Good evening, Washington families. This is Principal Paul Travers with your weekly message.

Just a reminder, tomorrow, Monday, May 26th, is Memorial Day, so there will be no school.

This week, we begin our End-of-Grade testing. On Thursday, May 29th, our third, fourth, and fifth graders will take their Reading EOG. Please be sure to practice good night time routines this week with your Washingtonians. This will allow them to be well rested and ready to do their best. 

Fun Fridays are still ongoing! Students who earn enough points by showing positive behavior, completing tasks, and giving their best effort will get to participate. This Friday, May 30th, we'll have gaming trucks and Italian ice at Fun Friday!

Your Health and Wellness Tip for this week is: Plan for unstructured time and downtime. The end of the school year can be hectic, and summer can quickly become overscheduled. Intentionally schedule in unstructured time for your children to relax, pursue hobbies, or simply be still. This allows their minds and bodies to decompress and recharge.

This Friday, May 30th, your Washingtonian will come home with an invitation to our Awards Day if they are receiving an award. 

Please mark your calendars for June 6th for our Kindergarten through fourth grade Awards Ceremonies. Ceremony times are:

• Kindergarten: 8:30 AM

• First Grade: 9:15 AM

• Second Grade: 10:15 AM

• Third Grade: 9:45 AM

• Fourth Grade: 10:45 AM

As a reminder, our fifth Grade Awards Ceremony will be on June 9th at 5:30 PM. We are asking families to email baby pictures of their fifth grader to WashingtonElementaryGCS@gmail.com for our fifth-grade slideshow.

The end of the year is a busy and exciting time! As temperatures rise and academic work winds down, we sometimes see more impulsive actions from students. Please remind your child that communicating a threat has serious consequences at both the school and law enforcement levels. We ask everyone to refrain from spreading rumors and to only share information they can personally verify. We take every threat seriously and appreciate your help in encouraging students to think about the consequences of their behavior before they act.

If your child will be a new bus rider, attending a new school, or has had an address change for next school year, you should complete the 2025-2026 online Transportation Preference form by Friday, June 13th to guarantee transportation on the first day of school. 

If your child rode the bus during the 2024-2025 school year as an eligible student and there has been no school change and/or address change, families do not have to apply for transportation for the 2025-2026 school year.

At Washington, we honor community, show essence, think critically, and thrive through movement.