White Rock Elementary
Principal Update 1/14/18
Walk To School Safety Tips
I want to bring your attention to basic safety practices while walking to school. After returning from the break, we have had two RISD students struck by passing vehicles. We are very fortunate that those students are recovering. With that being said, I have included some tips on Walking to and from School Safely. We hope you will discuss this with your child.
Safety Tips
Walking to school is a fun, easy way to add exercise to the day, but it’s important to stay safe on your way there.
Safety tips to follow on a walk to school include:
- Parents should plan a safe route
- Don’t take shortcuts
- Young children should walk with an adult
- Older students should walk with a friend
- Don’t push, shove, or chase each other when near the street
- Don’t take rides from people if it wasn’t arranged by a parent
- Wear bright-colored clothes
- Watch for cars at every driveway and intersection
Crossing the street
With cars turning the corner to drivers not paying close attention, it can be hard for children to cross the street. The best rules to follow:
- Stop at the curb or edge of the street.
- Look left, right, left, behind you, and in front of you for traffic, and don’t cross until the coast is clear.
- Keep looking for traffic until you are done crossing.
Siblings Attending School Related Events - Update
After reviewing the policy, I thought it would be an idea to form a committee to get additional feedback an make modifications to the policy as needed. The committee will meet in the upcoming week. Communication will be sent out if the policy changes.
"I Know What to Do" Day
What Should Parents/Guardians Do During an Emergency?
As you know, RISD's number-one priority during an emergency is keeping our students safe. For this reason, we ask our families to assist us in the following three ways:
● Stay Home
● Stay Informed
● Be Ready
Stay Home
We know the natural instinct as a parent or guardian during an emergency is to go to school to protect your child. By doing so, you may endanger yourself and your child. The most important contribution you can make is to stay home and await further instructions.
Stay Informed
RISD is committed to providing timely information. Please realize, in some situations it will take time to ensure reports are factual and accurate. We appreciate your patience and understanding during these instances.
During an emergency, RISD will provide information via the appropriate communication avenues, including:
● District Website
● Voice, Text & Email Messages
● RISD Mobile App
● Social Media – including Twitter
● Local News Media
We ask that you keep all of your contact information up-to-date with the district. This will allow communications to flow uninterrupted.
Be Ready
Depending on the nature of the emergency, specific actions may be required of parents. For instance, during a reunification event, you may need to come to the school to pick up your child. Please follow the directions sent by RISD or your child’s school.
Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019, 07:30 AM
9229 Chiswell Road, Dallas, TX, USA
Clubs and Enrichment Opportunities
WRE will be offering several options for before and after-school clubs and enrichment opportunities for students! You can find additional information about offerings at https://schools.risd.org/domain/1629
Please feel free to reach out to the club sponsor for additional questions.
Technology Night - Rescheduled
No School - MLK Holiday
Monday, Jan 21, 2019, 07:30 AM
9229 Chiswell Road, Dallas, TX, USA
Donuts with Dad
Doors will open at 6:55 am.
Friday, Jan 25, 2019, 07:00 AM
9229 Chiswell Road, Dallas, TX, USA
Early Release Day
Students will be dismissed at 1:00 pm
Wednesday, Jan 30, 2019, 07:30 AM
9229 Chiswell Road, Dallas, TX, USA
Live Wise Live Healthy
The Live Wise Live Healthy focus area for January and February is Healthy Relationships. Relationship care is an essential part of all of our daily lives. RISD values the importance of healthy relationships and the positive outcomes it produces. January and February will concentrate on helping students, staff, and community understand the value of healthy relationships and even more importantly, the importance of taking care of their health and those they love.
Our students will be involved in elementary guidance lessons that will focus on areas such as personal space, boundary setting, and friendship skills. These lessons were reviewed at the Elementary Counselor meeting on January 10th. There are also outside agencies such as Hope’s Door who are working with some of our secondary campuses as well as a “Hurting Not Flirting” video and pre/post assessment available for interested Junior Highs. Also, KINDNESS WEEK is scheduled for February 19th - 22nd!
As far as staff training goes, the counseling department is currently working on scheduling a Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center training for Elementary and Junior High Counselors and Administrators. This training will focus on signs of child abuse, reporting requirements, and best practices.
Community events include lunch and evening one-hour sessions for parents who are interested in learning more about PBIS. Sessions will consist of information on PBIS basics, RISD implementation, and how PBIS can be applied to the home setting. Also, community presentations from the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center will be held at JJ Pearce High School (February 7th) and Carolyn Bukhair Elementary (February 27th). These sessions are entitled: Healthy Relationships and Consent. “ Talking to teens about healthy relationships, the laws, consent, and other topics can be difficult for parents. This training gives parents the tools to navigate both these life stages--and these conversations.” Flyers for both events are on the liveWiseliveHealthy website!
2019-2020 Kindergarten & New to WRE Information Night ~ Save the Date
More information coming.
Wednesday, Feb 27, 2019, 06:00 PM
9229 Chiswell Road, Dallas, TX, USA
Inclement Weather Procedures
Please send your child to school with a jacket so that they may go outside at recess time, PE time and Walk & Talk. The following information is part of the guidelines we follow during cold weather situations. Our key degree factor for cold weather is 36* Fahrenheit.
COLD WEATHER
During times of excessively cold weather, the following precautions will be taken for all outdoor physical activity including, but not limited to: recess, physical education classes, walk and talk, and/or outdoor field trips.
Teachers and coaching staffs should be aware of the wind chill factor and take appropriate precautions during cold weather.
If a student does not have adequate warm clothing to participate in the outdoor activity, such clothing should be provided or the student excused from the activity.
Students should not have recess or Physical Education classes outside when temperature or wind chill factor drops below 36 degrees.
On days when the temperature is unseasonably cold, outside recess should be restricted to no more than 15 minutes.
Guidelines for determining cold weather conditions:
Temperature and humidity data may be obtained from
http://www.weather.com. Details specific to the school should be accessed as follows: Enter school zip code; select “hour-by-hour” tab (it is suggested that the site be bookmarked at this point for easy daily access); the lowest estimated temperature and the “feels like temperature” (wind chill) during school hours should be used.
The National Weather Bureau will provide local forecast and advisories.
Call - 817-429-2631, and then dial 511.
Weather Notification in RISD
Safety of our students and staff is a priority if severe weather is predicted or occurs during the school day. Several RISD departments (transportation, facilities, grounds) stand ready to assess the condition of the roads, and school facilities should ice and/or snow makes travel to or from RISD schools hazardous. Based on their assessment of the road conditions and consultation with surrounding districts, RISD's Superintendent will determine if schools in Richardson ISD will be delayed or closed for the safety of students and staff.
In the event of inclement weather that may require classes be delayed or canceled, parents and employees will be notified by telephone message before 6:30 a.m.
Also, patrons can call the district's inclement weather line at 469-593-SNOW, check the RISD homepage at risd.org, the district Facebook page at facebook.com/richardsonisd or the district Twitter feed at twitter.com/richardsonisd. The district also notifies local media outlets of closures or delays.
Parents, employees, and students should assume a regular school day unless a telephone message is received or the RISD website or SNOW line indicates closure or delay.
2019 HUMANITIES TEXAS OUTSTANDING TEACHING AWARDS
Do you know an outstanding teacher in your school or community? Nominate a deserving Texas educator for a 2019 Humanities Texas Outstanding Teaching Award!
Humanities Texas presents annual awards to recognize and encourage excellence in teaching in Texas schools. In 2019, Humanities Texas will present a total of fifteen awards to exceptional K-12 Texas humanities teachers in three different categories:
· Twelve humanities teachers will be selected to receive the Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award.
· Two humanities teachers will be selected for the Award for Outstanding Early-Career Teaching, which recognizes exemplary contributions of humanities teachers in Texas elementary, middle, and high schools who have completed three or fewer years of teaching.
· One Texas history teacher will be selected to receive the Linden Heck Howell Outstanding Teaching of Texas History Award.
Humanities Texas will select one of the fifteen recipients who demonstrate exceptional leadership in the educational field to receive the Julius Glickman Educational Leadership Award. The award honors Humanities Texas board member Julius Glickman for his extraordinary leadership of our organization and many others.
All award winners will receive a $5,000 prize, with an additional $500 for their schools to purchase humanities-based instructional materials.
HOW TO NOMINATE A TEACHER
To nominate a teacher for a 2019 Humanities Texas Outstanding Teaching Award, please complete the online nomination form by Friday, December 7, 2018. Both the nomination form and instructions can be found on the Humanities Texas website: http://www.humanitiestexas.org/education/teacher-awards/nomination.
Following your nomination, Humanities Texas will contact each nominated teacher with instructions on how to apply for the award.
Applications will be due Friday, February 8, 2019, and winners will be announced in May of 2019.
QUESTIONS?
Contact Humanities Texas at ota@humanitiestexas.org or 512.440.1991.
Photo Identification ~ Entrance To Our Campus
All visitors must follow RISD's, and WRE's, building entry procedures and must sign in at the front office upon arrival and provide proper identification to receive authorization to enter the school. If you do not provide adequate identification, you will not be allowed to enter the building.
Your child's safety is our number one priority! We want to thank you for adhering to our guidelines and rules and helping keep our school safe.
2018 Parent Volunteer Registration - Voly
If you or a family member would like to volunteer, you will have to complete an online background check. Please note, it takes two weeks to process.
All volunteers must submit a form annually, even if you are a returning volunteer and had one the prior year.
Each year volunteers are required to re-register to serve at RISD schools. This year, RISD is implementing a new volunteer management system, Voly, which will allow campuses, parents, and volunteers to connect much more easily. Voly also conducts and expedites a thorough background check on all prospective school volunteers.
Here is the link: https://risd.voly.org/
Volunteer Policy
There are many opportunities for volunteering at White Rock. Your help is needed and valued. Here are some policy guidelines to help you as you get acquainted with school procedures. If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please bring them to the teacher or staff person with whom you are working.
Dress Code: Please remember to be modest and to always present a good example to the students and others in appearance, conduct, and conversation.
Children: Please do not bring younger siblings to school with you when you volunteer. This will allow you to focus on your volunteer duties and give special attention to the area you are volunteering. Also, for liability reasons, the school simply cannot permit the younger siblings to be here.
Sign In: Please sign in and out in the office and wear a printed volunteer ID badge each time you come to volunteer. Remember to return your badge when you sign out. If you have valuables, please lock them in your car, or if necessary, ask about keeping them in the office while you are here.
Work Areas: Please do all projects in areas as requested/suggested by the teacher/ staff member.
Confidentiality: Please remember to keep all personal information about students, families, and faculty that you that may learn while doing volunteer duties should be kept confidential.
School Rules: Please be familiar with the guidelines for conduct in the White Rock Elementary Student and Parent Handbook, so you know what is expected of students. You may remind them of these rules when needed. If a student does not respond promptly and appropriately, please report the situation to his/her teacher.
Absences: As a courtesy to others, please call the school before 8:00 am if you cannot come in as scheduled. We will notify the teacher or staff person who was expecting you. If signed up through SignUpGenius.com, please cancel so someone else can sign up.
Training: Certain volunteers are required to attend a training session. This session will explain the responsibilities of the specific position.
Become a Volunteer
To volunteer at White Rock Elementary, we ask that you take care of a few important things first:
Complete a Volunteer Application and Background Check Form (Please note, it takes two weeks to process.) Volunteer services cannot begin until after the background check has been verified.
Read and comply with our volunteer policy and dress code.
Sign in at the office and get your name tag (must be worn at all times while on campus)
Sign out in the office when you are done volunteering
All volunteers must submit a form annually, even if you are a returning volunteer and had one the prior year.
CLASSLINK
RISD has adopted ClassLink, a single sign-on platform that allows students to use one username and password to access everything they need, including the library resources. These free resources can also be used at home.
Here is how to get started:
Log in to the Google RISD student account at https://accounts.google.com/ The username and password are listed below. RISD Google and Classlink accounts use the same username and password.
Go to the ClassLink login page at https://launchpad.classlink.com/risd/ Again enter the username and password listed below.
Enter risd in the Code field. Select “G Sign in with Google.”
**You can load the ClassLink app to your devices at home by downloading the Richardson ISD ClassLink app at the App Store.
ClassLink is a safe, secure way for students to connect with applications and files. By selecting the Library Resources application on ClassLink, your student has free access to Pebble Go, TumbleBooks, Destiny Discover (eBooks), World Book and much more! The software does not collect or share any personal student information.
You can learn more about ClassLink at www.classlink.com. If you have questions, you can email me at susan.mcginnis@risd.org.
Susan McGinnis
WRE Librarian
FOCUS
Get up-to-date information on your child's grades. If you don't have a Focus account, we encourage you to sign up. Please visit the RISD website site to sign up for a Focus account.
http://www.risd.org/Group/Parents/Focus/focusforparents.html
Do we have your current email and phone number?
If it has changed over the summer, please call the front office, 469-593-2700, or come by the WRE Office.
Quote of the week
Dates to Remember
January 8-February 1 - No Primary or Intermediate Gifted & Talented Services
January 16 - "I Know What to Do" Day
January 17 - PTA Meeting @ 6:30 in Cafeteria
January 21 - Student Holiday/ No School - MLK Day
January 24 - LHAECPTA Tour
January 25 - Donuts with Dad
January 30 - Early Release Day @ 1 pm
February 1 - "Go Red" Day ~ Students wear red to school
February 4 - Primary and Intermediate Gifted & Talented Services Resume
February 5 - Group & Club Picture Day
February 13 - PTA Meeting & Multicultural Night 6:00-7:30 pm
How to get connected
We desire to keep you informed of all that is taking place at school. Up-to-date and additional information will be sent to you through the weekly “Red Folder” and will appear on our school web page. Please save these websites to your favorite bar, like our page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. By doing this, you will be up to date on all the latest and greatest things happening around WRE!
Campus Schoolwires page: https://schools.risd.org/WhiteRockES
PTA website: http://www.wrepta.org
Dad's Club website: http://wredadsclub.com
Facebook: Search for - Sammy Seahawk (https://www.facebook.com/sammy.seahawk.35)
Twitter: You can follow us - @WreHappenings
White Rock Elementary
“If you have a child’s heart, you have his head.”™ - Flip Flippen
Email: lee.walker@risd.org
Website: http://www.edline.net/pages/White_Rock_Elementary
Location: 9229 Chiswell Road, Dallas, TX, United States
Phone: 4695932700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sammy.seahawk.35
Twitter: @WreHappenings