A FRIENDLY MESSAGE FROM DR. GARCIA-FRANCE

As summer winds down, the Global Leaders of Tomorrow in Valley Stream District 30| the friendly schools are getting ready to return. In your home, that means a mix of excitement and nerves: gathering supplies, choosing outfits, stocking up on healthy snacks, and waiting to learn who the new teacher will be! To help you prepare, we have created a simple back-to-school checklist with everything you will need to start the year strong.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR
The first day of school for students is
Wednesday, September 3, 2026

Click Here
Take a moment to review the school calendar and add key dates to your family calendar:
– First day of school
– Holidays and recess days
– Last day of school

SCHEDULE ANNUAL MEDICAL APPOINTMENT

• Be sure to call your doctor and dentist as soon as possible to snag a back-to-school check-up!

• Immunization requirements for school entrance/attendance for grades PK to 6 [Effective September 1, 2015]. Click here To Learn More

• Physical examinations are required by New York State Law for all new students, in addition to students currently enrolled in PK, K, and grades 1, 3 and 5. Physical examinations must be performed no more than twelve months prior to the start of school. If your child has a physical scheduled during the school year, please notify the School Health Office with the date of the exam. The exam must be submitted on an official NYS Health Examination Form.
  Click here for the Medical Form

• A dental health certificate is recommended for students in Kindergarten and grades 1, 3 and 5. The certificate must contain a report of a comprehensive dental exam.
  Click here for dental form

• Notify the principal’s office, the school nurse, and your child’s teachers about any health problems or medications.

SCHOOL GEAR & HAIR CARE

• Sort through last year’s clothes and determine what you need to buy.

• Shop for School Clothes – consider waiting for Fall to buy winter clothes.

• Schedule hair appointments. 

• Add a name tag to your child’s clothing. Jackets, sweaters, and hoodies often end up in the Lost and Found. A simple name label inside helps staff return lost items quickly or lets your child check the Lost and Found with confidence by stopping at the front office. That name tag is a "cost" saver.

STOCK UP ON SCHOOL SUPPLIES

• Find your child’s exact school supply list. 

  • Clear Stream Avenue Elementary| Click Here

  • Forest Road Elementary| Click Here

  • Shaw Avenue Elementary| Click Here

• Take a quick home inventory and put still-usable supplies in a container, and throw out or recycle the rest. Once you know what you have, you can shop for what you need from your child’s exact school supply list on Teacher Lists.

• Shop the summer back-to-school supply sales for deals on pencils, notebooks, loose leaf paper, and printer ink. Try to buy enough of these basics to last you through the year because they’ll cost more midyear

COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY PROVISION (CEP) PROGRAM

• One healthy breakfast from 7:45am-8:15am in the cafeteria
• One healthy lunch at school
• For more CEP information, please click here.
• Please complete the Household Income Eligibility Form. Completing this form can provide you with additional benefits such as, Discounted afterschool rate & Grocery benefits 
• For A la carte items such as water and snacks are NOT ELIGIBLE UNDER CEP and are available for purchase only.  
• Please use MySchoolBucks to add money 
  • Click Here to add a student to MySchool Bucks, MySchoolBucks FAQ & MySchoolBucks Flyer

GROCERY SHOPPING TIME

• Clean out the freezer and stock up on fast breakfasts.
• Make a grocery list of needed food and supplies for your child’s lunches.
• Along those lines, send your child with a small, refillable bottle of hand sanitizer in their lunch box so they’ll have it nearby.
• Find a reusable water bottle for your child to take to school. Label the bottle clearly with your child’s name in case they lose it at school.
• If you’ll be packing lunches frequently, shop sales on lunch containers that can be cleaned and reused easily.
• Look for items that are easy for your child to open themselves to reduce the number of people touching an item.
• Spend some time brainstorming with your child about lunch options. 
• Keep a list of mains (i.e., sandwiches, protein bars) and snacks, and allow them to mix and match.
• Start Meal Prepping for busy nights.

TRANSPORTATION 

• Valley Stream District 30 is a walking district.

• If you have a child that is attending a Valley Stream District 30 special education program, you should receive your transportation information from the Office of Special Services at 

• If you have a child that is attending a Nassau BOCES special education program, you should receive your transportation information from the school your child attends.

• If driving your child to school please remember, according the New York Department of Motor Vehicle:

  • all children under the age of 2 must ride in a rear-facing car seat

  • all children under the age of 4 ride in child safety seats

  • all children ride in child restraint systems until their 8th birthday

  • Safety seats and child restraint systems must be certified according to Federal Motor Vehicles Safety Standard 213.

• Consider setting up carpools if necessary.

LEARNING HOME SPACE

• Create, Clean, and organize study spaces. 

• Create an organized “drop zone”  for backpacks, shoes, and outerwear.

• Create a Backpack Station and a place for school papers for parent signature.

• Create an area for books,  magazine, audio books, electronic books to encourage reading:

  • Remember, it is recommended that beginning readers spend 15 or 20 minutes reading each day, in addition to the reading they do at school.

CHILD CARE CONSIDERATIONS

• Start looking now if you’ll need to hire someone new to handle school drop-off or pick-up. The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to find part-time care for early mornings and late afternoons. 

• *NEW* Valley Stream District After School program in all (3) school buildings offering a variety of Enrichment Activities from Monday-Friday, 3:00-6:00 pm. More information to come!
• Valley Stream District 30 will continue to offer After School Clubs (i.e., Drone, Lego Robotics Language & Literacy) which are led by our teachers.
• Things to consider before leaving your child home alone whether it's a snow day home from school, an unexpected business meeting, or a childcare arrangement that fell through. Click Here

BACK-TO-SCHOOL DISCUSSION

• Families want to minimize the anxiety many children might experience when returning to school. While a new school year is exciting, many students are nervous about a new teacher, making friends, and of course, academics. Discuss your child’s feelings about starting school, and talk over any concerns they might have.  Click Here

• Review the RULER Framework with your child. This program is used to assist to teach and practice emotional intelligence. 

• Have younger children memorize your home address and cell and work phone numbers.

• Check your child’s progress on summer reading. Are they on track? 

• Have they completed their other summer homework assignments or projects?

• With your child most likely spending more time learning online, talk to them about online safety and being a good digital citizen:

  • Online Safety| Click Here

  • Screen Time| Click Here 

• Begin practicing your back-to-school routine before the school year starts:

  • Begin transition to earlier bedtime.

  • Begin transition to earlier wake-up time.

  • Talk with your child about their new teacher and/or new school

  • Talk with your child about daily school schedules which will include instructional time in the following subject areas: English Language Arts; Mathematics; Enrichment for All; Intervention; Social Studies; and Science. In addition, your child will have a lunch period that includes recess, weather permitting. Lastly, once a week your child will receive a special class in one of the following areas: Arts; General Music; Art; and Physical Education

• Discuss school year expectations.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

• Wednesday, September 3, 2025

• Take a picture of the following documents with your cell phone, which will give you quick access to your child’s information:

  • Teacher Placement Letter

  • Arrival & Department Procedures

  • Bring in Supply List in a sturdy bag

• Each school provides a Staff Directory on the district website to assist families with finding  the appropriate contact to address their child’s needs:

  • Clear Stream Avenue Elementary| COMING SOON!!!

  • Forest Road Elementary| COMING SOON!!!

  • Shaw Avenue Elementary| COMING SOON!!!

JOIN PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION

• Planning on joining the PTA, heading up a committee or volunteering to be the room mom for your child’s classroom? 

• Do a little online research, contact the PTA president or talk to some other moms about how you can get involved:

  • Clear Stream Avenue PTA| Click Here

  • Forest Road Elementary PTA| Click Here

  • Shaw Avenue Elementary PTA| Click Here