Richey First Take

Richey Families,

I hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable fall break with family and friends. As we transition back to school, we’re excited to kick off the month of December and the many activities and learning opportunities it brings.

This time of year is always full of anticipation and excitement, and our team is dedicated to making the weeks ahead meaningful and memorable for all our students. Thank you for your continued support as we work together to create a positive and enriching environment for your child. Let’s make December a wonderful month!

Best regards,

Gregg Johnson

Principal

Richey Elementary

Good evening/afternoon Richey 5th grade families!

My name is Matt Robinson, and I am the proud principal at Stanton Middle School. I Would like to cordially invite you to Stanton's Choice Open House Night on Wednesday, December 4th from 6-8pm. You have many choices for middle school and you may not have even considered us, but I hope you can come on the 4th and see who we are and what we do. Amazing things happen here at Stanton, and we do so much more for our students than many of your other choices. I hope you can carve out a little bit of time on December 4th to stop in for a quick visit and get a feel for why Stanton is the right choice. You won't be disappointed. I look forward to meeting you!

Matt

Red Clay students in grades 4-8 and 11 participate in the DeSSA Social Studies assessment. This test is a “through-year” assessment for elementary and middle school students, which measures students mastery of grade level social studies standards as they appear in the curriculum. Students in grade 4, 6 and 8 will take the DeSSA Social Studies assessment in November, February and May. Students in grade 5 and 7 are assessed in January and May. Students in grade 11 will take this assessment in May. The Delaware Social Studies Standards are written to measure content knowledge and skills in civics, economics, geography and history.

Red Clay Families,

The Red Clay Consolidated School District is launching an initiative as part of its 5-year Strategic Plan to review and improve programming and balance enrollment at our secondary schools. This effort will include an analysis of school programs and attendance zones to ensure equitable access to college and career readiness opportunities for all students.

With approval from the School Board at the November Board of Education meeting, the district is forming a special committee to evaluate these factors and provide recommendations to the Board. In doing so, the committee will consider:

• A strong and balanced enrollment across schools
• Changes to current Attendance Zones
• Equitable access to quality education for all students.
• Advantages and challenges of options through data analysis, community feedback, and research.

The committee will include 3 District Administrators, 3 School Leaders, 3 Educators, 7 Parent/Community Members (1 from each nominating district), and outside experts to advise as needed. Members of the committee are expected to provide:

• Commitment: Committee members are expected to attend all scheduled meetings and actively participate in discussions and tasks.
• Objectivity: Members will approach the task with an open mind, focusing on the overall needs of the district and community rather than individual interests.
• Collaboration: Members will work collaboratively, respecting diverse perspectives and expertise.
• Communication: Members will serve as liaisons to the groups they represent, ensuring that all voices are heard and feedback is brought back to the Committee.

The first meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at 6:00 PM

• Committee members will be contacted with the details.
• Additional meeting dates will be provided at this meeting.

This committee will follow all regulations related to the State of Delaware open meeting laws. If you are interested in serving on this Attendance Zones, Enrollment, & Programming Committee, please complete this interest form by December 13, 2024.

Committee members will be selected by December 20, 2024. If the number of interested participants exceeds the available spaces on the committee, we will inform you of this as well.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact us at amy.jefferson@redclay.k12.de.us. Thank you for your interest and support as we work together to ensure equitable opportunities for all students in our district.

Richey PTO is organizing a Hot Cocoa Bar for our teachers and staff on Wednesday, December 11, 2024. We are asking if our parents and guardians can help donate items. Please see our sign up list for donations: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0945AEA823ABFFC52-53415322-hotcocoa. We also have an Amazon wish list if that is easier for you: https://amzn.to/4fyi52K.If you have any questions, please reach out to the PTO at RicheyPTO@gmail.com. Thank you for your help!

The PTO is still looking for businesses that would be interested in being a Community Partner for the 2024-2025 school year. The PTO is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so donations are tax deductible. With the contributions from our Community Partners, we are able to do more for our students, staff and school.

Please share with businesses and people that may be interested in becoming a PTO Community Partner. 💙💛

More information available at www.richeypto.org/community-partners/application

If you are looking to sign your kids up for swim lessons, check out Goldfish Swim School in Pike Creek. Register today and they will donate your $25 membership fee to Richey PTO. Use the special code RICHEY. This special runs through November 23, 2024.

Here is the link: https://portal.iclasspro.com/gsspikecreek/classes

December 4: Picture Retake Day

December 10: PTO Meeting 6:30 PM in the Cafeteria and on Zoom

December 18: Red Clay Board Meeting 7:00 PM at Richardson Park

December 21-January 5: No School Winter Break

Richey now has a Clothes Bin for you to bring your unwanted clothes or shoes. Richey receives money for every pound of clothes/shoes that are donated. When you are cleaning out the closet please think about using the Clothes Bin at Richey. It is located at the end of front circle.

The Clothes Bin® mission is to help the environment by providing a convenient way for people to dispose of unwanted clothes and shoes. As Clothes Bin’s® network expands, so will the positive impact on local landfills and the global environment. Unlike other typical recyclables such as bottles, cans and paper goods, most local municipalities do not offer a convenient way for their citizens to properly recycle clothes and shoes.

Closed Campus Reminder: We are a closed campus at 3:15 pm. This means we will not do any early dismissals after 3:15 pm.

Parents of 4th and 5th grade students,

As the weather changes, we want to remind our 4th and 5th-grade students of the importance of bringing their Chromebooks inside and not leaving them in the car. Extreme temperatures—whether hot or cold—can damage the device's battery and screen, potentially leading to costly repairs or replacements. Bringing Chromebooks inside also ensures they’re ready to use for schoolwork and learning activities.

Thank you for helping us keep these valuable tools in good condition!

Please remember not to park on First Avenue when dropping off and picking up. Thank you.

We know that many parents like to celebrate birthdays or other occasions with special treats. We encourage parents to celebrate with nonfood items such as stickers, pencils, and themed erasers, other than food. Any food sent into share with students must be prepacked and contain a commercial ingredient label. If sending in food for the classroom distribution, please contact your child’s teacher at least 3 days in advance. The nurse will need to check the ingredients to ensure that nothing in the food item contains an allergy in that homeroom. If there is a known food allergy in that room and the food contains that ingredient it will not be distributed. To avoid this please send in nonfood items.

The Red Clay Consolidated School District offers a voluntary low cost accident insurance for your student. Families can choose either during the school day or 24-hour coverage. The brochure is attached. Applications and fees should be sent directly to the Philadelphia Insurance Companies. There is no obligation to purchase this insurance.

Did you know that the Box Tops for Education Program is 100% digital and it's an easy way to help earn funds for our PTO? Simply download the Box Tops for Education App to get started and be sure to share the information with your friends and family. We earn money when receipts with eligible items are scanned.