Richmond Elementary E-News
August 21, 2026
Tiger Bucks and Tiger Paws are the currency of Richmond Elementary! 🐯💰
Students can earn Tiger Bucks and Tiger Paws when they demonstrate our Richmond expectations: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be a Problem Solver.
We love when our school expectations extend beyond the classroom! Check out the flyers below—or click the button to learn more about Tiger Bucks and Tiger Paws and how families can partner with us at home to reinforce these positive behaviors.
Curriculum Night
We will send all the details in next week's communication - but we are tweaking our format for curriculum night. Traditionally, curriculum night was parents only - but we would like our students to be there, therefore families are welcome to attend. The time will still be 5:30pm-7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1st. A detailed agenda will be sent in next week's e-news!
i-Ready results
We just finished up i-Ready testing for grades 2-5. To view your child's results, please view this letter HERE.
Explore Our New LRC Website for Families! 📚✨
We are thrilled to launch our brand-new Richmond LRC Family Website! Designed as a digital hub for our school community, this page makes it easy to stay connected with everything happening in our library.
By visiting our site, families can:
Explore Digital Resources: Access e-books and digital tools for home learning.
Stay Updated: See our current library programming, read-aloud highlights, and special LRC events.
Discover Reading Recommendations: Find curated book lists for every reading level to keep your students inspired.
Check out the site with your reader today: Richmond LRC Family Webpage!
5th Grade Choir!
Dear Families of Davis and Richmond 5th Grade Students,
I am thrilled to announce that this year D303 is again offering a 5th Grade Choir Program for all Elementary Schools! This program will run in a similar fashion as the current Elementary Band and Orchestra programs with a weekly before school rehearsal, but will not conflict with current band and orchestra rehearsals. The choir program will run from early October through May, with our first rehearsal being Friday, October 2!
Choir will meet on Friday mornings at Richmond Elementary School from 8:10-8:50 a.m. Families are responsible for dropping their choir students off at Richmond between 8:00-8:10 a.m. Davis students will take a bus to Davis at the end of choir rehearsal and will arrive at school for the beginning of the school day.
There is an ensemble fee for choir. The fee is $20 for the school year and will be billed to you through PushCoin once registration closes. Students will also be asked to purchase a choir t-shirt which is required for choir performances.
There will be two performance dates: one on Monday, May 3, 2027, featuring just the fifth grade choirs from across the district, and one on Tuesday, January 26, 2027, at East High School. The January concert is called Vertical Voices and we will be singing with other St. Charles choirs. It is a great opportunity for our fifth grade choir members to see and hear what they do in middle and high school!
If you would like to register your student for 5th Grade Choir, please CLICK HERE.
https://forms.gle/WAvegfz5FLsAmBGK6
Registration will be open through 9/30.
If you have questions, please do not hesitate to email me!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Andrea Therrien, Davis/Richmond Choir Director
Coro de 5o Grado!
Queridas familias de estudiantes de 5.º grado de Davis y Richmond:
¡Nos alegra compartir con ustedes que este año el Distrito 303 ofrecerá nuevamente el programa de coro para estudiantes de 5.º grado en todas las escuelas primarias! Funciona de forma similar al programa de Banda y Orquesta, teniendo ensayos semanales antes del inicio de clases, y no interfiere con estos programas. El programa de coro se llevará a cabo desde octubre hasta mayo, nuestro primer ensayo será el viernes 2 de octubre!
Los ensayos del coro serán los viernes por la mañana en la Escuela Richmond de 8:10 a 8:50 a.m. Las familias deberán dejar a sus hijos en Richmond entre 8:00 y 8:10 a.m. A los estudiantes de Davis los llevará un autobús hacia su escuela después de terminar los ensayos, asegurándonos de que llegarán a tiempo para el inicio de la jornada escolar.
El programa de coro tiene una cuota de inscripción de $20 por año escolar, la cual será cargada a su cuenta de PushCoin una vez que cierre el periodo de inscripción. También se pedirá a los estudiantes que compren una playera del coro, la cual es obligatoria para las presentaciones.
Tendremos dos fechas de presentación: Una el martes 26 de enero de 2027 en East High School, en el concierto llamado “Vertical Voices”, donde cantaremos junto a otros coros de St. Charles. Esta es una excelente oportunidad para que nuestros estudiantes de 5.º grado vean y escuchen lo que se hace en coro durante la secundaria. Después, el lunes 3 de mayo de 2027, en una presentación con los coros de 5.º grado de todo el distrito.
Si desea inscribir a su estudiante en el Coro de 5.º grado, por favor haga CLIC AQUÍ.
https://forms.gle/WAvegfz5FLsAmBGK6
La inscripción estará abierta hasta el 30 de septiembre. Si tiene preguntas, ¡no dude en escribirme por correo electrónico!
Atentamente,
Sra. Andrea Therrien
Directora del Coro de Davis/Richmond
andrea.therrien@d303.org
Birthday Celebrations
Richmond Lockdown Drill
On Tuesday, September 15, 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.
Fire Drills
We will have our first fire drill on August 25th and a fire drill with the St. Charles Fire Department on September 9th.
Other Safety Drills
We will also have a bus evacuation drill on September 3rd
We will also have a shelter in place drill on September 11th
We will have another fire drill in the spring.
Tiger Lunch Crew
The TLC (Tiger Lunch Crew) program is a school-based, family, and community engagement initiative designed to strengthen connections between parents, students, and staff. Inspired by similar successful programs like WATCH D.O.G.S.®, TLC is focused on fostering a supportive and positive school environment where parents can actively participate in their child's school experience.
Our program allows parents and guardians to volunteer during lunch and recess shifts to help supervise and build meaningful connections with students.
The TLC Tiger Lunch Crew is open to all parents, guardians, and caregivers. Volunteers play an essential role in creating a nurturing school community and supporting teachers and staff. Through this program, we hope to bring more volunteers onto campus, demonstrating the power of family engagement in boosting student success and well-being.
If you are interested in signing-up for any lunch shift, any day school is in session please click the sign-up button below. We will have two volunteer slots available per lunch. After you sign up, just come to the main office with an ID so we can check you into our system on the day(s) you volunteer.
Alternate Schedule Plan
To support instructional consistency, equitable services, and balanced student experience across the week, D303 is implementing a few targeted schedule shifts at the elementary level in the 2026-2027 school year. When a day off (such as a Monday holiday) disrupts the regular rotation, we will 'run' that missed day’s schedule on another day of the week. This helps ensure that no particular day is over- or under-represented.
Adjustments
● No school on Monday, Sept 7 → We run a Monday schedule on Thursday, Sept 10
● No school on Monday, Jan 18 → We run a Monday schedule on Wednesday, Jan 20
● No school on Tuesday, Jan 19 → We run a Tuesday schedule on Thursday, Jan 21
PTO News
Dear Richmond Families,
Welcome back, Richmond families! We hope everyone had a wonderful summer and is ready for an amazing 2026–2027 school year!
The Richmond PTO is so excited for the year ahead, and we already have some fun and exciting things to share with you! We have several important opportunities and events coming up, and you’ll find flyers attached to this email with more information about each of the items below.
📱 First Up: Register for Richmond PTO Membership Toolkit!
We are excited to introduce our new Richmond PTO Membership Toolkit website and app!
https://richmondpto.membershiptoolkit.com/
Membership Toolkit will serve as a central hub for all things PTO. You’ll be able to find information about who we are, upcoming events, fundraisers, volunteer opportunities, and other important PTO happenings—all in one convenient place!
Families who choose to opt in can also use Membership Toolkit as a student directory, making it easier to connect with other families and see which students are in your child’s classroom.
BONUS: Every student registered with Membership Toolkit by September 1st will be entered into a raffle to win a $50 gift card!
🌸 Our Annual Fall Mums Fundraiser Is Back!
It's time for one of our favorite fall traditions—Fall Mums!
Orders are due by August 25th.
This year, we’ve made a change to the ordering process. Please use the link below to complete a Google Form with your order and then follow the instructions to submit payment via PTO Zelle.
Mums will be delivered to Richmond Elementary on Friday, September 18th for pickup. More information about pickup will be shared as we get closer to the date.
And this year, you don't have to be a D303 family to participate! So please share our mums fundraiser with your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers so they can support Richmond PTO too!
Remember: August 25th is the order deadline!
🤝 Want to Get Involved? Join a PTO Committee!
Our 2026–2027 PTO Committee Sign-Up is now open!
We know that being involved with PTO can feel like a big commitment, so we've designed our events and fundraisers around individual committees. This allows families to choose opportunities that fit their schedules and interests without feeling like they have to take on everything.
But here's the thing: we need YOUR help!
In order to continue hosting the events, activities, and fundraisers that make Richmond such a special community, we need families willing to pitch in and help make them happen.
Whether you can help with one event or several, every helping hand makes a difference.
And remember, if you sign up for a committee by September 1st, you'll also be entered into a raffle to win a gift card or a piece of Richmond spirit wear!
💙 Join Us for Our First PTO Meeting!
We'd love to meet you!
Please join us on August 19th for our first open PTO meeting of the school year.
This will be a casual meet-and-greet where you can:
- Meet the PTO
- Learn more about who we are and what we do
- Hear what's coming up this year
- Ask questions
- Find out how you can get involved
No experience or commitment required—just come say hello! We hope you can make it!
🏫 Room Parents & Classroom Parties
Information about Room Parent and Classroom Party sign-ups will be coming in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned!
In the meantime, be sure to register for Membership Toolkit and follow us on Facebook and Instagram so you don't miss important announcements, volunteer opportunities, event information, and other PTO updates.
We are so excited about everything we have planned for 2026–2027, and we can't wait to make it a fun, memorable year for our Richmond students, teachers, staff, and families!
Thank you for supporting the Richmond PTO and helping us make Richmond an even stronger school community.
Here's to a fantastic school year!
Your Richmond Elementary PTO
RichmondElementarySchoolPTO@gmail.com
Follow us on Facebook & Instagram
@RichmondElementarySchoolPTO
Community
The St. Charles Community Unit School District 303 Board of Education voted on August 10, 2026, to place a ballot initiative on the November 3 ballot asking the community whether the District should issue bonds to fund maintenance needs and educational facility improvements. Read the full press release here.
La Junta Educativa del Distrito Escolar de la Unidad Comunitaria 303 de St. Charles votó el 10 de agosto de 2026 a favor de incluir una iniciativa en la papeleta electoral del 3 de noviembre en la que se pregunta a la comunidad si el distrito debería emitir bonos para financiar las necesidades de mantenimiento y las mejoras de las instalaciones educativas. Lee aquí el comunicado de prensa completo.
