Richardson Elementary

What an amazing first week we’ve had! Each day brought its own smiles and surprises—like the extra-large French fry one of our students found at lunch! Our lunch lines improved daily as students learned their lunch PIN numbers, and with everyone getting used to our lunch and recess routines, things will only get smoother as we move forward.

As we look ahead, we ask for your continued support in helping all of our systems run smoothly. Please take a moment to review the important information below regarding arrival and dismissal routines and recess guidelines. Along with our arrival and dismissal guidelines, I wanted to share a document that contains some other important information for Richardson students/families. Click here for our Family Information Document.

One new procedure we are excited to introduce this year is the option for families to report an absence to school via a Google Form. You are still welcome to call Richardson's Attendance Line (651-748-6945) to report an absence, however, we are hopeful this new form will be easier for families. Richardson's "Absent Today" form

It’s already shaping up to be a fantastic year, and we can’t wait to see what the weeks ahead will bring!

Please feel free to reach out to the main office, Miss Susi or me anytime with questions, concerns, or suggestions. My contact information is mhoude@isd622.org or 651-748-6910.

Together,

Mrs. Houde (pronounced "hood")

Principal

Each year buses tend to run slower the first week or two, as everyone gets into the routine of the school year, this year we also have construction around Richardson so that is make things even trickier. Thank you for all your patience and understanding - especially families of students on Bus G. Below is the message sent to Bus G families on Friday morning, after we encountered a situation where our buses struggled to get to some of the roads on their routes.

Due to the heavy road construction on McKnight Road in Maplewood/North St. Paul, your student may return home late after school and buses may be delayed in the mornings. The county plans to widen lanes to allow our buses to pass and turn into neighborhoods. They anticipate that the construction will be done at the end of next week. To track your bus in real time, please read the instructions on how to download the app by clicking on My Ride K-12. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

Sincerely,

District 622 Transportation

Please review our Family Drop-Off and Pick-Up procedures and refer to the map below, along with this, we ask that everyone follows all staff directions. We are always working to improve our systems to make them more efficient and ensure the safety of students, families and staff. We appreciate your support in following all procedures. The first week, or two, are always slower than the rest of the year, so we want to thank you ahead of time for your patience when dropping off and/or picking up your child(ren).

IMPORTANT NOTES - DROP OFF/ARRIVAL:

* At arrival, join the carline and wait for a staff to give your child/children permission to get out of your vehicle before releasing them.

* DO NOT walk across the street at the drop off area. You may cross the street at the crosswalk areas only. This is to ensure safety for everyone.

• Soon, we will start emailing/calling families who are not following these expectations to individually review the protocols - it will save our staff time (so we can focus on the learning in our building) if we do not need to make any calls to review these expectations with families. We appreciate your support.

IMPORTANT NOTES - PICK UP DISMISSAL:

* The most important things you can do at pick up to ensure the carline moves quickly is to bring your pick up sign. Hang it in your window so our staff can scan it.

• Don't have your sign yet? Or lost your sign? Email mhoude@isd622.org
• Tip: You can take a picture of your sign in case you forget it, or if you need to send it to someone else to have them pick up your child. If needed, you can show the picture of your pick up sign to our staff and they can scan it directly from your phone.

Richardson's PTA will host a family dance on Friday, September 27th from 6:00 - 8:00. Below is the RSVP for that event.

https://forms.gle/42YwxXCpgLDEviPT9

We hope to see you all there!

Reminder, we are committed to working with families, and whatever circumstances you may encounter, to reduce that number of students who are missing 10% or more of school days. It is important to start off the school year with good attendance - as research shows that attendance in September has found to be reflective of attendance across the year.

Our goal for this year is to be at 18%, or lower, of students missing 10% of days or less).

Together we can achieve our strongest attendance yet!

As part of our continued efforts to ensure a safe, inclusive, and engaging recess experience for all students, we are again partnering with Playworks to provide structured play and activities during recess.

To support this program, we kindly ask that students refrain from bringing any personal items, such as balls, toys, or other play equipment, from home. All necessary recess items will be provided by the school, ensuring consistency and safety for all students during playtime.

This approach not only aligns with our Playworks-supported programming but also ensures that all students have access to the same resources, promoting teamwork, inclusivity, and fair play. Our goal is to create a fun and equitable environment for every student to enjoy.

Thank you for your cooperation and support in making recess a positive and enriching experience for our students.

Email: mhoude@isd622.org
Website: https://richardson.isd622.org/
Location: 2400 17th Ave E, North Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: (651) 748-6910