Richmond Elementary E-News

Thank you for taking the time to attend Curriculum Night! We greatly appreciate your involvement and commitment to your child's education. It was wonderful to connect with you and share our plans for the year!

Picture Day is coming up on 09/26/2025! Order before Picture Day to receive free shipping to the school. Order online at https://inter-state.com/FlyerEntry/0104WCF.

This event's Order Code is 0104WCF.

Richmond Elementary has joined over 32 million children and adults around the globe in over 190 countries to celebrate International Dot Day – a grassroots “creativity and courage” movement, started in 2009 by a teacher in Iowa.

Inspired by New York Times best-selling author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds’ classic storybook for all ages The Dot, International Dot Day inspires young and old to embrace the power of personal creativity to help make their mark on the world, and move it to a better place.

The LRC is planning to celebrate Dot Day by reading “The Dot” on Sept. 15th live on YouTube at 11 a.m. There will also be an opportunity for classes to participate in an optional activity.

Letters went home to students that signed up for a club! Clubs start on Friday, September 19th. These are clubs start when students arrive at school in place of their Friday morning meeting. In the event a club is cancelled your child will just go to their classroom instead and we would notify them when they arrive at school.

The club deadline to sign-up has passed. There is limited availability in our clubs and if you are interested in joining past the deadline please reach out to Mrs. Simoncelli-Bulak at lisa.simoncelli-bulak@d303.org.

Click HERE for the letter regarding results.

Click HERE for directions on how to access your child's report on i-Ready. Please note the code changes year to year. It is in the letter, but is V3L16D.

We will take our SEL screener during the month of September. Please click HERE for a detailed letter on the survey.

On Friday, October 3rd, a Richmond teacher or staff member will be kicking in the annual Kick-A-Thon, which is raising money for the Hardy Strong and Big Hearts of Fox Valley. Beginning Monday, September 15, and ending Friday, September 26, Student Councils will be sponsoring a “Penny Drive,” to support this important cause.

Information for you:

• All classes will have a “penny jar” where your child may put his/her donated coins.

• The class which raises the most money (in each grade level), will win a treat for their class.

Thank you in advance for all of your help! If you have any questions, please see ask any of the Student Council Advisors:

Mrs. Ganshert, Mrs. Luebke or Mrs. Webster

The Parent/Guardian Resource Form is now open for the 2025-26 school year. Families can complete this form to request support, such as Big Hearts of Fox Valley holiday programming or Thanksgiving meals. The form will close on September 12th.

• English Form Link
• Spanish Form Link

El Formulario de Recursos para Padres/Tutores ya está disponible para el año escolar 2025-26. Las familias pueden llenar este formulario para solicitar apoyo como los programas navideños de Big Hearts of Fox Valley o comidas para el Día de Acción de Gracias. El formulario estará abierto hasta el 12 de septiembre.

• English Form Link
• Spanish Form Link

We are looking forward to celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at Richmond. We are going to kick off with wearing vibrant colors on Tuesday, September 16th to kick off. If you would like to participate, your child can wear bright, vibrant colors that day. We will also have guest readers come in and read stories to our classes to celebrate offering a parent engagement opportunity.

During the end of September and early October, we will invite guest readers into classrooms to read a book that pertains to Hispanic Heritage Month. For a list of possible books please click HERE. If you have another title you are interested in reading, please e-mail your book idea to our LRC director at kristine.mutchler@d303.org to see if it can be added to our list.

To sign up we will use Sign Up Genius. Please note, you do need to create a FREE account if you do not have one in order to sign up. To sign up for a slot, please click HERE. Please fill out the book you are reading in the comment section.

At Richmond, we love celebrating students for making positive choices! Our school-wide system recognizes both classes and individual students when they follow our "Tiger Tools For Success" expectations of being respectful, responsible, and problem solvers.

• Whole Class Recognition: Classes earn Tiger Paws for positive behavior as a group. When a class reaches 10 Tiger Paws, they receive a Tiger Head and enjoy a class celebration. After earning 5 Tiger Heads, the class earns a Golden Tiger Head and a special reward.

• Individual Recognition: Students can also be recognized individually with Tiger Bucks. Tiger Bucks can be saved and spent on fun items and experiences with Richmond teachers and staff. Students also have the chance to participate in monthly raffles, thanks to the generous support of our Richmond PTO.

We’re proud of our students’ hard work and can’t wait to see all the celebrations and rewards they earn this year! The Tiger Menu is included below so you can see some of the exciting items and experiences available.

On 9/23 we will conduct our bus evacuation drill when the students' bus arrives at school.

On September 16, 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.