Lydia Rippey Elementary School

Dear LRES Families,

Happy New Year! I hope that you had a great holiday and break. We have now completed the second quarter of school year and report cards will be available and sent home on January 12. Also, if you have any questions about your child's report card, please reach out to your child's teacher. Parent Teacher conferences are scheduled for February 15 and 16. Teachers will be reaching out to you soon to get those scheduled.

Students are currently taking their Middle of the Year Assessments this month. A great way to improve in reading is to read for 20 - 30 minutes a day. A good way to improve in math is to be able to fluently recall math facts.

It looks like winter has arrived. Please make sure that your child is appropriately dressed for outdoor recess. We go outside each day unless it is 25 degrees or lower, with wind chill, or unless it is too wet. Jackets, hats, mittens are strongly recommended, as the weather is definitely reminding us of winter. If you need assistance with any of those items, please contact Mrs. Briggs.

Warm regards,

Samantha Nelson

Principal

Due to our desire to continue to improve safety processes here at Lydia Rippey Elementary, we are asking that WALK UP pick ups no longer happen at the pick up gate, effective immediately. If you would like to walk up and pick up your child, please find a parking spot, come to the front office, and we will radio for your child. We are starting to see major congestion around the pick up, drop off lane and are wanting to ensure safety for all students and families.

What can you do to help keep your student and other students safe:

· To help the flow of traffic please pull-up as far as possible in the pick-up lane

· Please do not park in the apartment building parking lot and walk to pick up your child. This area is getting very congested and we want to ensure that children are able to get across the road safely and dismissed safely. Please do not park and ask staff on carpool duty to call for your child. Interrupting will make the traffic flow less efficient, and staff needs to be able to focus on getting students in cars safely.

· WALK-UP’s are NOT allowed at the pick up gate. You will be asked to return to your car, and to get in line or go to the office and ask to pick up your child from there. If someone else is picking up your child, please be sure to tell them they must get in line.

· Please be patient as we must safely exit all our students from the building in a short amount of time, in a variety of ways.

· Please avoid picking up your child early to circumvent the carpool line.

· At 3:15 all car riders that have not been picked up, move to the front office.

- Please continue to update pick up procedures in Pick-Up Patrol. If there is a change in the way your child leaves school, you should inform and make changes in Pick Up Patrol by 2:00 so a transportation change can be delivered. If an emergency arises and you need to make a last minute pick up change, please contact the school no later than 2:30 pm.

Thank you for your understanding as we continue to find ways to improve on safety practices here at Lydia Rippey.

Winter and cold weather are upon us. Please ensure that your child is dressed for the weather. If the temperature is below 25 degrees (including "feels like") students will be inside in the gym in the morning. If it is raining students will have inside recess. If your child is in need of a jacket, please reach out to the school and we can help.

Snow will be here before we know it.

In the event of inclement weather a snow day will be called by 5:30am, the district will continue to revaluate conditions and if improved, they will call for a 2 hours delay and instruction/ school day will begin at 10:00am. If conditions do not improve, a Remote Instruction day will be held and that day will begin at 10:00 am as well. In the event of inclement weather on a Friday, it will be a Remote Learning Day (no delayed start).

If weather is forecasted, 2nd and 3rd grade teachers will send technology home the day before in the event that the day does turn into a remote learning day.

Expectations for each grade level will be:

Pre-K

- If possible, families will log in to Waterford

-A activity box will be sent home of activities and supplies to work on at home.

Kindergarten

- A activity box will be sent home of activities and supplies to work on at home to include activities in Math, ELA, and story.

- No technology sent home

First Grade

- A activity box will be sent home of activities and supplies to work on at home to include activities in Math, ELA, and story.

- No technology sent home

Second Grade

- Chromebooks sent home

- Classroom meeting on Google Classroom @ 10:00 am and 2:00 pm (office hours if need in the middle of the day). Teacher will explain assignments during meeting.

Third Grade

- Chromebooks sent home

- Classroom meeting on Google Classroom @ 10:00 am and 2:00 pm (office hours if need in the middle of the day). Teacher will explain assignments during meeting.

From PTO:

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break! We are excited to be back with the kids and plan some fun new year activities. Anyone and everyone are welcome at our meetings. if you would like to have a topic discussed please message us by 1/21/24 to add it to the agenda. See you there!

If you have any questions, please reach out to: lraztecpto@gmail.com

We are so proud and honored to say we are a National Blue Ribbon School, the first in Aztec School District! Congratulations to our amazing students, families, and staff!!

Please read this information about our attendance policy.

The board of education has established rules and regulations regarding attendance, absences, and excuses for students. These rules and regulations are intended to comply State of New Mexico’s Compulsory Attendance Law which establishes compulsory attendance for all children between the ages of 5 and 18, or until graduation from high school. Students are expected to:

Attendance Support

If a student misses 5% or more days of school:

Lydia Rippey will provide the following support and interventions:

• assessing student and family needs and matching those needs with appropriate public or private providers, including civic and corporate sponsors;
• making referrals to health care and social service providers;
• collaborating and coordinating with health and social service agencies and organizations through school‐ based and off‐site delivery systems;
• recruiting service providers and business, community and civic organizations to provide needed services and goods that are not otherwise available to a student or the student's family;
• establishing partnerships between the public school and community organizations, such as civic, business and professional groups and organizations and recreational, social and out‐of‐school programs;
• identifying and coordinating age‐appropriate resources for students in need of:
• counseling, training and placement for employment
• drug and alcohol abuse counseling;
• family crisis counseling; and
• mental health counseling
• promoting family support and parent education programs; and
• seeking out other services or goods that a student or the student's family needs to assist the student to stay in school and succeed.

• The attendance team may be convened to establish;

  • a specific intervention plan for the student,

  • weekly progress monitoring, and

  • a contract for attendance.

If a student misses 20% or more days of school:

The attendance team shall:

• notify the parent in writing by mail or personal service,

• providing the date, time and place for a meeting to be held with the parent, principal of the school and the attendance team for the purpose of;

• establishing non-punitive consequences for the student at the school level,

• Identifying appropriate specialized supports needed to help the student address the underlying causes of excessive absenteeism, and
  

• apprising the student and the parent of the consequences of further absences.

• Student‐teacher incompatibility, if alleged, will require consultation with the teacher and a meeting initiated by the principal with the student, parent and teacher.

• If a student does not respond to intensive support as implemented above but continues displaying excessive absenteeism, the school board shall consult with the superintendent in executive session on the issue and shall cause the student to be reported to the probation services office of the appropriate judicial district for the purpose of an investigation as to whether the student should be considered a neglected child or a child in a family in need of family services, subjecting the child to provisions of the Children's code.

• The records supporting such action shall be provided to the juvenile probation services office by the superintendent or designee within ten (10) days of the identification of the student excessively absent.

How will I know what tier my child is at?

You may also call the office at any time to request your attendance percentage. Open lines of communication between home and school are important. Also on Power School you can view your child's attendance to see the number of days missed.

What you can do:

• Avoid scheduling vacations when school is in session. They are considered unexcused absences.
• Build regular routines for bedtime and the morning.
• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
• Talk about the importance of regular attendance and about how your child feels about school.
• Don’t permit missing school unless your child is truly sick. Use a thermometer to check for a fever. Remember that stomach aches and headaches may be signs of anxiety.
• If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on how to make him/her feel comfortable and excited about learning.
• Avoid medical appointments when school is in session.
• Keep a chart recording your child’s attendance at home. At the end of the week, talk with your child about what you see.
• Develop back up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Ask a family member, neighbor or another parent for help.
• Seek support from school staff or community groups to help with transportation, health problems, or no safe path to school.

More information regarding the Attendance for Success Act can be

found at https://nmlegis.gov/Sessions/19%20Regular/final/HB0236.pdf .

Attend today, Achieve tomorrow

So you are able to plan ahead:

February 8- Q2 1st &3rd Assembly (Kinder Sing) 8:30-9:00

February 9- Q2 Kinder & 2nd Assembly (Kinder Sing) 8:30-9:00

While you are here, don't forget to stop by our Book Fair that is happening February 5- February 9.

The school menu for breakfast and lunch is posted on the BISD website. While the cafeteria staff carefully plans every menu, sometimes delivery issues may cause a slight change in menu items.

Parents are permitted to eat lunch with their students. After signing in at the front office, parents may proceed to the cafeteria. Student lunch times are 30 minutes long and class schedules are:

11:20-12:00- Kinder Lunch/Recess

11:35-12:10- 2nd Grade Lunch/ Recess

11:45-12:20- 1st Grade Lunch/ Recess

11:55-12:30 3rd Grade Lunch/ Recess

Lydia Rippey is very excited to introduce a new staff member to our amazing faculty:

Ms. Liz Montoya has been a sub in Aztec Schools and we were are lucky to have her full time in our Pre-K room.

Friday's this year at Lydia Rippey are going to look a little different. We are introducting Career and Technical Education Friday's. We will be doing hands on activites in the classroom as well as bringing in guest speakers from various careers within our Monthly Themes. If you know someone who has a career that is connected to one of our monthly themes, we would love to talk with them and invite them to our school. Please have them contact the school, email or call Mrs. Nelson.

September- Natural Resources

October- Agriculture

November- Military

December- Explore

January- Health Care

February- Community Helpers

March- Trades

April- Animal Science

May- Engineering/ Stem

January

1/9 3rd Grade iMSSA Reading @9:45

1/10 3rd Grade iMSSA Language @9:45

1/11 3rd Grade iMSSA Math @9:45

1/15 No School - Martin Luther King Day

1/16 Istation Progress Monitoring Math

1/23 PTO Meeting @ 4 in the Library

February

2/8 Q2 1st & 3rd Grade Assembly (Kinder Sing) 8:30-9:00

2/9 Q2 Kinder & 2nd Grade Assembly (Kinder Sing) 8:30-9:00

2/5-2/9 Book Fair

2/15 Parent Teacher Conferences PM

2/16 Parent Teacher Conferences AM

2/19 No School

FYI - IMPORTANT DATES TO BE IN SCHOOL:

Grade 3 -NM-MSSA - April 15-19

Please visit this link for our Student/Family Handbook https://docs.google.com/document/d/11iWC675wAvNDNPahx6CR9EB0VK5OBhdxn8VmA4Vp9bM/edit?usp=sharing