RES Family Update

Parents, please be sure to remind your children to check the LOST and FOUND located in the cafeteria. We already have a number of sweatshirts, light jackets, and at least one lunch box in the lost and found..

Dear parents,

School pictures are ready!

To order, log in to your account on mylifetouch.com or create an account using your student's student ID number.

All families can also log on and order a FREE Digital SmileSafe card.

More about the Smilesafe program here.

Thank you!

October:

31 - Halloween Parade into town - 9:30 AM

November 1

1 - 1 PM DISMISSAL for students

5 - No School - Parent Conference Day

- Board of Ed Meeting - 6:00 PM

8 - Q1 Report Cards Issued

15 - Grade 5 Field Trip - Easton Bowling - 9:30 - 12:45 PM

Book Fair - 11/18 - 22

20 - Parent Visitation Day - 2 sessions (9 -11 and 1:30 - 3:30)

- PTA Smecil Day

11/27 - 12/1 - School Closed - Thanksgiving Break

Starting November 1, 2024, CCPS will begin to obligate students for damaged and missing technology equipment. The CCPS Student Technology Obligation Program is designed to promote students' responsible use of technology and reduce damage costs through a tier-based pricing system. This program aligns with the Technology Obligation Regulation (Reference: III.31.71R) and the CCPS Terms of Use Agreement governing the use of technology by students.

Please visit the link below for specific information:

carolineschools.org/o/ccps/page/technology-student-obligation-program

If you are parking on the street to come into the school to pick up you child, please be respectful of our community members and avoid blocking their driveway. Parking on Seward Road and leaving your car blocks the view of cars and busses exiting the parking lot after picking up students and crossing the parking lot between cars creates a safety issue.

The 2024-25 Student Benefits Form (Household Income Data Collection) information is used to help provide school meals at no charge to all students, along with other districtwide services. It also provides individual benefits to students and families such as:

• discounts for summer and recreational programs

• Discount internet access

• Discounted fees for SAT and AP testing and college applications

• Increased scholarship opportunities

• eligibility for Maryland Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)]

• Increased funding to the school system to support instruction, technology, student services, and programs like Community Schools, tutoring and free meals.

Questions? Please email student.services@ccpsstaff.org.

Use the link or the bar code to complete the survey.

Student Benefits Form

In an effort to improve safety at dismissal, families of students who are regularly picked up as Walkers (at the picnic tables) have received purple walker passes. Parents (or designated pickup person) should bring this purple pass to the pickup area each day and display it to the staff member calling students.

If a different individual is approved to pick up your student on any day, please contact the main office to inform them of the change. These students will have a Dismissal Change Note indicating the approved individual.

Students who are being picked up as a walker for just that day will also receive a Dismissal Change Note.

If neither the purple walker pass nor the dismissal change note is presented, the person attempting to pick up will be asked to go to the front office for verification before the student will be dismissed.

Additionally, we ask that individuals who are picking up at the walker area stay at the picnic tables and keep the covered area/walkway clear for our youngest terriers to safely walk out to the buses.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Our first wave of busses begin dismissal at 3:38 each day. We then dismiss walkers and car riders at 3:40. The remaining busses are dismissed in three addition waves. Our goal is to have all students and busses on the way home by 4 PM. We are still experiencing some delays with busses due to the Rive Road closure.

I respectfully request that those families picking up students as car riders remain in their car and in the car rider pick up line. Be sure to display your car rider pick up sign in your front wind shield. Do not park on Seward road and walk up to the car rider doors. Parking on Seward Road and leaving your car blocks the view of cars and busses exiting the parking lot after picking up students and crossing the parking lot between cars creates a safety issue. If you are going to park in a parking lot space and walk up to the car rider door, staff will ask that you go into the office and sign your child out. Finally, do not park in the designated handicap parking spots unless you are displaying a handicap parking license plate or sign.

It is also important to avoid the bus loop during arrival (8:40 AM - 9:05 AM) and dismissal (3:30 PM - 4:05 PM). If you are dropping off/picking up students from the front parking lot, these students should be escorted by parents across the parking lot.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

Last year, our Title I Parent/Family Engagement funds provided important resources to our students and families, including family academic nights and engaging materials for all elementary schools. Each year we base our programs on your feedback. Please help us again this year by taking the Title I Family Engagement Survey.

Current Family Engagement Plan: English | Espanol | Kreyòl ayisyen

Using precautions to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses when you are sick is a core prevention strategy to lower risk from respiratory viruses. CDC guidance for when people may have a respiratory virus is as follows:

● Stay home and away from others (including people you live with who are not sick) if you have respiratory virus symptoms that aren't better explained by another cause. These symptoms can include fever, chills, fatigue, cough, muscle or body aches, runny nose, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, among others.

● You can go back to your normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true:

○ Your symptoms are getting better overall, and

○ You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).

● When you go back to your normal activities, take added precaution over the next 5 days, such as taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors. These additional precautions are especially important to protect people with factors that increase their risk of severe illness from respiratory viruses.

Spam filters are designed to identify emails that attackers or marketers use to send unwanted or dangerous content. They also throw out malware, malicious, and virus-infested emails and protect user security. Unfortunately, spam filtering is an inexact science that at times blocks legitimate messages.

Should you send an email to a staff member and not receive a reply within a reasonable amount of time (no more than 48 hours), please call the office.

Caroline County Public Schools prohibits discrimination in its educational programs, and in employment, on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, or disability.

Use the link below to review the Parent Guide to the Code of Student Conduct

https://5il.co/2twdh

Please use this form to report incidents of bullying, harassment or intimidation of a Caroline County Public Schools student.

https://www.carolineschools.org/forms/bullying-harassment-or-intimidation-reporting-form

Parents Right to Know:

The Federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) contains several provisions that promote a parent/school partnership through communication. One such provision gives parents the right to ask for and receive information about the professional qualifications of their child’s classroom teachers. A parent may request the following information:

• Any college or university degree, major or certification held by the teacher
• Whether the teacher is certified by the State of Maryland to teach a particular grade level or subject area
• Whether the teacher holds a conditional teaching certificate
• The qualifications of the paraprofessionals serving the student
  

If you would like to request the professional qualifications of your child’s classroom teachers or paraprofessionals, please submit a written request to the principal. The principal will provide the information to you within 30 business days of the date of your request.

Parents may also request information on the level of achievement and academic growth of their child, if applicable and available, on each of the State academic assessments.

Parents will receive timely notice if the student has been assigned, or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who does not meet applicable State certification or licensure requirements at the grade level and subject area in which the teacher has been assigned.

Parents May Request Teacher Information:

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 provides parents of students attending Title 1 schools the opportunity to request information about the professional qualifications of their child's teachers. Parents of elementary students may request in writing to the school principal information about their child's teacher including college/university degrees of certification held, subject area of the teacher's degree or certification, and Maryland certification status. Additionally, if your child is served by paraprofessionals, parents may request their professional qualifications.

Parent Information Resource Center:

Parents are encouraged to visit our Parent Information Resource Center (PIRC) located in the lobby outside of the front office. The PIRC has a variety of parenting resources and informational brochures and flyers. These materials are all free. Parents can find the School Improvement Plan, RES School Family Engagement Compact, booklets from The Parent Institute on topics such as “Seven Habits of Highly Responsible Students; Help Your Child Balance School and Extracurricular Activities; and Helping Children Learn to Resolve Conflicts.” Parents can also find information regarding Caroline County Recreation and Parks, Caroline County Library, Imagination Library and Maryland Department of Health . Please be sure to check out our Parent Information Resource Center next time you come to the school.

OFFICE HOURS:

The RES front office will be open Monday - Friday from 8:00 AM - 4:15 PM.

Use the link below to view the school calendar:

carolineschools.org/page/school-calendar

Email: sutton.lee@ccpsstaff.org
Website: ridgelyes.org
Location: 118 North Central Avenue, Ridgely, MD 21660
Phone: 410 479 3243