Dear Encino Charter Families,
This is Principal Besser with your Sunday Message! We have another wonderful week of learning, growing, and building community ahead at Encino Charter! 💙🚀
💙 Monday Morning Spirit Assembly – Weather Permitting! ☀️🌧️
We look forward to kicking off our week together at our Monday Morning Spirit Assembly at 8:03 a.m., weather permitting!
Students and families are encouraged to wear their Encino Spirit Wear and show their Explorer pride! Families attending should enter through the Addison Gate and proceed to the Assembly Area. Students should line up behind their classroom numbers, and parents and caregivers are kindly asked to stand behind the student lines.
If it rains, our assembly will be canceled, and we will follow our Inclement Weather Schedule.
Please remember that school gates close promptly at 8:08 a.m. Students arriving after that time must enter through the Front Office and check in before going to class.
🌧️ Rainy Day Arrival & Dismissal Procedures
With rain possible this week, we want to remind families of our inclement weather procedures to help ensure a safe and smooth school day for all Explorers.
Morning Arrival:
- 7:40 a.m.: School gates open. Students entering through the Addison, Kindergarten, or Otsego Valet Gates should report directly to the Auditorium.
- 7:50 a.m.: Students in TK–2 will remain in the Auditorium until picked up by their teachers. Students in grades 3–5 will proceed to their classrooms.
- 8:08 a.m.: Instruction begins.
During rainy weather, students will follow our indoor recess schedule and eat lunch in their classrooms.
Afternoon dismissal remains at 2:31 p.m. through the regularly designated grade-level gates. Please allow extra time, drive carefully, and follow staff directions.
Thank you for helping us keep our Explorers safe and dry, rain or shine! 💙
🚗 Important Reminder: Morning Drop-Off Safety
We have become increasingly concerned about unsafe drop-off practices on Addison Street, particularly drivers stopping in the middle of the street to let children out of their vehicles. This creates a serious safety hazard for our students, families, and surrounding community.
Please do not stop in the middle of Addison Street to drop off your child. We ask all families to follow traffic laws, exercise patience, and make student safety our shared priority.
We strongly encourage families to use our convenient morning valet service on Otsego Street!
- Grades 1–5: Valet service is available now.
- Kindergarten: Valet service will begin in the second semester.
A few extra moments of patience can make all the difference. Thank you for helping us keep our Explorers safe!
💙 Friendly Reminder: Toys Stay at Home!
To help keep our Explorers safe and focused on learning, please remind your children that toys should remain at home unless specifically requested by their teacher. This includes toy weapons, replica weapons, and any items that resemble weapons.
We encourage families to check backpacks regularly and reinforce our schoolwide safety expectations. Please remind your children that if they see something concerning, they should tell a trusted adult.
Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and positive learning environment for everyone!
💙 ECES Acts of EXTREME Kindness Challenge! 🌟
Kindness is FREE, and we're challenging our Explorers to spread it everywhere!
This week, October 12–16, Encino Charter is celebrating our Acts of EXTREME Kindness Challenge! We're encouraging every Explorer to go above and beyond to brighten someone's day through thoughtful words and actions.
Whether it's inviting someone who is alone to play, helping a classmate, offering a sincere compliment, using kind words, or being an UPSTANDER, every act of kindness makes a difference!
🌟 Be Caught Being Kind! Students will have an opportunity to participate in a special prize raffle at our Monday Morning Spirit Assembly on October 19!
Families, we encourage you to talk with your children about ways they can spread kindness at school and at home.
Kindness is contagious. Let's pass it on, Explorers! 💙🚀
🌎 The Great California ShakeOut – Thursday, October 15!
This Thursday, Encino Charter will participate in the Great California ShakeOut, an annual earthquake preparedness drill.
Our Explorers and staff will practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On and review important emergency procedures outlined in our Integrated Safe School Plan (ISSP), including student accountability and communication protocols.
These drills help our students build the confidence and skills needed to respond safely during an emergency. We encourage families to take a few minutes to talk with their children about earthquake safety and emergency preparedness at home.
Together, we're building a culture of safety, preparedness, and resilience at Encino Charter! 💙
🤖 FREE Robotics League – Calling All 4th & 5th Grade Explorers!
Does your Explorer love building, coding, creating, or solving challenges?
We're excited to offer a FREE VEX Robotics League in partnership with Computerwise Kids!
Students will learn to design, build, and program robots while developing teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills. They'll even have opportunities to compete against students from other schools!
Program Details:
- Who: 4th and 5th Grade Students
- When: Mondays, 3:00–4:00 p.m., and Wednesdays, 2:45–3:45 p.m.
- Where: Room 1 – The STEM Lab
- Dates: October 26, 2026 – May 19, 2027
- Cost: FREE!
Students must commit to participating throughout the school year and attending both weekly practices.
We can't wait to see our Explorers become the next generation of engineers and innovators!
🏀📚 Encino Explorers: Read. Log. Score!
Get ready to score big with reading! Encino Charter is participating in the LA Clippers Read to Achieve Minutes Challenge, October 26–December 4!
Families can register at laclippers.beanstack.com or through the Beanstack Tracker App. Simply select Encino Charter and begin logging your Explorer's reading minutes!
🌟 Students who log at least 500 minutes will earn a special Clippers prize! Reading just 15 minutes a day can help your Explorer reach this exciting goal.
Whether you're enjoying a bedtime story, discovering a new adventure, or reading together as a family, every minute counts!
Let's turn pages, build strong readers, and cheer each other on. Go, Explorers! 💙
🎭 A Special Cultural Arts Adventure for Kindergarten & 1st Grade!
Our Cultural Arts Program (CAP) is excited to offer Kindergarten and 1st Grade Explorers the opportunity to see Mermaid Theatre's production of The Three Little Pigs and Other Tales at Pepperdine University's Smothers Theatre on Saturday, October 24!
This imaginative production brings classic stories to life through adventure, humor, and lessons about friendship and courage.
🚌 Bus transportation and chaperones will be provided. Students will meet at ECES before departing for the theater.
Tickets are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis! Families should register using the link or QR code on the flyer by Monday, October 12. Students who receive tickets will be provided with additional information and a field trip permission slip.
We can't wait for our youngest Explorers to experience the magic of live theater! 🎭💙
👻 BOO Grams – Spread Some Halloween Kindness!
Our ECES Student Council is spreading Halloween cheer with BOO Grams!
Want to brighten a friend's day, thank a favorite teacher, or surprise someone with a little kindness? Send a BOO Gram!
- When: October 26–28, before school
- Where: Addison Gate
- Cost: $1 each (cash only)
- Delivery: Friday, October 30
Each BOO Gram includes a special message and a treat!
Let's spread kindness, friendship, and Halloween spirit throughout our Explorer community! 🎃💙
🎃 Halloween Parade – Friday, October 30!
We are excited to celebrate Halloween with our Encino Explorers on Friday, October 30! Students are invited to wear their Halloween costumes to school for our annual parade.
Parade Details:
- 8:15 a.m.: Families may enter through the Addison Gate.
- 8:30 a.m.: Halloween Parade begins! Families are invited to watch and join in the fun.
- 12:56 p.m.: Minimum Day Dismissal.
👻 Costume Guidelines: Students must wear their regular school clothes underneath their costumes, as they will change following the parade and resume their regular school day.
Costumes must be school-appropriate and allow students to move and see safely. Replica weapons, unsafe accessories, and offensive or discriminatory costumes are not permitted. Masks may be worn during the parade only, provided they do not interfere with safety.
🍬 Classroom Celebrations: All classroom Halloween activities must follow our school celebration guidelines. Food and candy may not be distributed to students. Families may coordinate with teachers and room parents to provide non-food treats, such as stickers, pencils, erasers, or small favors.
We look forward to a fun, festive, and safe Halloween celebration with our Explorers! 🎃💙
🍎 Friendly Reminder: Food & Beverage Deliveries
As a reminder, in accordance with LAUSD policy, outside food and beverage deliveries for students are not permitted during the school day. This includes deliveries from restaurants, DoorDash, Uber Eats, and other food delivery services.
For the safety of our students, deliveries may not be dropped off at school gates, parking lots, or other campus locations.
If your child forgets their lunch, please don't worry! Our school cafeteria will provide a free lunch to ensure that every Explorer has a meal.
Thank you for helping us maintain a safe, secure campus while minimizing interruptions to learning!
📅 This Week at Encino
Monday, October 12
- 8:03 a.m. – Monday Morning Spirit Assembly (Weather Permitting)
- Acts of EXTREME Kindness Challenge Begins!
Tuesday, October 13
- 1:31 p.m. – Banked-Time Tuesday Early Dismissal
Thursday, October 15
- Great California ShakeOut Earthquake Drill
Friday, October 16
- Last Day of the Acts of EXTREME Kindness Challenge
Saturday, October 17
- 5:00 p.m. – E-TEAM Boo Bash Halloween Carnival! 🎃
Stay connected with all things Encino Charter by visiting our school website at encinoces.lausd.org.
That's all for now! Wishing our Encino Charter families a relaxing Sunday evening and a wonderful week ahead. Thank you for your continued partnership in making Encino Charter a safe, welcoming, and joyful place for every Explorer to learn and grow!
It's always a great day to be an Encino Explorer! 💙🚀
Kind regards,
Dr. Besser
Principal, Encino Charter Elementary School