Richmond Elementary E-News

As you may know, D303 leadership has been planning over the past year, upon the approval of the D303 School Board, to build an addition and make other improvements at Richmond. We’re excited now to share with you the details of the upcoming project.

Here is an overview of what’s included in the improvements:

• 2 new classrooms on the north side of the building, including adjacent interior renovations;

• Additional auxiliary spaces;

• Gym flooring replacement;

• Partial roof replacement;

• Exterior asphalt and sidewalk improvements; and

• Fire sprinkler system expansion for the new addition, with additional scope added to complete sprinkler coverage throughout the building

The addition will expand and modernize the school to improve learning and enrichment facilities for our staff and students. Also, the addition provides greater flexibility to respond to enrollment fluctuations without disrupting instructional quality or overextending existing spaces. The added auxiliary space allows students to be served more flexibly, supporting small-group instruction and responsive services as needs change. Together, the addition helps ensure the building can adapt to shifting enrollment while maintaining quality learning environments for all students.

Work on the project will begin in late February. In order to ensure safety during the work, there will be parts of the campus that are closed off for construction. This will not affect any of our regular afternoon dismissal procedures, and we will work closely with the contractor to ensure there is minimal disruption to the school day.

Here is an overview of the project’s phases and how the campus will be affected (and aerial images are attached to this email):

• Phase 1 (anticipated to run from February to June): The parking lot on the north side of the campus along Indiana Street will be closed off;

• Phase 2 (anticipated to run from June to August): The north side parking lot will remain closed off, with an additional area on the northeast corner of the campus also closed; and a small area on the west side of the building will be closed off.

We expect all of the work on the addition and improvements to be completed by the start of the 2026-27 school year.

If you have any questions about the project, please feel free to email us at communications@d303.org or call 331-228-5000.

Thank you for being a part of the Richmond Elementary School community. We look forward to celebrating the new and improved Richmond School with you in August!

Sincerely,

Lisa Simoncelli-Bulak

Richmond Principal

There will be no school on Monday, January 19th for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Thursday, January 22nd we will run a Monday specials schedule.

During the month of February, we will be inviting guest readers into classrooms to share a book related to Black History Month. A list of recommended books is available; please click HERE for more information. If you have a different title in mind, feel free to email your suggestion to our LRC Director, Kristine Mutchler at kristine.mutchler@d303.org.

To sign up, we are using Sign Up Genius. Please note that you will need to create a FREE account if you do not already have one. To sign up for a reading slot, click HERE. You will be prompted to provide the name of the book you plan to read.

Thank you for volunteering to share your time and inspire our Richmond learners!

St. Charles East will host a FREE soccer clinic at Richmond. K-2 will be on February 2nd from 3:30-4:30 p.m. 3-5 will be held on February 5th from 3:30-4:30 p.m. There will be NO after school transportation. Each clinic is limited to 40 participants. Please use THIS google form to register.

Hi! We have some important news about your child’s health!

Our school has arranged for a dental team to come right to the school.

They do a cleaning, dental screening, fluoride and sealants. If you have insurance, please fill out the information and we will have the dentist run it through insurance. There is no charge if you have Medicaid/AllKids but they do need your child’s recipient ID number.

By seeing the in-school dentist, you can keep your child healthy, in school, and learning.

Plus, it’s easy and convenient for you.

Simply go to www.myschooldentist.com or fill out and sign the permission form coming home this week in your student’s backpack and return it to the school with your child.

Please return the completed and signed form by Jan 6, 2026.

Valentine’s parties at Davis/Richmond will be Friday, February 13, 2026.

• Classroom parties will run from 2:30-3:15 p.m.

• Room Parents arrive and begin party preparation at 2:15 pm

• Work with the classroom teacher on activities/games for the party.

• No food treats will be eaten during the party

• Please do not send any food treats with your child to pass out

• Work with the teacher on any non-edible goody bags to be sent home. Please no candy, gum or other edible items.

• Room parents for holiday parties are signed up through the PTO.

Complete the D303 volunteer form if you have not already. Contact Darlene Buffano at darlene.buffano@d303.org or call at (331) 228-2800 if you have questions about procedures.

A detailed letter regarding the IAR assessment can be found HERE. Richmond testing dates are March 17, and 18th (ELA) and April 7th, 8th and 9th (Math). We wanted to notify families in advance. If you can avoid scheduling appointments during the school day to not interrupt testing - we would appreciate it. We will be testing in the mornings on the dates above.

This awesome dance party is a public event and will take place in the small gymnasium at St. Charles North High School. The Project Dance proceeds support organizations within our district and our community that involve individuals with Special Needs. We provide a safe and comfortable environment where anyone and everyone is invited, no special attire is needed!