What a wonderful and busy start to March! This week we held our Read Across America festival, and I enjoyed seeing students, staff, parent volunteers, and high school volunteers celebrate the joy of reading. Check out highlights below. Our Color Fun Run registration is live! Keep reading for how to register. Our PTO has bigger than ever raffles and family fun planned for Run day in April.

We also held our February Leaders of the Month assemblies and honored students who demonstrate leadership in their classrooms as well as in our school. See their proud smiles below!

Quakertown Community School District is dedicated to family involvement and education. In partnership with Family Service, there will be a free family night held at Quakertown Elementary this Tuesday at 6:30. Come for a free night of discussion, activities, giveaways, and refreshments.

Richland is committed to family involvement and learning of our 7 Habits and Leader in Me philosophy. This week, we begin a Habits at Home section to our newsletter, and we'll highlight how you can support habits and our mission: Lead Myself, Lead Together, Lead with Balance at home.

This Friday is International SEL Day! Social and emotional learning is promoted each day during class meetings at Richland, and Friday is the perfect time to let those in your life know why THEY MATTER. To all of our Richland families, we appreciate you!

There is a lot packed in this week's newsletter, and I encourage you to read and enjoy our newsletter each week.

Have a wonderful week!

Nicole Zuerblis

Richland Principal

Please watch these videos with your child to learn a little more about habit 1, how to choose your life masterpiece and carry your own weather.

Jenni & Zippy Show: Be a Transition Person

Carry Your Own Weather

Masterpiece

How can we be leaders at home and practice this habit?

Discuss some ways that your child and family can be proactive at home. Make a list of proactive language that you will try to use.

Bucks County has seven Pre-K Counts grants from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The grants allow families, who meet the required criteria, with children (who are 3 or 4 years old by September 1st) to enroll in an approved high quality, preschool program at no cost to the family. There may be a few openings now, and they are taking applications now for 2022-2023!

Please see the Bucks County Pre-K Counts application for the 2022-2023 school year.

Little things can make a big difference. You can help support the Ronald McDonald House and others affected by childhood cancer or anyone else who needs the help from the Ronald McDonald House by collecting the little tabs you pull to open soda, soup or any other aluminum cans. The funds generated from recycling these aluminum tabs help offset The Ronald McDonald House expenses. Send in your tabs to Richland.

There is a drop off spot right in front of the office.

We are donating our tabs in honor of Rhiley who is a cancer survivor.

He is a 4th grader at Richland.

Save the Date for our Spring Color Run! Aril 22nd (Raindate 5/6)

Our next PTO Meeting Date: 3/16 @ 6:30 at Richland's library and via Google Meet

Kids are welcome!

Next meetings:

April 6 @ 6:30

May 18 @ 6:30

Contact us with any questions, ideas or concerns... richlandtpo@gmail.com

Co-Presidents- Alysha Day/Utpal Bhatt

Co-VPs- Kim Lynch and Danielle Schultz

Treasurer- Jackie Toro

Co-Secretaries- Brittany Eagan and Vicky Mullen

HS Student Volunteer Liaison- Hannah Hensel

Let's pause, breathe and notice, so we can respond more mindfully.

Below are this week's questions. We'd love you to participate!

MONDAY: How have you been a friend to someone even if they haven’t been a good friend to you?

TUESDAY: What is your greatest strength?

WEDNESDAY: What is your greatest struggle?

THURSDAY: How do you respond to people whose opinions are different from your own?

FRIDAY: How important is it to listen to other people’s ideas?

WHAT ARE HABIT TICKETS?

Each day, adults in the school building have tickets to give to any student they see exhibiting one of the 7 habits. Once a student receives a Leader Ticket, he or she will go to the office to sign our school Leader Book, pick a number at random for the placement of their ticket on the Leaderboard, and will bring home a postcard to show you so that you may share in their good news! Once the student has a ticket on the board, he or she is eligible to receive the "mystery motivator". When ten tickets in a row are up on the board, those students will spin a wheel to receive a mystery motivator prize. Examples of motivators are extra recess, lunch with Mrs. Zuerblis, and many more.

HOW CAN I HELP AT HOME?

We encourage you to discuss Leader in Me with your child at home. The characteristics of the 7 habits encourage responsibility and ownership of one's actions, as well as other leadership qualities. Ask your child to use the ideas shared at school when at home and in the neighborhood, and routinely check in with your child on how he or she is demonstrating these characteristics in different settings.

TOGETHER WE THRIVE!

With SafeArrival, families can report their child’s absence using any of these 3

convenient methods:

1.Using a mobile device; download and install the free SchoolMessenger app from the
Apple App Store or the Google Play Store (or from the links at https://go.schoolmessenger.com). Please note that the first time you use the app,
you will need to select Sign Up to create your account. To enter an absence, select Attendance, then Report an Absence.

• In addition to attendance information, in the app you will also see all of the School Messenger messages the school has sent throughout the year.

2. Use the SafeArrival website; https://go.schoolmessenger.com. The first time you use
the website, you will need to select Sign Up to create your account. Then, select Attendance and finally, Report an Absence.

3. Call the toll-free number; 1-833-834-4911 and report an absence using the automated phone system. To use this system, you must use or enter the phone number you
provided as your district contact number. Using or entering that phone number will link you to your child(ren).

These options are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Future absences can be reported at any time.

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. There are no conditions to qualify. However, if you do not have a current application on file for the 2021-2022 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.