RICHLAND REFLECTIONS
Week of 3/1/21 at Richland Elementary School
Dear Richland Families,
Welcome to March and Read Across America week! We are planning lots of activities this week and this spring. Be sure to see this week's spirit days below. Quakertown's Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) is offering parent training sessions on topics such as Seesaw and Google Meet. Check out more information below.
Richland is proud of February's Leaders of the Month who model the 7 habits in their classroom and in our school. See their pictures below! Get to know three more staff members and how they live the 7 Habits with their families in this week's Staff Habit Spotlight.
We encourage everyone to attend our virtual PTO meeting this Thursday at 7:00 PM and welcome the sharing of ideas. We hope to see you there!
Have a wonderful first week of March!
Nicole Zuerblis
Richland Principal
READ ACROSS AMERICA WEEK IS HERE!
BRING YOUR FAVORITE BOOK AND WEAR YOUR FAVORITE COLOR ON MONDAY
CELEBRATING THE 100TH DAY OF SCHOOL!
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FEBRUARY LEADERS OF THE MONTH!
MRS. GOLDBERG, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER
The Goldbergs partake in Habit 2, Begin with the End in Mind. On Sundays, we talk about our activities for the week and we plan out our dinners ahead of time. My children have shown an interest in cooking so we started to share the responsibilities of planning and cooking one night during the week. We are also showing Habit 6, Synergize. Sometimes they get help from mom and dad and sometimes they cook by themselves. The most important part of beginning with the end in mind is knowing what we have to do all week and which night is best for each of us to help out in the kitchen. After we decide who will cook which night, we talk about what we want to eat, make a grocery list, and then shop for our supplies. Since I work far from my home, I need to make sure we have a plan. Otherwise, we run out of time at night and don't make healthy choices. Having a plan and thinking about the end result has been effective for my family. The Goldbergs synergize and begin with the end in mind while planning for the week.
MRS. TITUS, AIDE
Habit 3, Put First Things First
The Titus household is a very busy one. Mr. Titus has a very demanding work schedule and my twin boys, Lucas and Logan, and I all have school. On top of that, we have multiple extracurricular activities for the boys, and I am taking college classes at night, not to mention doctor and dentist appointments, school meetings, etc. So, putting first things first is a top priority in our home. We have a family calendar that is shared on all our electronic devices with all the activities we have scheduled for the day, week, and month. It’s available on Mr. Titus's and my iPhones as well as the boys' iPads. Anytime anything important comes up I say, “Put it in the calendar!” I say it so much that my family teases me about it. Whenever anything is added on any device it shows up on all our devices. Each day we work towards getting the most important things done first. This helps us prioritize the things we need to do.
Prioritizing the most important tasks first allows us the freedom to truly relax and enjoy ourselves during family time without worry that something was forgotten. It also helps us to see when there is free time for the boys to do things that interest them or to spend time with friends. From a very young age, Mr. Titus and I have taught our boys the importance of prioritizing family, school, and work first, while also teaching them that keeping a schedule and staying organized will always allow downtime for the other things we also love to do. Lucas and Logan are in 3rd grade, but they are not the only Titus boys. We also have a 19-year-old son Zach, who is in his first year at Kutztown University and a 21-year-old son Cameron who is in the Army and stationed in Hawaii. This system worked very well with the older boys and is also working well with the younger ones. So remember, both at home and at school, when you put first things first you are setting yourself up for success.
MRS. JUSZYNSKI, INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANT
Mrs. J. loves to see the Juszynski family use Habit 6, Synergize! There are five people in my family, and it’s always best when we work together. One of our favorite family activities is to hike and camp. Mr. J. is an organized planner and he likes to read maps and choose our trail. My oldest son Kevin likes to lead the way when we are hiking. John likes to use his skills from Scouts to plan our meals and snacks. My youngest son Daniel is a Scout too and he makes sure we all have our Camelbacks filled with fresh water. Mrs. J. likes to read about the area where we are hiking and share interesting facts with the family. One thing I always appreciate is that even though everyone can hike faster than I can they always make sure they stop and wait or circle back to make sure we all stay together. When we finish our hike we all enjoy a good meal around the campfire and end our day with s’mores. I’m grateful for our time in nature when our family can synergize and appreciate the strengths of each member of our family.
A great way to express gratitude. I share these weekly with staff. Keep the shout outs coming!
LOOK FOR OPTIONAL FAMILY ACTIVITIES IN SEESAW EACH WEEK!
Every week, we'll provide activities for families to practice the 7 habits together! Share your pictures in Seesaw, with your teacher, or send them directly to
nzuerblis@qcsd.org, and we'll include them in the next Richland Reflections!
DAILY QUESTION OF THE DAY
Each day, we read a question of the day that stems from our work with Leader in Me. We encourage you to continue the conversations at home! Below are this week's questions. We'd love you to participate! Share your answers each day on Twitter @RichlandQCSD.
MONDAY: How would you describe your perfect day?
TUESDAY: If you could create a new holiday, what would it be and why?
WEDNESDAY: Someday I want to…...
THURSDAY: What is your personal mission statement?
FRIDAY: What part of your class mission statement is most important to you?
CHECK OUT OTL'S LIVE TRAINING SESSIONS
For parents who have had a child struggle with virtual learning, QCSD will have Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) hold separate training sessions for elementary, middle school and high school parents to provide you with suggestions and support.
Elementary Virtual Meeting Recording
These virtual meetings will include time for a Q&A.
Click here for information on how to attend these sessions. The training will be recorded and posted on the website for those unable to attend.
CONSIDER APPLYING FOR FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH
Currently, our district is providing ALL families with children up to the age of 18 with FREE breakfast and lunch for the remainder of the school year through funds from the US Department of Agriculture. However, if you do not have a current application on file for the 2020-2021 school year, you could miss benefits from the State, should it decide to provide the Pandemic EBT Benefits again.
Please click here for the Free & Reduced Meal Program applications.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Stacy Reiss, Free & Reduced Lunch Program, at sreiss@qcsd.org or 215-529-2022.
A dedicated section of the website serves as a
COVID-19 directory place for families to locate resources and see the impact of the pandemic on the district. It's located in the Community Section and titled
COVID-19 directory.
OUR WORDS FOR 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR
Each school year, Richland staff adopts one word. This year called for two! We invite you to join us in supporting each other with courage and grace and explore what these words mean to you.
DISTRICT BOOSTS PAY FOR SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS
Hoping to incentivize more people with a Bachelor’s degree to become substitute teachers, the Quakertown Community School District is significantly increasing pay for substitute teachers for the 2020-21 school year.
The per diem rate is being raised from $105 to $120 per day. Long term per diem pay is being raised from $140 to $175 per day, highest in the area. The average per diem rate in Bucks County and surrounding districts is $109. The long term substitute rate is $125. Please click here for the story.
QCSD has several job openings that can be found by clicking here. They include substitute nurses, aides, and food service workers.
Click here for job openings in the Upper Bucks County Technical School.
ALL SCHOOL YEAR FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH FOR ALL QCSD STUDENTS
The free food program is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture.
The United States Department of Agriculture has extended a nationwide waiver to allow the Quakertown Community School District to provide FREE meals to ALL students regardless of need. No qualification or identification is needed.
ALL students are eligible to receive FREE breakfast and FREE lunch through the end of the school year in June.
Breakfast will be served at Richland in our lunch room or classrooms from 8:45-9:00.
Lunch will have three selections daily: A sandwich/wrap/hot entree, a salad with a protein and roll, or a Grape/Peanut Butter Uncrustable. An assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables along with milk will be available daily. Students will order their lunches in the morning and will eat lunch in their classrooms. Lunches will be assembled by the cafeteria staff in bags, with aides delivering to rooms at the scheduled lunch times.
For Virtual Learners, free meal pickup is now held two days a week, Mondays and Wednesdays. On Mondays, students can receive meals for two days, and on Wednesdays for three days. Pickup remains at the Quakertown Community High School bus loop from 11:15 AM until 12:30 PM.
FROM MRS. STAUFFER, OUR SCHOOL NURSE
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO QUARANTINE?
What should you or your child do if asked to quarantine due to exposure to Covid-19? After an exposure to Covid-19, it may take between 2-14 days for symptoms to appear. When ordered to quarantine, you must stay inside of your home until cleared by the Department of Health. Even if you have no symptoms, you or your child should not be outside of your home having close contact with friends and neighbors. If you become infected with the virus, with or without symptoms, interacting with others not in your household can cause community spread of the disease.
While in school, we require children and staff to be masked, wash their hands often, and socially distance to prevent our Richland community from becoming ill. Even if your child has been diagnosed with a common cold, please ensure they avoid contact with other children to prevent transmission and missed school days. Following these same good habits outside of school will prevent you, your children, and others from becoming sick, whether it be from Covid-19, Flu, or any number of common fall and winter illnesses.
For more information, please read QCSD Exclusion from and Return to School Requirements.
LIVE AND VIRTUAL DAILY ATTENDANCE
Attendance is mandatory for school age children, and the live portion of our school day is 9:00-2:00, with additional time allotted for work after these hours.
Every day Monday through Friday is a school day.
Please keep your child home if they show any symptoms and call to let us know. You will receive a follow up call from our school nurse. We will confirm if your child will become a virtual learner for a period of time so they are not marked absent from in person instruction while staying home with symptoms.
FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE PHYSICALLY IN THE BUILDING:
Attendance will be taken as in the past, and students will be marked absent if they are not physically present. *Please note, only students who need to quarantine or are approved by the principal or school nurse will learn virtually instead of in person.
FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE 100% VIRTUAL LEARNERS:
Attendance will be taken daily. All students are to complete their "check-in" activity as explained by their teachers by 2:00 daily. To allow for the completion of work asynchronously, students may complete other school activities after 2:00, but the check-in must be completed by 2:00 in order to be marked as present.
IF YOUR CHILD IS ABSENT:
You will receive an email at 3:00 on the day your child is marked absent. The school must receive an excuse from you within 3 days of the absence.
New this year, you may respond to the email with your absence reason. You can also email an excuse to lmoyer@qcsd.org. If you prefer, you may send in an absence note to the office. All excuses must be received within 3 days of the absence.
ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL PROCEDURES
Thank you for your support in making the changes to this year's drop off and pick up run so smoothly! To accommodate more car riders, that location has been moved to the back of the school. Please enter in the morning and afternoon from 313 on Chestnut Street.
The live school day begins at 9:00 and ends at 2:00.
Please note AM Kindergarten pick up at 11:00 and PM drop off at 12:00 are in the front of the school.
All buses will drop off and pick up in the front of the school.
READ ACROSS AMERICA WEEK 3/1-3/5
Check out our spirit days!
VIRTUAL PTO MEETING 3/4 at 7:00
Richland Elementary School
