Ray-Pec Cares “Adopt a Family for the Holidays” Program

The holiday season can be a difficult time for some families who are facing tough financial situations and can be an opportunity for others to give back to their community and help those in need. If you are a family who needs help with presents and would like to be adopted OR a family, business, or organization that would like to adopt a family please follow the steps below.

Families Requesting Assistance: DEADLINE NOVEMBER 6TH!!!!!!

Important Information:

• All information you submit on the form will be given to the family, business, or organization that adopts you. This is not an anonymous match. The family, business, or organization will then contact you to arrange the pickup or drop off of gifts. They may also contact you with additional questions about the needs and wants provided on the form.

• Families will be matched in the order the requests are received

• We can’t guarantee your family will be adopted - this is dependent on the amount willing to help

• You will receive an email before Thanksgiving informing you if your family was adopted.

• If your family was adopted through this Ray-Pec Cares program, please refrain from asking for help from additional community organizations as other families will need that support. We do check with various community organizations to help with this process.

• List a variety of needs and wants on the form for each child, including gender and sizes. *We are asking families to spend about $50-75 per child they adopt, please keep requests reasonable and within this range.

If you are requesting assistance, fill out this form:

https://forms.gle/8nYKzWUBi43nTU238

Families/Businesses or Organizations Interested in Adopting a Family

If you are planning on adopting a family during this holiday, please consider adopting a family through Ray-Pec Cares, knowing you are helping a family right here in our school district.

Important Information:

• Due to volunteer manpower limitations, the matching process will not be anonymous, unless you designate your desire to have someone else deliver your gifts for you.

• You will be emailed your family’s information before Thanksgiving. Feel free to contact the family directly if you have any additional questions regarding the needs and wants provided.

• Please plan on spending a minimum of $50-75 per child - this will help guide you in deciding what size family you are willing to adopt.

• Additional info: It is up to you if you want to help the parents too. Often families will add a gift card to clothing or grocery stores. It often works best if you don’t wrap the presents, but instead include wrapping paper, tape, and gift tags you can give to the parents. This way the parents are able to see what the presents are, wrap the presents themselves, and write the child’s name on the outside of the present to make it more personal.

If you or someone you know is interested in adopting a family, please go to the following link and fill out the form no later than Sunday, November 6th: https://forms.gle/b46u9M7qESkKCc5K6

*Feel free to pass this form on to anyone in the community interested in helping, they do not have to have students in school.

We thank you for your help with this wonderful program.

All of us at Ray-Pec Cares wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season!

RP Volunteer Application process

If you need any assistance, please call or email the secretaries in the office and they would be happy to help.

We continue to make school safety a top priority at Timber Creek Whether there is a medical emergency in the building, a weather emergency is imminent, or an intruder is suspected, we want to ensure students and staff know what to do and where to go in an emergency situation.

Throughout the year, students and staff will participate in various emergency and lockdown drills. We discuss with students what to expect during each type of drill. We also encourage families to converse with their children about what to do in an emergency or safety situation.

Absence Definitions Explained

• VERIFIED ABSENCES: An absence from school resulting from illness or unforeseen circumstances which is verified by a parent/guardian. A VERIFIED absence is NOT an EXCUSED absence. (Verified absences count against student's attendance)

• EXCUSED ABSENCES: An absence is categorized as excused when a note is received by the school excusing the absence. EXAMPLE: official doctor’s note, court document, etc. (Excused absences do not count against a student’s attendance)

• UNEXCUSED ABSENCES: An absence from school without verification within 48 hours of the absence. (Unexcused absences count against a student’s attendance.)

After ten verified/unexcused absences or tardies/early outs, the office will contact the parents to schedule a conference regarding the issue. In accordance with Missouri’s Compulsory School Attendance Law (RSMO 167.031), regular school attendance is required. This law states, “Every parent, guardian or other person in this state having care, control or custody of a child between the ages of five and seventeen years shall cause the child to attend regularly.” Should the pattern of excessive absences continue, Raymore-Peculiar School District reserves the right to refer the matter to the Juvenile Officer of Cass County for further investigation.

You can also follow all PTA updates on the Facebook group “Raymore Timber Creek Elementary PTA”.

Dismissal Changes: Please call in dismissal changes by 2:30.

Neighborhood traffic: Our neighborhood patrons have done a fantastic job keeping parking to one side of the road to relieve congestion. As a reminder, when you are waiting in line to pick up your student at the end of the day-please do not block driveways. We appreciate you being mindful of this so that our community can enter and exit their houses/driveways safely.

Sign up here: https://www.ezchildtrack.com/parent7/ParentLogin.aspx?c=pantherpride

Panther Pride

• Doors will open this year at 8:20 am for students to begin arriving.
• School starts at 8:35 am

• Car rider lane starts at 3:20 pm to relieve congestion in the neighborhood. Students will still not be dismissed until 3:50.
• Walkers will dismiss AFTER car riders this year.