Parent Newsletter November 8, 2026

Dear Sunset Families,

We have another wonderful week ahead at Sunset! I am especially excited for our Student of the Month Assembly, where we will celebrate our Tigers who are leading by example and demonstrating what it show determination. Recognizing our students and the positive impact they have on our school community is always a highlight!

As we recognize Veterans Day this week, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our veterans and military families. Your service, courage, and sacrifice mean so much, and we are grateful for the opportunity to honor you.

A special thank you to all the families who joined us for last week's third-grade Veterans Day Concert. What a meaningful evening! I also want to recognize Mrs. Linde for the incredible time, energy, and heart she put into making the performance so special. We are grateful for the opportunity to bring our community together through music and celebration.

Thank you for continuing to make Sunset such a special place for our Tigers. 

Here's to another great week of learning, growing, and celebrating together!

 🐾 With Tiger Pride,

Mrs. Vaughan

Hello Sunset Families!

Growing up means learning how to navigate big feelings, and that takes practice! At school, we are helping our Tigers recognize their emotions and develop strategies for managing frustration, disappointment, and other challenging moments. Learning to pause, take a breath, ask for help, and use words to express feelings are important skills that take time to develop.

Families can reinforce these skills at home by talking about feelings, practicing calming strategies, and helping children put words to what they are experiencing. Remember, all feelings are okay, but we can learn healthy ways to respond to them.

Thank you for partnering with us as we help our Tigers grow into confident, caring, and resilient learners!

In partnership,

Jess Sinclair

This week, our SEL focus is on reinforcing an important schoolwide expectation: Sunset is a “Hands-Off School!” All students are expected to keep their hands, feet, and bodies to themselves to ensure a safe and respectful learning environment for everyone.

Students will learn to recognize physical aggression, understand how their actions impact others, and practice making safe choices, even when they are frustrated or upset. We will focus on using words to solve problems, taking deep breaths, walking away when needed, and asking an adult for help.

Our message is clear: Physical aggression is not an acceptable way to solve problems. We are committed to teaching, modeling, and reinforcing the skills students need to manage their emotions and make safe choices. Together, we can ensure Sunset remains a safe, kind, and caring place where every student feels a sense of belonging.

Each week, our Tigers explore new strategies through Zones Tools to Try! These lessons give students opportunities to discover and practice tools that help them understand their emotions, work through challenges, and make thoughtful choices. We want students to do more than just learn about these strategies—we want them to put them into action! By practicing these skills, students develop confidence, independence, flexibility, and problem-solving abilities they can carry into everyday situations. Our goal is for every Tiger to build a toolbox of strategies they can recognize, choose, and use when needed, helping them feel successful both in the classroom and beyond!

What is “Connected Gestures”? Connect and say “hello” with body signals such as:

Our attendance dipped this week, with 87% of our students attending school at least 90% of the time. Our goal is 90%, and we want to keep moving in the right direction!

We know illnesses are making their way through our community. Please keep your child home if they have a fever (100.4°F or higher) and wait until they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without medication before returning to school.

But when your child is feeling better, send them back! A lingering sniffle or mild cough doesn't necessarily mean another day at home is needed if they feel well enough to participate.

Every day of learning matters! Thank you for helping us keep our Tigers healthy and in school

PE Updates! 

PE at Sunset is off to a GREAT start! We are currently in our throwing and catching unit in PE. Students are working on underhand and overhand throwing as well as various ways to catch a ball. Like many athletic skills, throwing requires students to step with the opposite foot that they throw with. Ask your student to demonstrate this skill! Looking ahead we will continue to practice “stepping in opposition” during our volleyball unit.

Another focus in PE is teaching students to be proud of their efforts and accomplishments while also being a good sport. This is an important skill, not only for athletics, but in life. I often say, “It feels good when someone else is proud of you, but I want you to be proud of yourselves too!”

A couple of pieces of information: 

Thank you for your continued support of our PE program at Sunset! Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.

-Mr. Givens

Music Room Updates! 🎶

Welcome back to the Sunset Music Room!

Every Kindergarten thru 4th grade class has music twice a week for 30 minutes. 

Thank you for sharing your amazing children with me! Please feel free to contact me with questions at elinde@upsd83.org. 

 ~Beth Linde  

♫ Music Specialist ♫