Dear Encino Charter Families,
This is Principal Besser with your Sunday Message. We have another exciting week ahead at Encino Charter! 💙
🚗 Arrival, Dismissal & Traffic Safety
As we continue settling into our school-year routines, thank you for your patience and cooperation during arrival and dismissal. These are busy times around campus, and student safety is always our highest priority.
Please help us keep everyone safe by:
- Following all driving, parking, and traffic laws.
- Never double parking or calling your child into the street.
- Keeping crosswalks clear at all times.
- Having children enter and exit vehicles from the right side, directly onto the sidewalk.
- Reminding children never to enter the street from between parked cars.
- Using extra caution and patience when driving, crossing, or entering the roadway around our school.
Arrival and dismissal require all of us to slow down, remain attentive, and look out for one another. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and orderly environment for our Encino Explorers.
⏰ Early Pick-Up & Student Release
We know that there are times when families need to pick up a student before the end of the school day. Please plan ahead and allow enough time for the early-release process.
Please do not call the office in advance to ask that your child be brought down and wait for you. For student safety, and because our front office is managing many responsibilities throughout the school day, students will be called from class once the authorized adult has arrived at the office and completed the check-out process.
When picking up a student early:
- The adult picking up the student must be listed on the Student Emergency Information Form or have written authorization from the parent/guardian.
- A valid government-issued photo ID is required.
- Students returning from or leaving for a partial-day absence should provide appropriate absence verification when applicable.
Whenever possible, please schedule appointments outside of instructional hours. Even leaving school a little early means missing valuable learning time. We want our Explorers in their seats and learning for the entire school day!
🏫 Attendance Matters — Every Day Counts!
Regular and punctual attendance is essential to student success. Every day a student is absent—and every time a student arrives late or leaves early—they miss valuable instructional time and opportunities to learn, connect, and grow.
Please help your child develop strong attendance habits by arriving on time and ready to learn every day, avoiding unnecessary absences and early pick-ups, and scheduling appointments and family travel outside of school hours whenever possible.
💙 Monday Morning Spirit Assembly
We’re excited to kick off the week with our Monday Morning Spirit Assembly at 8:03 a.m.!
Students and families are encouraged to wear Encino Spirit Wear and show their Explorer pride!
Families attending the assembly should enter through the Addison Gate and proceed directly to the Assembly Area. Students should line up behind their classroom number, and parents and caregivers are kindly asked to stand behind the student lines so all students can see and hear.
☕ Coffee with the Principal — Monday, August 24
Following our Spirit Assembly, all Encino Charter families are invited to join Principal Dr. Besser, AP Mrs. Kim, and Region North System of Support Advisor Sa Rah Feinstein for our first Coffee with the Principal of the school year.
Monday, August 24 at 8:30 a.m.
Encino Charter Auditorium
Enjoy a cup of coffee and a doughnut as we discuss:
- Creating Welcoming Environments
- Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
- Encino Charter’s Progressive Discipline Policy
This is an opportunity to learn, share, ask questions, and grow together as a school community. We hope you can join us!
🏫 Back to School Night — Tuesday, August 25
We look forward to welcoming our families to Back to School Night on Tuesday!
Please remember that Tuesday is a Banked Time Tuesday, and students will be dismissed early at 1:31 p.m.
Back to School Night is a wonderful opportunity to meet your child’s teacher, visit the classroom, and learn about classroom expectations, grade-level standards, curriculum, and learning for the year ahead.
The Addison Gate will open at 4:45 p.m. Please proceed directly to your child’s classroom. Support staff wearing bright vests will be available to assist families.
To accommodate families with more than one child at Encino, teachers will offer two identical classroom presentations:
Session 1: 5:00–5:25 p.m.
Session 2: 5:35–6:00 p.m.
📌 Important Reminder: Back to School Night is intended for parents and caregivers. If it is necessary to bring your child, children must remain with their parent or caregiver at all times. Childcare and supervision will not be available.
We look forward to seeing you Tuesday evening!
📊 i-Ready Inform Assessments Begin This Week
Students in Grades K–5 will begin the i-Ready Inform Assessments in Reading and Math this week.
These beginning-of-year diagnostic assessments help teachers better understand each student’s strengths and areas for growth and provide valuable information to guide instruction and support student learning throughout the year.
Want to learn more about the i-Ready Inform Assessment? Families are invited to watch this short i-Ready Inform Assessment video.
Families can help by making sure students arrive at school on time, well rested, and ready to learn. Most importantly, please encourage your child to take their time, try their best, and show what they know!
📚 Save the Date — i-Ready Parent Workshop
Please join us on Wednesday, September 9 at 8:15 a.m. in the Encino Charter Auditorium for an i-Ready Parent Workshop with Mr. Leonidas Tarca, i-Ready Specialist.
Families will learn more about how i-Ready identifies student strengths and areas for growth, supports personalized learning, and how you can support your child’s progress at home.
📅 This Week at Encino
Monday, August 24
- 8:03 a.m. – Monday Morning Spirit Assembly
- 8:30 a.m. – Coffee with the Principal, Auditorium
Tuesday, August 25
- 8:03 a.m. – Line-Up Bell
- 1:31 p.m. – Banked Time Tuesday Early Dismissal
- 4:45 p.m. – Addison Gate Opens for Back to School Night
- 5:00–6:00 p.m. – Back to School Night
Wednesday, August 26
- 8:03 a.m. – Line-Up Bell
- 3:00–4:00 p.m. – Rockets Dance Team Clinic
Thursday, August 27
- 8:03 a.m. – Line-Up Bell
- 3:00–4:00 p.m. – Rockets Dance Team Clinic
Friday, August 28
- 8:03 a.m. – Line-Up Bell
- 3:00–4:00 p.m. – Rockets Dance Team Clinic
- 6:00–9:00 p.m. – E-TEAM Back to School Block Party
Please stay up to date on school news, announcements, and upcoming events by visiting the Encino Charter website at encinoces.lausd.org
That’s all for now! Wishing all of our Encino Charter families an enjoyable and relaxing Sunday evening. We look forward to another wonderful week of learning, growing, and building community together.
Kind regards,
Principal Besser