Read Otter 'Bout It!

We appreciate all of you that took the time to provide valuable feedback on our Quarter 1 Parent Survey! We received 140 responses. The majority of the responses were very positive; however, we were able to identify some areas of growth.

Our survey questions covered 4 categories. Below are the categories and the percentage of "Agree" and "Strongly Agree" selections in each category.

1. Learning Environment = 97%
2. Home School Relations = 91%
3. Social and Physical Environment = 97%
4. Parent Communication = 85%

Based on the comments provided, we wanted to provide additional information on the following topics:

• Ways to Volunteer Outside of the School Day
• Our wonderful PTO has great suggestions of how to volunteer outside of the school day! Please email them at rtespto@gmail.com for more information.
• If you would like more information on volunteering during school day, please reach out to your child's teacher or our receptionist, Mrs. Mabry.

• How to Check Student Progress
• In grades 2-5, teachers put grades in PowerSchool. You can log in at any time to check your child's progress. Check out this powerpoint for directions on everything you need to know about Parent Portal.
• Parent Portal also has an App that can be downloaded to your phone.
• Did you also know that you can set up the notifications to email you when new grades are posted?

• Ways We Address Bullying at School
• Ms. Darcy and Ms. O'Neill have started a guidance corner section in our weekly newsletter. They will share the lessons, terminology, and definitions that we teach students so that together we can all speak the same language.

We hope that you will find this information informative and valuable. Our goal is to gain your feedback each quarter and work together to make River Trail "Otterly" Amazing!

FitLit Kids is excited to be bringing our after school programs, Reading Giraffe (literacy) and Playball (sports and creative movement), to River Trail Elementary! FitLit Kids was founded by Derick Wilder, a children’s book author and educator who has worked with children for 20 years. The details of our spring sessions can be found below, and students can sign up for either program or for both.

Reading Giraffe—where books run wild! By making stories interactive, fun, and ACTIVE adventures, our goal is to create lifelong readers. The curriculum utilizes “The Whole Book Approach” from The Eric Carle Museum to immerse children in picture books, turning tales into exciting adventures in learning.

The foundation of each class is a collaborative reading session, where we read with, not to, students, prompting them to ask questions about themes, plots, and characters. This approach helps lead to literacy acquisition by encouraging students to dive into the books while spurring analytical thinking. We consider all aspects of good storytelling, and examine the details of the artwork that makes picture books a magical blend of text and illustration. Classes include spelling activities, vocabulary building, creative projects, and high-energy games that get the kids moving, all drawn from our weekly themes.

Program Reading Giraffe

Day Wednesdays

Time 2:15pm - 3:15pm

Duration 10 classes, from February 15 – April 26

Cost $120

Grades K – 5

Register HERE

Playball is an international child development organization that has been working with children around the world for over 35 years. With a mission to instill life skills and build self-esteem through our sports and creative movement programs, our holistic approach incorporates physical, social, emotional, and cognitive elements into each class.

Each session features a NEW series of games and sporty activities, and our low-pressure approach helps ensure boys and girls of ALL athletic abilities can join in the fun. We integrate the fundamental skills for seven sports—football, basketball, baseball, kickball, soccer, tennis, and volleyball—into our curriculum, providing a wider variety of gross and fine motor skill development than single-sport options. Our creative approach gives students’ bodies and imaginations a workout as they chase monsters, catch crickets, and protect castles…all on a mission to run, jump, throw, shoot, pass, and kick their way to a healthy, active lifestyle.

Program Playball

Day Fridays

Time 2:15pm - 3:15pm

Duration 8 classes, from February 24 – May 12 (no classes on early release or teacher work days)

Cost $96

Grades K – 3

Register HERE

2022 – 2023 Yearbooks and 5th Grade Dedications are now available for purchase.

Visit this link to find out more!

If there are any questions, contact Kristen Sims (simsk@fortmillschools.org)

Kindergarten: Students are learning about self-control and practicing how this is helpful in school and at home. We will also discuss expected and unexpected behaviors and strategies for when the unexpected happens.

First Grade: Students are learning about healthy habits, including the importance of exercise, eating healthy, and keeping our bodies clean! We will then learn about self-control through reading Clark the Shark and practicing some self-control strategies in class.

Second Grade: Students are learning about empathy and compassion by reading Stand in My Shoes and looking at pictures to find clues about emotions. Students will learn how this relates to each of us being unique through the book, Red: A Crayon's Story.

Third Grade: Students are learning about the important practice of hygiene and healthy habits. Students will end the month with a lesson on Empathy through reading Stand in My Shoes by Bob Somson then working in small groups to practice using empathy in different scenarios.

Fourth Grade: Students are learning about considering the perspective of others, even when it is challenging, and how this can make a difference in our school and community

Fifth Grade: Students are learning about the important practice of hygiene and healthy habits. Students will end the month with a lesson on Empathy and some practice of using empathy towards others in different situations.

RTES is a Zero Tolerance Bullying school. In addition to our Bullying Prevention Efforts during the month of October (National Bullying Prevention Month), such as Kindness Week and classroom lessons on “Rude, Mean, and Bullying”, we want to continue to remind students and parents of our school language and how to address Bullying behaviors IMMEDIATELY when recognized. Please see our poster that is on display in all of our classrooms as a reminder:

Our students are taught to attempt to “handle the small problems” like Rude and Mean by asking the person to stop by using an “I-Message” i.e., “I feel upset when you leave me out, please remember that I’d like to be included next time.” or “I feel sad when you call me that, please call me by my real name.” If the mean behavior continues, then we need to address it as a true bullying situation. Students have been strongly encouraged to REPORT any repeating, unkind behavior to the nearest trusted adult as soon as possible to enable our staff to address it appropriately and timely.

With fall and winter gatherings ahead along with the colder temperatures, flu and other respiratory contagious illnesses are on the rise.

Together we can do our part to help stop the spread of flu and other viruses by practicing everyday preventative actions:

• Stay home if you are sick
• Avoid close contact with sick people
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
• Cover your coughs and sneezes
• Wash your hands often with soap and water

For those impacted by allergies and/or asthma, it is important to maintain consistency in your preventative maintenance medications. Doing so can help prevent symptoms that could mirror infectious illnesses, which could lead to more absences and missed instructional time.

I am so proud of each of our students and staff for doing their part in keeping our school healthy. Let’s continue to encourage each other to practice healthy habits! Getting plenty of rest, eating healthy foods, drinking plenty of water, and regularly exercising are vital to your overall health.

As a reminder, student’s must be fever-free for 24 hours WITHOUT the use of fever-reducing medications such as ibuprofen or Tylenol before returning to school.

Please notify the school nurse if your child is diagnosed with flu or has flu-like symptoms. Outbreaks must be monitored and reported by the school nurse to the health department.

This time of year, many families find themselves using parent notes for illnesses when a doctor’s visit is not required. Please keep in mind that each student has 5 of these per year in elementary and middle school. After those are used, you may wish to obtain medical excuses for any further absences for illness.

Please read the attendance guidelines found here for more information: https://www.fortmillschools.org/cms/lib/SC50010862/Centricity/Domain/61/District%20Attendance%20Guidelines%20031518.pdf

Every morning, administration sends an email to our staff with a note of how they helped to live out our mission statement of helping our students THRIVE and IMPACT the WORLD.

We need your help! If you have a teacher or staff member that you would like to recognize, please send Mrs. Steger an email with a few sentences about why.

Thank you for helping our teachers see the difference that they make!!!

The FMSD Student Nutrition Department has asked that snacks be sold in the cafeteria line each day. Students will be limited to one snack food item and one snack drink item. The form to opt-out of purchasing snacks is linked below.

We are excited to open our school doors to visitors and volunteers. We are so grateful for your active involvement in our school! Opportunities where we may have visitors include school programs, parent-teacher conferences, book fairs and other special events.

All volunteers will be required to have a background check prior to volunteering in the school. Visitors and volunteers must enter by the front door and stop by the office with their drivers license.

Due to increased security protocols and limited seating, parents and guardians may join their child during their lunch period up to four times per year per child. Visitors coming for lunch should limit the number of adults to two per visit.

• Our front office will keep a record of parent visits for lunch.
• For safety reasons, parents visiting for lunch will only be allowed to visit the cafeteria.
• We ask that families work together on lunch passes. Due to the size of our school and the cafeteria capacity, we will not be able to make any exceptions to the four visit limit.
• Staff and Administration will not mediate between split families in regards to using passes. We are unable to limit specific visitors if they are on the approved contact/pickup list.
• At least one of the visitors each visit must be on the approved contact list (pickup list). If you would like to add someone to that list, please send an email to Nicole Gaunt at gauntn@fortmillschools.org the name of your child and the person(s) you would like to add.
• All visitors will be required to show a form of identification to visit lunch/visit our school.
• Students will not be allowed to have a friend sit with them when a parent is visiting for lunch.

Parents are encouraged to have a consistent mode of transportation for their child to eliminate confusion and the potential for a child going home the incorrect way. However, we realize that there are times when a transportation change needs to be made. We prefer all changes in writing via email.

In the event you need to change your child's transportation, please send an email to the child’s teacher and to our receptionist, Mrs. Mabry, at mabryr@fortmillschools.org. All changes must be made by 1:30pm. Students will be sent home their usual way if no communication has been received from the parents.

Save the date! Our Spring Book Fair is coming February 27th through March 3rd. More information coming soon!

We need your help to make this a successful event. We are looking for volunteers to help with book fair. Please note you MUST have completed a background check in order to volunteer. If you have any questions, please email us at rtespto@gmail.com.

Spring Book Fair Sign-Up Genius

The Sign Up for this school year’s Spirit Rock is live! Please click the link to reserve! Please read all the instructions and rules. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d45aba72fa5fac70-rtes3

Harris Teeter’s Together in Education program gives schools a chance to earn funds when you link your VIC Card and shop at Harris Teeter Brands.

Harris Teeter has donated over $32.4 million to Together in Educations schools since 1998! When you shop Harris Teeter brands, a percentage of your purchase is donated to the school that your VIC card is linked to.

Go to https://tie.harristeeter.com/together-in-education and link your school.

School code: 7012

School name: River Trail Elementary School PTO

Publix Partners helps you support your favorite school every time you shop. Publix donates a portion of your eligible purchases to the school of your choice.

Visit https://corporate.publix.com/community/corporate-campaigns/publix-partners/supporters and follow the steps to add RTES to your Club Publix account!

The Fort Mill School District does not carry accident insurance for students. You can elect to purchase one of the voluntary accident insurance policies as seen below.

For up-to-date communication, we encourage all families to follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

Twitter: @RiverTrailElem

Instagram: @rivertrailelementary

Email: stegers@fortmillschools.org
Website: https://rtes.fortmillschools.org/
Location: 1016 Fort Mill Parkway, Fort Mill, SC, USA
Phone: 803-835-7555
Twitter: @RiverTrailElem