[{"id":20384,"date":"2023-12-07T09:10:01","date_gmt":"2023-12-07T17:10:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meridian.wednet.edu\/ire\/?page_id=20384"},"modified":"2026-06-23T11:43:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T18:43:41","slug":"welcome-new-families","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.meridian.wednet.edu\/ire\/about-us\/welcome-new-families\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome Families"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Irene Reither Elementary School!<\/h3>\n
We want to extend a warm welcome to you and your family. We are thrilled to have you join our school community. We are committed to providing a nurturing and inclusive learning environment for all students. At Irene Reither Elementary, we believe in fostering<\/span> love for learning and empowering our students to reach their full potential. We look forward to partnering with you to support your child’s educational journey. <\/span><\/div>\n


\nThank you for sharing your children with us! We are so excited to have them here. We hope your afternoons will soon be filled with stories of all the fun things your child learned in school that day.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Bus Routes<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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If your child will be riding the bus and you have not yet been given the route information, you may visit the Transportation webpage<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 You may also find this information through Skyward.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Breakfast and Lunch<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
\n

Breakfast and lunch for elementary students will be free this year.\u00a0 There will be a $.50 charge for purchasing a single milk.\u00a0 Students may have school lunch or they may bring a lunch from home. Breakfast begins at 8:40 a.m. (9:40 a.m. on Fridays).\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

We still need all families who may qualify for free\/reduced lunch to complete the application.<\/b><\/p>\n

School Menus can be found on the Food Services webpage<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Safe Snacks and Foods for Classrooms<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
\n

We are grateful for the abundance of food and snacks that are provided by families for our students to be shared in classrooms. However, in order to support our students’ health and well-being, we are asking our families to prioritize healthy snack options.<\/p>\n

As stated in board policy and procedure 6700<\/a>, all food in our schools must meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards. Our health services staff has created a list of acceptable safe foods that aligns with both the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards and our strategic plan commitment to wellness<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In addition, this helps ensure the food and snacks received are allergy safe. We have a number of students at each of our schools with life threatening food allergies. We appreciate families providing only snacks and foods that are approved on our Safe Foods List. This list can be found on the Health Services<\/a> webpage. Please note that all food must be checked in at the school office before going to classrooms.<\/p>\n

Safe Foods List English<\/a><\/p>\n

Safe Foods List Spanish<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>School Schedule<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Our school hours are from 9 a.m.-3:40 p.m. (1:15 p.m. on early dismissal days). Students may be dropped off in the morning starting at 8:50 a.m.\u00a0 Students eating breakfast may be dropped off at 8:40 a.m.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Every Friday is late arrival<\/b>.\u00a0 School will start one hour late.\u00a0 Students may be dropped off starting at 9:50 a.m. (9:40 a.m. for breakfast). <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Reporting Student Absences<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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If your child will be absent, please enter the absence using the SDM app or call the school office at 360-398-2111. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>ParentSquare (School Communication)<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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You will receive our newsletters and other communications from the school through the ParentSquare.\u00a0 You will be able to choose how and when you receive these notifications, via text, email, etc. Learn more about ParentSquare.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Skyward Family Access (Student Information)<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Skyward is the K-12 information system used for attendance, grades, district forms, schedules, and individual plans through Student and Family Access. Each student and parent\/guardian have their own unique login. Families can regularly check Skyward for student progress.<\/p>\n

Skyward Family Access Tips<\/strong><\/p>\n

English<\/a><\/p>\n

Spanish<\/a><\/p>\n

Punjabi<\/a><\/p>\n

Russian<\/a><\/p>\n

Ukrainian<\/a><\/p>\n

Questions? Please contact your child\u2019s school or visit\u00a0Skyward Family Toolkit and Videos<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>GoGuardian (Parent App for Device Management)<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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What is GoGuardian?<\/h3>\n

GoGuardian Parent App<\/a>\u00a0is a mobile app to help keep parents\/guardians aware of your children\u2019s activity on school-issued devices and provide you with additional controls during out-of-school hours. GoGuardian Parent is a companion to the classroom management and internet filtering tools that your child\u2019s school uses for devices issued to students. Through the use of this app, we hope to encourage more open and honest conversations between parents and children that will result in safer practices and responsible browsing habits.<\/p>\n

To access the app, please follow the instructions below:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Download the app<\/li>\n
  2. iPhone: Visit App Store, search for GoGuardian Parent, and tap the download button.\u00a0\u00a0Android: Visit Google Play Store, search for GoGuardian Parent, and tap the download button.<\/li>\n
  3. After the app is successfully downloaded and installed, open it up and enter the email address registered\u00a0with the school. Note: If you forgot your registered email address, please check your information in Skyward\u00a0or reach out to your school secretary.<\/li>\n
  4. Login\/Check Email: Check your email on your phone for a link to log in to the app. Tap the \u201cVerify your\u00a0email\u201d, and it will take you straight to the app. Note: If you don\u2019t have access to your email through the\u00a0device you used to log in, tap on \u201cLogin with verification code\u201d, and copy and paste the verification code\u00a0from the email into the app.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Need more help? Visit our\u00a0GoGuardian webpage.<\/a><\/p>\n

    Grades:<\/strong>\u00a02-12<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

    <\/i><\/i><\/span>Student Drop Off<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
    \n

    To make our morning drop off as smooth and fast as possible, please remain in your vehicle as you pull forward to our drop off zone (yellow curb in front of the school). Prepare to \u201ckiss and go.\u201d Have your child <\/span>exit from the passenger side only<\/b>. IRE staff will welcome them to school.\u00a0 If students are in Building A (PK, TK, K, 1, 2) they will enter through the main entrance.\u00a0 If students are in Building B (3, 4, 5) they will enter through Building B\u2019s main door.\u00a0 Students in the portables may go straight to their classrooms.\u00a0 Students eating breakfast may go straight to the cafeteria before going to class. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

    <\/i><\/i><\/span>Student Pick Up (School Dismissal Manager)<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
    \n

    We use <\/span>School Dismissal Manager (SDM)<\/b>.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Download the app on your phone.\u00a0 Create your username and password and enter your student\u2019s information and default pick up settings.\u00a0 This will be how you will communicate with the school about your student\u2019s end of the day routine.\u00a0 You will receive an email regarding set up.\u00a0 Make sure to check your junk mail.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n