Roadrunner News

Hello, Riverside Families! We are down to the last few weeks of summer break, with Back-to-School night fast approaching on August 20th from 5-7 pm.

Introduce myself:

I have been the assistant principal at Spalding Park Elementary School for the past three years. This is my 12th year in education. My family and I live in Sergeant Bluff. My wife, Suzie, works at Briar Cliff University. My three boys are Blaine, Liam, and Calen. We enjoy staying active in sports from football, soccer, basketball, baseball, fishing, hunting, and swimming.

I am very excited to get to know all of the staff, students, and families at Riverside.

Questions:

Please call the office if you have any questions or concerns. We look forward to working with you all this school year.

Mr. Fischer

Our building is designated as a CEP school for the 2024-2025 year. Due to this, parents of students in our building will need to complete the Home Income Survey. The Department of Education is requiring that CEP buildings send home to parents the Income Survey, and have it completed and entered Infinite Campus. The data must be entered into Infinite Campus by 9/30. Each classroom teacher will provide a copy of the survey to be completed during back-to-school night. The survey is available in different languages upon request.

The first day of school is Friday, August 23. There is an early dismissal on this day. Students in preschool will be dismissed at 1:15 and students in grades Kindergarten through fifth grade will be dismissed at 1:30.

School Start Time: 8:30 a.m. Students may arrive at 8:00 a.m. to eat breakfast. Students not eating breakfast should arrive no earlier than 8:15 a.m.

School End Time: 3:15 for PK and 3:30 p.m.

** Each Friday is a two-hour early dismissal at 1:15 for PK and 1:30 p.m.

INFORMATION ABOUT PARKING LOT & Nash Street

We have many parking spots in our parking lots. Parking in the parking lot must be used when you power off your car or get out of your car. There will be no parking at any time along Nash Street and in any undesignated spaces.

INFORMATION ABOUT DROP-OFF

It is important to keep traffic flowing. Please do not stop in the crosswalk as this interferes with the view of students using the crosswalk. Please let your child out on the right side of the vehicle for efficiency and safety. Students will be directed to the playground or building. They will be supervised and will wait for the 8:20 a.m. bell. Please do not drop off earlier than 8:15 a.m. unless your child is coming for breakfast. You may also pull into the parking lot and escort your student(s) to the crosswalk if you would like.

INFORMATION ABOUT PICK-UP

If you are arriving prior to 3:15 p.m., please park in the parking lot and walk to the crosswalk to pick up your child. Students will be dismissed at 3:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. on Fridays) and will exit the front doors and the playground doors by class. School staff will be assisting with dismissal and will direct students to cars or the crosswalk. Busses and daycare vans will proceed to their designated area and will be loaded accordingly by school staff. In the event that emergency vehicles need to respond to a fire or emergency, all cars in the driveway will need to clear out of the way.

Thank you for helping us keep every student safe by following these procedures.

ARRIVAL INFORMATION

Upon arrival, students will proceed to the playground. Staff will be located throughout the playground to assist students with a walk-and-talk. When the bell rings at 8:20 a.m., students will line up on the paved area. We ask that family members remain outside when the students enter the building with their teacher. This will allow the teachers and students to begin their learning day quickly and promptly. Thank you.

DISMISSAL INFORMATION

3:15 pm- Preschool Dismissal

3:30 pm – Students in Kindergarten/First/Second grade will exit through the front doors.

3:30 pm –Students in fourth and fifth grade will exit through the playground gate.

** Friday dismissal is 1:30 pm

• Students will be dismissed two hours early every Friday during the 2024-2025 school year for staff professional development. This will replace early dismissals on Mondays for professional development.
• Due to this change, students will have a two-hour early out on Friday, August 23 – the first day of school.
• There will be no school on Monday, September 2 due to Labor Day.

August 20 - Back-To-School Night from 5-7 pm.

August 23- First day of School. Dismissal at 1:30 pm.

September 2- No School (Labor Day)

School supply lists for the 2024-2025 school year are available on our website. Make sure you have everything you need by August 23 for the first day of school!

Lists for each grade level can be found here: https://bit.ly/3VAb3Dw.

Stay connected with family-friendly activities, programs, and clubs in the community through Virtual Backpack. The e-newsletter, which includes information from various Siouxland organizations, is sent out monthly to all district families. Or, view the most up-to-date lists of events and activities on the Virtual Backpack website.

Important Reminders for School Meals

Riverside Elementary is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program which allows our school to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to our students. Riverside Elementary students will not be charged for breakfast or lunch during the upcoming school year. A complete list of CEP schools in our district can be found on our website. This will help ensure other students in your family receive the meals they need during the upcoming school year.

For questions or assistance with school meals, please contact the District’s Food Service Department at 712-279-6860 or 712-279-6862.

Do you have school fees that need to be paid? Visit the Sioux City Community School District website and click on “Pay Fees”. This will link you to MySchoolBucks where you can pay your student’s school fees online. Questions? Please give our school office a call.

Have you reviewed the 2024-2025 SCCSD Parent/Guardian – Student Handbook? The handbook includes important information to help students reach their fullest potential at school. Families are encouraged to review the handbook with their students to make sure they are aware of what is expected of them as a student in the Sioux City Community School District.

Click here to view the 2024-2025 Parent/Guardian – Student Handbook.

The Sioux City Community School District is excited to share an opportunity for parents/guardians! A Parent Advisory Group will be formed to provide input/feedback to work being done by a Special Education Task Force and a Talented and Gifted Task Force. The Parent Advisory Group will meet 4 times during the 24-25 school year. If you are interested in participating in the Parent Advisory Group, please email Kim Neal, Director of Learning Supports, at nealk@live.siouxcityschools.com for more information.

Have a Safety Concern?

Safe + Sound Iowa offers students and families a convenient way to anonymously report safety concerns related to our school. Trained dispatchers will share the information with appropriate school administrators and/or law enforcement so help can be given to those in crisis or at risk.

Visit Safe + Sound Iowa for more information.

School Safety

The safety of our students and staff is paramount. The District uses Standard Response Protocol or common terms to communicate our actions and response to an emergency situation. The terms Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter are used so students, staff, and first responders understand the situation and how best to respond.

We encourage families to become familiar with these terms to better understand our school’s response and what to expect in a crisis situation. For more information on safety preparedness within the District, visit siouxcityschools.org.

Riverside Elementary is collecting Box Tops and Hy-Vee Receipts.We also collect pop-tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. We have a place to collect all of these items in the office.Thank you!