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Welcome Back!

Posted Date: 08/17/26 (03:20 PM)


Santiam Elementary School

August 2026 Newsletter

Welcome Back to School

Hello SES Families!

We hope you are having a wonderful summer and found time to relax, recharge, and enjoy time together. We are excited to welcome our students and families for another great year at SES!

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions, concerns, or just want to connect.

Sincerely,

Alisha Hansen

Meet Our Staff

Welcome, Mr. Anderson!
Mr. Anderson is our new PE teacher and brings more than nine years of experience working with elementary aged students. He is already thinking about creative ways to serve our students and contribute to our school community. We are excited to have him on the team!

Welcome, Ms. Stewart!
Mrs. Stewart has been hired as our evening custodian. She is already part of our school community as a mom to three Santiam students, and we are excited to officially welcome her to our staff!

Welcome back, Mrs. Lopez!
We missed Mrs. Lopez while she was away on maternity leave and we are so happy to have her back working with our students and staff again!

New Kindergarten Teacher!
We are excited to announce that Mrs. Budlong, a former Instructional Assistant and maternity leave substitute for Mrs. Hunt, is joining our team as our new Kindergarten teacher. Kayla will be stepping into the position previously held by Teri Moberg, who recently retired. We are thrilled to welcome Kayla into her new role!

Our School is Shining

A huge thank you goes to our custodians and summer work crew for all of their hard work getting the school ready for staff and students.
You will notice the sparkle throughout the building!

Some of our summer improvements include:
  • New acoustic paneling in the cafeteria (picture included)
  • A new water station in the cafeteria
  • New flooring in the fifth-grade classrooms
  • A professional refinishing of the gym floor
  • New slip-resistant paint on the concrete under our covered play area

Attention 4th & 5th Graders

Our 4th and 5th graders will now be served breakfast daily in our cafeteria! The cafeteria opens at 7:40 a.m. If your child would like to eat breakfast at school, they should go directly to the cafeteria upon arrival. After breakfast, students will report to the gym before being released to class. The cafeteria closes at 8:10 a.m.

Attendance Worth Celebrating

We have some great attendance news to celebrate!
Last year, SES improved our overall attendance by 10 percent! As a result of that progress, 67 percent of our students are now at school 90 percent or more of the time. That means more of our students are in their classrooms, learning with their teachers and classmates, and making the most of each school day.
We are incredibly proud of this progress and thankful to our families for helping make regular attendance a priority!

Did You Know?
If a student misses more than 1.5 days of school per month, they are considered chronically absent. This means they are attending school 89 percent or less of the time. Additionally, missing just 8 days of school adds up to approximately half a month of missed instruction.

Every day matters, and we appreciate your partnership in helping our students be at school, ready to learn, and connected to their school community.

Attendance Buttons Are Back

We will continue our monthly attendance button awards this year!
Be sure to check out our September Tiger attendance button alongside the Golden Sparkle and Tiger Paw buttons from last school year.
We cannot wait to continue celebrating our students for great attendance!
Date August 31

First Day of School (1st-5th)

August 31
Doors open at 7:40 am

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need assistance before the first day of school.

We’re excited to welcome everyone back to school! Here are a couple important reminders as we get ready for the new school year:

📅 Kindergarten Assessment Days
Kindergarten students have scheduled assessment days August 31–September 3. Their first official day of school is September 8.

📋 Teacher & Class Lists
Official teacher and class lists will be posted on the front doors of the school at 4:30 PM on August 27.
Image of Open House sign

SES Open House

September 11
5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

A hot dog dinner will be served during Open House. Kona Ice will also be on the school grounds if you would like to purchase a special treat for your family.

Come visit the school, connect with staff, enjoy dinner together, and then head over to the football game at 7:00!

School Supply & Calendar Links

✏️ School Supplies
Get ready for the first day of school! You can find our school supply list here:

📅 September School Calendar
Stay up to date on important events and activities! View our September school calendar here: