Riverside Report

Our staff have been working hard to prepare for our students return. At Riverside, we pride ourselves on being not only a school community, but a family. As we embark on a new school year, we look forward to growing relationships with families to support the success of everyone at our school. We can’t wait to see you at school-wide events such as our family nights, science fair, and ice cream social.

If you are new to Riverside Elementary School, we welcome you and your family to our community; if you are returning, we look forward to working with you and your child again this year. Each month we will be publishing this newsletter to keep parents informed of important dates, information and activities here at school. Hard copies of this newsletter can be made available in our main office upon request.

We will be sending out our welcome letters on Thursday August 8, 2024. Lamers wills send the busing information letters the week before school starts.

Thank you,

Kevin Kampmann

Riverside Principal

Thursday August 29, 2024 Riverside Open House 4:00-6:00 PM

Monday September 2, 2024 No School

Tuesday September 3, 2024 First Day Of School

Tuesday September 11, 2024 Picture Day

Wednesday- Friday September 25-27, 2024 Vision & Hearing Screening

Monday September 30, 2024 No School for Elementary Students

Backpack

Tennis Shoes for gym class

Art Smock or art shirt

Pencil Box

Backpack

Tennis Shoes for gym class

Art Smock or art shirt

Large Zipper Pouch

Students will have the opportunity to explore their classrooms, and meet their classroom and encore teachers (music, art, PE, library, guidance), which helps them become familiar with the building. Students will have lunch at 11:00, and get a chance to play on the playground afterwards.

There will be an optional parent meeting from 11:15-12:00. This meeting will have a lot of helpful information such as what to expect for the first day of school, busing information, an example of a kindergarten schedule, breakfast & lunch information, FAQ's, and what to expect for the end of the day if you are picking up your student.

We can't wait to meet you!

We are excited to see everyone for our Open House Thursday August 29, 2024 from 4-6 p.m. Come meet your teachers, bring your school supplies, and see your classrooms!

If your child will need medications here at school, this is also a great time to bring them in to the office. Our Health Associate, Jennifer Lilly, will be here to answer any questions or provide any forms you may need.

Please stop in to the office if you would like to make a payment on your child(ren's) lunch accounts, sign up in the volunteer tracker for our volunteer opportunities this year (this includes helping in the classrooms, popping popcorn, chaperoning field trips and so much more!) If you have any other questions or concerns for the upcoming school year our Administrative Assistant, Jessica Krautkramer, will be available to assist you.

We are excited to see everyone! We hope you can make it!

8:20 a.m. Doors Open-Walking students, parent drop off, & buses arrive.

8:20-8:40 Breakfast in Multipurpose Room

8:40 a.m. Students report to their homerooms. Attendance & Lunch count/Announcements & Classes Begin.

11:05-11:20 2nd Grade Lunch

11:20-11:35 Kdg Lunch

11:35-11:50 1st Grade Lunch

11:50-12:05 4th Grade Lunch

12:05-12:20 3rd Grade Lunch

12:20-12:35 5th Grade Lunch

3:40 p.m. Student Dismissal

** all students have a 15 minute lunch period and are welcome to stay up to 30 minutes if needed.

We want to let you know that Officer Zwicky will be joining us here at Riverside as our school resource officer! Officer Zwicky will spend time at all of our elementary schools this year, and he will be at Riverside on Monday's.

The role of a School Resource Officer is multifaceted. Not only does Officer Zwicky ensure the safety and security of our school, but he also serves as a mentor and educator. He will be actively involved in teaching students about safety, making positive choices, and being a resource for any questions or concerns students may have.

Please join us in welcoming Officer Zwicky to the Riverside Bluejay family when you see him in the halls!

School Safety Information for Families

D.C. Everest administrators and staff have been proactively working with law enforcement, first responders and our Superintendent’s Office in Wisconsin to update our Comprehensive School Safety Plans and put into place effective drills that will help prepare us for incidents, emergencies or disasters that may occur at school or within the community. Below is important safety information we encourage you to review prior to the start of the school year.

Talk to Your Student About Safety

It is crucial for parents/guardians to be aware of the safety protocols at their child’s school. Engaging in conversations with your child(ren) about safety drills taking place at school is vital to helping them prepare for emergencies that may take place at school or elsewhere. By helping your student understand the district safety protocols (found below), you can help reduce fear and build a student’s trust in the systems we have in place. Open dialogues between parents, teachers, support staff and students strengthen our processes and emergency response plans. Below are the district safety protocols to review with your student.

Be Alert

“If you see something, say something!” This proactive approach is encouraged among students, parents and staff to ensure safety concerns are reported immediately to school administrators or appropriate first responders, especially if there is a potential for imminent danger.

Drills

DCE schools comply with Wisconsin safety drill mandates. Some of the safety drills we conduct are, per the mandates, unannounced. These drills provide the DCE safety team with the opportunity to assess the effectiveness of our responses. We conduct the first of our fire and lockdown drills within the first two weeks of school to ensure our students are informed and prepared for potential emergencies.

For the past several years, D.C. Everest has followed an established protocol in the event an unauthorized person enters the school building. If that occurs, a building-wide alert is announced, and students and staff are instructed to lock their classroom doors, turn off the lights, and hide while remaining quiet.

Research indicates, however, that to increase their chances of survival, students and staff should be provided with additional options when confronted with an intruder. Therefore, DCE has enhanced the traditional lockdown protocols with a new Run, Hide, Fight Training and Instruction that will be implemented across the District. These procedures are endorsed by safety experts across the country, including the Department of Homeland Security.

Run, Hide, Fight

In an active shooter situation, the protocol of Run, Hide, Fight is adopted:

Run

• Have an escape route and plan in mind

• Leave your belongings behind

• Run regardless of whether others agree to follow

• Help others escape, if possible

• Prevent others from entering an area where the active shooter may be

• Call 911 when you are safe

Hide

• Hide in an area out of the shooter’s view

• Lock the door or block the entry to your hiding place with tables, chairs or any other sizable item

• Silence your cell phone so you are not detected by the shooter

Fight

• Fight as a last resort and only when your life is in imminent danger

• Attempt to incapacitate the shooter

• Commit to your actions — your life depends on it

Emergency Procedures

• Fire: Evacuate and do not return until it is deemed safe.

• Lockdown: Take action based on the nature of the threat, which may include locking doors and covering windows.

• Shelter in Place: Used during external threats, students are secured inside buildings.

• Reunification Off Site:

In rare instances, where more distance is needed to ensure student safety, students may be relocated to another site for reunification with parents/guardians. Parents will be advised of reunification sites through our School Messenger all-call system, websites and social media channels.

For your safety and the safety of students, staff and first responders, please:

• DO NOT REPORT TO THE SCHOOL — procedures are in place to safely and efficiently reunite students with parents/guardians.

• Ensure you have persons authorized to pick up your student(s) LISTED ON YOUR STUDENT’S EMERGENCY CARD in Infinite Campus (you can find more information linked HERE). No student will be released to any other adult, if not listed on the current emergency card.

• Have your photo ID with you at the reunification site; it will be required at the time of pickup​.

Communication During an Emergency

During an emergency at a D.C. Everest school, communication is distributed through the School Messenger all-call system, the district websites and our social media channels. To ensure you receive timely alerts, please update your emergency contact information. Please visit the DCE Safety and Security webpage to update your contact information in Infinite Campus.

Parents are advised to:

• Remain at home/work and monitor our communication channels (website, social media, email, texts) for updated information.

• Avoid sending repeated texts or phone calls to students’ personal cell phones; doing so may alert intruders to your child’s location and may tie up the cellular systems, potentially delaying a safe and effective response

• Refrain from proceeding to the site of the emergency — doing so may block roads and prevent First Responders from responding in a timely manner; only proceed to the site if advised to do so by the district or law enforcement

• Avoid posting unverified information to your social media channels — this can lead to mass confusion and misinformation

For any concerns or questions, please contact our Principal, Kevin Kampmann.

When dropping off your students before school, please use the lane farthest from the building to drop off your children, as the lane closest to the building is the bus drop off lane. When dropping off your children, please remain in your vehicle while students exit the passenger side of the vehicle and proceed down the median sidewalk to the cross walk and into the building.

If you are arriving after the start of the day, please bring your student to the main doors (located at the left side of the building, with the overhang above) and press the doorbell, as all other doors are locked after school begins. An office member will assist you in getting your child checked in.

At Pick-Up time, if you are picking up your child(ren), we ask that you park your vehicle and come in to the main lobby. Starting at 3:30, you can sign-out your child in the main lobby, and then you can wait for them in the Multipurpose room. At 3:35, students will be released to the Multipurpose room to be matched with parents.

If you are picking up prior to the end of the day, please come to the main doors (located at the left side of the building, with the overhang above), and press the doorbell. An office member will let you in, where you will be able to sign your child out on the sign-out sheet located in the front office. An office member will call down to your child's classroom to have your child released.

The D.C. Everest Area School District is proud to offer school meals with a wide variety of fresh, local, and homemade ingredients as part of the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs.

Elementary Meal Prices 2024-25

Milk (Snack Break or Cold Lunch Milk)

• Daily $0.45
• Weekly $2.25
• Monthly (20 days) $9.00
• Quarterly (45 days) $20.25
• Semester (90 days) $40.50
• Reduced Costs: $0

*** Please note, if your child will be having cold lunch and takes milk, they will be charged $0.45, and snack milk will still be charged $0.45, unless your child qualifies for Free/reduced rates.

Breakfast

• Daily $1.50
• Weekly $7.50
• Monthly (20 days) $30.00
• Quarterly (45 days) $67.50
• Semester (90 days) $135.00
• Reduced Costs: $0

Lunch

• Daily $2.00
• Weekly $10.00
• Monthly (20 days) $40.00
• Quarterly (45 days) $90.00
• Semester (90 days) $180.00
• Reduced Costs: $0.40

Milk, Breakfast, & Lunch

• Daily $3.95
• Weekly $19.75
• Monthly (20 days) $79.00
• Quarterly (45 days) $177.75
• Semester (90 days) $355.50

Payments

We accept cash or check payments in person at the school office. Please include the student name and ID number with the deposit. Payment may also be made online for a small fee on the MySchoolBucks website, www.myschoolbucks.com. You can check account balances, view recent purchases, and set up low balance alerts for free on the MySchoolBucks website.

FREE AND REDUCED

A copy of the Free or Reduced Price Meal Applications are sent home to each household and are available in the school office or on the D.C. Everest website. If you think your family might qualify for this benefit, please fill out an application. A new application must be completed each school year. We only need one form per household, even if your students attend multiple D.C. Everest Schools. Applications may be submitted at any time during the school year. All information is kept confidential.

MENUS

A printed school breakfast and lunch menu is sent home monthly. Check Nutrislice for our interactive online menus at https://dce.nutrislice.com/.

SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS

The licensed medical practitioner's statement must identify:

• an explanation of how the child’s physical or mental impairment restricts the child’s diet;
• the food(s) to be avoided; and
• the food or choice of foods that must be substituted.

The health aide can provide this form, or it is available on the Health & Nurse Services page as well. Please return to your building’s health aide or the School Nutrition Office. Once the completed form is returned, it will be shared with the Supervisor of School Nutrition and the District Nurse. You will be contacted to determine what procedures need to be put into place to accommodate your child’s needs.

Please plan on a two week waiting period, after we have received the physicians statement/form, for the accommodations to begin with school meals.

FIRST SEMESTER

Tuesday October 29, 2024 from 4:30-7:30 p.m.

Monday November 4, 2024 from 11:30-7:30 p.m. (No School Day)

SECOND SEMESTER

Thursday February 20, 2025 from 11:30-7:30 p.m. (No School for Elementary)

Tuesday February 25, 2025 from 4:30-7:30 p.m.

VISITORS AT SCHOOL PROCEDURES

For purposes of understanding: A “visitor” means an unpaid person who attends a district sponsored event or activity. As part of D.C. Everest Board Policy 8410 school safety plan, all doors to the school are locked during the school day. Visitors will need to press a call button located near the center of the front doors to enter the building. All visitors are required to register in the school office.

• “Visitor” is typically a parent/guardian/family support person attending a school event, sporting event, theater production, class choir, or school family event OR is a parent/guardian dropping off/picking up their child from school.

• Visitors attending school events shall report their presence and sign in at the school office if the visit occurs during the instructional day; but may not be required to sign in if the event or activity is after the instructional day.

• Visitors dropping off/picking up their child from school outside normal drop/pickup times will press the call button located near the center of the front doors to enter the building and drop off/pick up their child in the office lobby area.

ATTENDANCE: When a student is absent, a parent should call school by 9 am to report their child’s absence—715-359-2417, press 1 for attendance voicemail. For doctor, dentist, counseling etc. appointments, please bring a slip from the Dr.’s office to have the absence considered as a medical excuse. Regular attendance is a requirement under Wisconsin State law for all students K-5.

iPADS & TEXTBOOKS: All iPads and workbooks needed for the education of your child will be furnished by the school district. These items, and all other school property, are to be handled with extreme care by the students to ensure long use. Any property that is damaged by a student will be replaced by that student at his/her expense.

ALTERNATE PICK-UP PLANS: Please be sure to send a physical note to your child’s teacher if there will be a change in transportation for your child after school, or call to let the main office know. It is very important for the teacher and child to know after school plans. It is difficult at the end of the day to contact teachers and students for last minute changes. All students will be put on their regular bus at dismissal time unless they have a note with alternate instructions.

NO ANIMAL POLICY—Animals should not be brought on school grounds. We have students with allergies and we also have this policy in place for the safety of our children. We cannot anticipate how an animal will react to an individual. We also want to keep our school grounds clean since children play on our grass.

The D.C. Everest School District continues to create academic and social-emotional support systems linked directly to the assessed needs of our students. This system, known as the Everest System of Supports (E.S.S.), provides all students with timely and targeted instruction and intervention based upon the data-driven results of universal screening tools.

The primary purpose of universal screenings is to help all students be successful. By identifying students who are in need of more specialized academic or behavioral interventions, we can provide assistance and preventative measures as early as possible. Likewise, by identifying students with higher reasoning skills and talent potential, we can provide them with opportunities to participate in the Gifted and Talented Magnet program, Honors, Advanced Placement, or Dual Enrollment programs as appropriate for the individual student.

These screenings include state or district tests, as well as specific academic or behavior screening tests. The screening assessments are typically administered to all students two or three times per year at the elementary level.

• The universal screening tool iReady is an adaptive assessment used in grades K-5 for math and in grades 4-5 for literacy to help determine where students might have gaps in knowledge and skills and need assistance. For grades K-3 in the area of literacy, aimswebPlus is the universal screening tool chosen by Wisconsin as a comprehensive assessment of young children's knowledge of literacy foundational skills that are predictive of future reading success.

• iReady and aimswebPlus universal reading screening data will also be used to determine which students would benefit from continuing in the screening process through use of informal, diagnostic, individually administered assessment tools in the areas of phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, and spelling. This will help us identify students who display risk factors associated with dyslexia/related difficulties. The results from these assessments are not intended or designed to diagnose dyslexia; their purpose is to identify children who are experiencing reading difficulties that may require extra support and ensure that support is targeted to each student’s areas of need.

• The Bloomsights screening tool (grades 1-5) helps to identify the connections among students and provides them an opportunity to express their own concerns related to the school environment. It is a student completed screener that informs decision making at the student, classroom, and school level.

Thank you for supporting the D.C. Everest School District’s efforts to build a system of student supports linked directly to data. This initiative will ensure each of our students has the opportunity to receive the assistance they need to achieve academic and social-emotional success. Please do not hesitate to contact our principal, Kevin Kampmann, if you would like to discuss any of the screening processes or the options of opting your child out of a specific screener.

Some food products can cause an anaphylactic reaction if a person eats, touches, or breathes in the protein. Anaphylaxis means that the immune system over reacts to a particular protein found in that food. Each reaction is unique and symptoms range from mild to life threatening with each exposure. The eight foods most commonly responsible for the majority of reactions are: cow’s milk, eggs, fish, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat. Examples of non-food related anaphylactic allergens are latex, medication, and insect venom (i.e. bee stings).

Although the district cannot guarantee an allergen free campus, DC Everest Policy 5335.01 provides an anaphylactic aware environment (K-12) for staff and students by taking measures to minimize the risk of an exposure and educate staff to respond to life threatening reactions. During classroom projects and activities, common food allergens, as well as latex, will be avoided.

For the safety of all students, nut products or products containing nuts are only allowed in the cafeteria during lunch from students who bring cold lunch. Items for snack should not contain nuts as they cannot be consumed in the classroom. Birthday or party treats are welcome, but must be purchased (not baked at home), in original packaging, and cannot contain nuts.

The food service department will make dietary substitutions in accordance with USDA regulations 7 CFR Part 15b, when the "Medical Statement for Children with Disabilities Requiring Special Foods in Child Nutrition Programs" is correctly completed by a physician and returned to the Supervisor of Food Services.

A reasonable effort for school operated programs will be made to not serve or purchase food products that contain nut ingredients. Nut containing products will not be served in grades K-5. All students may pack a cold lunch containing nut product to be eaten in the cafeteria only.

The parent/guardians will supply a physician signed and completed Anaphylactic Action plan to the school and indicate if the student should sit at an allergy safe table and notify staff if there are any changes in the student’s health.

We want to say thank you to all of the parents who help our PTO make Riverside great!

How Can You Help?

• Please join us at our PTO Meetings and committees. All parents are encouraged to attend our monthly planning meetings that are held the 2nd Monday of every month at 6:00 in the conference room or join us via Webex by clicking here.

  
  

• At our PTO meetings, we discuss and plan for our upcoming events. It is a great time to ask questions, meet other parents, and have a say in the things that our PTO contribute to for our students. We appreciate new members feedback and fresh ideas!

• Support our PTO's fundraising efforts through our two major funding opportunities- Fall Fundraiser and Ice Cream Social. The funds raised from these events are used for family nights, teacher resources, field trips, popcorn days, scholarships, and large purchases such as our recent purchase of new playground equipment. We would love to hear ideas for what our next big purchase should be!

If you want to follow the Riverside PTO on facebook, please use the following link.

Riverside Elementary PTO Ringle,

Student Directory DataAs part of its Directory Data Notice, and in compliance with specific federal Acts and state Statutes, the D.C. Everest Area School Board is required to define specific student information as “directory information”. At D.C. Everest, directory information includes:

● Student name

● Student photograph(s)

● Officially-recognized sports and activities the student participates in

● Student height and weight, if a member of an athletic team

● Graduation date

● Degrees and awards received

If families prefer the above-noted student information not be shared, they must inform the District — in writing— which of the directory information items they refuse to permit the District to designate as “Directory Data” for their student. For example, if a parent/guardian decides photos of their student should not be released, then the student’s photo will not appear in the yearbook, in team photos, in photos shared on social media and with the media, etc. The Board defines “personally identifiable information” in its Directory Data Notice. (For a complete list of the “personally identifiable information” data, view the DCE Directory Data Notice online).

The District is required to release specific personally identifiable information — the name, address, and telephone listing of a student — upon request from a military recruiter or institutions of higher education without prior written parental/guardian consent unless parents request in writing that their student’s name, address and telephone number not be released to military recruiters or institutions of higher education without prior written parental consent. This specific request must be submitted to the Student Services Secretary.

The above-noted written requests should be submitted to the student’s school secretary at the elementary level and the Student Services secretary at the secondary level.

The complete D.C. Everest Directory Data Notice is available online.

Welcome back! I hope you and your family had a wonderful summer!

I eagerly look forward to greeting students and families again and am very excited to begin my fourth year as Riverside’s School Counselor. It remains an honor and a privilege. I have a lot of ideas (and renewed energy!) for how to best serve our students. Please don’t hesitate to utilize my counseling services. My role is to support student academic performance by providing social/emotional, academic and career related interventions which may include brief individual counseling, peer mediation, small group counseling, classroom guidance lessons, and other targeted interventions. I serve as a liaison/advocate for parents and students and I am ready and willing to help in any way I can. Feel free to contact me if you have any concerns about your child. I am here for you 100%!

It is my hope that this school year will be full of growth and successful experiences for ALL students. Here’s to an exciting 2024-2025 school year!

Warmest Regards,

Mrs. Sara Tatro, B.S., M.S.

School Counselor

statro@dce.k12.wi.us

Ext 5326

Email: kkampmann@dce.k12.wi.us
Website: https://www.dce.k12.wi.us/riversideelementary
Location: 166543 River Road, Ringle, WI, USA
Phone: 715-359-2417
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DC-Everest-Riverside-Elementary-781561655213872/