Principal's Message

August 2024

Dear Garfield Elementary School Community,

It is with great joy and enthusiasm that I welcome you to our 2024-2025 school year at Garfield Elementary
School. This year marks my 26th year serving the community of Bell Gardens. As we work together, I am
confident we will continue to provide our students with experiences that will prepare them for the next
academic school year and prepare them as positive citizens for our community.

The first day of school will be on Monday, August 12, 2024, and it will be a regular day schedule. School will
begin at 8:15 a.m. and dismissal is at 2:30 p.m. Every Wednesday, all students are on a minimum day schedule
and are dismissed at 1:20 p.m. We have four entrances to our school:

• Main Entrance – Cafeteria: from 7:00 – 8:00 a.m.
• Main Entrance – Garfield Ave: from 8:00 – 8:15 a.m.
• Toler Gate – from 7:40 – 8:15 a.m.
• Main Entrance – Front Office: for late arrivals after 8:15 a.m.

To verify your child’s teacher for the 2024-2025 school year, log onto your Parent Portal on PowerSchool. For
any questions accessing your PowerSchool accounts, please contact our school office at 562-927-1915 between
the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday - Friday.

As a reminder, Garfield Elementary is a closed campus. What this means is that Garfield Elementary campus
will be closed to unauthorized adults during, before and after school. No one will be permitted on campus
without first checking into the office and wearing a visible visitor badge or sticker. We take pride in our many
parent volunteers and want to continue fostering this ongoing home/school relationship and community
involvement. If you have a scheduled meeting with the teacher before or after school or you are volunteering in
the classroom, please check in through the office. We cannot do this great work without you!

We encourage families to walk to and from school as we are currently serving 450 students this school year and
parking is limited. The front of the school will continue to be utilized as a drive-thru zone. Please do not
park in the drive-thru zone during the following times:

• 7:00 – 8:30 a.m.
• 12:00 – 3:00 p.m.

If needed, please use our Visitor’s Parking Lot that consists of 10 parking spaces as you enter our parking lot.
Please do not double park or leave your vehicles in unmarked parking spots.

Take note of the fact that early breakfast will be served at Garfield Elementary School. We will continue to
provide early breakfast from 7:40 – 8:00 a.m. There will be no 2nd chance for breakfast during recess.
Rather, students will spend their entire recess playing, using the restroom or filling up their water bottles. Our
lunch schedule will remain the same:
• TK and Kinder: 11:00 – 11:40 a.m.
• 1st Grade: 11:30 – 12:10 p.m.

• 2nd Grade: 11:50 – 12:30 p.m.
• 4th/5th Grade: 12:30 – 1:10 p.m.

TK and Kinder students will enter the school campus through the cafeteria each morning or the main entrance.
They will be dismissed through the Kinder Playground or Garden Gate. We look forward to seeing TK/Kinder
families on Friday, 8/9/2024 at 2:00 p.m. for our orientation.

We will continue to dismiss students using our five dismissal zones:
• Kindergarten Playground: TK & Kinder: Chalen Bustamante
• Garden Gate – Kinder: E. Lopez & Suzuki and 3rd/4th/5th grade students (arranged)
The gate will close at 1:25 p.m. on Wednesdays and 2:40 p.m. the rest of the week.

• Main Entrance: 1st & 2nd Grade
• Cafeteria: Grades 3, 4 and 5 and SPED classrooms 2, 3 and 4.
• Toler Gate: All grades

Please encourage your children to continue practicing COVID safety protocols such as frequent hand washing
and using the hand sanitizers found in each classroom.
Parents, we encourage you to get involved by attending our parent advisory committees and taking an active
role in your child’s education. Please don’t hesitate to let us know if we can be an any assistance.