The Puma Press
Raymond Park Intermediate Academy
September 7, 2018
Dear Parents,
PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
The first 9 weeks grading period will end on Friday - September 28, which means Parent/Teacher Conferences are quickly approaching. Letters will be coming out soon that allow you to choose a convenient time to meet with your child’s teacher on Tuesday - October 2. Please mark your calendar for these important conferences. There will also be no school for students on this day. You will receive a confirmation form indicating your appointment time with the teacher. Raymond Park IA has an expectation and tradition that 100% of students will have a parent/teacher conference. Thank you, and we look forward to discussing your student's progress so far this school year!
SCHOOL IMMUNIZATIONS
If you received a letter from the school nurse regarding the REQUIRED SCHOOL IMMUNIZATIONS for your student, remember to turn all paperwork in by September 17, 2018. If we do not receive paperwork on completed immunizations by this date, those children will not be able to attend school until we have a record of completion. Please contact your doctor or the health department as soon as possible if you need to update your child’s information. For any questions, please call the school nurse at (317) 532 - 8912. All students brought home information about an immunization clinic that will be held at Raymond Park later this week on Thursday, September 13th.
DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP WEEK
This coming week is Digital Citizenship Week in the state of Indiana. At Raymond Park IA, our staff members continue to demonstrate a commitment to developing digital learning experiences that are accessible to all of our students. As part of this work, we continue to focus our attention on building digital citizenship awareness in our learning community. Digital Citizenship Week provides the opportunity to engage all of our stakeholders in conversations and activities to deepen our understanding of this vital topic. Please take some time this week to talk with your student about being a good citizen when it comes to the use of their devices and the Internet. You can check out resources from the Indiana Department of Education here.
LATE START DAY
Our next Late Start Day is this Wednesday - September 12. Raymond Park IA will operate on a one hour delay. The school day will begin at 8:20am instead of 7:20am and the tardy bell will ring at 8:25am. This also affects bus pickup times but does not impact dismissal times. On these days, students who are transported by car will enter Main Entrance Door #1 at 8:05am and by bus at Entrance Door #24 at 8:20am. Students will not be allowed to enter the building before the times stated above. We appreciate your flexibility with these days as we work together with staff to better equip them to meet the needs of your students.
STUDENT ATTENDANCE UPDATE
September is Attendance Awareness Month! Your student’s attendance at school on a daily basis is so important for their academic and social growth! So far this year, we are proud that 256 of our students (150 fifth graders and 106 sixth graders) have PERFECT attendance! Here are some other attendance statistics for you:
Mondays are our best day for attendance - 96.4% for the year!
Fridays are the lowest day for attendance - 95% for the year.
Our overall attendance for the month of August was 95.8%
Our overall attendance for August 2017 was 95.9%
So far for September, our percentage is 95.2% - let’s work on bringing this up!
If we work together, I am confident we can continue to INCREASE our attendance percentages! If we can do anything to support your student being at school on time, every day, please let us know!
Sincerely,
Carey Storm
Principal
ATTENDANCE AWARENESS
This year, our school is recognizing September as Attendance Awareness Month, part of a nationwide movement intended to present the message that every school day counts. Across the country, as many as 7.5 million students miss nearly a month of school every year—absences that correlate with poor performance at every grade level.
But even in these first 30 days of the new school year, some students already are heading toward academic trouble - they’re missing too many days of school. This trend starts as early as kindergarten and continues through high school, contributing to achievement gaps and ultimately to dropout rates.
We can’t afford to think of absenteeism as simply an administrative matter. Good attendance is central to student achievement and our broader efforts to improve our school. All of our investments in curriculum and instruction won’t amount to much if students aren’t showing up to benefit from them.
Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half of the students who miss 2-4 days in August go on to miss nearly a month of school. Poor attendance can also influence whether children read proficiently by the end of third grade or are held back and by 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
When students improve their attendance rates here at Raymond Park IA, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating into a pathway prepared for college, career, and life!
Please reach out to me if needed so I can connect you and your child with the supports needed for a successful school year!
Respectfully,
Stephen Gainey
Dean of Students
Raymond Park IA
(317) 532-8981 / (317) 620-0032
Raymond Park Intermediate Academy
Email: sgainey@warren.k12.in.us
Website: rpia.warren.k12.in.us
Location: 8575 East Raymond Street
Phone: (317) 532-8965
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raymondpark.intermediateacademy
Twitter: @RPIAPumas