Titan Families,
We hope you are enjoying your last few weeks of summer! We are fast at work on campus and with our PTA in preparing things for our Titan(s). We have a phenomenal year of learning ahead!
Please read this newsletter and check out our website to support your family's launch of the new school year. Our amazing PTA has family meet and greet events planned. The dates, times, and locations are listed below. There will be popsicles provided, too! We hope to see you out there connecting with new and old friends in our Titan Community and consider joining our PTA.
Should you have any questions leading into the school year, please feel free to call our campus, and Ms. Natasha, our wonderful receptionist, will be more than happy to support you as she can. We have a few new faces on our office and administrative team. All of that and much more is detailed below!
**Please note: If you are receiving this communication and you are NOT returning to River Place Elementary next year, please email our registrar, Ms. Cheryl Eisenberg, at cheryl.eisenberg@leanderisd.org **
Take care and be well,
Dr. Amy Sharp
Proud RPE Principal
Interested in Walking Your Titan(s) to Their Classroom on the 1st Day of School?
As in the past, all visitors must check in at the front office and show their ID each time they enter the building. All visitors must wear a Raptor badge in a visible location upon entry.
In order to ensure the safest environment possible, WE WILL BE REQUIRING ALL FAMILY MEMBERS TO SHOW ID AND WEAR A RAPTOR STICKER ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! **If you are planning to walk your child to class on the first day you MUST present your ID. If you do not have one, or if you forgot your ID at home, you will not be allowed to enter the school building.
We understand that this decision will create longer lines entering the school, however we ask for your patience and appreciate your kindness in order to ensure safety. Please respect that we are doing this to be as safe as possible to protect our students, staff, and families.
Here's what you need to know to make the process go as smoothly as possible:
- STEP 1: If you are a new family, or a family that did not attend an event last year, please stop by our office to scan your ID prior to the first day of school. Kindly let them know that you are here to have your ID scanned early in order to prepare for walking your child to class on the first day. You may stop by this week on
- Wednesday, August 9th - 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.
- Thursday, August 10th - 8:00 - 11:30 a.m.
- Friday, August 11th - 12:00 - 3:00pm
- Monday, August 14th @ Open House - 5:00 - 7:00pm
- STEP 2: If you are a returning RPE family and you scanned your ID last year, you should still be in our system, but please feel free to stop by to check if you are unsure!
- STEP 3: Once you have come to the office to have your ID scanned into our system, complete the 1st Day of School RSVP so that we can prepare for your arrival to walk your child to their classroom on the 1st day. **If you complete this form by Monday, August 14th at 3:00PM, you can skip the scanning line and grab your badge on the way in the door. All parents who have an ID in our system and who RSVP will have a pre-printed badge ready to go in the morning on the 1st day.
- STEP 4: If you RSVP late, or do not have an ID in the system, you will need to wait in line to walk your child to class on the first day of school. Please note, this could be a lengthy wait, we will do the best we can to get you scanned in as quickly as possible.
**This response form will be closed at 3:00 P.M. on Monday, August 14th **
JOIN PTA TODAY!
Join PTA TODAY because increasing our membership, even by one, makes it possible to:
- Get funds to teachers to supplement classroom needs.
- Connect with teachers, parents, and administration to voice needs for our school and our Titans.
- Fund library technology, guest speakers, playground equipment.
- Help plan community activities such as Fall Fest, Apex Fun Run, Book Fair, Mentoring
- programs, Field Day, Career Day & STEAM Night.
- Support Teacher and Staff Appreciation.
Myths Debunked!
- PTA does NOT require mandatory meetings or volunteer hours.
- PTA is NOT just for stay-at-home parents or for those who want to take on a large leadership role.
PTA is-
- for ANYONE who wants to be a bit more connected to teachers, principals and the Titan community. In sum, there is no wrong or right way to be in PTA!
- something that takes 5 minutes to join and if you join now your $10 membership will enter you in a monthly raffle for gift cards, free water bottles, and MORE!
- easy to join! ----------> https://riverplacepta.membershiptoolkit.com
Incentive:
August Paid PTA Membership Sign Ups will be in a raffle with a chance to win a HEB, Target, Oz. Tap House gift cards, or Titan Shirts or water bottles. Our 10 lucky winners will be announced the first week of September!
Introducing Our Assistant Principal, Ms Olmstead
Hello, Titan Community!
I am thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce myself to the River Place Elementary School Community as your new assistant principal. My name is Lacy Olmstead, and I am honored to join this amazing community!
I was born and raised in Utah. I earned a bachelor's degree from Southern Utah University in Elementary Education where I double minored in Reading and Early Childhood. I was also very fortunate to play softball for my university for four years. While I was attending college and in my early years of teaching, I also was a firefighter for the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) for 8 years. I earned my Masters in Educational Leadership from Western Governors University and since have earned an endorsement in teacher leadership, ESL, and reading as well.
This will be my 20th year working in education. I taught elementary school for 16 years, I was the Instructional coach and reading interventionist for one year, and the past two years I have been an assistant principal in middle school.
My husband, Jared, and I have five children who are actively involved in various extracurricular activities. We love cheering them on during their sporting events, attending performances, and supporting them in pursuing their passions. In my spare time, I love to exercise, paddleboard at the lake, and read captivating books.
I am genuinely excited to be part of the River Place Elementary Community and look forward to getting to know everyone. This is going to be a remarkable year!
Thank you for the warm welcome!
Introducing Our School Counselor, Ms. Zepeda
Hello, Titan Community!
My name is Shannon Zepeda and I am so excited to start my new adventure in Leander ISD as your school counselor!
I grew up in a small town in East Texas before attending Texas A&M University where I met and later married my husband of almost 30 years, Ray. I started my career in Corpus Christi where I finished my Education Degree and received a Masters in General Counseling. We have since lived in Houston with our 3 boys for the past 26 years where I have worked for 22 years as a school counselor in Galena Park ISD and most recently Cypress Fairbanks ISD. During my time as a school counselor, I have had many roles and responsibilities, but this journey has shown me that my passion is being a resource for and building relationships with students, staff and community.
Some of my favorite things to do when I am not wearing my counselor hat are reading, exercising and spending time with family. My husband and I, as well as 2 of my sons have all attended Texas A&M University with my youngest starting this Fall. We enjoy attending sporting events, participating in outdoor activities and trying new restaurants. I look forward to exploring the city and experiencing the nature, food and culture that Austin and its surrounding areas has to offer.
Thank you so much for welcoming me into your Titan Community!
Introducing Our Registrar, Ms. Eisenberg
Born, raised, and educated in Texas, Cheryl’s first job was being a nanny to a family in Austin while she put herself through school. Her original goal was to become a teacher, but two years into working with small children every day, she realized that was a career path better suited for someone way more fun and with far more patience than she possessed. She decided to move to the business side of things and spent her career working in business operations and human resources, taking a break the last several years to raise her three children. She is excited to be able to combine her original desire to work in education and her experience in business admin to be the Registrar at River Place Elementary. Since having her own children and especially a husband, Cheryl’s patience has grown immensely, and she is confident even the students at RPE will find she is a good fit for the role. In her spare time Cheryl enjoys gardening, listening to live music and giving her loving husband a hard time.
Introducing Nurse Emma
Hello, Titan Family!
My name is Emma Hoff, and I am honored to have the opportunity to introduce myself to the River Place Elementary School community as your new school nurse!
A little background about me- I am originally from St. Paul, Minnesota. I graduated from college with my Bachelor's of Science in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, earning certificates in both Health and the Humanities and Leadership. Throughout college, I completed my clinical rotations in mostly pediatric settings (School Nursing, Pediatric Burn Center, NICU, etc). I spent the last year working at St. David's North Austin Medical Center in the Postpartum unit.
In my free time, I love to be outside with my 2 dogs, go on hikes with my fiance, and read as many books as time allows. We are huge foodies and are constantly searching for the best restaurants Austin has to offer- your suggestions will be much appreciated!
I am so grateful to be a part of this awesome community and I am thrilled to meet you all very soon!
River Place Elementary Titan Community
Here are our Titan Community Communication Tools-
- River Place Elementary School Website
- Twitter Account
- PTA Facebook Page
- Remind App for River Place Insiders
Email: ContactTeacher@leanderisd.org
Website: https://riverplace.leanderisd.org/
Location: 6500 Sitio Del Rio Blvd, Austin, TX 78730, USA
Phone: 512-570-6911
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiverPlaceElementaryPTA/
Twitter: @RiverPlaceTitan
