Welcome to eureka elementary school!!
On behalf of Eureka Public Schools and Eureka Elementary, I want to welcome you to the 2024-25 school year! I am so excited to get the new school year started. We have top notch staff here who are looking forward to working with you and your child(ren).
For those of you that don’t know me, this is my 3rd year as the principal of Eureka Elementary. Prior to that, I taught in our middle school for 12 years and in the elementary for 4 years. My husband is a teacher and coach in the high school, and we raised our 3 boys here in Eureka. This past summer, we welcomed a grandson, Braxton Brooks, and celebrated our youngest son completing his commercial pilot licensing and our oldest son becoming a fire investigator for the USFS.
At Eureka Elementary, we strive every day to build relationships with our families and provide a welcoming and safe learning environment for everyone. Together with you and your child(ren), we build a team to provide the best education possible for each student. In fact, we invite you to get involved with our Parents In Action (PIA) group. You can email them at pia@teameureka.net or find their page on Facebook. PIA does a great job of supporting the staff and students at the school and hosting family events like Bingo or the Book Fair. We value our partnership with the PIA.
Communication between school and home is extremely important. As a parent, please make sure that you connect with ClassDojo. We put all of our school events on the calendar, make important announcements on the school story, and use messaging to communicate with you. Your child’s teacher will also use the messaging for communication and update the class story with the great things that happen throughout the school year. ClassDojo is free with the option to upgrade for more features. We also have a district website which can be accessed at lchigh.net, along with various social media platforms. Please also make sure that you update your contact information with our school secretary at (406) 297-5500. With that being said, our staff also have their own families and home life. They may or may not communicate with you outside of the school day, which is up to their discretion. I ask that you respect their time. If you have any matters that need immediate attention, call the school directly and leave a message if no one answers. Thank you for your understanding.
As we get ready for the new school year, I want to remind you to access our student handbook on the district website to read through our school policies and expectations. Attendance is paramount to a student’s success in education. When students miss too many days, they may fall behind and struggle to keep up with their peers which can lead to stress and discouragement. Did you know that missing just 2 days a month is equivalent to missing 10% of the school year? If your child is absent, it is your responsibility to call the school. Breakfast is available each school day starting at 7:45am. First Bell rings at 8:15am, Tardy Bell rings at 8:20am and school dismisses at 3:25pm. Please make sure that you also look over the drop-off/pick-up map. The key thing to remember about either line is to please NOT get out of your vehicle. These lines are intended to help speed up the process of drop-off and pick-up. If you need more time or to leave your vehicle, please park in the lot.
Eureka Public Schools received some exciting news this summer. ALL students will be able to eat breakfast AND lunch for FREE this year!! Woohoo! However, this does NOT erase any balances that have accumulated over years past. Also, students not taking the whole school lunch will still have to pay $0.40 for milk.
With the happy news, we also have some disappointing news. Eureka Public Schools was not awarded the 21st Century grant that funded our afterschool and summer programs. At this time, we do not have any after school care available. We hope to have an alternative solution some time this school year.
Mark your calendars for the upcoming Open House event. District-wide, come meet the teachers on Tuesday, August 27th from 2-4pm. Students can even get their supplies put away. I look forward to visiting with all the families then. First day of school is August 28th, however, grades K-2 will be doing parent conferences ONLY on the first day. Your child’s teacher will be mailing you the time of your conference. If you cannot attend, just reach out to them to make other arrangements. Kindergarten students do a staggered start. Kindergarten teachers will be giving more information on that.
As I mentioned earlier, communication is key to a successful school year. Check into the ClassDojo app regularly and make sure to turn on your notifications for it. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher with any questions or concerns. If I can be of assistance in any way, please do not hesitate to contact the school.
I am looking forward to a fantastic year. Let’s make it a great one!
Your Education Partner,
Heather Dunn
Principal, Eureka Elementary