Reams Road Rams Happenings

Joel Eberts, Principal; Joel_Eberts@ccpsnet.net

Suzanna Thomas, Associate Principal; Suzanna_Thomas@ccpsnet.net

Morgan Pilkington, Instructional Designer; Morgan_Pilkington@ccpsnet.net

School Hours:

• 9:25 AM – 3:55 PM
• Parent Drop-Off begins at 9:05 AM

Dear Reams Road Families,

Believe it or not, this week marks the halfway point of the first quarter! Time truly flies when you’re having fun, and it has been such a joy watching our school community settle into a fantastic routine.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at our Back to School Night this Tuesday, September 22nd! (Be sure to check out the full schedule and details below). This evening is a wonderful opportunity to meet your child’s teacher in a formal setting, learn more about what they will be studying this year, and discover some of the exciting events we have planned.

Our students are doing incredible work every single day, showing up with enthusiasm, curiosity, and kindness. We are so proud of how they represent what it truly means to be a Reams Ram! Thank you for your continued partnership. We can't wait to connect with you on Tuesday evening.

As always,

Work Hard, Be Kind, Inspire DReams!

Mr. Eberts

The safety of our students and staff is a high priority. In order to maintain a safe environment for our RAMS it is necessary (and required) that CCPS schools have opportunities to practice emergency procedures. One of our exercises is a Lock Down Drill where we practice staying in place to be safe. Our first Lock Down Drill will be take place on Wednesday, September 23rd.

We know safety practices can feel overwhelming, so we take care to explain the purpose of these drills in a calm, gentle, and age-appropriate way. Before and during the exercise, students are guided through on how to stay safe inside the classroom, explaining: “Just like we practice fire drills to learn how to leave the building safely, sometimes we practice what to do if we need to stay safe inside.”

Please note that our PK & kindergarteners will skip this first drill. They will join us for our second mandated lockdown practice later this year. Communication will be sent out prior to that date.

Thank you for your support.

With the summer heat finally cooling off, our students are thrilled to head outside and enjoy recess on the playground! Teachers have been working hard with classes to review our RAMS expectations so everyone stays safe and has fun. We are reminding students to Respect others by using kind words and including everyone, Always be responsible by keeping hands to themselves and lining up quickly, Make good choices by playing fairly, and Show self-control by taking turns. Thank you for partnering with us at home to reinforce these safe and kind habits so all our Rams can have a fantastic outdoor recess!

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Join us for our annual Back to School Night! This is a wonderful opportunity to meet your child’s teachers, learn about classroom routines, and hear about the exciting learning planned for this school year.

SCHEDULE BY GRADE LEVEL

To make parking and visiting easier, our evening is split into two grade-level sessions:

SESSION 1: Upper Grades (3rd, 4th, 5th) & Day Program

• 5:00 PM – 5:20 PM: Whole-Group Opening Meeting (Cafeteria)

• 5:20 PM – 5:45 PM: Classroom Presentations

SESSION 2: Primary Grades (PreK, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd)

• 6:15 PM – 6:35 PM: Whole-Group Opening Meeting (Cafeteria)

• 6:35 PM – 7:00 PM: Classroom Presentations

WHAT TO EXPECT

Cafeteria Whole-Group Meetings

Each session kicks off in the cafeteria! You will hear from:

• School Administration (Big-picture goals for the year)

• TITLE I ANNUAL MEETING

• School Counselors (Promote Respect initiative & family resources)

• Our Reams PTA

Classroom Presentations

Head to your child's classroom to learn about:

• Daily schedules, routines, and grade-level expectations

• Curriculum focus areas and Chromebook procedures

• Ways to partner with us to support your child's success

• Plus, a special note or activity left by your student!

Show your Reams Road Rams pride while supporting our school! Our Reams Road Merch Store is a school fundraiser, and every purchase helps support our school and gives our Rams a chance to show off their school spirit.

🛍️ Shop a variety of Reams Road gear, including T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, polos, hats, and more!

📅 Store Opens: Sunday, September 20
📅 Store Closes: Monday, October 12

📲 Ready to shop? Scan the QR code on the flyer or visit:
🔗 https://bit.ly/ReamsMerch

🚚 Best part: All merchandise will be delivered directly to your child’s classroom!

Thank you for supporting Reams Road Elementary School and helping us build school spirit and community!

Reading aloud is one of the most important things parents can do with their students. Find out more, along with some reading tips, on the Reading Rockets .

Teachers are working to administer the Virginia Language and Literacy Screening System (VALLSS) to students in grades 1-5. Kindergarten will participate at the end of September. If you are interested in learning more about this screener, resources are provided below.

VALLSS K-3 Screener Information

VALLSS 4-8 Screener Information

Anyone wishing to volunteer at Reams during the upcoming school year must have a current volunteer application on file with CCPS. This includes library volunteers, classroom celebrations, Mystery Readers, chaperones for field trips, etc. We strongly recommend that all parents complete it early in the year so you will be all set for events that take place during school hours once the year begins. The application and approval process can take up to four weeks.

New this year: All new and renewing volunteers must start with the new CCPS Volunteer onboarding module. Please take a moment to complete it ahead of signing up to volunteer. Thank you!

Our general education buses continue to improve with efficiency, with the majority of our seven routes rolling out by 4:15 PM. This is fantastic progress, especially considering over 500 students only head to the bus loop at our 3:55 PM dismissal bell! Just a few reminders below:

• The My Stop web and mobile application allows you to locate your child’s bus via GPS tracking to see where the bus is and its estimated arrival to your bus stop. The bus’s location is updated on the map every five seconds so there are no surprises in the event of a delay. If My Stop is not working, then be at your bus stop five minutes before the bus’s planned arrival time. Here’s how to access My Stop:
  Via app: Search for My Stop in the app store and select “Versatrans My Stop.” There are several My Stop apps; choose the Versatrans version.
  Via computer: chesterfield.tylertech.com/elinkrp/

• Substitute Buses: Please note that if a substitute bus or driver is covering a route, real-time tracking may not be available on the app for that run.

Transportation Updates & Reminders

• Keep Info Current: Please ensure your student's transportation details, alternative addresses, and contact info remain up to date in ParentVUE.

• How to Update: Log into ParentVUE, select your student, and click "Student Info" to adjust preferences. For home address changes, contact your school registrar directly.

• Questions? Contact the Transportation Department at 804-464-3077 for assistance.

CRITICAL REMINDER: PK & Kindergarten Dismissal Pre-K and Kindergarten students MUST have an adult at the bus stop to greet them. Adults must be visible at the bus door so the driver can confirm pickup, and Pre-K adults MUST present their official identifier tag. If an authorized adult is not at the stop, PK and Kindergarten students will be safely brought back to the school at the end of the bus route.

Riding is a Privilege: Grade levels met with administration to review expectations, including bus riding. Please ask your your student to share what our bus expectations are. Riding privileges can be suspended should there be challenges with being safe and respectful on the bus. Check out the Bus Safety video, too: https://www.oneccps.org/page/transportation

To ensure every student gets home safely and smoothly, all daily transportation changes must be communicated to the main office before 3:00 PM.

• Why the 3:00 PM deadline? The front office becomes extremely busy during final dismissal prep. Last-minute changes after 3:00 PM create major challenges for our staff and can cause unnecessary confusion for our students right before the bell rings.

• Example: If your child normally rides the bus, but you plan to pick them up as a car rider on a specific afternoon, please call or notify the office prior to 3:00 PM.

Thank you so much for partnering with us to keep our Rams safe and our dismissal running like clockwork! 💙

Meeting the social and emotional needs of students remains a priority for Chesterfield County Public Schools. Having strong social and emotional skills promotes student academic and social success while also setting your child up for success as they plan for life beyond high school. As part of our commitment to supporting each student’s growth and well-being, CCPS will be administering the Insights measurement tool.

What Is Insights? Insights measurement tools are part of 7 Mindsets and help measure and support students’ development of life skills. These skills—such as identifying and managing strong emotions, persisting when things get hard, making good decisions, and working well in groups—are all necessary to being successful students and adults. The Insights measurement tools will be administered twice each year—once in the fall (September 28–October 16) and once in the spring (February 22–March 12). Elementary and middle school students will complete performance-based tasks, while high school students will complete self-report surveys. Time to complete the assessment will be scheduled to minimize disruption and will not impact academic instructional time.

How are results used? Results help educators strengthen school programs, instruction and provide targeted support where needed. CCPS has a strong commitment to respecting and protecting your child’s privacy; therefore, Insights data is used solely to guide instruction and is kept confidential at the district, school, and classroom levels.

If you would like your child to OPT-OUT, please print off and complete this form Insights OPT Out by September 27th. Please return the form to the school office or your child’s teacher only if you DO NOT want your child to participate.

Chesterfield County Public Schools uses the SchoolCafe web platform and app for all things related to school meals. This powerful app replaces three apps previously used for viewing menus, paying for meals online and applying for free or reduced-price meals (MealViewer, MySchoolBucks and MySchoolApps).

The online Gifted Education Referral and Review form, used to begin the gifted evaluation process, is open for students in grades 2,3,4,5. A form must be submitted-verbal or email communications do not serve as a substitute for this form. All referrals need to be made by October 2nd. Late referrals are not accepted.

Not sure about making a referral? Check out the information below regarding characteristics of bright vs gifted learners.

Please note that our 2nd and 5th grade students participated in a universal screening assessment (NGAT-2nd and NNAT-5th-messages were shared with families about this prior to testing) that can be used to identify potential candidates for this referral window.

Information about the identification process will be shared with all parents upon close of the Oct 2nd window.

As a reminder, the school doors open at 9:05am. Your student is considered tardy if they have not arrived by the tardy bell at 9:25am (we will be flexible the first few weeks of school). Parents, we are counting on you to help establish a good routine and make sure your students arrive to school on time! To better understand the importance of attendance and how it affects your child, link here.

• Choose one of the following:
• Email Ms. Williams and the teacher- meschelle_williams@ccpsnet.net
• Fill out this form: 26-27 Report An Absence
• Call the office (804)674-1370 (option 0)

Girls in grades 3–5 are invited to join this season's Girls on the Run program!

Girls on the Run inspires participants to build confidence, develop healthy habits, and strengthen social-emotional skills through fun, engaging activities and movement.

For registration details and program information, please see the flyer below.

Questions? Contact Crystal Schirmer at crystal_schirmer@ccpsnet.net.

• Monday, September 21st- School Holiday-No School
• Tuesday, September 22nd-Back to School night & Title 1 Annual Meeting
• Wednesday, October 7th- Fall Pictures

Since our students play sports through multiple athletic associations we have decided to create a ONE-STOP-DOC that contains information for families to explore.

Email: rees_mail@ccpsnet.net
Website: https://mychesterfieldschools.com/rees/
Location: 10141 Reams Road, Richmond, VA, USA
Phone: (804) 674-1370
Facebook: facebook.com/ReamsRoadElementaryPTA
Instagram: reamselementary