Family Knightline
August 31, 2021
A Message from Mr. Park
It is hard to believe, but the summer is coming to an end and a new school year is upon us. I hope that you and your family are well rested and are excited to begin a new year. This will be my twenty-first year in education and my eight year serving as the Principal of A. Russell Knight Elementary School.
It is a privilege and honor to be a part of the Russell Knight Family. I am eager to work with you and your children in carrying on the long-standing traditions and building upon our school spirit, pride, and unity. Our partnership will continue to focus on ensuring that our children leave Knight smarter, happier, and better people.
We would like to thank our new head custodian, Mr. Smith, and our cleaner, Ms. Toledo, for working tirelessly over the past few months to prepare for the opening of school. I would also be remiss if I did not recognize Ms. Giampietro's efforts throughout the summer to make sure we were ready for staff and students to return.
Knight has consistently performed well academically and I am confident that we will continue to deliver highly engaging and impactful instruction to meet the needs of all our learners. We value academics, and we wholeheartedly believe that character education is essential to growing our students into men and women of worth. We want to build up children to be the kind of people who seek to serve others and are driven to make the world they live in a better place for all.
A. Russell Knight Elementary will continue to emphasize, “WE”, as a school and a district. Please continue to reinforce the concepts of team and family to your children as we join in this journey together. It is my sincerest hope that every member of our family sees Knight as a second home. It is my hope that every child wakes up inspired to grow and learn and feels fulfilled when leaving at the end of the day.
Our Knight's Creed: All for One and One for All!
We believe that every individual matters and that every individual is an essential part of our community. We stand together!
I have no doubt that together, we will provide every opportunity for your child to achieve, succeed, and be joyful!
Warm Regards,
Mr. Eugene Park
Principal, A. Russell Knight Elementary
PS
Please don't forget to complete the online paperwork required by the school district ASAP. Access and information for this process can be found here.
Safety Protocols
We will be in school 5 days per week from 9:00 - 3:30 pm. Lunch and recess are back and PTA events have been scheduled.
I see all of this as progress and taking steps in the right direction.
We will continue to make the health and safety of our students and staff our top priority.
- We will do our best to ensure 3 ft of space between students in all settings.
- Proper hygiene will be emphasized: handwashing and use of hand sanitizer throughout the day.
- High contact areas will be frequently sanitized throughout the day.
- Masks must be worn in the building at all times (except when eating). Mask expectations can be viewed in the We Return to Learn Plan on page 7.
Please review these safety expectations with your child so they understand and are fully prepared for our first day of school.
Breakfast and Lunch
In addition, meals will be free to all students for the 2021 - 2022 school year.
Any students who would like breakfast can enter the building through the main entrance to pick up a grab-and-go breakfast bag.
September Lunch Menu
September Breakfast Menu
LUNCH Procedures
When we have inclement weather students will be eating in classrooms or the APR.
- Grades K and 5 will eat lunch in the APR. A peanut/nut-free table will be available.
- Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4 will eat in the classrooms. Any students who have peanut/nut products will eat in a different designated location.
As the weather gets cooler, please ensure that your child has appropriate clothing for outdoor lunch and recess.
RECESS Procedures
Students will be required to wash their hands and/or use hand sanitizer immediately following recess.
Playground equipment and recess equipment will be disinfected by our head custodian every morning prior to students arriving.
Bus Safety Procedures
Bus riders should be at the bus stop at least 5 minutes prior to the scheduled pick-up time. Please allow for some fluctuation in pick-up and drop-off times, particularly during the first three weeks of school. Throughout the school year, daily pick-up and drop-off times may fluctuate due to weather, traffic, construction, etc.
Encores
- Physical Education will take place outside when weather permits and in the APR when we have inclement weather.
- Students will travel to General Music, Instrumental Music, and Library.
- Technology/Spanish and Art will take place in homerooms.
Arrival Procedures
First 3 Days of School Arrival
This will allow students to learn our arrival plan with the help of their teachers.
- grades 3, 4, 5 students will line up on the 3, 4, 5 blacktop (when facing the front of the building, the blacktop to the right side of the building).
- grade k, 1, 2 students will line up on the K-2 blacktop (located at the rear of the building)
Teachers will have signs with their names.
Arrival Procedures Beginning on 9/14
Our doors will open at 8:45 am. Please do not send or drop students off prior to 8:45 am.
Once dropped off, Students will proceed to their designated entry and go directly to their classrooms. We will not be lining up outside or in the hallways. As students are being dropped off, our staff members will check for masks. Following state guidelines, no one will be permitted in the building without a mask.
We will have staff directing our students to the appropriate entrances.
All grades K, 1, and 2 students will enter through the main entrance.
All grades 3, 4, 5 students will enter through the 3, 4, 5 blacktop entrance and go directly upstairs to their classrooms.
If you are dropping off your child, have them exit the car quickly and move toward their designated entrance. Please do not leave your car parked in the drop-off area and walk your child to the building. We have lots of traffic in the morning and many waiting to drop off.
Any student who would like to receive breakfast can enter through the main entrance.
Dismissal Procedures
In order to safely exit the building, we will be dismissing walkers by grade level. Bussers will be called when their bus arrives.
Kindergarten and 1st grade Walkers will be released through exits leading directly to the K-2 blacktop area located at the rear of our building:
- Room 1: Ms. Griggs & Ms. Nosenzo
- Room 2: Ms. Forrest
- Room 3: Ms. Johnson
- Room 4: Mr. Angelucci
- Room 28: Ms. Leipow
- Room 29: Ms. Glass
- Room 30: Ms. Rodriguez
- Room 5: Ms. Patterson & Ms. Abesh
- Room 6: Ms. Marchetty
There are sidewalks that can be used to access the rear blacktop exit area. Please do NOT go through the parking lot.
Grades 2, 3, 4 & 5 Walkers will exit through the main entrance doors at the front of the building.
We do not have a car pick-up area. Anyone picking up their child will need to pick them up at their child's designated exit area or direct their child to a meet-up location.
Kindergarten families will need to come to their child's pick-up area. For safety reasons, we will not release a kindergartner without seeing the child's adult pick-up person.
We do not have any public parking available on school grounds between the hours of 8 am and 4 pm. Therefore, you will need to use street parking. Please do not park on the school side of the street in front of the school.
We have a high volume of traffic in the parking lots with bus pick-ups. We do not offer public parking during school hours for safety reasons. Please do not walk through parking lots and always use the sidewalks.
5th Grade Parent Committee
Any parent wishing to be a part of the 5th-grade committee for 2021-2022 school year please reach out to Crystal Lucas via email, faith3583@gmail.com.
BookSmiles
Last year's gift to the school from the 5th Grade Class of 2021 is a BookSmiles collection bin.
BookSmiles is a non-profit organization that promotes literacy and the joy of reading by giving donated books to children and classrooms throughout New Jersey and Greater Philadelphia. The 5th Grade Class has gifted this bin to the school so that it can be used to collect books from our school community for years to come. Mrs. Dilks helped us decorate the bin with pictures of our favorite books. Thanks for all of your help, Mrs. Dilks!
Please drop off your gently used books for grades K-12 in the box at any time. The box will be located in the main foyer.
ON THE CALENDAR
- 9/2 - Kindergarten Open House (2:00 pm)
- 9/9 - First Day of School (1:00 pm dismissal day)
- 9/10 - Patriot's Day (wear red, white, and blue)
- 9/14 - Welcome Back Ice-Cream Social (5:30 - 7:00 pm)
- 9/16 - School Closed in observance of Yom Kippur
- 9/23 - PTA Meeting (7:00 - 8:00 pm)
- 9/27 - Back to School Night (time TBD)
Class Lists for the 2021 - 2022 School Year
The following will also be available on Wednesday, August 25th:
Parent/Emergency Contact information updates in Genesis
Back to School forms made available to parents in Genesis Parent Portal
Social Media Info (including Student computer & Genesis log-in information) Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Information Act (FERPA) Integrated Pest Management Information (IPM) Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA)
Supply Lists for the 2021 - 2022 School Year
You can also order all school supplies through School Toolbox. See flyer for details to make school supply shopping easy as 1, 2, 3.
A. Russell Knight Elementary School
Email: epark@chclc.org
Website: https://www.chclc.org/knight
Location: 140 Old Carriage Road, Cherry Hill, NJ, USA
Phone: 856-428-0830
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ark.knights.7
Twitter: @arkknight1