Richardson Terrace Elementary
September 12, 2022
CLASSROOM ACADEMY for K - 2 Parents
Calling All Kindergarten to 2nd Grade (K-2) Parents!
Do you have a child in grades K-2? Are you looking for ways to help your child become a super star reader? If this describes you, we are excited to offer our “Parent as Teacher Literacy Model.”
This dynamic K-2 Literacy initiative is designed especially for you and created to help you support your Little Learner in developing and enhancing early literacy skills.
Join us monthly as we demonstrate how your child is learning to read and how you can equip, reinforce, extend, and motivate your Little Learner in building early literacy skills.
The first virtual Classroom Academy demonstration lesson is Tuesday, Sept. 13, from 6-7 p.m.
Classroom Academy demonstration lessons will also have weekly companion activities to use with your Little Learner that you can opt-in to receive, as well as a monthly supplemental video resource and blog that will post on the Parent University website.
If you are ready to activate your Little Learner’s love of reading, register here: https://bit.ly/CLAcademy1
Come take a peek and let’s build those reading muscles together! All K-2 parents are welcome!
2022-2023 Terrace Family Handbook Now Available
Please click on the link below to access the 2022-2023 Terrace Family Handbook.
Student Attendance and Absence Information
Attendance is the number one predictor of dropout and graduation rates
Only 17% of chronically absent students in kindergarten and 1st grade can read on grade level- that’s just 2 days a month!
There is a 25% drop in likelihood of graduating high school in 4 years when students are absent between 5-9 days per semester
As little as 5-9 absences a semester can drop a student’s GPA from a 3.0 to a 2.7
Call the school on the day of an absence (as soon as possible) to report
· Confirm reason in detail; our school is obligated to ensure your student is safe
· If the absence has not been previously cleared by phone or email, the student must submit a written note signed by the parent to the office
· A note or doctor’s note is required within 3 days of the student returning to school
· When a phone call or note is not received, your student will be marked as “unexcused”
Examples of EXCUSED absences
· Illness or injury of the student, which necessitates the absence of the student, including COVID related illness or quarantine
· Medical or dental appointment; please bring note from doctor
· Attendance at the funeral of an immediate family member (1 day for funeral; if traveling to funeral a maximum of 2 days for travel)
· Appearance in court
· Observance of holiday or ceremony of his/her religion - must send a note prior to the religious holiday
Examples of UNEXCUSED absences:
· Vacations extending beyond school breaks
· Over-sleeping
· Traffic delays
· Car not working
· Keeping student home to watch siblings
· Unverified absences
Morning and Afternoon Safety Concerns
Terrace Parents,
Over the last few weeks we have had many safety issues reported to us regarding drop off and pick up. Please follow these simple procedures to ensure that EVERYONE is able to safely arrive and leave the school building.
Students AND Parents MUST use the crosswalk. It is unsafe and illegal to cross the street outside of the designated crosswalks. Parents, please model safe behavior for your children and utilize the crosswalks.
Please DO NOT get out of your car in the carpool lane. This stops the flow of traffic and causes a dangerous situation for students. Please pull into a designated parking spot if you must get out of the car. Cars MAY NOT park in the carpool lane.
Do not park in areas that have NO PARKING signs. This includes the NO PARKING signs in front of our neighbors' houses. The neighbors do not like it when our parents park in front of their homes and block their driveways. We try to be good neighbors and respect the home owners who surround our school and we ask that you do the same.
Do not park in the alley or block the driveways. The alley is not a road and should not be used as a road. It is a working alley that allows buses, delivery trucks, vans, and cars to get to and from our back parking lot. The alley is not to be used as a parking lot or student pick up location.
Please be respectful of, and attentive to, the teachers and students who are helping with drop off and pick up. Follow the rules and directions of those who are helping in the morning and afternoon. We must all work together to ensure that students get into school safely.
Parents may not enter into the school in the morning. Please say good-bye to your child on the front walk. Stopping at the double doors or trying to come into the foyer stops the flow of students entering the building and causes a safety hazard.
Dress your child, sign papers, check backpacks, tie shoes, etc. at home, not in the carpool line or at the front door. Student drop off should be quick and seamless. It is not the time or the place to check back packs, dress children, or sign papers. That must be done at home.
Thank you for your cooperation as we begin this new school year. Every teacher and staff member at Terrace wants to ensure that your child is able to get safely to and from the school building. We need your help and cooperation to make this happen for ALL students.
FREE or REDUCED LUNCH FOR STUDENTS
Parents must apply for their child/children to receive free or reduced lunch. Last year EVERYONE received free school meals, but this year families must apply to receive free or reduced lunch. The application must be completed as soon as possible to ensure that there is no interruption to their meal service. Please click on the picture or link below to get to the lunch application.
Parent Night is Tuesday, September 13th at 6:00
Parents are invited to Terrace Elementary on Tuesday, September 13th at 6:00 PM for a PTA Meeting in the cafeteria followed by brief presentations by the classroom teachers. This event is for parents and not for children. Please leave your children at home, if at all possible. The content of the presentations by the teachers is geared toward adults and is not for the students. We will have translation services available in Arabic, Urdu, Amharic, and Spanish.
Schedule for the Evening:
6:00 PTA Meeting, Budget Vote, and Title 1 Presentation
6:30 - Classroom Rotation 1 - visit the classroom of your 1st child
7:00 - Classroom Rotation 2 - visit the classroom of your 2nd child
Parents with more than two children will need to split up to visit more than two classrooms.
Terrace PTA Proposed Budget '22-'23
Terrace PTA Proposed Budget '22-'23
EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS ENTERING THE BUILDING
Please note that due to heightened security measures parents ARE NOT be allowed to walk their children into the building. Students will say good-bye to their parents before entering the building. There is staff on hand to help all students find their way to the correct classroom. Parents, please do not enter the building with your children. We must keep the front entrance and foyer clear and free of congestion. Parents are kindly asked to say goodbye on the sidewalk and allow the students to walk up to the building on their own so the front porch is kept free of congestion.
Richardson ISD Student Cellphone Guidelines
To promote the best possible learning and social environment in Richardson ISD, students will not use their cellphones during the school day, unless provided permission from an authorized district employee during the instructional day. The intent of the cellphone policy is to establish a cellphone-free environment and avoid cellphones distracting from learning as well as causing a loss of instructional time.
Statement of Expectations
Campus administrators will state expectations clearly and reinforce the importance of maintaining a cellphone-free environment at the beginning of the year. Administrators will monitor cellphone violations to inform the need for reinforcement and support. Also, any headphone usage will occur based on the approval and expectations set by individual classroom teachers. RISD’s continued focus will be on the mitigation of educational distractions precipitated by the use of cellphones during instructional time.
Consequences
If a student uses their phone during the school instructional day without the explicit permission of an authorized district employee, it will result in the confiscation of the cellphone and adherence to the following graduated offenses stated below. Authorized district employees who will be responsible for cellphone confiscation will include: administrators and teachers.
1st Offense
Phone will be kept in the assistant principal’s office for the day, parent is contacted.
Student or parent can retrieve cellphone at the end of the day.
Offense noted on Focus with cellphone violation action code chosen.
2nd Offense
Phone will be kept in the assistant principal’s office for the day, parent is contacted.
Student or parent can retrieve cellphone at the end of the day.
Offense noted on Focus with cell phone violation action code chosen.
3rd Offense
Phone will be kept in the assistant principal’s office for the day, parent is contacted.
Warning to student and parent about additional consequences that will happen for non-compliance of cellphone-free environment.
Offense noted on Focus with cell phone violation action code chosen.
Student assigned school detention.
4th Offense
Phone will be kept in the assistant principal’s office for the day.
In-person meeting scheduled with parent.
Offense noted on Focus with cellphone violation action code chosen.
Student assigned lunch detention.
5th Offense
Phone will be kept in the assistant principal’s office for the day, parent is contacted.
Offense noted on Focus with cellphone violation action code chosen.
3 days of ISS assigned.
6th Offense and beyond
Violations of the cellphone policy beyond the fifth offense may result in the assignment of out-of-school suspension
AT TERRACE ELEMENTARY, If cell phones become a pervasive problem in a grade level, the teachers will collect cell phones from students at the beginning of the day and keep them in locked storage until the end of the school day when they will be returned to the student.
RISD Guidelines for Elementary Student Dress
Clothes must be worn in a way that private areas are all fully covered. Undergarments, except straps and waistbands, should not be visible. All items listed in the “must wear” and “may wear” categories below must meet this basic principle.
Student must wear (while following the basic principle above):
An opaque top with a sleeve or strap and must cover the stomach, back, and chest area
An opaque bottom, such as pants, jeans or the equivalent of a skirt, sweatpants, joggers, leggings, dress, or shorts
Closed-toe shoes
Students may wear, as long as these items do not violate basic principle above:
Fitted pants, including leggings, yoga pants, and skinny jeans
Ripped jeans as long as underwear and private body parts are not exposed
Athletic shorts and athletic skirts
Religious headwear
Students cannot wear:
Images, language or symbols that depict tobacco products, drugs, drug paraphernalia, alcohol, violence, hate speech, profanity, pornography, gang symbols, or other illegal activities
Images or language that creates a hostile or intimidating environment based on a
protected class or group.
Accessories that could be considered dangerous or could be used as a weapon
VOLUNTEERING AT TERRACE
If you would like to volunteer at Terrace Elementary, you must complete a volunteer background check EVERY new school year. Volunteering could include helping with behavior bashes, attending field trips with your children, working in the library, helping at Field Day, Turkey Trot, or many other activities. We will not allow anyone who has not completed and passed the volunteer background check to volunteer. Please click on the link below to complete the background check. You MUST also watch the very short powerpoint at the end to complete the entire background check. Failure to watch the powerpoint will make your application incomplete and you will not be able to volunteer.
Lunch Visitors will begin the week of October 17th
We will not allow visitors during lunch until after the first 9 weeks of school. This allows our students time to practice our lunchroom expectations, make friends, and practice important social skills.
When lunch visitors begin on October 17, 2022 please adhere to the following procedures to ensure parents enjoy lunch visits with students:
- Arrive 5-10 minutes prior to your child’s lunchtime. It will take some time to get through sign-in at the office, and we want to ensure students are not late getting back to class after lunch.
- To accommodate for limited spacing and to avoid overcrowding, it is expected that the following schedule be adhered to:
- Student with last names A-L: Monday and Wednesday
- Student with last names M-Z: Tuesday and Thursday
- Friday: No Lunch Visitors
- Lunch visitors may only eat lunch with their own students. No friends will be permitted to eat with lunch visitors.
- Parents are responsible for watching their children and any younger siblings. Please be mindful of the people working in the office and keep voice levels down while on the porch.
- For capacity reasons, we ask that each student has lunch visitors no more than one time per week.
- The school requests that each visitor comply with a no cell phone policy while eating lunch with your student to ensure student privacy as well as quality time with your child. Taking pictures and/or video of students other than the lunch visitor’s own child is not permitted.
- Please help your child to follow our Tiger Pride and our cafeteria expectations that we reinforce throughout the building by ensuring that all trash is thrown away and tables are left clean for the next group.
- After lunch, children will go back to class with their teacher. Lunch visitors must sign out in the office and the students will return to class.
- Students will only be allowed to go to lunch during their lunch time. We will not take students out of class to attend lunch with siblings or at a time other than their own lunch period.
Please Label Student Belongings
Parents,
Please be sure to label all belongings that your children bring to school including coats, sweaters, water bottles, backpacks, lunchboxes, sweatshirts, etc. We have several items in our lost and found that have do not have names on them so they cannot be returned.
Spirit Night and Kickball!
We are getting ready for our annual kickball game happening in less than a month (October 6th)! To get everyone excited and raise a few extra dollars, we are having a Spirit Night at Tongue In Cheek Ice Cream exactly one week before the big game on September 29th. The proceeds will go to benefit RTE PTA when you mention us any time during their business hours that day. We'd love for you to stop by and get some yummy ice cream! Additionally, we want to hype up Mean Green vs. Orange Crush, so we'll be selling kickball cards inside the store from 3-7pm. If you're able to join us at any point during that time in your team colors, it would add some fun spirit to this event. Please feel free to share this information in your classroom newsletters/messaging. GO GREEN! GO ORANGE! YAY KICKBALL!
Important Information Regarding School Hours and Absences
- Doors open for breakfast at 7:20.
- Doors open for students who do not eat breakfast at 7:35. Students who do not eat breakfast will wait outside until 7:35.
- Breakfast ends at 7:40.
- All students should be in their classrooms and ready for learning by 7:45.
- Tardy bell rings at 7:50.
- Students that arrive at 8:06 or after are considered absent for a part of the day.
- Attendance is taken at 9:00 each day.
- Automated calls regarding student absence go out at 11:00 each day.
- Dismissal is staggered and begins at 2:55 and ends at 3:10. Please look for more information from your child's teacher regarding specific dismissal information.
Parents MUST send an excuse note for an absence within 3 days of the student returning to school. Please be aware that all absences are not excused even when a note is sent. Vacation is not considered an excuse for an absence. Family emergency is not considered an excuse for an absence. You will receive an automated call regarding your child's absence even if you call the school to alert us that your child is absent. Additionally, the letters that are sent out regarding absences are automated through a 3rd party. Many of these letters are sent as warnings when a child is tardy, late, or absent a certain number of times. Please use this letter a reminder of the importance of proper attendance and ensure that your child is at school on time every day possible.
All families are asked to join the Terrace PTA. The cost is $10 per person. The Terrace PTA helps to provide programs and events for our students and teachers such as our annual Terrace Kickball Game, field trip buses, Donuts with Grown Ups, teacher appreciation events, behavior bashes, STAAR snacks, field day, Turkey Trot, choir and musical performances, and so much more. Our goal is to reach over 500 PTA members this year. Please help us reach our goal by joining today!
Library Opt-Out Program
RISD Library Services offers an updated Select Title Opt-Out option to provide RISD parents with an opportunity to identify specific titles to opt out of library checkout for their child. RISD recognizes that families and students are unique, and different parents may have varying expectations regarding their students’ reading lives and choices.
If you signed up your student(s) for the Opt-Out program in the past, you will need to submit a new form for each child for the 22-23 school year. Parents who would like to opt their student(s) out from access to specific titles can do so by contacting their school Library Information Technology Educator (LITE) or visiting https://s.risd.org/RISDoptout for more information or to sign up.
Terrace Elementary Library Online Catalog: https://libraries.risd.org:8450/?config=112#section=home
Resources:
Elementary Form: https://s.risd.org/elemlibraryoptout
Secondary Form: https://s.risd.org/seclibraryoptout
Elementary Gender Identity Books: https://s.risd.org/elemoptoutbooks
LIT Website: https://s.risd.org/RISDoptout
Library Online Catalog Links for parent communication
Questions? - Contact:
Alejandra Isais
Library and Information Technology Director
469.593.0737
SEL Instruction Opt-Out Program
RISD now offers an SEL Instruction Opt-Out Program
Resources for SEL Instruction:
If you do not wish for your student to receive explicit SEL content from Harmony SEL, Second Step or Rhithm, please complete the SEL Instruction Opt Out found on the RISD SEL Webpage https://web.risd.org/sel/ If you signed up your student(s) for the Opt-Out program in the past, you will need to submit a new form for each child for the 22-23 school year.
Questions? - Contact:
Suzanne Tsatsoulas
Prevention Programming Director
469-593-0800
PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL
THIS EMAIL IS SENT FROM AN UNMONITORED EMAIL ADDRESS. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL AS THE EMAIL WILL NOT BE DELIVERED.
Want to Sign Up for This Newsletter?
Got this newsletter as a forward and want to sign up to receive future editions? Please click here to subscribe. Please note that parents of currently enrolled RISD students and current RISD employees are automatically sent newsletters from RISD and their school. It’s not necessary to subscribe. Parents or staff who wish to receive news from other RISD schools may subscribe using the link above.
This newsletter was sent through RISD’s Blackboard system, and current parents should be aware that unsubscribing from Blackboard messages at the link at the bottom of this message may prevent parents from receiving future messages from their child’s school.