The Parrot Post

Ahoy, me mateys, and welcome to the 2023-2024 school year!

Each week, you will receive this newsletter in your inbox on Sunday mornings, which contains important information about the upcoming events and activities occurring at Rush School. If you have signed up for text alerts on the Genesis Parent Portal, you will also receive it via text. Lastly, you can always find the Parrot Post on our Facebook and Instagram accounts.

If you have any trouble accessing the Parrot Post, please reach out to the school at ersmainoffice@cinnaminson.com.

Looking forward to an "ARRRGHsome" year!

• Thursday, September 7: First Day of School for all students (FULL DAY)

• Wednesday, September 20: Back to School Night at Rush School
• Tuesday, September 26: Board of Education Meeting @ Middle School 7PM

• Our school hours are as follows:
• FULL DAY SCHEDULE 8:36 AM to 3:04 PM
• SINGLE SESSION DAY 8:36 AM to 12:53 PM
• DELAYED OPENINGS 10:36 AM to 3:04 PM

• Before the start of school, please take a few minutes to review the Rush School Handbook with your child/ren. This guide offers helpful information on several aspects of your child's school life at ERS. Please spend some time on the section regarding school behavior expectations and the code of conduct. A link to the handbook may be found below and will also be at the front of your child's homework agenda book that they will receive on Thursday.

• Daily school lunches will cost $2.60 this year. For the 2023-24 school year, we strongly encourage all parents to prepay for your student’s meal account and to create an account at no cost through https://www.schoolpaymentportal.com/. More information on this option, as well as the September Lunch Menu, can be found below. If you believe your family may qualify for free/reduced lunch or has in the past, please complete the 2023-2024 Application for Free and Reduced School Meals by October 10, 2023. This application can be found on our district website> “Families” tab>”Food Services”.

• To ensure the safety of our students and staff, if you choose to drop off or pick up your child, please adhere to the procedures outlined on page 7 of our student handbook. Please inform the main office of their alternate dismissal routine and schedule prior to the first day by emailing the office staff at ersmainoffice@cinnaminson.com.

• When picking up a student during the school day, please have your driver’s license, or state-issued ID card ready. Please inform the office if someone other than a parent or legal guardian will be picking up your child. Provide that person(s) name and relationship to the child.
  

• Rush School follows a 6-day cycle for its related arts classes. Each day, students will attend one related arts class, which include Vocal Music, Art, STEM, Spanish, Health, and Physical Education. Your child's teacher will share their individual schedule with you and it is important to note the day that your child has PE so that proper footwear (Athletic sneakers) may be worn. This Thursday, students will not attend related arts as we have meetings with each grade level to review expectations in the lunchroom, at recess, and throughout the school day. Friday will begin our cycle with Day 1.

IMPORTANT: Cinnaminson School District will no longer use "My Payments Plus" for online lunch payments!

Cinnaminson Township Public Schools will now be using the LunchTime Payment Portal this school year for parents to deposit money to students’ lunch accounts. The LunchTime Portal also gives you the opportunity to track purchases, create reminders and set up automatic payments. Below is a guide to setting up your student’s account. If you do not want to pay online and would like to continue sending in cash or check with your student, you are still able to create a username and password to track your students’ purchases and see how much money is on the account.

Payments made online have NO FEES or other charges!

If you would like detailed information, use the “Parent Guide to School Payment Portal”. This document will assist new users with the most basic functionality of the School Payment Portal. Any questions or concerns with a student’s account should be directed to Lisa Friedrich, Food Service Director.

To set up your account you can visit https://www.schoolpaymentportal.com/

• Click the green “Parent Login” button, then the green “Create Account” button to set up your account.
• Enter your First Name, Last Name, email address and a password. Click the Create Account button located in the lower right corner.
• You will see confirmation that your account has been created successfully. Next, click the Login Page button in the lower right corner, then enter your login credentials and click Sign In
• Once you are logged in, click the Add Student button.
• Enter the School's Zip Code, 08077, in the field for zip code, then click Continue
• Available schools will be displayed. Click on the blue Select to the left of the School name
• Enter the student’s last name and Student ID number (available in the Genesis Parent Portal), then click Continue
• Verify the information and click on the blue Add Student to the left of the student's name
• You will be returned to the Student Access page. Follow the above steps for each student you wish to add to the account

To make payments to lunch accounts:

• Visit the LunchTime Portal and sign in to your account: https://www.schoolpaymentportal.com/
• Click the blue button marked Make Cafeteria Deposit
• Enter the Deposit Amount for each Student listed and click the Continue button.
• Follow the screen prompts to set up your payment options.

For questions, please contact Lisa Friedrich, Food Services Director, at 856-786-2888.

The Transportation Department will not transport students on different buses unless

there is an emergency situation. If an emergency situation occurs, parents need to

contact the Transportation Department (856-829-8812) to request a change in their

child’s transportation.

Traffic Patterns

Morning Drop-Off & PM Dismissal Traffic Procedures

Our #1 priority at Rush School is to ensure student safety. In order to do so, there are procedures in place. As a partner in your child's education, we ask that you please abide by those procedures, as follows:

1. Students MUST NOT be dropped off to school before 8:25AM (unless an arrangement has been made with a teacher). Students need supervision and our staff is unable to do so before this time. We have staff on duty beginning at 8:24AM. Before then, students will not be permitted in the building. If you are in need of before-school care, please contact the SAC program at 856-829-7600, x.2141.

2. If you are driving your child to and from school, you will pull into the driveway and turn immediately right into the staff parking lot. Loop around the back of the parking lot and staff will be posted to receive your child/ren on the walkway at the end of the lot. Please do not let your child out of the car until a staff member is present.

3. If you would like to drop them off in front of the building, you must wait until all Rush School buses have left the premises.

4. For students who are walkers, they will be called to dismiss after all of the buses have been called. The students will walk to the intersection of Buttonwood and Wynwood. At the end of the day, no cars will be allowed onto the property to pick up students until all buses have left the premises.

5. If you are dropping your student off at the front of the building, please follow the protocol below:

• As you enter the school grounds, be sure to drive around the flag circle to drop off your child safely on the school’s sidewalk. Do not stop before the flag circle and have your child exit from your vehicle and walk between vehicles to get to the sidewalk.
• Once around the flag circle, please proceed beyond the canopy if there are other vehicles behind you. This will maximize the number of vehicles along the sidewalk in front of the school.
• To avoid delaying vehicles behind you, be sure your child is ready to promptly exit the vehicle. If for any reason you need to assist your child, please park in the parking lot and escort your child across the walkway to the school.
• After your child exits your vehicle, please wait in the drop off line for the vehicles ahead of you to move forward. Do not pass the vehicles ahead of you. Doing so risks driving into the lane of oncoming vehicles.

As always, use extreme caution at all times, and please drive slowly when entering and leaving the school grounds. Your cooperation in assisting us in the safety of the students and following the aforementioned procedures is sincerely appreciated. Our crossing guards are employed by the Cinnaminson Police Department. They are trained to keep our students safe. They are following protocol set forth by the CPD and Rush School Administration. We ask that they are treated with respect and understanding as they are only doing their jobs.

Dismissal / Early Dismissal

For the safety of our students, any time a student will not be using his or her regular means of transportation home or to SAC, a written note or an email must be sent in to the child’s teacher and the office staff at ersmainoffice@cinnaminson.com that day. Any

change in the normal dismissal for a child must be in an email or writing so that the teacher/office has confirmation of these plans.Please mention in the email if there is a change in dismissal for an after school club or intramural.

If you need to pick up your child early, and it is past 1:00PM, please call the main office. We cannot guarantee a teacher will see an email in the afternoon when they are teaching.

Also, students cannot be called out of class for any dismissal changes once the afternoon announcements begin at 3:00 P.M. Therefore, if you want to have your child called for an early dismissal, please send an email or written note that morning and come to the office before 2:50 PM on a regular school day or 12:40 PM on a single session day.

In order to pick up your child for early dismissal, you must sign the student out on the Lobby Guard found in the front vestibule. You will need your driver’s license or a valid legal identification in order to do so. At no time are you to take your child out of a line or

of the bus without first signing him or her out.

❖ A STUDENT WILL NOT BE RELEASED TO ANYONE OTHER THAN A DESIGNATED GUARDIAN UNLESS THE OFFICE HAS AN EMAIL OR WRITTEN NOTE STATING WHICH INDIVIDUAL WILL BE PICKING UP YOUR CHILD. THE PERSON PICKING UP YOUR CHILD MUST BE PREPARED TO SHOW PHOTO IDENTIFICATION.

To be credited with a full day of attendance, a student must be in school for a minimum of four hours. (Cinnaminson School Board Policy #5230)