The Weekly Roar

Hello River Bend Families!

I hope everyone has enjoyed the week. Our new teachers attended New Educator Orientation all week and we got to spend the day with them on Thursday. We are so excited to welcome Mrs. Saravia in Kindergarten, Mr. Chaney in 1st grade, Mrs. German in 3rd grade, and Dr. Skelly as our EL teacher. I also want to extend a warm welcome to two new special education paraprofessionals, Mrs. Durham and Mr. Bader, as well as Mental Health Specialist, Mrs. Sammon.

This week, I am just focusing on DISMISSAL. We have pretty strict procedures and systems for dismissal for the number one reason of safety. There are many moving parts (figuratively and literally). School's end time is 4:00. We begin the dismissal process at 3:52. Here is the order:

Adventure Club: They are called over the intercom to go to the cafeteria.

Car Riders: Sorry, this one is long. All car rider families are expected to go through our parking lot car line process. It may look overwhelming the first few times, but I promise it is efficient and will speed up after everyone gets the hang of it. Car riders are called, via intercom, to go to the gym. Students sit in in alphabetical lines and wait to hear their name called to go out to the sidewalk and wait at an assigned color cone with a staff member. You will receive a light blue cardstock sign with your students name. Please put that in your front window so we can see it and that signals us to call your student out to the sidewalk. When your car pulls up to the cone, we will walk your student to the car and open the door for them. We run a double line, so please wait for us to bring your child to the car so they don't step into the parking lot. We ask that you make sure your vehicle is in park and that you remain in your vehicle. Try to have them practice buckling their seatbelts prior to the first day so we can keep the line moving smoothly. Please be patient the first few days as we get into the flow. I promise it goes quickly after a week. Side Note: As you enter the parking lot, there is a double line that goes to one line near the rear of the parking lot. Use the "zipper" system to make that single line.

Bus Riders: Bus riders are called as buses arrive. We make the first call and then a last call. Teachers have a Google Doc displayed on their SMARTboard and the office types in the buses as they arrive so students can hear the bus numbers and see them. It is extremely rare that a student misses the bus. Side Note: Kindergarten students always sit in the front of the bus and bus drivers to not let kindergarteners off the bus if a parent/caregiver is not at the bus stop to meet them. In that case, the bus driver brings the kindergarten student back to school. Side Side Note: It is common for kindergarten students to fall asleep on the bus ride home. So, if your little one doesn't step off right away, that could be why:-) The first day typically runs a little later. We will send a text when the last bus rolls out.

Walkers: After all cars and buses have departed campus, we call walkers down to our main hallway and have several staff members who walk them out of the front of the building and to/across the crosswalk. Parents/caregivers wait near the tree and bike racks at the entrance or across the street at the crosswalk. It is typically close to 4:10 when walkers come out of the building.

Sorry, I know that was a lot. We just do everything possible to get 385 students out of the building safely in a 20 minute window of time.

Change in Dismissal: We know that instances come up where you may need to change the way your child is going home. We ask, if possible, that you call the office by 3:00 PM to let our administrative assistants know. We will get the information to your child and their teacher before dismissal.

Important Information Coming to you this Wednesday:

• Access to your child's teacher in Infinite Campus (log onto the portal)
• A Welcome Letter from your child's teacher
• A Google form from me regarding how your child gets home from school

We are looking forward to welcoming our staff back on Monday for their Back to School Week where they will creating their classroom communities and engage in professional learning on equity and our new reading and writing resources.

We hope to see you at Meet the Teacher on Thursday night! If you would like to take advantage of an easy dinner opportunity and purchase pizza and salad for your family ($15.00, cash or check only), please complete this form so our Chartwells staff is sure to cook enough food.

Meet the Teacher Dinner Form

Each child as my own,

Jaime

Kindergarten:

Mrs. Kelly Higdon

Mrs. Stephanie Lage

Mrs. Gabriela Saravia

1st Grade:

Mrs. Claire Brandes

Mr. Dustin Chaney

Ms. Jamie Kiesel

Mrs. Pam Petrosino

2nd Grade:

Ms. Julia Biales

Mrs. Kim Flynn

Mrs. Stephanie Marino

3rd Grade:

Mrs. Abby Beale

Mrs. Abbey German

Ms. Julie Holton

4th Grade:

Mrs. Grace Ferguson

Mrs. Lucy Gibbons

Mrs. Allie Johnson

5th Grade:

Mrs. Natalie Bebe

Mrs. Julie Gwaltney

Dr. Carey Krieger

Sunday, August 11th (5:00-9:00 PM) - Ballwin Sno Fundraiser Night

Wednesday, August 14th (9:00 AM) - Families have access to teacher assignment in Infinite Campus

Thursday, August 15th (4:30-6:00 PM) - Meet the Teacher and Popsicles on the Playground

Monday, August 19th (9:05 AM) - First Day of School

Monday, September 2nd (No School) - Labor Day

Friday, September 6th (6:15 PM) - River Bend Night at the Cardinals Game

To ensure each student a safe and rigorous learning environment where they feel a sense of belonging, and can grow and lead with a global lens of kindness, responsibility, integrity, and empathy.

Website: https://www.parkwayschools.net/riverbend
Location: 224 River Valley Drive, Chesterfield, MO, USA
Phone: (314)-415-6650
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiverBendParkway