RGS Rams Report

September 16, 2022

9.16.22 PTO RICHARDSON FARM EVENT

9.17-9.18 RICHMOND'S SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
9.9-9.23 PTO SPIRIT WEAR SALE

9.28 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING

A Message from the Front Office

What is the best way to communicate

with my child’s teacher during the school day?

We encourage all parents and teachers to establish a positive line of communication. During the school day, we cannot interrupt the teacher while they are teaching to transfer phone calls in order to protect the instructional environment. You can email your child’s teacher directly or contact the front office for matters that are time sensitive. The teacher will get back to you as soon as possible.

What if my child is absent from school?

In the event of any absence, the student’s parent/guardian is required to call the school before 9:30 a.m. to explain the reason for the absence. If a call has not been made to the school by 9:30 a.m. on the day of a student’s absence, a school official will call the home to inquire why the student is not at school. If the parent/guardian cannot be contacted it may result in an unexcused absence. Absence calls should be made directly to the school office and any additional emails to staff members should only be done as a courtesy or to inquire about schoolwork. Please do not leave information regarding your child’s absence on the teacher’s voice mail or e-mail as we may not get the information in a timely manner. Our first concern when a child is absent is to verify their safety. For that reason, it is very important that the school office is informed of an absence or late arrival as soon as possible. Please make sure that the office has your correct contact information.

Spanish with Mrs. Zaremba (& Mrs. Schenk)

¡Bienvenidos!

Welcome back to the 2022-2023 school year! We have been very busy in the Spanish room! All classes have gone over the rules and procedures, and some grade levels have already jumped into their new vocabulary units. We are thrilled to report that students are off to a fantastic start in the Spanish!
Mexican Independence Day was September 16th. To commemorate this event, all grades worked on a short cultural lesson on the history of Mexican Independence Day, and how the Mexican people won their independence from Spain.
*Kindergarteners, First, and Second Graders have all begun this year’s Spanish classes by learning basic greetings and leave takings.
Kindergarten will be moving from basic greetings to learning their colors in Spanish. Each color will be introduced individually and practiced before the next color will be taught. They will know a rainbow of vocabulary words when our unit is completed!
First and Second Grade will continue to build their conversational skills by learning Spanish introduction words, as well as which greetings are appropriate to use at different times of the day.
Third Grade will begin the year with a cultural unit on the Monarch butterfly. This unit is an extension of their classroom science life cycles unit. We will be talking about how the Monarchs will soon be migrating to the mountains of Mexico, as well as where they will spend the cold winter months. For more information on this topic, please check out the website journeynorth.org or go to my website for more interesting links. These are excellent sights for extending our classroom lessons at home.
Fourth Grade will begin with a unit based on the basic school supplies. In this unit they will be learning the Spanish vocabulary words for a variety of items that we use every day at school. I will be providing a lot of practice and conversational activities throughout this unit. It is our hope that when we are finished, students can be told and understand in Spanish which supplies will be used at each class session.
Fifth Grade has begun by learning vocabulary words for their personal favorites. In addition, they will begin a vocabulary of the month project entitled “Mi Año de Palabras.” Each month a new set of words will be introduced that relates to the season, weather, or any holidays that we typically associate with that month. This should be a fun way to learn not only the months of the year, but also a large number of vocabulary words.
It has been a wonderful beginning with all of the students thus far. Their positive attitudes and enthusiasm are a joy each and every day! We look forward to watching them grow in their language skills and their knowledge of other cultures, as we continue our studies throughout the year!

A Note from Mrs. Hunt

Welcome back!! I hope everyone had a great summer and has gotten off to a great start this year.

If your child is sick, please keep them home. If you feel you need to test them for covid, please inform me if your child tests positive. The current requirements are to remain home five (5) days from onset of symptoms or positive testing. Upon returning it is highly recommended to wear a mask for the five (5) days that follow.

If your child has a fever, they are to remain home until they are fever free, without medication for 24 hours. The same goes for vomiting or diarrhea, they need to be vomit and diarrhea free for 24 hours before returning to school.

If your child is called out of school for three (3) consecutive days for illness, they will require a doctor’s note to return on day four (4) or later.

KINDERGARTEN PARENTS: According to the state law and the school board policy it is required to have your student’s physical and immunization record turned in to the school nurse by October 15th. If these documents are not turned in by the required date, your student will be excluded from coming to school until the documents are turned in. If you are not sure if you’ve turned in everything, please contact me at khunt@nsd2.com

During the last two (2) weeks of September, I will be conducting vision and hearing screening for kindergarten thru 3rd grade.

On November 15th, 2022 RGS will be hosting the Mobile Dentist. The clinic offers cleaning, exams, and sealants. Information regarding this will be sent home in the next few weeks. Keep in mind if you have a kindergartener or second grader, this visit will satisfy the dental grade level requirement.

If there are any questions, please feel free to reach out. You can always email me at khunt@nsd2.com or call at 815-678-6774. If I am unable to answer, please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

It’s going to be a great year!!!

News from Mrs. Walker in the RGS Library

September Library Newsletters

We have started off the school year with orientation to the library for all grades. For grades 3rd, 4th and 5th we reviewed how to use Destiny Discover our online catalog to find books they would like to read.
We also have been learning about this year’s Bluestem Nominees, and the requirements for participating in this voluntary book award program. If you interested in knowing about the nominees here is the link :Bluestem Award - BTC: Illinois Young Readers' Choice Award Nominees

All these titles are available at our school library, but get very popular and are often check out, so we encourage students to also try to get them from the Nippersink Public Library.

To be invited to the voting pizza party in March, students must read 4 of the titles, pass the AR test with a 70% or better. If they read all 20 titles and pass the AR test they also get a $20.00 gift card. The deadline for having your reading done is March 1.

In 2nd grade students have been learning about how a library works and how to choose a “good fit book.”

In 1st grade and kindergarten we have been reading stories, and learning about how to care for our books.

Since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month has been held each September to mark the beginning of the school year. During the month, the American Library Association and libraries unite in a national effort to ensure every child signs-up for their own library card.

The most important school supply is a library card! With access to technology, innovative programming, and educational resources, a library card gives students of all ages the tools to succeed in school. Visit the Nippersink Public Library or ILove Libraries DOT ORG.

Students that go to the library and sign up for a library card during the month of September in the youth section will receive a RGS purple YOU ROCK ticket at the library. Already a card holder? You can still get a ticket if you stop in and check out a book or say hello to the Youth Services Librarian and let them know you are from RGS (limit 1 per student).

Communications from Ms. Kokaska, RGS School Social Worker

Building the Habit of Good Attendance

Did you know that a student's attendance in September can be a good indicator of his/her overall attendance for the rest of the school year? According to Why September Matters: Improving School Attendance, students who miss fewer than 2 days in September continue to miss on average fewer than 2 days of school each month. In contrast, students who miss between 2 - 4 days in September, continue to miss on average 2 - 3 days each month and students who miss more than 4 days in September, continue to miss on average 6 - 9 days each month.

School attendance is a powerful predictor of student outcomes and is directly linked to student achievement, social-emotional development and social engagement. Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than those who do not attend regularly. Below are some strategies to help enourage consistent attendance:
Make school a priority - talk with your child about the importance of going to school every day and help them establish and maintain daily routines
Help your child stay engaged in school - support your child's academic progress and social development, monitor for positive peer relationships
Communicate with school - early converations with teachers, counselors and administrators are critical to helping develop positive attendance patterns and a plan for success
Build the habit of good attendance early and make September matter!

Car Riders at Dismissal

A reminder to those families in the car rider line - please make sure to place the name card with the student’s last name in your front window. This helps us move the line as quickly as possible. Also, if you need additional time to secure your child or if you are waiting for your child, please pull off to the side past the dumpster. We appreciate these efforts to ensure the efficiency of this process and safety of our students.

RGS PTO SPIRIT WEAR SALE

Richmond Grade School, here's your opportunity to stock up on new Rams gear!

This online sale will run through Friday, September 23rd. NO LATE ORDERS WILL BE ACCEPTED!

All items are custom made for you! Once the online sale is complete, items will go into production, which takes approximately 4 weeks. Items will be sent home with your child when they are complete.