White Rock Elementary
February 5, 2024
Good Afternoon WRE Families,
This week is National School Counselor Week! Please join me in honoring and showing appreciation for WRE's three counselors - Cotton Mendenhall, Tracy Pierce, and Nova Sallie. These three work tirelessly to provide great support for all of the students, families, and staff at WRE. They do so much behind the scenes to take care of everyone here and we are so thankful for them.
If you would like to send a note of appreciation to a WRE counselor, here is their info -
Cotton Mendenhall - cotton.mendenhall@risd.org - 4th (Tucker, Osborne, Cerkleski), 5th, and 6th
Tracy Pierce - tracy.pierce@risd.org - 2nd and 3rd
Nova Sallie - nova.sallie@risd.org - Kindergarten, 1st, and 4th (Sparling, Roby, Hardin)
*All three counselors work with PreK*
We hope you had a wonderful weekend!
Love,
Principal Stevens
Lockdown Drill - Wednesday, February 7
On Wednesday, all RISD campuses will participate in I Know What to Do Day as part of our district's safety and security protocols. The Standard Response Protocol that we will review and practice on Wednesday is lockdown.
As a reminder, we follow the Standard Response Protocols for our safety routines and drills. Students learned each of the five SRP drills during Safety Week in August and these are reviewed throughout the year during our four I Know What to Do Days (and as needed).
We know that sometimes safety drills can feel pretty scary for children. At WRE, our goal is to make our students feel safe during these drills while following our exact protocols. Our teachers do a great job making the drill as comfortable as possible for their students and drills are announced ahead of time so that students and staff are not surprised by them.
Kids' Heart Challenge Has Begun!
Join the Kids Heart Challenge at White Rock Elementary School! Our goal is to rally all families to join our team, learn Hands-Only CPR, build awareness, and raise $50,000 for the American Heart Association.
Ready to kick off? Sign up, make a lifesaving donation, and start Finn’s Mission by downloading the free app for iPhone or Android, or registering online.
We're raising $50,000 during Kids Heart Challenge (Feb. 2 - Mar. 8) to help kids with special hearts!
- Students who raise $250 will participate in our COLOR RUN!
- Families raising $500 will earn their very own KHC yard sign!
- Our top fundraising class will have LUNCH WITH OUR COACHES!
- Anyone who completes Finn's Mission will autograph our poster and will be entered into our school drawings to earn one of three Buster keychains or their chance to "Own the Gym" (PE coach for a day who picks the activity and PE playlist) as well as a national drawing for two (2) tickets to the 2025 Super Bowl!
- If 50% of our students register online our school will receive a $500 bonus for fitness and well-being equipment.
The heart of the matter:
One family saved a life with Hands-Only CPR that they learned from Finn’s Mission. Hands-Only CPR, provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest, can double or triple a victim's chance of survival.
We hope you will join WRE on this mission to help raise money and awareness for the American Heart Association!
WRE Kindness Week - February 12-16
Kindness Week is coming up from February 12-16 and WRE will be doing our school-wide service project again this year.
Help us spread kindness to others in our community! Our counselors are coordinating a school-wide donation drive where we will be collecting items for a non-profit right here in our community - Feed Lake Highlands. Collection boxes for food items will be located in the hallway at the main entrance to the school between the music rooms.
During Kindness Week, students will learn about the true meaning of kindness and the importance of serving others and giving back to the community. They will also be able to stop by the Be the i in Kind banner in the cafeteria for a photo op, recognize National Random Acts of Kindness Day, and 4th-6th graders have the opportunity to participate in the kindness art project (info below).
Thanks to the WRE counselors for planning a meaningful week for the Seahawks!
February Dyslexia Newsletter
Here is the WRE Dyslexia Department's February Newsletter. Thank you to our fabulous teachers - Toyia Crisp, Robyn Dunham, Stacey English, Laura Pepito, and Annie Urbanus - for creating this newsletter for our families and staff each month!
February at WRE
5-9 - National School Counselor Week
6 - Talent Show Rehearsal
6 - Kindergarten 100th Day Stations
7 - I Know What to Do Day - Lockdown Drill
9 - Talent Show (5:30 - 1st, 3rd, 5th; 7:00 - 2nd, 4th, 6th) at LHHS
12-16 - Kindness Week
14 - Class Valentines Parties (room reps only)
15 - Early Release - 1:10 PM
15 - School Resource Officer Day
15 - PTA General Meeting - 6:00 in WRE Cafeteria
19 - No School! Staff Development Day
22 - Spring Pictures and Class Photo Day
22 - Kinder Round Up/New Student Info Night - 6:00 PM
28 - Enrollment for 2024-2025 opens
29 - WRE Multicultural Night (info to come)
2024-25 Enrollment Begins February 27
Enrollment for the 2024-25 school year opens online Tuesday, February 27 at 8:00 a.m. Whether you’re new to RISD or returning for another year of school, parents can take advantage of convenient online enrollment using a PowerSchool registration account. Enrollment for returning students will require a “snapcode” that will be emailed to current parents on February 26.
Starting February 27, enrollment for next school year will open for all current or future students in Pre-K through grade 12. Please click here for more information about the enrollment process and what documents are necessary to complete enrollment.
Contact your current (2023-24) RISD school for questions or assistance with enrollment, including help submitting necessary documents.
Inclement Weather Preparation
As it gets colder and the potential for inclement weather increases, please ensure your contact information on file with RISD is up to date.
In the event of inclement weather that may require classes be delayed or canceled, parents and employees will be notified directly by telephone, email, and text message before 6:00 a.m.
In addition, parents can check the RISD homepage, the district Facebook page, or the district X (Twitter) feed. The district also notifies local media outlets of closures or delays.
Parents, employees, and students should assume a normal school day unless a telephone message is received or the RISD website or media outlets indicate closure or delay. RISD does not send direct notifications stating that school is open and operating on a normal schedule.
Volunteering at WRE
Volunteering at WRE
If you would like to volunteer at White Rock Elementary, you must complete a volunteer background check for EVERY new school year. We have many opportunities to volunteer at WRE throughout the year, including attending field trips, working in the library, helping at Field Day, PTA events, and 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 full length of the very short powerpoint at the end to complete the entire background check. If you do not watch the powerpoint, your application will be marked incomplete and you will not be able to volunteer at WRE.
FOCUS Parent Accounts
FOCUS Accounts for Parents
Parents of RISD students are encouraged to sign up for a FOCUS account. You can also add a new RISD student to an existing account by visiting www.risd.org/focus.
FOCUS is a great way for parents to keep track of how their child is doing in school! In FOCUS, parents have access to -
Current grades
Attendance and absences
Report cards
Assessment results
Online absence note submission
Clinic visits
And more!
Focus Parent Portal is accessible through any web browser, the Focus App, or the RISD Mobile Parent App.
Have a question? Please email FocusParent@g.risd.org or call 469-593-0811.
Free and Reduced Meal Applications
Richardson ISD is implementing a new school cafeteria payment system for 2023-2024 called SchoolCafe. RISD will no longer be using the PayPams service.
Existing balances in PayPams will automatically be moved when parents create a SchoolCafe account. Please click here for more information about SchoolCafe.
To receive free or reduced-price meal benefits for the 2023-2024 school year, families can complete a meal benefit application via this SchoolCafe link.
Parents at all RISD campuses must sign up their family if they wish to receive school meal benefits.
Parents with questions or in need of assistance may visit the RISD Child Nutrition website or contact RISD Child Nutrition at 469-593-0109 or 469-593-0102.
RISD 2022-2023 Academic Calendar
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