RES Community Updates

The purpose of RES Community Updates is to highlight the learning and connections that happen every day between our RES students and educators, as well as to provide a space to communicate updates and information. This blog will be updated monthly. Thank you for visiting!

Arrival:

To support the flow of traffic and the arrival of all students, please use the loop in front of the building for a quick drop off, and a quick hug or kiss goodbye. You can exit the vehicle if you would like to watch your student enter the building, but please don't use the loop if you would like to come in. If you are planning on entering the building, please park in the spots facing the highway. This is a space where you can comfortably leave your vehicle and not feel rushed. Thank you!

A reminder that school starts promptly at 7:50am. If you are dropping your student off, please be sure to leave enough time for traffic etc. to get here. If your student rides the bus and it arrives after 7:50am they will not be marked tardy.

Dismissal:

Your students safety is paramount to us here at RES. Throughout the pandemic we have developed many different dismissal procedures, to balance efficiency with safety. Recognizing that many more students are taking the busses (which we strongly encourage) and parent pickup is more organic then it had to be in the early years of the pandemic, we are going to tighten things up on our end with regards to parent pickup.

23-24 after school pickup procedure:

Preschool will be dismissed at 2:20, Kindergarten will dismiss at 2:35, and 1st - 4th grade will dismiss at 2:37. For parent pickup, either find a parking space along the bank facing the highway (to the right as you enter the campus) and walk to the front of the building or continue to the back of Camels Hump Middle School where you will be directed to the pickup loop as space becomes available. Please do not arrive prior to 5 minutes before your students dismissal time, this will help reduce traffic congestion.

PK families will continue to pick their children up directly from their classroom teachers.

K-4 families: once you park, you will need to walk up to the front of the building, and line up to sign out your student. We will have two lines; Ms. Woodruff will be signing out students in grades K-1 , and Ms. Roberge will be signing out students in grades 2-4. Please print your name on the sign out sheet next to your students name, and then your student will be released into your care.

Once you receive your student, please leave the front area to reduce congestion. If you are planning on staying after school to use the playground or to chat, please park in the lot facing the highway and not in the U in front of the building. This overall procedure will certainly help to ensure students are being dismissed to their caregivers, however, it will also possibly delay the pickup process slightly.

Please be mindful of others, and we greatly appreciate your patience and support!

First off, thank you all for your tremendous support and participation in our fundraising efforts last year! As a community we were able to raise $10,000 toward our $50,000 goal. While we still have a ways to go, I did not want that to prevent us from moving forward, and we have been moving forward with our playground renovations! We will be fundraising all year to help pay for the work that is being done today, but in the meantime, we will be able to enjoy our new community play spaces!

The construction of our front K-4 structure was a bit delayed due to the miserable weather this summer, however, you may have noticed some gradual progress (and a lot of wood chips). Final construction of the front structure is set to begin on Monday, September 11th, and we should be ready to play before the following week! Additionally, much of the work has been completed on the new side Preschool structure, and it looks amazing. We still have a few features to add to this PK space, but make sure to come by and check it out.

In order to be included in the directory, we need your permission.

* Please respond by September 29th, 2023 for inclusion*

By providing your information below, you agree to be included in the 2023-24 RES Student Directory.

Please email Jennifer Snow at jenshawsnow@gmail.com with questions about this directory.

If you're interested in learning more about the RES PTO, please contact res.pto@mmuusd.org

Join the ReTribe Forest School and Afterschool Program in Underhill.

Would a child in your life enjoy spending a day each week exploring, practicing outdoor crafts and skills, making music, and playing joyfully while immersed in nature with a community of friends and mentors? The ReTribe Forest School currently has spaces open for our Fall 2023 program, Wednesdays and Thursdays in Underhill from 9am-3pm. We also offer Wild Woods Afterschool, Mondays and Thursdays from 3-5:30pm.

For more specifics on our programming visit our www.retribe.org/the-forest-school.

Contact Julia Hunt for more information:

ReTribeTransformation@gmail.com

609-933-0877

Our first early release will be next Wednesday, September 13th. All dismissal times will be two hours earlier. Parent pickup will begin at 12:35, busses will depart around 12:50.

Monday, September 25th: PK - 4

Tuesday, September 26th: PK

Forms will go home the week of the 18th

Our book fair will be October 2nd - 6th. More info to come!

Put it on your calendar now, Big Truck Day will be on Saturday October 14th. We will be sending out flyers and more info soon.

Email: RESOFFICE@MMUUSD.ORG
Website: https://richmond.mmuusd.org/
Location: 125 School Street, Richmond, VT 05477, USA
Phone: 802-434-2461

First off, I want to welcome you all to the 2023-2024 school year. It is important to acknowledge that families are going to be returning from the summer in different places, as Vermont and our local community has faced tremendous weather conditions and loss that has impacted people differently throughout our school community. With that, please know that Richmond Elementary School is a community who cares about one another, and we will support you and your student(s) to our fullest capacity. We are so excited to see you, and we can't wait for the first day of school!

For those who don't know me, here is a little bit about myself: I live in Underhill with my wife, three kids, and our dog, Nollie. This will be my fifth year serving as Principal of Richmond Elementary School, and I feel graced working in this building and with this community every day. I am a native Vermonter, and I have lived in the area most of my life. I love the outdoors, and I can often be found with my family mountain biking, camping, snowboarding, or at one of the kids' sporting events.

Take care these last few days of break, and please reach out any time if there is anything we can do to support you.

Jeremy Rector (he/him)

Principal

Richmond Elementary School

Classroom teachers will be sending you class or grade-level newsletters and/or blogs to update you of the goings-on from within your specific student's class. We encourage you to always feel comfortable reaching out to your classroom teachers for specific information about your child's your classroom experience. Additionally, you can find each individual class link on page 5 of our Family Handbook.

This page will highlight what is going on throughout the building monthly, and give a general overview of what is to come with regards to whole building events.

For immediate information around calendar updates and news, subscribe to our News and Calendar on our Website!

To sign up:

• Go to RES Website
• Click on the FAMILIES tab near the top, then Subscribe to News and Calendar
• Follow prompts from there

Also

• Follow us on Facebook - the link can also be found at the top of our RES webpage

Staff with new roles within the building!

Important Update to Note Within the RES Family Handbook

• Due to various food allergies in all elementary buildings, please do not send in special food treats for birthdays, holidays, or events to share with peers. Students can bring in their own special treat, but nothing to share. Thank you for your understanding.

• The student day at RES starts at 7:50 a.m.
• Students will be welcomed into their classrooms beginning at 7:30 a.m.
• To support families who need to drop off their students before the classrooms open, the library will be open for early arrivals between 7:15 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. This will be staffed by two support staff, and is intended to be a safety net for those who simply have to arrive before 7:30. Unfortunately, this early arrival time is not an option for our PreK students at this time, as we will not be in ratio to support PreK students within this time range.

• Preschool will dismiss at 2:20, Kindergarten will dismiss at 2:30, and 1st - 4th grade will dismiss at 2:37.
• All parent pickups will occur in the front drop off/pick up loop. For parent pickup, either find a parking space along the bank facing the highway (to the right as you enter the campus) and walk to the front of the building to wait, or continue to the back of Camels Hump Middle School where you will be directed to the pickup loop as space becomes available.
• Please do not arrive prior to 5 minutes before your student's dismissal time, this will help reduce traffic congestion.
• We ask that changes to your child’s normal routine be made no later than 1:30 in the day in order to minimize disruptions to classrooms.
  
• Buses will be fully loaded by 2:50 p.m. and drop off times will vary depending on location.

We have upgraded our lunch system software to include dietary information* on our school lunch menus. This upgrade brings a new online portal for payment processing. You will need to register in this new portal.

• After completing the registration process, you can easily add students to your account by filling out the add student dropdown menu on the dashboard's right-hand side. This portal will also allow you to see your student's purchase/lunch history.

  Click here to get started with the MMUUSD Lunch Portal

• Under Vermont’s Universal School Meals Law, all public school students eat breakfast and lunch for free at school. Families are no longer required to complete any paperwork to receive free meals at school, but to continue this program, we need your assistance. Please take a few minutes to fill out the meal application form for your household. Click HERE to support the Universal Meals program.

• HERE is a direct link to the RES Food Service Menu, which can also be found from the main RES Website

Just in case you missed it, below are the links to the 2023-2024 transportation information. Please reach out if you have any questions.

Transportation Letter 2023

2023-24 Bus Route Summary

Based on recent parent request, I have been able to coordinate with the transportation department to offer a Bus Orientation event for PreK, Kindergarten, and new students on Tuesday, 8/29, at 9:00am. This is for anyone who is interested!

Click on the image below to download or print and post on your fridge :-)

• 8/30: First K-4 Student day
• 9/5 or 9/7: First day of preschool (depending on cohort)
• 9/13: Early Release (Dismissal begins at 12:35 pm)