Blue Ridge Family Newsletter

Thank you to everyone who has already completed your student's registration for this year! Fast Passes were mailed out last Friday, so you should hopefully be receiving them by today. Bring your Fast Pass with you to head directly to your class. If you don't receive it, we will do our best to get you your teacher information as quickly as possible in the gym when you arrive for Meet the Teacher night!

Just a few things to look for at Meet the Teacher Night:

Be sure to join our Blue Ridge Facebook page to get updates throughout the year!
We will be using the Seesaw app for family communication this year. Please look for the QR code to download the app and connect with your student's account!
Though we qualify for free lunch for all students in our building this year, we do need families to still complete the Free and Reduced Lunch application to help us maintain that qualification in future years.
We have been told that Bus Routes will not be available until Friday. However, please make sure to check that you are opted-in to ride a bus so we can get you on a route as soon as possible when they are posted.
Stop by the FTO table in the cafeteria for a popsicle!

We can't wait to see all of our returning students and welcome our new students on Thursday evening!

Please be sure to read over our Family Handbook below for some of our student and family practices and procedures so we are on the same page and set for a great school year!

Tuesday, August 19th – First Day of School for ALL students- Doors open at 8:00

Monday, September 1st – No School - Labor Day

Thursday, September 11th- Get the Scoop Night @ 4:30-6:00

Monday, September 22nd – No School – Teacher Work Day

Link to Stay Connected Links (same as QR code above)

BRE Apparel Online Order

Please join our Family Teacher Organization for their first meeting of the year on September 17. We will be discussing our events for the school year, and our goals for supporting our school staff and connecting with our families!

A District Message Regarding Missouri Senate Bill 68

August 2025

An important update is coming to CPS schools that will impact the day-to-day experience for all students and staff starting this year.

On August 19, 2025 in accordance with Missouri Senate Bill 68, CPS will not allow the use of Personal Electronic Devices, such as cell phones, at any school at any time during the instructional day.

What will that mean?

All changes are consistent with Senate Bill 68 .
The act defines an "electronic personal communications device" as a portable device that is used to initiate, receive, store, or view communication, information, images, or data electronically.
From the beginning of the day to the end of the day, phone and personal electronic devices must be on silent and put away from the beginning until the end of the school day, including, but not limited to, during instructional time, meal times, breaks, time between classes and study halls.
Exceptions are allowed during emergency situations or when authorized under federal law for health or special education purposes.

How does this differ from 2024-25 procedure?

Missouri Senate Bill 68 includes K-5 students who were not included in previous district procedure.
This year students are not allowed to use personal electronic devices during any part of the day. This is a change from last year when secondary students in some schools were allowed to use personal electronic devices during non-instructional time, such as passing time and during lunch.

We wanted to share this information before the start of the 2025-26 school year so that students, families, and staff are aware of the updates of our Personal Electronic Device procedures.

We also invite our CPS families to join us in our efforts to minimize the use of Personal Electronic Devices by supporting our teachers and having conversations about this with their students at home. Our top priority has always been providing impactful learning opportunities for our students. In CPS, we believe part of that process includes more consistent and strict monitoring of cell phone and mobile device use.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your building principal. Questions may also be shared by calling the Executive Director of Elementary Education, Dr. Ryan Day, or the Executive Director of Secondary Education, Mr. Josh Johnson, or at the CPS District Office: 573-214-3400.

We highly recommend students leave their phone at home. You are welcome to contact the school office to pass a message on to a student or briefly speak with the student. If a student brings a phone to school, it will need to be placed in a backpack/purse/bag on silent and hung where student belongings are kept. Students may not carry bags around with them during the school day, so the bags and any phones will be hanging in the classroom when the student may not be present. If a phone is visible, it will be taken by the staff member and submitted to the office for safekeeping. For the first offense, students will be able to pick up their phone from the office at the end of the day. For additional offenses, phones will be kept in the office until an adult can pick them up. Please remind your student about the importance of keeping their phone on silent and put away in their bag to help us all have a great year!

Entering the Building

Guests will need to press the buzzer outside the front door of the building to speak to a secretary and identify their reason for entering the building. The secretary will then buzz in the guest to allow them into the vestibule. Guests will then need to press another buzzer outside the office door for the secretary to again buzz them in. These two layers of screening allow us extra time to ensure the safety of our students.

Walking Students to Class in the First Week

Families can park on the street (please do not park in the circle drive) and walk their student to class for the first two days of the school year. After that, for the remaining two days of the week, families will need to scan in with their Driver's License or state ID using the Raptor system in the office and be sure to leave when the school day begins at 8:20. This process can be slow, so please be sure to arrive as close to 8:00 as possible and bring your ID.

Visiting During the School Day

After the first week of school, our building is closed to family members and guests from when students may enter at 8:00 and after dismissal at 3:35. To visit students during this time, outside of class parties or parent events, we welcome family members to join their student for lunch in the cafeteria. To do so, please be sure to bring a Driver's License or State ID to scan in, and wear the ID label you are given while in the cafeteria or hallways.

If your student will be absent for the day, please be sure to contact the school office at 573-214-3580. If your student misses for a medical appointment, please ask for an excuse note to submit to the office for documentation. Our goal is for students to be at school as often as possible, but at least 90% of the time. When student attendance falls below 90%, the data shows that average student performance drops by an average of 50%. We want to make sure we get to help your students grow and learn every day, so thank you for helping them get to school!

Attendance Coding

We as a district have made a change to how absences are coded. Please see the exercept below from the District Student Handbook:

All absences, including those approved in advance by parents and/or school officials, will be counted as days absent, unless the absence is for a school-sponsored activity. For reporting purposes, there is no difference between an excused and unexcused absence.

Absences will generally be coded as PN (Parent Notified), Truant, or Medical. Only Medical absences will show as excused; however, unexcused absences are not treated differently than excused absences for the purposes of reporting to the state. The Parent Portal will show absences as Excused or Unexcused, but there is no difference, and all absences are treated the same.

Our school day begins at 8:00am. We have many students that are dropped off well before this time. Our staff members are not required to report to their arrival locations for duty until 8:00. When you are dropping your students off prior to 8:00, please be aware there is no supervision.

Our school day ends at 3:20pm. Students will not be released until that time. If you are signing your student out before 3:20, please be aware that this time is counted towards their attendance percentage. We need to be notified of any dismissal changes for students by 3:00pm. Additionally, the office will be closed for pickups from 3:00-3:20, so you MUST call ahead if you are signing out your student during that time. This helps us ensure that all students get to their dismissal locations safely.

Drop Off Reminders:

Please stay in your vehicle!
Be sure to put your cell phone down and watch carefully.
Pull as far forward as possible to allow as many cars to enter the circle drive as possible. This will speed up the pick up/drop off process.
If your child is unable to buckle into their booster seat, please pull forward to the front of the circle drive, stop, and take care of it there. This will help the line continue to move.
The center lane is for exiting the circle drive only. Please do not drop your student off using the center lane of the circle drive.
We strongly encourage all families to have students load and unload their vehicles from the passenger’s side of the car. We do not want students walking into the road from your vehicle.
Stay in your vehicle. If you are not in your vehicle, please make sure you are parked along the street and not in the circle drive.

Pickup Reminders:

Students are dismissed beginning at 3:20pm.
You must display your BLUE PPU card. If you do not have a parent pickup card, you must show your state-issued ID in the office before your student can be called.
Guardians that are waiting under the canopy must wait on the blue/white horseshoes to be called.
Cars will proceed single file as they approach the canopy. Please stay in your vehicle! We will load your student into your car when you have reached one of the 6 loading areas marked by cones and signs. Please pull as far forward as possible!
Once your student is in your car, you may continue moving forward. Please try to make a right on Woodland Drive when you can for easy traffic flow.

Thank you for helping us make our dismissal as safe and efficient as possible!

Student Birthdays

Many of our families like to help their student celebrate their birthday by bringing a treat for the classroom. You are welcome to drop off treats in the office for the teacher to give our at the best time for the class. However, if you are wanting to go to the classroom to deliver the treats, you MUST PREARRANGE A TIME with the classroom teacher so they can let the office know you are coming and may be sent down. Guests will also need to bring their State ID to scan in to the building. We will not be able to call down to the class to ask if you can come down so as to not interrupt instruction.

Balloons, Flowers and Gifts

Any balloon, flower or gifts brought to school will need to stay in the office and may not be transported on the bus. We are happy to call a student up to see a delivery, but we encourage the items to be taken home to be enjoyed there. Students can also come pick up their items to take home at the end of the day if they do not ride a bus. If a student rides a bus, we will keep the items safe in the office until someone can come pick them up. Thank you for helping us keep our class time focused on learning, and for keeping gifts for students safe for them to enjoy.

Free Breakfast & Lunch for All Students This Year

As we return for the 2025-2026 school year, please know that Blue Ridge Elementary is now qualified for FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS. We still ask our families who may qualify to complete the Free & Reduced Lunch form to support this qualification in future years. Forms will be available at Meet the Teacher Night. Any funds that are in lunch accounts from past years can be used by students to purchase extras. If you would like to make changes to your account, you can reach out to our cafeteria manager, Ashley Guerrero. As always, please reach out with any questions!