RICHLAND REFLECTIONS
Week of 2/16/21 at Richland Elementary School
Dear Richland Families,
Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Presidents' Day Weekend! This week, we continue kindness, recognizing National Random Acts of Kindness Day on Wednesday and challenging everyone to #MakeKindnessTheNorm! Please see resources below for you and your families on exploring the good. Check out many more resources on celebrating diversity, supporting healthy kids, and promoting Leader in Me at home.
Richland is proud to be highlighted in a statewide Leader in Me newsletter! Don't miss the details below, and get to know three more staff members and how they live the 7 Habits with their families in this week's Staff Habit Spotlight!
As a reminder, there is no school on Monday.
Have a wonderful week!
Nicole Zuerblis
Richland Principal
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY WEDNESDAY
CLICK THE IMAGE FOR IDEAS TO SPREAD KINDNESS
RES HIGHLIGHTED IN PA LEADER IN ME NEWSLETTER!
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION Q&A THIS THURSDAY
IS YOUR CHILD STRUGGLING WITH VIRTUAL LEARNING?
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.
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.
READ ACROSS AMERICA: WEEK OF 3/1-3/5
Join LINC (Learning Innovation Catalyst) as they kick off a year-long celebration of Black genius among students and teachers, “Celebrating Black Brilliance.”
It is the goal at LINC to ensure Black brilliance is not only celebrated during Black History Month but extended throughout the entire year. They are driven to apply an equity lens to all we do to dismantle systemic racism so that educators can provide all students with the education they deserve.
To celebrate Black History Month, the LINC Experience includes meaningful opportunities to engage, shift mindsets, and reflect on the brilliance and talents of Black students and teachers. From Twitter chats and podcasts to Flipgrids and Equity Library cycles,they have a lot of exciting opportunities planned.
Planet Achilles is a group of small businesses in the community sponsoring this essay contest.
See below for more information!
A great way to express gratitude. I share these weekly with staff. Keep the shout outs coming!
MRS. GALLAGHER, INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANT
Habit 2,
Begin With The End in Mind is an important habit in my family. We have a large family calendar on our refrigerator so we can see what's happening every day as well as for the months ahead. The calendar keeps us organized and focused and often fills up quickly with appointments, deadlines, and after school activities, but we always have a plan for family time. My husband takes the leadership role in planning all of our awesome vacations.
For me personally, Habit 2 has played a valuable role in my health. In January 2019, I made a commitment to eating healthier and improving my physical fitness (another important habit-Sharpen the Saw). This goal was daunting at first, but I set short and long term goals. Planning was the key to successfully meeting this goal. However, this goal is a lifelong and daily commitment for me. I am truly lucky to have friends or my husband and son who join me for a walk or run outside. When I exercise by myself, I often call my friends and we chat while we are both exercising. It's a win-win! There are plenty of benefits to having a plan and reaching a goal. It certainly helps me to feel more productive and happy.
What are some of your goals?
MRS. ROBISON, ART TEACHER
Habit 3, Put First Things First
In the Robison household we work to understand what the most important tasks are in our daily routine. We have a family calendar that is color coded with all of the activities we have scheduled for each day and each week. Each day we work toward getting to those activities by first doing the most important things like eating breakfast and brushing our teeth. From a very early age, we worked with our two children who are now eleven and nine to follow a daily routine. The structure has helped them prioritize the big rocks and the little rocks in our daily lives.
The best example in our house of prioritizing happens at the end of the school day. Each day, my kids enter our home after getting off the bus and immediately drop their mask in the washer and go right to the sink to wash their hands. Then they unpack their school bags at the counter. Put lunch boxes in the correct spot and remove any dirty containers and place them in the sink. Next, agenda books and homework come out and they get started right away at completing tasks that are required for school. On virtual days, my kids make lists of all of their daily tasks and check them on as we go. This helps me know what they need to accomplish and they have a sense of accomplishment as they cross off must- do items. Completing these tasks first allows them the freedom to do things that interest them and they love. It is a great motivator and they both know that this routine is a must do and not an option.
For myself and Mr. Robison, modeling these behaviors has become a priority on a daily basis. Our kids have learned that we also have tasks that need to be completed daily. Sometimes, that means that they have to wait for us. Sometimes, they realize that if they pitch in and help, our tasks are completed more quickly and allow for more time together. We've learned that taking care of certain tasks immediately, like cleaning up dinner and packing lunches, allows us to enjoy our evenings as a family rather than dread the things that we left undone.
MRS. WIATER, SECOND GRADE TEACHER
Habit 7, Sharpening the Saw, has always been a habit that I’ve incorporated into my life daily. For me, I feel happiest when I’m eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, and taking time to do things I enjoy. Especially now, I find it so important to continue doing the things that are good for the mind, body, and soul. I can’t work on the other habits unless I’m feeling my best; you can’t pour from an empty cup! It’s something I also try to instill in my daughter and students! Addy loves swimming class, reading, and eating both fruit and chocolate! In school, we take brain breaks, take time to talk and read about our interests, and even do some yoga!
LOOK FOR THESE OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES IN SEESAW EACH WEEK!
Every week, we'll provide activities for families to practice the 7 habits together! Share your pictures in Seesaw 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.
TUESDAY: How will you know you’ve had a great day?
WEDNESDAY: How will you know that you’ve had a successful school year?
THURSDAY: When are you at your best?
FRIDAY: When are you at your worst?
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.
YELLOW ALERT MESSAGE FOR SCHOOL CLOSINGS
As referenced in Dr. Harner’s recent blog, we will send you a
Yellow Alert message the night before
IF our school has a significant risk of not having enough adults present to safely open for students the next day. Think of the
Yellow Alert like a winter storm warning or other weather alert to be prepared for possible closure.
We will review our absence data again the next morning and consult with Dr. Harner. If we cannot open our school safely, you will be notified by 7:30 a.m., and our school will operate virtually for the day. Please note that the notification/closure will apply to the individual school building only and other buildings will operate normally.
We will do our best and exhaust all strategies to avoid having to close our school for lack of adequate staffing, but it may occur. This will be our system that provides you advance notice as soon as we can.
If the school becomes virtual for a day or a period of time, teachers will teach synchronously and will supply all information needed to students and families about daily schedules.
Thank you for your support.
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.
NATIONAL RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY 2/17
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION Q&A 2/18
VIRTUAL LEARNING Q&A 2/18
READ ACROSS AMERICA WEEK 3/1-3/5
Richland Elementary School
