Timber Talks

As we move into another exciting week of learning, we want to take a moment to thank you for your continued support in helping your children thrive at school. With colder weather now upon us, please ensure your child is dressed warmly and prepared for outdoor recess. A cozy coat, hat, and gloves will help them stay comfortable and enjoy their time outside during recess.

We also want to highlight the importance of consistent attendance. Being on time and staying for the entire school day are crucial to your child’s success, as it ensures they don’t miss valuable instruction and have a full opportunity to engage with their classmates and teachers. Last week, we saw an increase in tardies (our tardy line has been out the office door in the morning) and early dismissals, and we truly appreciate your efforts to help improve this by making school attendance a top priority.

Lastly, a quick scheduling reminder: next Monday, school will be closed in observance of the holiday. Because of this, Friday will be a full school day instead of a REID day. Please plan accordingly as we work to make the most of our time together this week.

Thank you again for your partnership in ensuring your child’s education is the best it can be. Your support at home makes a world of difference, and we are grateful to work alongside you in helping your child learn and grow!

Lindsey Fullenwider, Principal
Trevor Syring, Vice Principal
RMEOffice@estacada.k12.or.us

In order to help you all know what the week looks like, we will list it out clearly for you each week. REID days are for 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:

• Jan. 20th: No School - Holiday
• Jan. 21st: Regular School Day
• Jan. 22nd: Regular School Day
• Jan. 23rd: Regular School Day
• Jan. 24th: Regular School Day

Upcoming Events:

• Jan. 30th: Family Title Reading Night 5:30 -- 7:00 PM
• Jan. 31st: No School, Teacher Grading Day
• Feb. 12th: K/5th Family Breakfast
• Feb. 12th: 4th/5th Music Concert
• Feb. 13th: ELD Family Night

Did you know that many of our youngest students miss about 10% of the school year—around 14 days, or just two days a month? This level of chronic absenteeism in elementary school can predict lower test scores and challenges with retention in later grades. Every day and every minute of school matters, contributing to your child's growth and success! Please help us support your child's learning by ensuring they attend school every day and arrive on time. Thank you for partnering with us to build strong habits for lifelong learning!

To foster a shared understanding of our school rules and how they are consistently enforced, we will be highlighting key aspects of our expectations, including how we try to first teach and support students in making positive behavior choices and how we approach discipline at River Mill. You can also find student behavior and discipline policies in our Parent/Student Handbook. If you have any questions or concerns about our school rules, student behavior, or discipline policies, please don’t hesitate to contact Lindsey Fullenwider or Trevor Syring. We value our partnership and collaboration with families and appreciate your support in creating a positive school environment!

For each behavior, there are levels of responses/consequences. However, at any time, due to the severity of the behavior, any discipline step may be skipped. The administrator may adjust steps on this matrix on a case-by-case basis if it is deemed in the best interest of the child.

Fighting:

1. Three days loss of recess.*

2. Three days loss of recess and Expectations Class.**

3. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and two days Out-of-School Suspension.

4. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and three days Out-of-School Suspension.

Harassment, Bullying, Physical Aggression, or Threatening:

1. Three days loss of recess.

2. Expectations class and three days loss of recess.

3. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and one-two days Out-of-School Suspension.

4. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and two-three days Out-of-School Suspension.

Verbal Abuse, Swearing, or Inappropriate Communication or Affection:

1. Loss of two days recess.

2. Expectations class and three days loss of recess.

3. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and one-two days Out-of-School Suspension.

4. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and two-three days Out-of-School Suspension.

Theft or Forgery:

1. Two days loss of recess.

2. Expectations class and three days loss of recess.

3. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and one-two days Out-of-School Suspension.

4. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and two-three days Out-of-School Suspension.

Property Damage or Vandalism:

1. Two days loss of recess.

2. Expectations class and three days loss of recess.

3. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and one day Out-of-School Suspension.

4. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and two days Out-of-School Suspension.

Extreme Disrespect, Defiance, Classroom Disruption, or Inappropriate Location:

1. Two days loss of recess.

2. Expectations class and three days loss of recess.

3. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and one-two days Out-of-School Suspension.

4. Parent-Teacher-Administrator Meeting, Expectations Class, and two-three days Out-of-School Suspension.

*Loss of Recess – Student will be assigned to “Behavior Buddy Class” for all recesses for the assigned day.

**Suspension – There are two types of suspension: In-School and Out-of-School. Students assigned In-School suspension will come to school at the regular time and report to the school office to serve their suspension. Students serving In-School Suspension will receive all of their regular educational services. Students assigned Out-of-School Suspension will not be allowed on school premises for the duration of their suspension. For any Out-of-School Suspension, a re-entry meeting must occur before the student returns.

A safe, friendly learning environment is important to all students and employees at River Mill Elementary School. We appreciate your support and cooperation as we work toward achieving this goal.

Again, if you ever have any questions our concerns regarding student behaviors and or our discipline policies, please do not hesitate to contact us!

Please take a minute to view the Early Learning Newsletter from our partners, Todos Juntos. Click the green link below to view the newsletter!

Huckleberries in Estacada 2025!!

Volleyball Skill Training

We are excited to get started with our Huckleberries program. Ages 5-10!!

This program is a great chance to start with the fundamentals of movement in volleyball. It is an opportunity for learning correct technique and having fun while doing it. If you know of anyone that would like to participate the registration is on the Mt. Hood VBC website website.

Huckleberries will train on Sundays at Estacada High School, Gresham and Thursdays in Gresham.

First date will be Sunday January 12th

Sunday 4-5 pm at Estacada High School

Sunday 4-5 pm at 8th street 3333 NE 8th street Gresham

First Thursday will be January 16th

Thursday 4-5 pm at 8th Street

Please attend any of the sessions.

Later in January we will plan a showcase. The players will have a chance to show you what they have learned.

We look forward to seeing you!

Sue Doan

Estacada Girls and Boys Varsity Volleyball

Mt. Hood Volleyball Club Director

If you plan to order a yearbook for your student this year, you can purchase those at buytheyearbook.com or with exact cash or check in the office. You can save $2 by purchasing before Febuary 10th.