Timber Talks

This week we welcomed our Pre-K and Kindergarten students to River Mill and they did so well! It is hard to initially say goodbye and let your child be with us all day, but they are doing great, and we promise it gets easier. Thank you for entrusting your children to be in our care each school day.

This next week ahead, we get to kick-off a couple great events. First, is our One School, One Book Event. This is where we will be sending you a nightly video of a staff member reading part of the book Wonder to your family to simply enjoy a high interest story together. Each night a trivia question from the book will be asked for follow up discussion the classroom. This is an opportunity to establish a nightly routine of reading, and for our school community to bond through a shared experience. Please consider allowing your child to be an active participant.

In addition, on Friday, we will be holding our first Responsive, Extensions, Interventions and Development (REID) Day. This provides our staff with the flexibility to respond to specific skills and/or extensions that our students need. Each week, you can expect to potentially receive an invitation for your child to attend. If so, we ask that you also fill out the google form that comes with the invitation. This allows us to know if your child will be in attendance and for our transportation team to plan accordingly. Transportation will also send out a follow up communication so you know how to plan for the bus times. Please note that breakfast is not served on REID days and your child will need to eat before they come to school. Lunch will be sent home with every child who attends REID day and you will not be charged for that meal. Because students are specifically invited based on a skill they are working on, please do not send your child to school if they are not invited to the REID day. Our teachers plan specifically for those who will be in attendance. If you send your child, we will call you to come pick them up. Lastly, we really need you to update Pick Up Patrol for your child's dismissal plan on REID Day.

Below you will find a HomeTown Ticket RSVP link for our Bingo Night coming up on Thursday, September 21st. We can't wait to welcome you all for a fun evening of with your family and our school community. Bingo cards will be available for purchase at $2 each, and concessions will be available for purchase as well. We can't wait to see you there. Please RSVP with your Hometown Ticket in advance. If you do not, we will ask you to step out of line to complete this task. Thank you for understanding.

Sincerely,

Corinne Johnsen

Principal, River Mill Elementary

johnsenc@estacada.k12.or.us

We have noticed the last week that the weather is beginning to change. Please make sure your child has layers of clothes and a coat or jacket with a hood and long sleeves. If they do not, they will need to remain under the covered area during recess time when it is raining.

If your child gets super wet at recess or has a bathroom accident, we do not have extra clothes for them. For all students, Pre-K to 5th grade, please have a spare outfit (including socks) in your child's backpack. This will help make them more comfortable while they are at school.

In order to help you all know what the week looks like, we will list it out clearly for you each week. REID days for are invited students and will change each week. Students are invited to REID days for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it's to extend or challenge a student, and other times it might be to provide extra help on a particular skill. On those days, our doors open at 7:50 and dismissal is at 10:00am. If you have questions about this week's schedule, please let us know!

This Week:

• Sept. 11th: Regular School Day - One School, One Book Begins
• Sept. 12th: Regular School Day
• Sept. 13th: Regular School Day
• Sept. 14th: Regular School Day
• Sept. 15th: REID Day, by invitation only!

Upcoming Events:

• Sept. 21st: Bingo Night
• Sept. 22nd: REID Day, by invite only
• Sept. 29th: REID Day, by invite only
• Oct. 4th: Picture Day!
• Oct. 5th: Annual Jog-a-Thon!
• Oct. 6th: No School, Inservice Day

On Monday, we will be starting our annual tradition called One School, One Book. This year, our school will be reading the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio which takes us through a heartwarming story about a character named Auggie who looks a little different than his peers, and how those around him begin to understand and appreciate him for who he is, despite his differences.

This year, we will not be purchasing books for families, but we will be reading and sending you a video of a section of the story on weeknights. We want everyone to just enjoy this story as a family and as a school community. We hope this helps students to establish a routine of reading and enjoyment of books! If you want to explore checking the book out at your local library or purchase a copy yourself, we want you to have ample time to do so.

We are beginning to collect student belongings already the first week of school. Please make sure your child's name is written on as many of their layers of clothing and lunch boxes as possible. We know these items are costly and want to get them back to their rightful owners. If you recognize any of these, please let us know.

If you wish to send snacks or gifts for your child’s birthday, the office will be happy to call your student out of class to see their surprise. To minimize classroom disruptions, our policy is to keep flowers, balloons, gifts, etc. in the office until the end of the day. When the student is released for the day, they can pick up their gift and take it home. Please contact your child’s teacher to make necessary arrangements for celebrations that can be scheduled at a time that is compatible with the day’s learning schedule. State law requires that snacks fit the healthy criteria for the Oregon Smart Snack law.

My School Bucks is an online payment service that provides parents the ability to securely pay for meals, monitor student cafeteria purchases, and receive email notifications for low account balances. Please note: currently, a convenience fee of $2.75 will be applied for each transaction. All transactions are processed and applied to students' accounts nightly. To enroll, please follow the link below and have your student's ID number handy.

Every Student. Every Day. Whatever It Takes!

Principal Corinne Johnsen

Go Timbers!

Email: johnsenc@estacada.k12.or.us
Website: www.rmes.estacada.k12.or.us
Location: 850 North Broadway Street, Estacada, OR, USA
Phone: 503-630-8517
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiverMillElem
Twitter: @RMTimbers