Policies & Procedures

Our elementary school has been nestled in the Woodlands community for over thirty years. Even though we have a relatively new look, Ride remains a school with deep roots and traditions. Our staff and teachers will be relentless in our efforts to add value to each child. We believe in a team effort with students, parents, and teachers working together to ensure the best education for our students. Our goal is to have a happy and productive year for your child. We are very proud of our school and we're glad you are part of the Ride Family.

The beginning of the year is always an exciting time for children and we are looking forward to another successful year. In an effort to provide you with the best communication, I have compiled an overview of Ride’s policies and procedures to assist you, along with a video to help your child learn more about our school. I am looking forward to meeting you and I feel certain that you will enjoy being a Ride Challenger!

Front Office: 281-465-2800 Email: ContactRide@conroeisd.net

Principal: Laura Collins -281-465-2802

Secretary to the Principal: Maggie Cymbala - 281-465-2802

Assistant Principal: Angela Fonville - 281-465-2804

Counselor: Kristy Johnson - 281465-2809

Nurse: Kim Schill - 281-465-2811

Registrar/Attendance: Terri Hankins - 281-465-2810

Speech pathologist: Emily Carter - 281-465 -2817

Diagnostician: Jessica Griffin - 281-465-2821

Librarian: Tammy Fishman - 281-465-2813

Transportation: 832-592-8800

Ride Cafeteria: 281-465-2816

Ride Website: https://ride.conroeisd.net/

Join the PTO: http://ridepto.com/index.html

Volunteer in CISD: http://www.conroeisd.net/parents/get-involved/

Transportation Website: http://www.conroeisd.net/department/transportation/

Child Nutrition Website: http://www.conroeisd.net/department/child-nutrition/

Parent Access Center: http://www.conroeisd.net/parents/

Communication is very important. It’s essential that you sign up for a PAC (Parent Access Center) account each year. Email is our primary communication tool for all school events and information. Once you register for a PAC account, you will receive important information regarding absence and tardy notifications, and other important updates. Throughout the year, you can log into PAC to view grades, report cards, attendance, discipline records, cafeteria accounts, and assessment information.

All parents, visitors, and volunteers must:

• Enter through the front/main entrance only, all other exterior doors will remain locked.
• Anyone permitted to visit the campus will sign in & out at the front office.
• Present a valid, state issued ID to be scanned into the Raptor System.
• Please refrain from picking up students from school during the school day. However, the last possible time the front office can accommodate your request is 2:00 pm.

• We regularly conduct campus safety drills and will be teaching your child procedures to follow in the event of an emergency. These drill include a monthly fire drill, shelter in place, lock out, lock down and a medical response drill.
• All classroom volunteers must complete the CISD Volunteer Application

7:55am-3:10pm

School begins promptly at 7:55 am and dismisses at 3:10 pm. Plan to arrive at school between 7:30 am and 7:55 am. Supervision is not available before 7:30 am.

• 7:30 am- Students are welcomed into the building and go directly to their homeroom.
• 7:30am - Breakfast is served from 7:30am - 8:05 am.
• 7:55 am- Students are tardy if they are not in their classroom.
• 8:05 am- Students arriving to school after 8:05 am must be signed in by an adult at the front desk.

Healthy students are expected to be in attendance every day from 7:55 am-3:10 pm. Attendance is officially recorded at 9:00 am.

If your child will not be at school for any reason, please notify our school registrar, Terri Hankins at thankins@conroeisd.net. Upon returning from an absence, always send a note explaining the reason for the absence. Notifications may be sent via email. Please try to schedule routine medical appointments outside of school hours. Likewise, please schedule vacations during school holidays/long weekends. It is extremely important to maximize our instruction time.

• Tardies -Students must be in their classroom by 7:55am. If late, they will be scanned in by a Ride staff member. After 7:55 am, an adult must accompany the child to the front office to sign in tardy. Please make arrangements so that your child arrives on time. Each time your child is tardy, you will receive notification via email. After the 6th tardy each grading period and EACH tardy thereafter, a discipline referral will be generated.

All students are issued a 6 digit ID number upon registration. This number is used in the cafeteria line, library check out, online log ins, bus registration and Parent Access.

You can find the Student ID on their previous report card from CISD or request the number from our registrar at ljaimes@conroeisd.net. Request must be made from the email address on file for your student.

If you are a new student to Ride or have any questions, please contact the front office at 281-465-2800.

Arrival:

Your mode of transportation should be chosen based on the ability to arrive on time, consistency, and convenience. If you choose to physically bring your child to school, please say your "good-byes" at the EAST Gate or by the flag pole. This reinforces independence for our students and it helps promote quiet and orderly hallways. Staff will be on duty daily to help assist unsure students to their classrooms.

Dismissal:

Thank you for sharing our concern about safety and for helping us follow dismissal procedures allowing all children to arrive home safely. All students will receive a Smart tag that will be scanned before leaving the building. Please be sure this tag remains on your child’s backpack all year.

Choose dismissal transportation from the following:

• Bus
• Daycare
• YMCA
• Car rider
• East walker/biker - Ridgewood Park
• West walker/biker - W. Panther Creek

Bus Riders:

Buses in CISD are available to every student living more than one mile from school. Bus service must be requested through the CISD transportation department yearly. The Transportation Department website contains bus arrival and departure times and valuable safety information which will help you teach your children about bus safety. Please note that bus route adjustments may be made during the first few weeks of class due to changes in student and neighborhood populations. Kindergarten students will not be dropped off at a stop unless a parent is present. http://www.conroeisd.net/department/transportation/

After 4:00pm, any concerns regarding bus transportation should be directed to The Woodlands Transportation Center at 832.592.8800.

Daycare Pickup- If your child typically attends daycare and will be absent for any reason, please notify the daycare.

YMCA- Students are dismissed to the gym and remain in the care of YMCA employees until they are picked up by parents.

Car Riders – We ask that parents do not park or leave their car. For safety reasons, we do not allow parents on the front porch at dismissal. Signs will be issued to put in car windshields; this will help speed up the car rider line and identify adults/guardians that are eligible to pick up a student at the end of a school day. If you have multiple children, please display all names and grade levels on your car rider signs. If you have lost your sign, you will be asked to pull around and park to verify your ID with the front office staff in order to pick up your child. OR you may display your child's student ID barcode from Parent Access Center (PAC).

East and West Walkers - Please do not come on campus during dismissal time if meeting your child to walk them home. Pre-K through 2nd grade students must be met by an adult or accompanied by an older sibling. These procedures are put in place to ensure the safety of our students. DO NOT park along West Panther Creek at dismissal. Only students who walk to their homes should be walkers.

Extreme Weather Dismissal- This only affects WALKERS/BIKERS.

This alert will be sent if we are experiencing sideways rain, thunder/lightening or tornado warnings. Extreme weather dismissal notifications will be sent via School Messenger at 2:50 pm. (Please opt-in for text message alerts!) We ask when the weather is this extreme that you come through the car line to pick up your child. Walker/Biker students who are not picked up will be placed in the car rider line.

Please note that our weather changes drastically in a matter of minutes. Principals use their judgment in favor of student safety...be patient when the weather changes.

A note must be sent to the teacher each and every time your child deviates from his/her “usual” way home. If the teacher does not receive a note, your child will be sent home the “usual” way. This transportation change note should always include the date, grade level, classroom teacher, your child’s full name, and how the child is going home (and with whom, if applicable). If plans change during the day and you haven't sent a note, you can call the front desk by 2:00 pm. The e-mail must include a copy of your driver’s license or identification. For safety reasons, phone calls and emails without identification will not be accepted for a transportation change. In the event of an emergency or unforeseeable circumstances, call us.

Please note, your child may not ride the bus home with friends unless permission has been given by the CISD Transportation Department. This may not be a problem if they ride the same bus; however, if they ride different buses, the transportation department gives permission based on space availability and other considerations. Please call the Transportation Department at 832.592.8800 if you have further questions. Above all, if you have a problem and need our help, please call us. The safety of our students is our top priority!

Other than regular arrival/dismissal time

• Parents must come into the front office to check students in and out. A valid, state issued identification must be presented and you must be listed on the child’s emergency form.
• Parents are not permitted to walk directly to the classroom to pick up a student. To maximize instructional time and to minimize interruptions, teachers will be notified and students will proceed to the office.
• For safety reasons, we do not allow students to be checked out after 2:30 pm.

BOY/MOY/EOY - Refers to beginning of year, middle of year and end of year assessments.

STAAR

• 3rd and 4th Grade Math: April
• 3rd and 4th Grade Reading: April

The CISD Child Nutrition website contains lunch and breakfast menus and prices as well as information on applying for Free and Reduced Meal Programs. Each student is provided with a lunch card that includes his/her lunch PIN number (student ID). This card will stay at school. If you have questions regarding your child’s account, please contact our cafeteria manager at 281-465-2816 http://www.conroeisd.net/department/child-nutrition/

For the safety of our students, only Ride staff and students will be allowed on the playground. Also, pictures may not be taken on the playground due to confidentiality.

Students who are car riders in the morning and plan to eat breakfast at school should arrive with enough time to eat before the tardy bell rings at 8:00.

If your child brings lunch to school, please make every attempt to send their lunch with your child. Any student who does not have a lunch may charge one in the café. In the rare occasion that a lunch must be dropped off at the front office, please deliver before 10:00 AM. No lunches will be accepted after 10:00 AM

VISITORS:

Due to the lack of table availability, lunch visitors are limited and asked to sign up for lunch in advance using the SignUp Genius. The link for the SingUp Genius is in the weekly Ride Blast newsletter.

Deliveries to students including lunches will be limited and on an emergency basis only. Students forgetting lunches will be allowed to charge a meal in the cafeteria.

"Enrichment" is the term used to describe the rotations students take through Art, Music, Physical Education, and Technology during the teacher's conference period. During enrichment, students rotate through the above mentioned classes. Ride is on a 6 day rotation, indicated by a color and a # day. Each class will follow a specific schedule. Teachers will explain the rotation at Parent Information Night.

Physical education is an important part of a child’s educational experience and is required by State law. A written excuse is required in the event a child needs to be excused from participation in physical education. If he or she cannot participate for a period of more than five days, a doctor’s statement must be presented to the school. A note from the physician releasing the student to return to regular participation in physical education will also be required. P.E. is a very active class. Please make every effort to ensure your child has tennis shoes on his/her P.E. day. P.E. is every other day for every class.

Parents are welcome to request a parent/teacher conference, if so desired. To request a conference, you may contact your child’s teacher by phone or email. Teachers are available to conference by phone, in person, or Zoom during their scheduled conference time.

Teachers will schedule initial parent conference following the completion of BOY assessments by October.

In an abundance of caution, our clinic staff will pre-assess all students before entering the clinic. If a student is a "well student", only in need of medication, band-aid, clean up, etc., they will be assisted in an area away from children who are possibly ill.

If your child gets sick at school, he/she will be sent to the school clinic. Parents will be contacted if necessary. If we are unable to reach you, emergency contacts will be called. Please visit with our school nurse if your child has any health concerns.

Illness/Absence

• It's recommended that children should remain at home until fever/vomiting has ceased for at least 24 hours
• If your child will be absent due to illness, email the school registrar, Terri Hankins, at thankins@conroeisd.net
• Students are never allowed to bring or transport medication to school...do not send it with your child in the backpack.
• Adults must bring any medications to the school clinic and give specific information before medication can be dispensed at school (please refer to the CISD Student Handbook for information and requirements relating to medications at school).

• For students who will have allergy or asthma medications at school, please obtain an allergy and asthma action plan from your child's doctor prior to dropping off the medication.

Sally K. Ride follows the Conroe ISD Dress Code. As a reference, please see below for frequently asked questions:

• All hair color should be a natural hair color or color that does not cause a distraction for other students in the classroom
• Shorts should be mid-thigh or longer
• No tank tops/spaghetti straps
• No cosmetics
• No flip flops (students may wear sandals with a back strap)
• Shorts should be worn under dresses/skirts
• We encourage students to wear tennis shoes/closed toed shoes on days they will be attending P.E.
• Students should make sure their shirts are not offensive or violent

** Students who violate dress code will be sent to the clinic to call home for a change of clothes.

Friday's are "Spirit Day". Teachers and students are encouraged to wear a Ride Challenger shirt or school colors (Red,White, and Blue). Ride spirit wear will be available on the RidePTO website until items are sold out. www.ridepto.com

When students celebrate a birthday at Ride, his/her name appears on the morning announcements. Parents may bring store bought cookies (no cupcakes or cookies with icing, please) to be distributed, by the teacher, during the class's designated time. For the safety of our students, parents will not be allowed to pass out food items to the class in the lunchroom. Please contact your child’s teacher prior to the special occasion to make arrangements.

We ask that parents refrain from bringing other items such as balloons, flowers, and candles. We will be unable to deliver any of these items to your child.

Students often request to pass out birthday invitations in their classrooms. Invitations may be passed out only if the entire class is invited or if all the girls or all the boys in the class are invited. Passing out invitations to the entire grade level is not permitted. Please contact your child’s teacher if your child plans to pass out birthday invitations at school.

If your child leaves something important at home, please deliver to the front office, labeled with your child’s name and teacher’s name. Articles will then be delivered to the classroom. However, please work with your child to develop good habits of responsibility, helping them to be prepared every day.

Please write your child’s name on all sweaters, coats, backpacks, water bottles, and lunch kits. All students are encouraged to bring refillable water bottles to school. Water bottles need to have a sport top to prevent spills. Only water is allowed.

Radios, iPods, electronic games, laser lights, toy guns, electronic devices, fidget spinners, and other toys should not be brought on the school campus unless they are used as part of a classroom project, or requested by the teacher. Students may bring cell phones to school, but they must be turned off and in their backpacks during school hours. Knives or other dangerous objects are never allowed.

The District is not responsible for any item brought to school by a student. A student bringing any electronic device including cell phones, smart phones, smart watches, radios, CD players, iPods, MP3 players, video/audio recorders, DVD players, electronic readers, cameras, Google Glass, etc. does so at his or her own risk.

The District permits students to possess telecommunications devices including cell phones. Generally, these devices must remain turned off during the instructional day, including during all testing.

A student who uses any item, electronic or otherwise contrary to campus or District rules, may have the device confiscated. Confiscated devices that are not retrieved by the student or student’s parent will be disposed of after the notice required by law. Any disciplinary action will be in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct. If a student does have an electronic device, it should be put away and turned off during the school day. Permission to use the device at school should come from the principal or classroom teacher. Without such permission, teachers will collect the items and turn them in to the principal’s office. The principal will determine whether to return items to students at the end of the day or to contact parents to pick up the items. The District is not responsible for any damaged, lost, or stolen electronic devices.

The district has many filters and fire walls implemented to protect the students from inappropriate websites. On occasion, a student may access such a site. The Ride policy when this happens is to immediately close the website and report to a teacher.

Showing, sharing, forwarding inappropriate material or participating (by another student) in any of the mentioned conditions once the material is shared with him/her is strictly forbidden and will result in a behavior referral in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct. Parents will be contacted.