We hope everyone had a wonderful two weeks off and enjoyed the time with family and friends. Our staff has missed our Snowy Owls and look forward to having all our students return on Monday, April 6th. Please remember Monday, April 6th is a Minimum Day for all students, with our TK/Kindergarten students being dismissed at 12:50 PM and our 1st-6th grade students dismissed at 1:05 PM.
Arrival/Dismissal Traffic
Recently there has been an increase in the number of unattended vehicles in our red fire lanes and unloading zone. Please remember you may only park in the designated parking areas in the front of the school or around the school.
Also, ensuring you pull all the way forward in the drop-off and pick-up zones, also helps maintain the flow of traffic. We ask for your patience and kindness when being reminded of traffic expectations. It is important to plan for a few extra minutes to accommodate the over 600 students participating in arrival and dismissal. Thank you to all our families who regularly follow our traffic patterns and for keeping all our Snowy Owls safe!
Month of the Military Child
April is the month of the Military Child! At Sotomayor, we have over 90 military connected families. We salute them all! We are so grateful for their service and sacrifice. We will have a week of spirit days to honor and celebrate all our Military Families the week of April 6th. Thank for your service to our country!
Mark your calendars for Thursday, April 9th @ 1:00 PM. We will be hosting a parade and picnic for all our military families. We will have garden games and paletas for families to enjoy! Use the link below to RSVP for the event.
https://www.soniasotomayorpta.com/upcoming-events
Autism Awareness Week – One Week to Go!
With just one week to go until Autism Acceptance Week, we are excited to come together as a school community to celebrate, learn, and uplift the voices and experiences of individuals with autism.
Autism Acceptance Week is an opportunity for us to move beyond awareness and focus on understanding, inclusion, and appreciation. It’s a time to recognize the unique strengths, perspectives, and contributions of our students with autism while continuing to build a school environment where every child feels seen, supported, and valued.
Throughout the week, we will engage in meaningful activities that promote empathy, kindness, and inclusivity. From classroom discussions to special events, our goal is to foster a deeper understanding of what it means to truly accept and support one another. We encourage our families to join us in these efforts by having conversations at home, celebrating differences, and reinforcing the importance of inclusion in everyday life. Together, we can create a community where everyone belongs.
Stay tuned for more details about upcoming activities—we can’t wait to celebrate with you! 💙
School Librarian Appreciation Day
National School Librarian Day is celebrated annually on April 4th to recognize the vital contributions of school librarians and their role in fostering a love of reading and learning. Please join me in celebrating and recognizing all the work and effort of our Innovation and Library Technician, Ms. Gritts!
Celebrating National Assistant Principal Week
This week, we proudly celebrate National Assistant Principal Week, a time to recognize the incredible leadership, dedication, and impact of assistant principals in our schools. Assistant principals are the steady force behind the scenes and at the forefront. From supporting students, coaching teachers, partnering with families, and helping to create safe, inclusive, and thriving learning environments, their work often goes unseen, yet it is essential to the success of every school community.
At Sonia Sotomayor Elementary, we are especially grateful for the unwavering commitment of our Associate Principal, Dr. Amanda Storch. Whether she is problem-solving, celebrating student achievements, or ensuring systems run smoothly, she does it all with heart and purpose. Thank you Dr. Amanda Storch for all that you do! Your impact is lasting, your work is valued, and your dedication does not go unnoticed.
Day with the Chef
Our district chef will be back to prepare a fresh, made from scratch breakfast and lunch item to serve to our Snowy Owls on Friday, April 10th. He will be preparing a Breakfast Burrito with Turkey Chorizo, Scrambled Eggs, and Cheddar Jack Cheese for breakfast and Five Cheese Square Pizza and Caesar Salad for lunch.
We will still offer the other normal choices that are on our lunch menu. We look forward to this fun and delicious opportunity for our Snowy Owls!
Snowy Owl Expectation Focus
Our goal at Sonia Sotomayor Elementary School is to create and maintain a positive and safe learning environment for all and hold students accountable for being positive forces within our school community. The Snowy Owl Expectations are taught, modeled, and practiced throughout all grade levels and locations around campus. For the next two weeks, we will focus and reinforce the expected behaviors for dismissal. We appreciate your support in asking your Snowy Owls at home what specific behaviors allow them to be safe, respectful, responsible, and kind at dismissal.
2025-26 Yearbook Pre-Sale
The time has come! Sonia Sotomayor’s 2025-2026 yearbook is now on sale! Purchase a yearbook for $42. All sales will officially close on April 17th so make sure you order ahead of time. Click the link below to order!
2026-27 SPSA Input
We need your input on our School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) which organizes funds received by the school in order to most efficiently serve the needs of the students and increase their achievement. Through your input we can learn what’s most important in meeting our goals and achieving our annual measurable outcomes.
We will be using your thoughts to assist us in the development of our SPSA for the 2026-27 school year. Please see attachment below to view our SPSA Goals for the 2025-26 school year.
Please use QR code or link below and based on the strategies and activities outlined in the 2025–2026 SPSA, please share your thoughts on the following questions:
- Which strategies or activities should we continue because they are helping students succeed?
- What new strategies or activities should we consider adding to better support students and help us meet our school goals and annual measurable outcomes?
Otay Water District Poster Contest
The Otay Water District has launched its annual “Being Water Wise is…” Student Poster Contest!
All K-12 students attending schools within the Otay Water District’s service area are invited to design a poster illustrating the importance of using water efficiently for a chance to win various prizes and have their artwork featured in the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s 2027 Student Art Calendar.
The flyer, guidelines, and entry form are posted below.
Please note: The deadline is Friday, May 8, 2026.
Contest rules, prizes, and additional details are available at https://www.otaywater.gov/poster-contest/
Sonia Sotomayor Elementary School 