG PTO is reviving the annual auction! We are looking for volunteers to join the auction committee to help with planning, organizing, and managing this year’s event. If you would like to be involved, even in the smallest way, please complete the attached Google form with your contact information. https://forms.gle/EMFfXHVx2azJDQ6X6
Lastly, we are accepting donations in forms of items, gift cards, skill sharing, time sharing, etc. If you would like to donate something to be auctioned, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/up182NrRPdned6E77 If you have questions or comments, please let us know at ygschoolpto@gmail.com. Thank you for your consideration and support, YG PTO Yujin Gakuen PTO Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ygpto/ |
Save the Date: String Academy Student Concerts at Kelly MS, March 22-23
Dear Principals and Music Teachers, You are cordially invited to hear 150 of our newest strings players at their first concerts! The students have learned a lot, and are excited to perform for their family, friends, and teachers. They would love to see you in the audience! The students are divided into two concerts, on March 22nd and 23rd at Kelly Middle School, 7pm. The schools represented at each are:
Concerts are about 30 mins. long, and we’ll have cookies and juice afterwards to celebrate their performances. We hope you can come to help us celebrate their progress! Thank you again for your support of our String Academy program! Holly Holly Spencer, Executive Director |
Nominate “A Champion in Education” Today!
Who is your 4J champion in education? An inspiring teacher? An encouraging school secretary? A caring school counselor or nurse? A dedicated volunteer? A principal who leads by example? A bus driver who always takes the time to listen? A custodian who helped in a time of need? Now is the time to recognize their contributions at 4J’s annual ACE (A Champion in Education) Awards! To learn more and nominate a 4J employee or volunteer, visit 4j.lane.edu/2023ace. The nomination deadline is March 31. Come see your nominee be honored at the awards ceremony on May 4, 5–7 p.m., at South Eugene High School. One nominee in each of the five categories will be named an ACE Award champion. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact 4J Communications at information@4j.lane.edu. ¡Nomine a “Un Campeón en Educación” hoy! ¿Quién es su campeón 4J en educación? ¿Un maestro inspirador? ¿Una secretaria escolar alentadora? ¿Un consejero escolar o una enfermera cariñosa? ¿Un voluntario dedicado? ¿Un director que predica con el ejemplo? ¿Un chofer de autobús que siempre se toma el tiempo de escuchar? ¿Un conserje que le ayudó en un momento de necesidad? ¡Ahora es el momento de reconocer sus contribuciones en los premios anuales ACE (A Champion in Education) del 4J! Para obtener más información y nominar a un empleado o voluntario del 4J, visite 4j.lane.edu/2023ace. El plazo de presentación de candidaturas vence el 31 de marzo. Venga a ver a su nominado ser honrado en la ceremonia de entrega de premios el 4 de Mayo, de 5 a 7 p.m., en la Preparatoria South Eugene. Un nominado en cada una de las cinco categorías será nombrado campeón del Premio ACE. Si tiene preguntas o necesita ayuda, comuníquese con 4J Communications por information@4j.lane.edu. |
Benito Juárez CelebrationThe Benito Juárez Celebration is an annual cultural community evening event we have organized at Kelly for 14 years. The last one before Covid was at El Camino Elementary. This will be the 15th anniversary and it is scheduled for Friday, April 7th from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. We use the cafeteria and the small gym (YG’s gym) The purpose of this email is to invite the YG staff, students, and community to be part of this celebration. Every year I use to bring posters to your old school and invite any teacher who was interested in being part of the program – taiko drums, dances, songs. One year we had our Japanese Immersion students perform a song, and under the direction of sensei, Jeannie Fuji, a variety of Japanese games. I will contact some of you directly to talk about your taiko drum group, but feel free to share any ideas you might have for the program. In the past, I would talk to a number of parents and they offer home made Mexican food in the cafeteria for a dinner/social time before the entertainment program. This takes an enormous amount time and coordination, so this time Kelly will provide pizzas and we will ask parents to bring any dish/dessert/snacks/beverages, or any thing they like for a potluck-type dinner. The Benito Juárez event has had between 150 to 400 people in attendance on any given year. My goal is to offer our River Road community an event where families of all backgrounds come together to the neighborhood school and share some food, music, dance, and interact with each other. It is also always my interest to showcase our two immersion programs as a united effort to teach the importance of a world community. Thanks for your interest, Fernell López Human Services Coordinator Kelly Middle School Eugene School District 4J lopez_f@4j.lane.edu |
PTO Meeting – Thursday, March 16 @ 6:30The PTO will be meeting in the school cafeteria. NOTE: there will not be child care for this meeting. We will have activities provided and a space at the back of the cafeteria for children who accompany their parents. |
Hi YG Families! Your next chance to buy the newest YG apparel is at Emerald Park on Saturday. T-shirts and hoodies are available in sizes youth x-small through adult 3x. T-shirts are $15 and hoodies are $30. We can only accept cash, check, and Venmo. Thank you for your support! |
Volunteer at Yujin GakuenMany of our parents asked what steps they need to take to volunteer at school. Please see the links below or visit the 4J webpage “Volunteer in the Eugene District 4J.” As a parent or guardian, you may wonder how you can get involved in your child’s education. One great way to do this is by volunteering in the Eugene District 4J schools. Volunteering offers many benefits for both you and your child. It’s a great way to meet other parents and get to know the teachers and staff at your child’s school. It can also be a fun and rewarding way to spend some time with your child. If you’re interested in volunteering, there are a few things you need to do. First, you’ll need to complete a background check. You can find more information about this on the 4J website. You’ll also need to complete a mandatory training session. Once you’ve done these things, you’ll be ready to start volunteering. So why not give it a try? Volunteering is a great. See the links below to get started or visit “Volunteer in the Eugene District 4J.” Volunteer Application and Guidelines
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Wondering About Winter Weather?How to know if schools are closed or delayed • No news = No changeLearn More | Text Messages | Staff Info When winter weather makes conditions hazardous, schools may be closed or delayed or buses may use snow routes. The school district decides early in the morning whether there is a need to change the school schedule or bus routes. These decisions are made districtwide and are the same for every 4J school. How to find out if there is a change:
If there is a school closure or other change, the school district will announce it before 6:30 a.m. If schools and buses are on their regular schedule, there will NOT be an announcement. Parents of students who ride school buses that have alternate snow routes have been informed of what to do. Snow route information is available on the snow routes page. If school is in session, families are encouraged to consider road conditions in their areas and make their own decisions based on safety. Parents’ individual decisions about school attendance will be honored. *Note: It is impossible to guarantee text message delivery 100% of the time, and it is possible your alert may be delayed or blocked. If you are concerned about the weather and have not received a text alert by 6:30 a.m., check the 4J website, social media, radio or TV for information about closures, delays or snow routes. |
Electronics Recycling Competition (ERC)Our school will be participating in an electronics recycling competition! The Lane County schools that recycle the most pounds of “e-waste” will win. E-waste examples include: microwaves, TVs, printers, old cords and cables, cell phones, computers, and audio/visual equipment. Please, no plastic, non-electronic items such as toys or vacuums. Our donate box will be in the front of school during the week of March 20th – 24th. |
Upcoming Events
- Thursday, March 16
- Site Council – 3:15-4:00
- Kindergarten Orientation – 5:30-6:30
- PTO – 6:30-7:30
- Friday, March 17 – No School, Staff Workload Relief Day
- Thursday, March 23 – 5th Grade Field Trip to Museum of Natural History
- March 27-31 – Spring Break
- Monday, April 3 – No School, Professional Development/Planning Day
- Friday, April 7 – 3rd Grade Field Trip to Mt. Pisgah
- 5:30 to 8:00 pm – Benito Juárez Celebration