Richmond Elementary E-News
September 3, 2026
Curriculum Night
Thank you for making curriculum night such a success! Thank you to our students for being leaders and showing your families your goals and places around Richmond!
Attendance Matters!
Your family's Attendance Magnet was sent home. Use it to help your family keep track of attendance throughout the school year. Days can add up quickly - this is a handy tool to help keep track.
Every day at school counts! Regular attendance helps students stay connected to learning, keep up with their classmates, and build the skills they need to reach their goals. Thank you for partnering with us to make being at school every day a priority!
RICHMOND CLUBS
The Much-Anticipated Richmond Friday Club Catalog is here! Richmond Club members are role models who help make Richmond a positive place to learn and grow. Students may participate in one Friday Club. Clubs meet at the same time each Friday morning. Participation is completely optional. Students who do not participate will go directly to their classrooms on Friday mornings.
Friday Clubs do not affect participation in Student Council, Richmond Tiger Pals, Precision Fitness, or Chess Club, which meet at different times.
To sign-up for a club, you can click on the QR code to take you to the google form OR scan the QR code below. Paper copies were also sent home today. Registration closes on September 11th. If you have any questions about a club please reach out to Lisa Simoncelli-Bulak at lisa.simoncelli-bulak@d303.org
Richmond Lockdown Drill
On Tuesday, September 15, Richmond Elementary will conduct our state-required annual Lockdown Drill with law enforcement personnel present. During this time, students will review and practice the classroom procedures. Parents/guardians may opt their child out of physical participation in this drill each year by emailing Lisa Simoncelli-Bulak at lisa.simoncelli-bulak@d303.org and Darlene Buffano at darlene.buffano@d303.org at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled date. Students who are opted out will receive an alternative school safety learning experience with a certified staff member.
Fire Drills
We will have our first fire drill on August 25th and a fire drill with the St. Charles Fire Department on September 9th.
Other Safety Drills
We will also have a bus evacuation drill on September 3rd
We will also have a shelter in place drill on September 11th
We will have another fire drill in the spring.
Stay Connected with the LRC! 🌟
Big news from the Richmond Library! We’re kicking off a quarterly newsletter to share library updates, literary events, and great family reading resources throughout the school year. We can’t wait to share what our students are discovering! You can read the first newsletter right here: LRC Quarterly Family Newsletter.
Alternate Schedule Plan
To support instructional consistency, equitable services, and balanced student experience across the week, D303 is implementing a few targeted schedule shifts at the elementary level in the 2026-2027 school year. When a day off (such as a Monday holiday) disrupts the regular rotation, we will 'run' that missed day’s schedule on another day of the week. This helps ensure that no particular day is over- or under-represented.
Adjustments
● No school on Monday, Sept 7 → We run a Monday schedule on Thursday, Sept 10
● No school on Monday, Jan 18 → We run a Monday schedule on Wednesday, Jan 20
● No school on Tuesday, Jan 19 → We run a Tuesday schedule on Thursday, Jan 21
PTO News
📱 First Up: Register for Richmond PTO Membership Toolkit!
We are excited to introduce our new Richmond PTO Membership Toolkit website and app!
https://richmondpto.membershiptoolkit.com/
Membership Toolkit will serve as a central hub for all things PTO. You’ll be able to find information about who we are, upcoming events, fundraisers, volunteer opportunities, and other important PTO happenings—all in one convenient place!
Families who choose to opt in can also use Membership Toolkit as a student directory, making it easier to connect with other families and see which students are in your child’s classroom.
BONUS: Every student registered with Membership Toolkit by September 1st will be entered into a raffle to win a $50 gift card!
🤝 Want to Get Involved? Join a PTO Committee!
Our 2026–2027 PTO Committee Sign-Up is now open!
We know that being involved with PTO can feel like a big commitment, so we've designed our events and fundraisers around individual committees. This allows families to choose opportunities that fit their schedules and interests without feeling like they have to take on everything.
But here's the thing: we need YOUR help!
In order to continue hosting the events, activities, and fundraisers that make Richmond such a special community, we need families willing to pitch in and help make them happen.
Whether you can help with one event or several, every helping hand makes a difference.
And remember, if you sign up for a committee by September 1st, you'll also be entered into a raffle to win a gift card or a piece of Richmond spirit wear!
Community
The St. Charles Community Unit School District 303 Board of Education voted on August 10, 2026, to place a ballot initiative on the November 3 ballot asking the community whether the District should issue bonds to fund maintenance needs and educational facility improvements. Read the full press release here.
La Junta Educativa del Distrito Escolar de la Unidad Comunitaria 303 de St. Charles votĂł el 10 de agosto de 2026 a favor de incluir una iniciativa en la papeleta electoral del 3 de noviembre en la que se pregunta a la comunidad si el distrito deberĂa emitir bonos para financiar las necesidades de mantenimiento y las mejoras de las instalaciones educativas. Lee aquĂ el comunicado de prensa completo.
