Lydia Rippey Elementary School

Dear LRES Families,

As we welcome December with open arms, I wanted to take a moment to extend my warmest wishes to each and every one of you. This time of year is filled with joy, celebration, and a sense of togetherness, and I am thrilled to share in these moments with our school community.

December brings with it a flurry of activities and events at Lydia Rippey. We have an exciting lineup of holiday-themed events, educational opportunities, and a Blue Ribbon Celebration planned for our students, families, and community. From festive performances to engaging classroom activities, our aim is to create a spirited and enriching environment for our young learners.

I encourage you to stay updated with our school calendar and Facebook for important dates and events. Additionally, our dedicated faculty and staff are always available should you have any questions or require assistance during this busy time.

As we move through December, I want to express my deepest appreciation for your continued support and collaboration. Together, we can ensure that our students have a memorable and fulfilling experience during this special time of the year.

Wishing you all a joyous holiday season filled with laughter, love, and cherished moments with your loved ones.

Warm regards,

Samantha Nelson

Principal

On November 17, Mr. Summers, Mrs. Kelley, Mrs. Stanley, and myself were able to represent Lydia Rippey Elementary and the Aztec Community as we received a National Blue Ribbon Award!! We are so thankful to be able to represent such an amazing community of fabulous teachers and students. We can't wait to see you at the Blue Ribbon Celebration on December 15 at Lydia Rippey.

PTO has successfully completed their first fundraiser of the year. The Pennies and more fundraiser raised over $1700!!!

Our next PTO meeting is Monday, December 4 @ 3:30 in the 3rd Grade Hall- They will begin decorating and gearing up for our Holiday Store. If you would like to volunteer at the Holiday Store for any time, they would love to have you. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0844AAAA2FA5F4C16-46144090-lydia

Also they will be having 3rd grade baskets up for bidding at the 3rd grade Christmas Program.

If you are interested in being a part of Lydia Rippey PTO. They welcome any and all support and ideas.

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

The countdown is on to Holiday Break... join us in a day, a week, or two of Holiday Fun.

Did your child come to school wearing an item of clothing and you have not seen it since?? Their is a strong chance it is in the Lost & Found. When you have a moment, please come and check out our over full racks of lost and found clothing here at Lydia Rippey. We would love to get these clothes back to their rightful owners.

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 3:00 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 3:00 pm (office hours if need in the middle of the day). Teacher will explain assignments during meeting.

If your phone number has changed, please update it in our office or on Power School. By updating phone numbers, you are ensuring you are getting calls and messages pertaining to your child.

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 2 new staff members to our amazing faculty:

Mrs. Rikki Barnes is coming to us from Bloomfield and has joined our Kinder team! She is ding amazing things and we are so glad she is here.

Mrs. Alexa Salazar Simposon has joined our team as our Computer Tech. She brings a wealth on computer knowledge to our school.

We are so excited to welcome these two wonderful ladies to our Lydia Rippey Family.

• Greetings Lydia Rippey Families and Aztec Community,

  As we move into the season of giving, I would like to take a moment to

  remind families that we have the Care Closet at Lydia Rippey. This is a space

  where families can find items that they need to help care for basic everyday

  needs or donate items to help others. Currently, we still have toothbrushes, tooth

  paste, and 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner. We could really use some other items

  to help fill our cabinet. These items are for all family members and not limited to

  Lydia Rippey age groups. Some ideas for donations can be found below:

   Shampoo/Conditioner

   Body wash

   Soap bars

   Hand soap

   Laundry soap (pods can be divided)

   Dish soap

   Sponges

   Disposable razors

   Deodorant

   Sanitary napkins

   Diapers (open packages are fine)

   Wipes/diaper cream

   Trash bags

   Hair care products

   Nail clippers

   Bags to put items in

  
  

  If you need any items, you can reach out to your child’s teacher or stop by the

  office. Any questions about possible donations can be directed to Mrs. Sterling at

  lrsterre@aztecschools.com

Dear Parents,

Attached you will find a PDF of our school’s retake picture day flyer. **Online ordering for retakes ends at 7am DAY OF PICTURES! The PDF is hyperlinked directly to our schools online ordering event. All that needs to be done to go to our online event is to click anywhere on either page of the attached PDF. This will then take you directly to our schools ordering page. You can also access the online ordering portal by going to www.mymjthomas.com and entering our schools event password (located on the 2nd page of this PDF). You may also print this order form and attach a check or cash and bring it in on picture day! If you are unhappy with your photos you MUST bring back your picture package and we will be happy to reprint your order with your new photo.

The school year is moving at a high rate of speed and Lydia Rippey elementary staff is committed to exciting plans and high expectations for your child’s learning. I know that you also have many hopes and dreams for your child’s success in school and beyond.

To make sure those hopes and dreams are realized, I want to ask for your commitment to making sure your child attends school every day possible for the remainder of this year. The evidence is clear: children with good attendance are more likely to be successful in school. High attendance rates are linked to high student achievement. This is true for every grade – elementary, middle, and high school students.

A recent review of student attendance, data shows that regular school attendance from Kindergarten on is essential to successful learning:

Every day counts. Missing school even 10% of the time has a significant negative impact on reading and math achievement as children progress through school.

Students with good attendance performed better in math and reading. Children who had good attendance in Kindergarten through Grade 2 were more than twice as likely to score proficient on state math tests by the time they reached Grade 8 as their peers who missed more school. In reading, there were similar results.

Good attendance starts early. Research has shown that the attendance habits established Kindergarten through Grade 2 have lasting effects on students throughout their education: children with high attendance in the early grades continue to have good attendance; and students with low attendance in the early grades are more likely to have low attendance—and lower academic performance—throughout their elementary and middle school years.

As your child’s most influential teacher, I am asking for your support in helping your child get into class on time at 8:00 a.m. every day. Your child needs to be in school and engaged in learning to reach his or her full potential. Yet, we realize that every family faces challenges. Please let me or your child’s teacher know if your family needs help dealing with a challenge to your child’s good school attendance. We will do our best to help you and your family ensure that your child’s school attendance stays on track.

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

12/4

PTO Meeting/ Decorating for Holiday Store 3:30 in the 3rd Grade Extra Room

12/7

School Picture Retakes

Pre-K (4Y) Save the Gingerbread Men both AM and PM

3rd Grade Hot Coco Party for Winning the PTO Fundraiser

12/11

Holiday Store Begins

1st Grade Caroling

12/12

PTO Holiday Store

Holiday Rotations- School Wide

12/13

PTO Holiday Store

AM First Grade Holiday Festivities

2:15 Christmas Sing-A-Long School Wide

12/14

PTO Holiday Store

2:00 pm 3rd Grade Christmas Program @ Lydia Rippey

6:00 pm 3rd Grade Christmas Program along with McCoy Elementary Christmas Program at High School Multi-Purpose Room (Cafeteria)

12/15

PTO Holiday Store

BLUE RIBBON CELEBRATION

12/18- 1/2

Winter Break

1/3

Student's First Day Back