Rose Tree Elementary Weekly Update

Dear Rose Tree Families,

I hope you're enjoying a wonderful summer and finding time to relax, make memories, and soak up these last few weeks before the school year begins. While there is still plenty of summer left to enjoy, we wanted to share some important information to help your family prepare for a smooth start to the 2026-2027 school year.

On behalf of the faculty and staff, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our new families joining the Rose Tree Elementary community. We are also excited to welcome back our returning families for another wonderful year together.

We are confident that your children's time at Rose Tree Elementary will be a rich and rewarding experience. Your partnership at home and your involvement in our school community play an important role in each child's success. We encourage families to stay engaged in their child's academic journey and participate in the many school activities and events offered throughout the year.

I am excited to welcome our students back and look forward to a year filled with learning, growth, and memorable experiences. Together, we will continue to foster a supportive and engaging environment where every child can thrive.

Please take a few minutes to carefully review each section of this newsletter. It contains important information, key dates, and helpful links to help your family prepare for a smooth and successful start to the school year.

Enjoy the rest of your summer, and we look forward to welcoming all of our Huskies back to Rose Tree Elementary soon!

Eric Bucci
Principal
Rose Tree Elementary School

Please expect to receive an email from your child's new homeroom teacher once the teachers return to work on the afternoon of August 19. The teachers will introduce themselves by way of this email and also share important information relating to the start of the school year.

While our students have been enjoying their summer break, there's been plenty of activity at Rose Tree Elementary! Our dedicated maintenance and custodial teams have been hard at work making improvements both inside and outside the building to ensure we're ready to welcome everyone back.

This summer, new sidewalks were installed near our front bus loading area, providing a safer and more accessible space for student arrival and dismissal. We also replaced our outdoor storage shed, creating a better home for our physical education equipment and helping us keep our playground and outdoor learning spaces organized and ready for fun. Inside the building, new tile flooring was installed in parts of our hallways, giving our school a fresh new look and creating an even more welcoming environment for students, staff, and visitors.

These are just a few of the many projects taking place throughout the summer. We're grateful to everyone working behind the scenes, especially our maintenance and custodial teams, for their hard work and dedication in making Rose Tree Elementary an even better place to learn, play, and grow. We can't wait to welcome our students and families back soon!

School hours for the 2025-2026 school year are as follows:

Grades 1-5

Student Arrival: 8:40 - 8:50 AM (Note: School Day starts at 8:50 AM)

Student Dismissal: 3:30 PM

AM Kindergarten

Student Arrival: 8:40 - 8:50 AM (Note: School Day starts at 8:50 AM)

Student Dismissal: 11:25 AM

PM Kindergarten

Student arrival: 12:55 PM (Note: School Day starts at 12:55 PM)

Student Dismissal: 3:30 PM

School supply lists for the new school year, as well as the link to School Tool Box, can be found on the Rose Tree Elementary website and can be accessed using the following LINK.

The deadline has passed for supplies to be shipped directly to school but there is still time to get your order in and have it shipped to your home.

Enjoy an easy way to get that Back-to-School shopping done and get a box of supplies pre-selected by our teachers ready to go for the first day of school.

Please use this link if you are interested in purchasing a School Supply Kit.

Tuesday, August 25
9:30–10:30 a.m.
Penncrest High School Auditorium (134 Barren Road)

This special event is designed to help first-time bus riders feel comfortable and confident before the first day of school. Bonnie Kinsler, Supervisor of Transportation, will share helpful information about riding the bus, followed by a bus ride to Rose Tree Elementary so students can experience the trip ahead of time.

To help us plan for the morning, please using this link: FIRST TIME BUS RIDER RSVP

It should be known that the district has purchased software called MyRideK12 that the parents can download the app and then they can see where the bus is along its route.

Happy Summer! Here are a few reminders from Mrs. Hefferan, our school nurse:

To our rising 3rd grade families: The Pennsylvania School Health Regulations require that all 3rd grade students receive a dental examination. Thank you to all the families who have already returned their child’s dental examination form. If your rising 3rd grade student is going to the dentist over the summer months, please ask the dentist to complete this Family Dental Report. Examinations must have been performed after September 1, 2025 and can be sent to Mrs. Hefferan via US mail or email (bhefferan@rtmsd.org) by Friday, September 11, 2026.

If your child has any prescribed emergency medication (Epinephrine, Albuterol inhaler, seizure medication), please ask your child’s primary care provider to complete the blank action plan that went home from school on the last day with your child’s emergency medication. The completed paperwork and medication can be brought into school during open house on August 27th or during the first week of school.

Contact Mrs. Hefferan (610)627-7228 with any questions.

Have a safe and fun summer with your children!

Sincerely,

Bridget Hefferan

Students are encouraged to complete the summer reading and math packets that were sent home at the end of the school year. Below are electronic versions.

• Entering Grade 1
• Entering Grade 2

• Entering Grade 3

• Entering Grade 4
• Entering Grade 5
• Entering Grade 6

School Meals Information – 2026–2027

• Breakfast: Free for all elementary students (begins Monday, August 31, 2026)

• Lunch: $3.55 per meal

• Free/Reduced Meals: Families may apply online through the district website. Students receiving Direct Certification do not need to apply.

• Menus: Available on the district homepage under the Meals tab

• Meal Accounts: Funds can be added through MySchoolBucks.com, or by sending cash/checks to school (change is added back to the student’s account).

For complete details, please see the attached letter from Food Service Supervisor Jenni Lee.

> Thursday, August 27 - Open House/New Family Orientation

A variety of events will be taking place on Thursday, August 27. Please see the more detailed schedule for the day in the information above.

> Monday, August 31st - First Day of School for Students

Just a reminder that the school day starts at 8:50 AM for AM K and students in grades 1-5, and at 12:55 PM for PM K.

> Friday, September 4th- 7th Buildings Closed Holiday

> Wednesday, September 9 - Welcome Back Social (5:00 - 7:00 PM)

Join us for a Welcome Back Social from 5:00 - 7:00 PM on the playground on Wednesday, September 9! More details to follow!

> Wednesday, September 16 - Back to School Night (6:00 - 7:30 PM)

Back to School Night is an opportunity to become more familiar with the expectations that we have for our students, as well as the curriculum being taught in the school. We look forward to welcoming parents and guardians to this event. More details to follow!

> Thursday, September 24th All School Picture Day

Details will be shared in the weeks ahead.

> Monday, October 5 - Oasis Family Fun Center

The PTG has organized a fun, family-friendly event At the Oasis Family Fun Center in Glen Mills on October 7. Details will be shared in the weeks ahead.

> Friday, October 23 - Grandparents and Special Friends Day

We are so looking forward to welcoming Grandparents and Special Friends to Rose Tree Elementary on Friday, October 23. A schedule for the day will be shared nearer to the event.

KINDERGARTEN DASH:

All Kindergarten students are invited to join us for our annual "KINDERGARTEN DASH". Sponsored by the Penncrest Athletic Boosters, this is our way to welcome our Future Penncrest Lions to the RTMSD... they will be the Class of 2039!

Kindergarten participants will line up together and run the length of the turf field together before our 7 pm home football game on Thursday September 3rd vs. Strath Haven! All Kindergarten participants will receive a "Future LION" t-shirt they can wear for the event.

Kindergarten families should arrive at 6:15 pm and meet on the track at 6:30 pm (near the scoreboard end of the field). The dash will be held at 6:40 pm. Students will be asked to quickly leave the field after the run, to allow the football team time to warm up. This is NOT a drop-off event. We ask only one parent/guardian on the field with your kindergarten student (no siblings).

Football game admission is $5/adult (ages 12 and older). Cash only -- please try to have exact change. Note: Referred to as the "Media Bowl", this game typically draws a large crowd so please plan to arrive early as parking may be limited. (Due to the holiday weekend, there will be NO SCHOOL on Friday September 4th.)

We are also looking for volunteers for the event: Kindergarten Dash Volunteers 2026.

For any questions, please contact penncrestathleticboosters@gmail.com.

Please consider signing up and/or updating your student's information!

The Rose Tree Elementary PTG is pleased to continue providing Membership Toolkit as our school's family directory. Membership Toolkit is the PTG's tool for our family and faculty directories, online store, volunteer signups and email communications, including emails from your child's homeroom parents. It's secure, easy to use, and free to families of Rose Tree Elementary.

Already signed up for MTK in past years? Your child has already been graduated to this year's grade level - please just log in and update your child's teacher in the database.

New to the school? Register at rosetreeptg.membershiptoolkit.com and create a new account

Once we've had a chance to verify your family information, you'll receive permission to view the online directory.

Questions? Contact our system administrator at rtesptg@gmail.com

Install the Free app! After you get your login information, download the app by searching for Membership Toolkit in the iTunes App Store or Google Play. The app allows you to access our directory, manage your family information, purchase in our store and signup for volunteer activities all from your phone!

Homeroom Room Volunteers - Once classroom assignments are known, (August 19) please reach out to Rtesptgsec@gmail.com if you would like to be considered for a Homeroom Parent. Clearances must be up to date. Please see the information below. Remember clearances can take several weeks to complete.

Just a reminder that all school volunteers must submit the following clearances:

• PA Criminal Background Clearance
• PDE FBI Clearance
• Child Abuse Clearance

Information about obtaining these clearances can be obtained by accessing the following link: https://www.rtmsd.org/Page/39

Please contact the main office at Rose Tree Elementary with any questions.

Email: ebucci@rtmsd.org
Website: https://www.rtmsd.org/6/home
Location: 1101 First Avenue, Media, PA, USA
Phone: (610) 627-7200