Test August 2025 Newsletter

Even though it's still 2025, for kids, parents, and educators, it's a new year! New classmates, new routines, and for many of you, a new school! We have a great staff, and we feel lucky to be part of your student's education. 5th and 6th grade is the ending of elementary and the beginning of middle school. Kids grow and change a lot in these years, developing more independence and negotiating changing friendships. They explore new activities and interests, and outgrow their shoes every time you turn around. (Maybe that's just my kids?) We hope that the experiences they have at Test give them a solid foundation for entering their teen years.

Parents can be involved with the school in several ways. Read on for specifics about apps for parents, upcoming meetings, and our Parent Teacher Organization. We are here to support your child. Please contact teachers or the office with any questions or concerns you may have during the year.

Sincerely, Laura Ricca Brazil, Principal, lbrazil@rcs.k12.in.us

Please remind your student(s) to bring their lanyards and student IDs on the first day of school. These are essential for school safety, breakfast and lunch, school library, and bus transportation. IDs will also help with the My Ride K-12 app! (If you don't have one - you're new or last year's got lost - please be patient with us while we get one to you.)

• All students will enter Door #21 in the morning.
• Car riders or walkers should use the cross walk at Door 1 to cross the bus lane.
• Please do not drop students off on S. A Street going east or on S. 22nd street going south - this forces kids to cross the street without a cross walk and is not safe!
• There is a bike rack in the front of the school in the grass to the left (north) of door 1.

Please check out our Student Bulletin! It's a great resource to find answers to all your questions!

This is the primary form of communication for Richmond Community Schools that allows our district, school administrators, and teachers to more effectively communicate and engage with our families and students.

You can download the app from the Apple store here

Or from the Google store here

PowerSchool houses student attendance and grade records. With your powerschool parent account, you can check your child’s grades in each of their classes, as well as their absences and tardies. You have the option to set daily or weekly email updates if you want them.

You can download the app from the Apple store here

Or from the Google store here

Canvas is the Learning Management System (LMS) that teachers use as a tool to enhance your child’s learning and to provide continual access to classroom tools. It is the online space for classes, with links, assignments, and online quizzes/tests.

You can download the app from the Apple store here

Or from the Google store here

Bus Rider Families:

You're in the loop with direct communication channels and instant notifications. Receive updates on delays, route changes, and arrival times in real-time. Our easy-to-use platform ensures you're never left guessing. Bridge the gap between home and school effortlessly.

You can download the app from the Apple store here

Or from the Google store here

August 5 - Back to School Night, 4-6 pm

August 6 - First day of School!

August 11-15 - Safety Week at Test (Includes Armed Intruder Drill on Aug 14)

August 11-22 - IReady Beginning of Year Testing (Reading and Math)

August 18 - Title I Annual Parent Meeting, 5 pm (Gym lobby, Door 17)

September 1 - Labor Day - NO SCHOOL

September 2-5 - Homecoming Week

September 3 - Homecoming Parade, 6 pm

September 17 - End of first 6 weeks grading period

Entering 6th grade means additional immunizations for many students. Students should be up to date by early October. Please reach out to our school nurse, Darcelle Bullock, if you have questions. You can reach her at dbullock@rcs.k12.in.us

"Liaison" is a fancy word that means "connector." (Say it lee-A-zahn-- it comes from French and means "to tie or bind together.") Our RCS Family Liaisons make sure that kids and families are connected to what they need for school success. Ms. Toni Johnson works at Test to make sure all kids have school supplies and extra help. She knows where to find extra clothes, hygiene items, and snacks. She can also connect families to resources for food or other social services. She works to make sure every kid has what they need to learn at school. She can be reached at tjohnson2@rcs.k12.in.us

Some students are already connected to counselors through Centerstone and Meridian. We have Centerstone services in the school building every day for existing Centerstone clients, and Meridian counselors frequently stop by to check on their caseloads. If you believe your student needs mental health support, we are happy to help with a referral to one of these agencies. Please contact Ms. DeDe Wright, our Test School Counselor, who can assist with this. Email pwrightdeloney@rcs.k12.in.us or call 765-973-3412.

Being present at school is super important for kids! But sometimes they have to miss. When that happens, please make sure you report your child's absence to the school office (765-973-3412) OR by responding to a ParentSquare message that your student was marked absent.

Mr. Stolle tracks our attendance and will communicate with families about student absences. Please help him out and report your child's absence! His email is jstolle@rcs.k12.in.us.

Menus will be posted on the RCS Website.

Even though all students will receive free breakfast, lunch, and textbooks this year thanks to a grant, we still need your help! Please take a few minutes to complete the Free/Reduced Lunch and Textbook Assistance application. Your submission helps our school better understand the needs of our community and can impact future funding and resources.

[Click here to complete the application)

Our Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) plays a big role in supporting our students, staff, and school events and we’d love for you to be a part of it! Whether you have a little time or a lot, your involvement makes a difference. Stay connected, share your ideas, and help create an amazing school year together! Scan the QR code to join the PTO group.

All students that plan to participate in RCS athletics must have a completed sports physical. The IHSAA physical form is available here. Lots of places will do them - the Reid urgent care is one location that is does them, no appointment necessary. The Meridian clinic at RHS can also help! Once you have the form, you can turn it in through Final Forms or the Athletic Office. Here' s the link for Final Forms.

Football has started practicing, with cross country and volleyball about to start. Our school office stays up to date with with practice and game schedules, so you can call our front desk if you have general schedule questions. Coaches can be contacted via email:

Football: Coach Alex Painter alexanderpainter1987@gmail.com

Cross Country: Coach Brad Pitcher bradp@rcs.k12.in.us

Volleyball: Coach Taylor Kelley tkelley@rcs.k12.in.us

Checking the Athletics Website is the best way to keep up with our teams. Please come support our students and be part of the fun!

All students at Test are assigned a Chromebook computer. They use this in different classes to access materials, complete online simulations, work on MyPath lessons, and more. The Chromebooks are kept on a cart in their homeroom and returned to the cart at the end of each school day.

Even though the computers are kept at school, damage can occur. It's a good idea to consider insurance for repairs. RCS has a partner, Secure Tech Solutions, that provides this for $24.95 for the whole school year. This covers most kinds of accidental damage, but does not cover intentional damage. Insurance must be purchased by September 8, 2025. Questions should be directed to the RCS Department of Technology at 765-973-4918.

Most of the money that funds Richmond Community Schools comes from the Indiana State Government. Local property taxes also contribute. Any money we get from the Federal Government comes through grants that supports specific goals. For example, federal money supports breakfast and lunch programs, so kids have access to food. Other programs specifically support technology (Title IV), special education (IDEA), and career education (Perkins). Title I is federal program that provides money to support academic success for students from low-income households.

Test Intermediate, like many RCS schools, receives Title I money. (Like lots of government programs, there are a lot of requirements we have to meet.) One Title I requirement is to make sure we are reaching out to parents and helping families be involved in their student's education. We would do this anyway, because it is such a good thing for kids when their adults and interested and involved in their school! So, throughout the year we will send home information about our academic programs, hold meetings where parents can give us feedback on our plans, and give suggestions about how parents can support kids learning.

• Aug. 5 - Back to School Night - 4-6 pm - Meet your child's teacher and get a Title I Compact
• Aug. 18 - Annual Parent Meeting - 5 pm - Learn about achievement, academic programs, and our school improvement plan.

“Test Intermediate School provides a caring, challenging environment where dedicated educators strive to prepare students academically, physically, socially, and emotionally to be productive members of society.”