Rancho Vista Elementary

August 2^nd, Back to School Night- from 4-6pm in person. The schedule is as follows

• 4:00pm Doors will open next to the cafeteria. Pick up a school map and check in with staff to see who your child’s assigned class will be.   
• PTA- Please check in with PTA and drop off ream of paper if your student is participating in our Paper Drive. The winning class will win a popsicle party.
• 4:30 pm Administration will meet all families on the grass area for introductions and announcements.
• 5:00 -5:20 pm Teachers will conduct their first presentation in their classrooms
• 5:30-5:50 pm Teachers will conduct their second presentation in their classrooms
• 6:00 pm Back to School Night will end. Please be sure to sign in the session you attended and pick up available flyers and the teacher’s syllabus before you leave.

PTA Paper Drive- Participate in our paper drive. Click here to view flyer:  Paper Drive Flyer From PTA .jpg 

Finding out your child’s Teacher- Parents can log on to PowerSchool now and find out. You will need your parent log in information. www.westside.k12.ca.us

                    Click the “Parent’s” link at the top of the page, Click on the “PowerSchool” link

Joining our staff- We have several positions open on our staff including playground supervisors, instructional assistants and one on one assistants. This could be a great opportunity to be more connected with our school. To apply please go to the district’s website: https://www.edjoin.org/westsidek12 

The 1^st Day of School- is Wednesday, August 3rd. School start and dismissal times are as follows;

• UPK 7:45 am to 1:40 pm (Tuesdays and Thursdays students are released at 12:55pm)
• Kinder 7:50 am to 1:50 pm
• 1^st-6^th Grades- 7:50 am to 2:00 pm
• The earliest students can be dropped off is 7:20 am as there is no supervision prior
• We are a closed campus but parents can walk students up to class on the first day only

Breakfast- Is served from 7:20 am to 7:45 am daily (Breakfast and lunch is free for all students)

UPK Orientation- A specific UPK information meeting with be held via zoom on August 2^nd at 3:00 p.m.The zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89049664208?pwd=TEdmYkgvY2pBeTNMZnRtUXZKekRkZz09

Drop off and Pick up- Students can enter and exit campus with their younger siblings at the younger sibling gates or their grade level designated gate.

• UPK enter and exit outside their classroom doors.
• Kinder students enter and exit at the large blue kinder gate by the front parking lot.
• Grades 1-2 enter and exit at the entrance with stairs off Bolz Ranch Road
• Grades 3-4 enter through the amphitheater gate behind the cafeteria but EXIT by the bigger gate between the cafeteria and the flagpole.
• Grades 5-6 enter through the amphitheater gate behind the cafeteria but EXIT at the back of the school on Talento Street.
• Cafeteria drive through is open in the mornings but CLOSED in the afternoons.

Masks- Currently students are not required to wear masks. We will continue to send COVID-19 related updates to families in dialers.  

PTA- Join or renew your membership!  https://jointotem.com/ca/palmdale/rancho-vista-pta

We look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at Back to School Night.

Reyna Smith, Ed.D.  

Principal

Rancho Vista school can best be described as a caring, supportive environment focused on student learning across the curriculum. We recognize the impact that good school attendance, positive character choices and respectful behavior have on student achievement and work to make the connections with student achievement for our students. We strive to inspire each child to reach their potential in all areas of the curriculum. Rancho Vista Elementary School is located in the southwest portion of the Antelope Valley in the community of Palmdale. It serves UPK through sixth grade students, with an enrollment of approximately 800 students. In 2006 Rancho Vista was named a California Distinguished School, the first in the Westside Union School District.

Rancho Vista is operating as a permanent school site, although the school is mostly relocatable. There are currently 33 classrooms, a multi-purpose building, a library, and an administration building. Twenty-seven classrooms are currently being used as regular general education classrooms. Others include a computer lab, a staff workroom, a Resource Specialist/Speech classroom, Two UPK classrooms K-3 Special Day Class, 4-5 Special Day Class and a 5-6 Special Day Class. 

Hello Rancho Vista Families!

This is Reyna Smith Principal of Rancho Vista Elementary School!

The first day of school is just around the corner and we are so excited to welcome your child back on campus! Wednesday, August 3rd is the first day of school. Parents will be allowed to walk their children on campus and to the classroom on the first day, but no parents will be allowed inside the classrooms. We will be doing in-person school, five days a week. 

Masking Update:

Kathryn Barger Issues Statement in Response to Decision to Not Reinstate Indoor Mask Mandate in L.A. County

Supervisor Kathryn Barger released the following statement on July 28th 2022, that an indoor masking mandate will not be reinstated in Los Angeles County:

“I am pleased with the Department of Public Health’s decision to not reinstate an indoor masking mandate in our County. 

Unenforceable mandates don’t work. We must continue to marshall our mandates and resources effectively in the fight against COVID-19. 

I’m hopeful that we will now be able to move on from this heightened focus on masking mandates to what really matters – focusing on promoting the efficacy of vaccines and boosters, improving access to COVID-19 treatments, and continuing to educate our County’s residents on the benefits of masking. I am comfortable  leaving this decision in the public’s very capable hands.” 

School Schedule:

School for K-6 begins at 7:50am and gates will open for drop-off at 7:20am. School for UPK starts at 7:45am. Regular school day release time is at 1:40 for UPK, 1:50 for Kindergarten and 2:00 for grades 1-6. However, the first two days of school (August 3rd and August 4th) are minimum days, so school will be out one hour earlier. UPK has early release times every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:55pm. 

I know many of you are anxious to know which teacher your child has been assigned to. Please continue to check Powerschool to find out who your child's teacher will be. This will be how you find out your child's teacher. 

Many of the items your child will need are provided by the classroom teacher. I would suggest though, a sturdy backpack and lunch pail (if needed) with your child’s name written inside. Teachers will provide more specific information at their Back to School night meeting. All students will be offered breakfast and lunch at no cost this year. 

Please reference the map on the parent info page for information about where to drop off and pick up your student. Older siblings from Hillview will be allowed to wait for younger siblings, but there is a form that needs to be completed at Hillview and a hole punch that will go on their school IDs. Hillview Middle School's start time for the 2022-2023 school year has changed, we anticipate this greatly affecting traffic during drop off and pick up times. Safety is our top concern, please adhere to all traffic laws and regulations.

If you are interested in full-time Distance Learning, please submit a Let’s Talk on the District website and choose “Distance Learning” as the interest area. Someone from that program will be in contact with you.

We look forward to an amazing school year!

Dr. Reyna Smith, Principal

Melinda Taylor, Vice Principal