Davis Richmond E-news

On February 29, District 303 elementary students will have a half day of school as the afternoon will be dedicated to parent-teacher conferences. These conferences are limited to a specific number of spaces, which is different than what we had during the fall conferences where we met with all parents.

Your child's teacher will send a letter soon letting you know whether or not he or she recommends a conference for your student. Parents will also have the opportunity to request a conference if they wish.

On February 29 the dismissal time will be at 11:30 a.m. We will not have lunch service that day. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Valentine’s parties at Davis/Richmond will be Wednesday, February 14, 2024.

Please do not send any candy or food to school with Valentines

1:40 p.m. Room parents arrive and begin party preparation

2:00 p.m. Parties commence

2:45 p.m. Clean up begins

Room Parent Guidelines:

• Room parents for holiday parties are coordinated by the Lead Room Parent and the Teacher.

• Please contact your child's Lead Room Parent to volunteer, if you have not already.

• Room Parents must complete the D303 volunteer form for this school year 2023-2024. If you have never had your ID/drivers license scanned at the school, it is very helpful to have that done prior to the party. Stop by the office at your convenience.

Lead Room Parents:

• Communicate with the classroom teacher & other room parents on activities/games for the party

• Coordinate with the teacher & other room parents on any non-edible goody bags to be sent home. No food treats will be eaten during the party or sent home.

Questions?

• Richmond: Contact Darlene Buffano at darlene.buffano@d303.org or call at (331) 228-2800

• Davis: Contact Linda Jezek at linda.jezek@d303.org or call at (331) 228-2200

1. All permission slips have been sent home for you to complete if interested in participating in this wonderful opportunity on Feb 6th, (Davis) or Feb 7th, (Richmond). More permission slips are available if needed.
2. Please make sure that all areas are completed for payment and you sign and date bottom of page before returning the forms.
3. There are three payment options available to you: a reduced cash rate of $70, Medicaid/All Kids and your private insurance.
4. If you are still deciding, have questions or prefer to pay by credit card, you can always speak to Smile Illinois directly by calling 855-481-8639.
5. If you would rather complete the permission slip online you may do so at mobiledentists.com.

Parents, if you could spare an hour or 2 to assist the Mobile Dentist and Nurse at Davis (Feb 6) or Richmond (Feb 7) please email the Nurse:

• Davis - Peggy Faught peggy.faught@d303.org
• Richmond - Jennifer Schweizer jennifer.schweizer@d303.org

THANK YOU!!

Winter is here and the cold windy days are too!

1. Chapstick or Vaseline applied before going outside is a great way to protect lips from getting chapped and bleeding. This can become very uncomfortable for the students.
2. Areas around the nose and mouth from blowing their noses can become red and sore. Vaseline at bedtime or before going outside to soothe the area will help. Lotion should be unscented as the perfumes may cause stinging. I use Curel here in the health office and it works well for the students
3. Chapped skin on hands can be helped with liberal applications of lotion or Vaseline.
4. Our skin changes with the seasons. Wintertime it becomes very dry and itchy. Liberal applications of lotion will be helpful to prevent dry cracked skin and also prevent infection
5. For those who have Eczema (extreme dry areas behind knees, in antecubital areas and on the face), Aquaphor or Vaseline is what is recommended.
6. Several kids have come into the office with nose bleeds. Saline gels put in each nostril are great ways to keep the tissue soft and pliable. Vaseline in the nasal cavity is not recommended as it is not water soluble.

Please make sure that your children are dressed appropriately for the weather. Always send hats, scarfs, gloves, snow pants and boots. Children will be going outside for recess on the days that are above zero.

We hope you find this helpful. Please feel free to call with questions or concerns.

Nurse Peggy (Davis) and Nurse Jenny (Richmond)

Dear Parents,

There have been many requests for children to stay in for recess due to the cold weather. If there is a medical note from the physician, we honor that request. We also have allowed children returning from an illness to stay in for the first day or so when they return if requested.

We encourage all children to go outside because of some of the many benefits (listed below) of receiving fresh air.

• Provides clarity and improves concentration – the more oxygen you breathe in, the more your brain receives which helps our students learn better

• Assists in digesting your food more effectively

• Improves blood pressure and heart rates

• Strengthens your immune system

• Provides energy

• Fights depression by increasing the amount of serotonin (the happy hormone)

• Encourages socialization

• When the sun is shining you have the benefit of absorbing Vitamin D which is important for your bones and teeth

• Cleans your lungs

• The intake of fresh air allows our students to feel better overall

I am hoping that now that you understand some of the reasoning behind our decision, moving forward, we will see less requests and more encouragement to have our children go outside. Please make sure to send appropriate outerwear to help in keeping your child warm. I would also ask that all requests go through the health office.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep our students healthy!

Nurse Peggy

1. Come join our next Trivia Night planning meeting Wed, 1/31 6:30 at Pollyanna.
2. Get your teams together and mark your calendars for our Davis-Richmond Adult Only Trivia Night, Monday, Feb. 26th at Pollyanna! Sign up information will be coming soon!
   
3. Any raffle donations are welcome! Please contact the PTO through email, davisrichmondpto1@gmail.com
   

Email DavisRichmondPTO1@gmail.com to help design and format our yearbook. No experience necessary!

Davis Richmond is in need of any coats you would like to donate. Please consider donating any gently used coats of all sizes to either building. Adult coat sizes are also gratefully accepted.

Our Davis Richmond community has a few families with needs that cannot be met with donated items. For these families, we are asking for Amazon gift cards. You may drop off cards in an envelope addressed to the Social Worker, or email them with an e-gift card. Any gift card donation to either school is greatly appreciated!

• Davis: Mrs. Atlee Smith, atlee.smith@d303.org
• Richmond: Mrs. Carolyn Garrity, carolyn.garrity@d303.org

• Make sure you like the Davis Richmond PTO on Facebook today!
• Check out our new Website DavisRichmondPTO.com for the latest PTO news.

Kindergarteners learn through play!

We are grateful for all of the men who have volunteered on Fridays to spend lunch and recess with our students by being "Watch DOGS." However, there are many Fridays open during Feb, March and April that have no one signed up to volunteer. Please read over this information and sign up for WatchDOGS!! Men who have already volunteered this fall, are now welcome to sign up for a 2nd date HERE. THANK YOU!!

Email: linda.jezek@d303.org
Website: dav-ric.d303.org
Location: 1125 S 7th St, St. Charles, IL, 60174
Phone: 331-228-2200
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DavRic.D303
Twitter: @StCharlesD303

Richmond students will be participating in the Cougars Reading Club incentive program for eight weeks beginning February 5 through April 5. A letter with the details and a reading log will be sent home before the program starts.

Please have your child read 20 minutes every day at home and record their reading on the log sheet. Parents can sign the log sheet to show students have met their goal every two weeks. Your child can turn in their log sheet to their teacher every two weeks on February 16, February 29, March 15, and April 5. The following two weeks, April 8-18 will be available for making up any missed reading minutes.

The children that reach their reading goal all eight weeks will earn a reward voucher that can be redeemed for one free ticket to a Cougars game, a hot dog, and a drink. Richmond families will have a designated section on Friday, May 17 at 6:30 PM and Sunday, May 26 at 6:30 PM. The reward vouchers can be used to order tickets directly through the Cougars.

You can send questions to our reading specialist, Tracie Landells, at tracie.landells@d303.org.

As we embark on the season of planning for the 2024-2025 school year, an identification process is underway for accelerated placement for next year’s 4th, 5th and 6th graders. Here is some helpful information:

• All 3rd grade students are automatically considered for potential placement in Academically Talented (AT) Math and AT ELA programming. You do not need to request it. However, you can reach out to ask questions about the process anytime using the contact information below.
  
  

• 5th grade students are also automatically considered for potential placement in an additional Accelerated Math Pathway that starts in middle school. This pathway provides for the completion of Algebra before entering high school by allowing students to complete more than one grade level of math in 6th grade and 7th grade.
  
  

• 5th grade students who are currently in our AT programming may be identified for potential placement in the Infinity Gifted Program at the middle school level. These students may take part in additional testing in February. Parents will be informed in advance if additional testing is requested.
  
  

• Families of students who are identified for placement in our AT Math, AT ELA, Infinity Gifted or Accelerated Math programming will be informed by March 1.

Yvette Stahl, Gifted Coordinator

yvette.stahl@d303.org | 331.228.6166

Website: https://dav-ric.d303.org/
Location: 300 S 12th St, St. Charles, IL, 60174
Phone: 331-228-2800
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DavRic.D303
Twitter: @StCharlesD303

Friday, February 16, 7:00 PM - General Admission: $20 adults / $10 students and seniors

Join us in the Norris Theatre for a thrilling evening of music performed by one of America’s premier collegiate bands – the University of Wisconsin Varsity Badger Band!

Tickets are general admission with open seating. Doors will open approximately 45 minutes before the concert. Please note: the concert is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.

For online ticketing, visit https://norris-cultural-arts.ticketleap.com/university-of-wisconsin-varsity-band-in-concert/