August 2019 MESSAGE FROM DR. CARBOY Welcome Back! Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year! To all of our new families, we extend a warm welcome as you become part of the school family at Royersford. To our returning families, we say, "Welcome back!" We thank you for your support and involvement in the past as we look forward to another great year!
Included in this edition of the Back-to-School Newsletter is an abundance of information. Please review it as soon as you are able. I want to especially call your attention to the STOP AND THINK! information and the Spring-Ford Code of Behavior that are attached. Please read this information carefully. It describes student expectations and the way in which we will handle student behavior. Being aware of this information will be very helpful in discussing these issues with your child. We sincerely want all our children to succeed in school. How can you help, as parents? The answer is parental involvement. Countless research studies show that when parents get involved in schools, those schools improve; their children are more motivated and better behaved in the classroom; diverse needs are met more effectively; and scores on achievement tests are significantly higher. BACK-TO-SCHOOL UPDATES Skyward Update The Skyward system involves access for parents and students to attendance, assignments, grades, and food service information. Be sure to update all information in Skyward so that you can continue to access and receive information for your child.
It is extremely important that you make any changes to your information as it occurs. We rely on the information in Skyward provided by you in case of any emergency.
You can access Skyward on the Internet at our website: spring-ford.net
Simply click on "For Parents" then "Skyward" then "Family Access Login." Please contact the school office at (610) 705-6005 should you need assistance with your Login and/or password. First Day Verification Whether this is your first year as a Spring-Ford parent, or your last, the transition to a new school year can be a bit overwhelming. To help with this process, the Spring-Ford Area School District will once again utilize online First Day Verification for the 2019-2020 school year. This means parents no longer have to complete the very lengthy First Day Packet for every child in their family!
If you do not already have a Skyward password, please contact our office.
Staff Update: New to RES! Please join us in welcoming new faces to our RES Family:
Don't Miss the Bus: Bus Status App Wondering if your child's bus is running late? Download the new Bus Status App for iOS and Android to receive bus notifications straight to your phone!
The Bus Status app displays up to date bus information for schools and school districts. The app sends out push notifications for cancelled, delayed, or early buses, keeping parents and students updated throughout the day. Select your bus route as a favorite to receive notifications for special announcements and late bus information.
Q: Does Bus Status App track my child's bus?
Q: Does Bus Status App keep private information like my address or name? A: No, Bus Status App does not hold any private information. It does not hold names, street addresses or bus routes. The app simply pushes notifications based on the information you've requested.
Q: When will I see my child's bus? A: Bus schedules will be uploaded to Bus Status App after August 21, 2019.
Click here to watch a helpful video tutorial, and download your app today! Food Service Update: SFASD Breakfast The Spring-Ford Area School District is proud to announce a district-wide change for the 2019-2020 school year. The Spring-Ford Food Service menu will now include an option to purchase breakfast before school!
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but too many students miss their morning meal. Schools that offer a breakfast program are able to provide more kids with the food they need to learn and grow. Through the new breakfast program, students will have the opportunity to preorder breakfast which they will enjoy before the start of the school day.
As with Spring-Ford's lunch program, breakfast will be available at a free or reduced price for eligible students. Click here to learn more about the Free and Reduced Lunch Program.
The new breakfast program will launch district-wide in October. Additional information including a breakfast menu, ordering process, and prices will be sent to families mid-September. IMPORTANT DATES + TIMES Thursday, August 22, 2019: Classroom Visits K-4 Students and families are invited to Royersford Elementary to visit their classroom, meet peers, and meet their teacher from 2:30-3:15. MORNING KINDERGARTEN: 2:30-2:50 p.m. AFTERNOON KINDERGARTEN: 2:55-3:15 p.m.
Thursday, August 22, 2019: Kindergarten Open House AM Session: 6:00-6:45 p.m. PM Session: 7:00-7:45 p.m. This evening is for PARENTS ONLY, hosted by Mrs. McCormick and Mrs. Novia. Please report to your child's classroom. The sessions are identical.
Thursday, September 5, 2019 Open House Grades 1 – 4 Identical Sessions Session 1: 6:30-7:15 p.m. Session 2: 7:30-8:15 p.m. Please report to your child's classroom.
Monday, August 26, 2019 First Student Day – Welcome! On the First Student Day, Non-bussed students in Grades K-4 will report to the cafeteria where teachers will post signs and direct students to their homerooms.
Staff members will be on site to escort the children and ensure all students arrive and dismiss safely. ARRIVAL AND DISMISSALS Arrival and Dismissal Students should arrive to school between 8:35 AM and 8:55 AM and enter through the front main entrance for non-bussed students. Your cooperation in making certain that your child arrives promptly is extremely important. Students must be in their homeroom and seated by 9 AM so that they will not be considered late. If your child is late, please be sure to escort them into school so that you can sign them in and provide a reason for their tardiness. Students are dismissed at 3:40 PM.
On the First Student Day, Non-Bussed students will report to the cafeteria where teachers will post signs and direct students to their homeroom. Bussed students report directly to their classroom.
KINDERGARTEN: All Kindergarten students beginning on the first student day will enter and dismiss from the front main entrance doors unless they ride the bus. Please be sure to have proper ID to sign out your child.
Arrival and Dismissal of Students PARENT DROP OFF: AM student arrival
Parents are NOT permitted to park in traffic circle – please pull all the way around the circle for drop off, to enable maximum amount of cars in circle and continuous flow of traffic.
Please note: Doors will remain open and supervised from 8:35 AM to 8:55 AM. If your child is not in homeroom and seated by 9:00 AM, the child must be accompanied into school by a parent and will be considered tardy.
Students may not be on school property prior to 8:35 AM, including the playground without parental supervision, as there is no staff on duty.
PARENT PICK-UP: PM student dismissal
Please note: Parents picking up their child at dismissal must enter the exterior cafeteria door off of the Fifth Avenue staff parking lot. The Fifth Avenue staff parking lot will not be accessible for use, as this lot is for staff only.
WALKERS: Arrival and Dismissal
BUS: Arrival and Dismissal
TO AND FROM SCHOOL: WALKERS AND BUSES Walkers + Crossing Guards If your child walks to school unescorted by a parent or another adult, please be certain to emphasize that they practice safety when crossing streets and walkways. Walkers will be dismissed through our Front Main Entrance. Students will only be escorted to 4th Street at the end of our school driveway or to the top steps on the 5th street side of our school.
Due to the fact that many of our students walk to and from school, adult crossing guards, employed by the Borough of Royersford, are posted at key intersections within the borough. Work with your child to establish the safest and most direct route to and from school. Also, please encourage your child to listen to and respect the crossing guards.
Fourth grade student safety patrol members are assigned to our buses, in order to provide another set of eyes and ears for the driver.
Spring Street Traffic Circle The circle around the flagpole on Spring Street at the front of the building is intended for use by parents in cars who are dropping off or picking up students.
In the morning at arrival time there is absolutely no parking in the area of the traffic circle. When you arrive in the circle, please pull around as far as you can go in order to leave room for cars entering behind you. When your child has exited your vehicle, please exit the traffic circle immediately in order to keep the flow of traffic moving. You may NOT park or leave your vehicle for any reason in the morning
Bicycles Only students in fourth grade are permitted to ride bicycles to school. However, permission must be obtained from the building principal. Helmets, as required by law, must be worn by all students who ride bicycles to and from school. A bicycle lock is also a must.
It is best for students to walk their bikes on school property at both arrival and dismissal times, as there are many walkers during these times. Students who fail to follow proper bike-riding procedures will have their riding privileges revoked.
Bus Stops It is recommended that students be at their bus stops five to ten minutes prior to their assigned time on the first few days of school. Please remember that school bus safety begins at the bus stop. It is recommended that an adult accompany students to the bus stop if at all possible.FOR PARENTS Royersford Contact Information The school's main phone number is 610-705-6005. Please save this number in your contact list. This number provides "one stop shopping" for contacting the school as well as the Absentee Phone Line. In addition, by calling this number you are able to access the voice mail for all school staff. When you phone the school, your call will be answered by the automated system. Listen for options and instructions. If you need the main office, simply press "0". The school's fax number is 610-705-6250. You can access school information on the Internet at our website, spring-ford.net. Simply click on "Our Schools" then "Royersford Elementary" on the drop-down menu. Please continue to stay informed by visiting our webpage frequently. We will post a monthly Roy-EL Report in the Electronic School Bag located on the Royersford Elementary website.
Volunteer Policy All volunteers and visitors must be scanned into our Raptor Security System and need to have their license accessible during your visit to school. The new District's Volunteer Clearance Requirements have gone into effect July 1, 2015. Please review these requirements located on the district's webpage including the difference between a limited volunteer and a substantial volunteer. All information required of volunteers can be found on our district website spring-ford.net. We welcome your involvement and look forward to seeing you at school.
Health Services The school district provides us a nurse at R.E.S. which is Mrs. Rachael Schauder. Mrs. Schauder will carry out state-mandated health services. This includes vision and hearing screenings, height and weight measurements, and emergency first aid. Frequently, parents send sick children or children, who have expressed a physical complaint at home, to the school nurse. Please be aware that the services that we are equipped to provide only address emergencies or students who become ill while at school. If your child is sick, or if you suspect that your child may be sick, please do not send him/her to school. Instead have your child attended to by a doctor or other health care professional. School Wide Theme Our year-long theme for 2019-20 is RES Land; How Sweet it is!This theme will be evident in many activities and events throughout the school year. Stay tuned for our new logo to match our new theme for the 2019-20 school year created by one of our students.
End of Day Dismissal Forms Be sure to complete the END OF DAY DISMISSAL FORM so that we can ensure your child is dismissed from school accordingly (form can be downloaded from our school webpage).Please do not document your child as a walker if they are truly not a walker. If you are picking your child up from school in a car they are to be documented as a parent pick-up and signed out by a parent at the cafeteria door. We encourage all families to utilize bus transportation if busing is provided in your area.
Student Absences and Adult-Sponsored Trips If it becomes necessary for you to take your child out of school before dismissal time, you must report to the office and sign your child out using the building's log. No child may be taken from the school premises without following this procedure, and you may be asked to show identification. Please schedule non-emergency doctor, dentist, and other appointments after school hours. Whenever a child is absent, an excuse card or parent note is required. Please provide the reason for absence as well as the date or dates your child was absent from school before signing the excuse card or note. If an excuse card is not received within three days of a student's absence from school, the absence will become "unlawful". Current district policy provides for limited absences related to a family trip or vacation. The request form for this type of absence must be completed at least five days prior to the start of the trip. Please consult the elementary handbook for additional information regarding adult-sponsored trips. Trips for 3rd and 4th graders will NOT be approved during PSSA state-wide testing. Keep in mind that after 10 total absences including trips, a doctor note will be required in order for the absence to be considered excused. ABSENCE REPORTING In order to effectively address the safety of our students, the Absentee Phone Line is a mandatory district program that operates on a daily basis. Whenever your child is absent, a call must be made to 610-705-6005 to report the absence. Select option "4" when you hear the main greeting. Absences must be reported before 9:00 a.m. By doing so, the school knows that parents are aware of the absence. If your child does not report to school and you have not called the Absence Reporting Voice Mail Box, emergency contact numbers provided by you on Skyward will be used to contact parents. In this way, both the school and parents can be assured that all students have either arrived safely at school, or are absent with parents' knowledge. Calls can be made to the Absence Reporting Voice Mail Box 24 hours a day.
Visits to the School During the Day We do have many opportunities for parents to get involved but we ask that you help us preserve our instructional school day by reducing interruptions. This means ensuring that your child has everything they need before they come to school so that we do not need to disrupt teachers and students during the day. Birthday Celebrations Invitations for parties may not be distributed at school.
Emergency School Closings Please note: If school is delayed for two hours, there will be a revised schedule and doors will open at 10:45 a.m. There is also a modified schedule for Kindergarten in case of a 2 hr. delay: AM kindergarten will operate from 11:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.; and PM kindergarten will operate from 1:55 p.m. - 3:40 p.m. This will enable both sessions of kindergarten to be held on days when there is a two-hour delay. If schools close early there will be no afternoon kindergarten classes. If schools close early due to weather conditions, it may be necessary to dismiss students early without advance warning. Now is the time for parents to make prior arrangements concerning where their children should go if no one is home. This information should be shared with your child. Parents should make certain that their children understand what they are to do in the event of an early dismissal. INCLEMENT WEATHER On days when the weather is inclement, students will usually be admitted to the building at 8:35 AM. Please note: This is the earliest time that students should be on the school grounds.
If snow and ice impact road conditions and the accessibility to the building, please use common sense in delivering and picking up students. It is highly recommended that parents who drive their children to school work out carpooling arrangements to lessen the number of vehicles during peak arrival and dismissal times. ABOUT THE RES SCHOOL DAY Special subjects, (Art, Music, Library, Physical Education and Ram QUEST), operate on a six-day rotational schedule instead of a Monday through Friday schedule. This schedule is in place for all grades. A six-day schedule designates the first day of school as "Day 1." The next day will be "Day 2," and so on, through "Day 6." The rotation will continue for all school days. "Day 1" will always follow "Day 6." Snow days, in-service days, vacation days, etc. will not interrupt the rotation. In this way all classes will receive an equal number of special subject classes. Six Day Cycle
Lunch News Lunch Prices will remain at $2.95 for Elementary Students! Parents can pay electronically by using efunds. Learn more about how to register with eFunds to make online payments to your child's account by visiting spring-ford.net in the Food Services Department.
Instead of paying electronically, parents can also send in checks or cash which is credited to the student's account. Please make checks payable to Spring-Ford Cafeteria. One full lunch (grades 1-4) costs $2.95. You may send in a check for any amount and at any time. Please put lunch checks in an envelope marked with the student ID, student name, and teacher's name. Each lunch includes a minimum of the following: :: Elementary Level: 2 oz protein, 3/4 cup vegetable, 1/2 cup fruit, servings of grain/bread, & 8 oz milk. :: Beverages: Milk is included with all full lunches. Milk choices are: 1% White Milk, Skim White Milk, skim chocolate Milk, & Skim Strawberry Milk. :: Snack Permission: If the parent does NOT want the student to use their POS account for snacks, they need to complete a "lunch only form" obtained from the teacher and return it to school. :: Extra lunch entrees may be purchased for $1.80 at the Elementary Level (grades 1-4) Lunch Menus will be posted on our district website.
Clothing Considerations Shorts are permitted to be worn by students at our school. Our building policy is as follows: When the high temperature forecasted for the day is at least 70 degrees, students may wear shorts. Royersford Elementary is air conditioned. An effort is made to be certain that rooms are not so cool as to be uncomfortable for students in shorts.
For safety reasons, sandals, flip-flops, open-toed footwear, open-backed or clog-type shoes/sneakers may not be worn to school. Clothing that distracts from learning, such as tube tops, tank tops and tops that leave the midriff exposed, as well as clothing with inappropriate slogans or symbols may also not be worn to school. Sneakers or athletic shoes must be worn on our playground. Open-backed or clog-type sneakers are not permitted on the playground.
Field Trips Educational trips are taken by each grade during the course of the school year. Information regarding each trip will be sent home to parents by classroom teachers. Funding for field trips comes from the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO). Additional charges to students may be necessary. If you are experiencing financial difficulty and are unable to pay for your child to attend a field trip, please contact your child's teacher or the principal. It is our desire that all students attend in order to benefit from the field trip experience.
School district guidelines specify the maximum number of chaperones permitted. Unfortunately, this does not permit all parents who wish to serve as a chaperone to serve in this capacity. Keep in mind that field trips are not intended to be family trips, but educational experiences. RES + SPRING-FORD CALENDAR RES CALENDAR SFASD CALENDAR ROYERSFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL |