Helen Keller Elementary School Home

August 17, 2022 

Dear Parents/Guardians, 

Welcome back!  I am delighted to welcome all of our returning Hawks and our TK/Kinder families. I am honored and blessed to return to Helen Keller for the 2022-2023 school year. Thank you for your ongoing support of all of our students and staff. Our staff has been working so hard all summer to prepare for a marvelous year at Helen Keller! 

This school year, we are excited to welcome (2) Transitional Kindergarten (TK) classes!  We are excited to continue to build our academic programs. We will be welcoming new staff and faculty to the Helen Keller family. 

That being said, the start of the 2022-2023 school year is approaching quickly. Please mark your calendars for important dates:

 The first day of school is Wednesday, August 17th. This is a regular school day, 3:00 pm dismissal. 
Early Dismissal on Wednesdays will begin on August 24th 
Open House August 31, 5:00pm-6:30 pm

As of today, we will continue to follow Department of Public Health safety protocols. At this time, indoor masking is recommended, but not required. Although we will report positive cases and provide notification letters, as necessary, we will no longer conduct weekly Covid testing. 

As a reminder, you will be able to receive your child’s placement letter in our office after submitting the registration forms.   We encourage you to sign up for the Aeries Parent Portal. It is very important for you as a parent/guardian in ensuring your child’s academic success throughout the year. It is through this link that you can check your child’s attendance, grades, assessments, and demographic information. It is vital that you keep your contact information updated (home address, primary and secondary phone numbers, medication and allergy updates, and other emergency contacts.   The parent portal link is https://lynwoodusd.asp.aeries.net/student/LoginParent.aspx

 Be sure to visit our Helen Keller website at https://helenkeller.mylusd.org/.  We will post our 2022-2023 school calendar and bell schedule. Please note, that school begins at 8:45 am for all students. Dismissal times will vary. Our weekly shortened day will remain on Wednesdays. 

Helen Keller is located on such busy street corners and we want to assure the safety of all of our students, staff, and families. it is very important to know that you are a part of keeping our students safe during drop-off and pick-up times and adhering to traffic safety laws. Due to the change of Lynwood High Schools' start times, we may see a rise in traffic because of our close proximity. For this reason, we will close the Carlin Ave gate. We will continue using our Drop Off Zone in the morning. We highly recommend dropping off by 8:30 am to ensure that students arrive on time. Afternoon dismissal gates differ depending on the grade level of your child.  

Dismissal: We will have two exit gates. TK/Kinder, 1st and 2nd  dismissal will be at the front gate. Students will only be released by teachers to parents/guardians/caretakers. 3rd-6th  grade students will exit at the Carlin Ave gate.

 

Finally, we strongly encourage you to join our Hawk parent groups. The PTO serves to support all of our students, families, and staff. Our ELAC and SSC parent councils meet once a month  More information will follow on how to join these amazing organizations. 

I look forward to serving as your principal. Thank you for entrusting me, along with our wonderful Helen Keller Staff to provide a safe, caring, and welcoming environment. Here is to a new school year! 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our school office at 310-886-5700.

Cordially, 

Yamiler Varela 

Principal, Helen Keller Elementary