Timber Talks

As we wrap up the first week of the second semester, we want to take a moment to express our sincere appreciation for our River Mill families, students, and staff. The partnership between home and school plays such an important role in student success, and we are grateful for the support, encouragement, and care you provide each day. Our students continue to show growth, perseverance, and kindness, and we are proud of the learning and positive community you help us build together.

We are excited to share that River Mill has two special events coming up next Wednesday, February 11th! We will begin the day with our Kinder and 5th grade Family Breakfast. Families are welcome to come to school with their student and join us for this fun opportunity to connect and start the day together.

Later that evening, our 4th and 5th grade students will be performing their music concerts. The 4th grade performance will begin at 5:00 PM (student drop-off at 4:50 PM), and the 5th grade performance will begin at 5:30 PM (student drop-off at 5:20 PM). We hope you are able to join us in celebrating our talented students!

As always, we appreciate your partnership in ensuring your child’s education is the best it can be. Your support at home makes a world of difference, and we are grateful to work alongside you in helping your child learn and grow!

Lindsey Fullenwider, Principal
Trevor Syring, Vice Principal
RMEOffice@estacada.k12.or.us

In order to help you all know what the week looks like, we will list it out clearly for you each week. REID days are for invited students and will change each month. Students are invited to REID days for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it's to extend or challenge a student, and other times it might be to provide extra help on a particular skill. On those days, our doors open at 7:50 and dismissal is at 10:00 am. If you have questions about this week's schedule, please let us know!

This Week:

• Feb. 9th: Regular School Day
• Feb. 10th: Regular School Day
• Feb. 11th: Kinder & 5th Grade Family Breakfast and 4th/5th Grade Music Concert
• Feb. 12th: Regular School Day
• Feb. 13th: NO STUDENTS FOR STUDENTS

Upcoming Events:

• Feb 16th: Holiday/No School
• Feb. 26th: Family Bingo Night (This is a cash only event -- see flyer below)

We have noticed an increase in toys and other personal items being brought to school over the past few weeks. To help us maintain a focused learning environment, we ask that families ensure these items are left at home.

Personal toys and items can be difficult to keep secure and may become a distraction during the school day. Leaving them at home helps students stay engaged in learning and prevents items from being lost or damaged.

Thank you for your support and partnership. We truly appreciate your help!

To foster a shared understanding of our school rules and how they are consistently enforced, we will be highlighting key aspects of our expectations, including how we try to first teach and support students in making positive behavior choices and how we approach discipline at River Mill. You can also find student behavior and discipline policies in our Parent/Student Handbook. If you have any questions or concerns about our school rules, student behavior, or discipline policies, please don’t hesitate to contact Lindsey Fullenwider or Trevor Syring. We value our partnership and collaboration with families and appreciate your support in creating a positive school environment!

Responses and Consequences

For each behavior, there are levels of responses/consequences. However, at any time, due to the severity of the behavior, any discipline step may be skipped. The administrator may adjust steps on this matrix on a case-by-case basis if it is deemed in the best interest of the child.

Fighting:

1. Three days loss of recess.*

2. Three days loss of recess and Expectations Class.**

3. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and two days Out-of-School Suspension.

4. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and three days Out-of-School Suspension.

Harassment, Bullying, Physical Aggression, or Threatening:

1. Three days loss of recess.

2. Expectations class and three days loss of recess.

3. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and one-two days Out-of-School Suspension.

4. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and two-three days Out-of-School Suspension.

Verbal Abuse, Swearing, or Inappropriate Communication or Affection:

1. Loss of two days recess.

2. Expectations class and three days loss of recess.

3. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and one-two days Out-of-School Suspension.

4. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and two-three days Out-of-School Suspension.

Theft or Forgery:

1. Two days loss of recess.

2. Expectations class and three days loss of recess.

3. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and one-two days Out-of-School Suspension.

4. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and two-three days Out-of-School Suspension.

Property Damage or Vandalism:

1. Two days loss of recess.

2. Expectations class and three days loss of recess.

3. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and one day Out-of-School Suspension.

4. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and two days Out-of-School Suspension.

Extreme Disrespect, Defiance, Classroom Disruption, or Inappropriate Location:

1. Two days loss of recess.

2. Expectations class and three days loss of recess.

3. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and one-two days Out-of-School Suspension.

4. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and two-three days Out-of-School Suspension.

*Loss of Recess – Student will be assigned to “Behavior Buddy Class” for all recesses for the assigned day.

**Suspension – There are two types of suspension: In-School and Out-of-School. Students assigned In-School suspension will come to school at the regular time and report to the school office to serve their suspension. Students serving In-School Suspension will receive all of their regular educational services. Students assigned Out-of-School Suspension will not be allowed on school premises for the duration of their suspension. For any Out-of-School Suspension, a re-entry meeting must occur before the student returns.

A safe, friendly learning environment is important to all students and employees at River Mill Elementary School. We appreciate your support and cooperation as we work toward achieving this goal.

Again, if you ever have any questions our concerns regarding student behaviors and or our discipline policies, please do not hesitate to contact us!

During morning drop-off, we’ve noticed several cars letting students out before reaching the crosswalk area. Please remember that students should only exit their cars when your vehicle is stopped either just in front of or just behind the crosswalk. These areas are clearly marked with a line indicating where to stop.

This procedure ensures that our staff stationed at the crosswalk can see all students and help them cross safely. When students exit cars a few vehicles back, it becomes difficult for staff to see them while directing traffic, which creates a potential safety risk.

Thank you for your attention to this and for helping us keep all of our students safe during arrival each morning!

On Fridays, we have REID Days! During this time (8:00–10:00 am), teachers invite students for small group intervention and extension instruction.

This is a unique opportunity for students to:

• Receive extra support in a small group if they are not yet meeting proficiency.
• Be challenged with enrichment activities if they are already working above proficiency.

These two hours of focused, small-group instruction make a big difference in helping students grow and reach grade-level standards.

Please help support your child’s learning by ensuring they attend when invited. It’s an important advantage that truly benefits their success!!!

We have already noticed a drop in student attendance, and we want to take a moment to stress how important it is for students to be at school—on time—every day. Consistent attendance builds strong learning habits, helps students keep up with important instruction, and supports both their academic and social growth. Thank you for partnering with us to make sure your child is present and ready to learn each day!

Research shows that when students miss just one day of school each month, it can add up to weeks of lost learning over the course of a year, which makes a significant impact. Regular attendance is one of the strongest predictors of student achievement, as it ensures children don’t miss key lessons, group activities, and opportunities to practice new skills with their peers.

We know mornings can be busy, and sometimes life throws curveballs, but your efforts to get your child to school on time each day make a big difference. Thank you for partnering with us to build strong routines and support your child’s success—we are here to help every step of the way!

To ensure the safety of all our students, we ask that all families use the PickUp Patrol app to inform us of their child's daily transportation plans. Please make sure you have set up your child's plans for the first day of school and for the rest of the school year. This is an essential step for the first day of school. You can update these plans at any time! Registration emails were sent earlier this week.

If you need any help or support, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're here and happy to assist!

At River Mill Elementary, we are committed to ensuring every child has the opportunity to succeed. Through our Title I program, we work together with teachers, parents, and students to provide the support and resources needed to help every student thrive in reading and beyond. We recognize the importance of forming a strong partnership with families and community members in order to positively impact the students in our school. We value input from parents, guardians, and community members in decision making. Please review the attached document to view our process for engaging families as partners in the educational process.

Great news! This year, ALL students will receive free breakfast and lunch — and that includes meals on REID days too!

Link to the Nutrition Services Webpage

Since 2000, Todos Juntos has been a leading non-profit in Clackamas County, bringing the capacity and expertise needed to improve outcomes for rural communities. They have developed after-school programs that provide leadership development and pro-social opportunities for historically underserved populations, and have expanded their reach to offer community-based, comprehensive, and integrated programs in four Clackamas County communities.

Todos Juntos is proud to make a positive difference in the lives of many families — and we are proud to partner with them here at River Mill!

Please take a moment to check out their Early Learning Newsletter — it’s filled with helpful information and great resources for families! Just click the green link below to view it.

Oregon law (ORS 329.479) permits parents/guardians and adult students* to annually opt out of Oregon’s statewide summative tests in English Language Arts (ELA) and/or Mathematics by submitting this form to the school the student attends. The school shall provide any student who is excused from a statewide ELA or mathematics test with supervised study time while other students are testing. To opt-out of OSAS statewide summative tests in English Language Arts (ELA) and/or Mathematics, please complete the form, provided in the button below. This form must be completed by the parent/guardian.

Visit Oregon’s Starting Smarter webpage (https://or.startingsmarter.org) to learn more about what your child should know and be able to do in English Language Arts and Math, to view sample test questions, and to read more about your child’s test results. Contact your child’s teacher or school principal with questions.