This week was Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week across the nation, and I know that the staff was so thankful for the Flipgrid videos, the "Thank You RES Staff" signage, and all of the kind and thoughtful messages sent to them. I am so impressed by each member of the RES staff and touched by the support of our RES families. I would like to extend my appreciation to all of our parents/guardians as you have put on the teacher hat these past two months. Thank you for partnering with us to meet the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of our children. We are stronger together!

I want to wish all of the mothers a very Happy Mother's Day! I hope you enjoy this special day.

Fondly,

Daneyelle

May 15th

Be a Rainbow - Wear your favorite rainbow color(s).

May 22nd

Patriotic Day - Wear red, white, and blue.

May 29th

Sports Day in honor of RES Field Day 2020 - Wear college, professional, or your own sports team’s gear!

June 5th

Dress for Success Day in honor of our sixth graders!

June 12th

Celebrate summer - Wear beach/Hawaiian outfits.

*Upload your Spirit Day pictures to the Google Photos Shared Album (link below). Pictures can also be emailed to djordan@crsd.org. The photos will be used to create a slideshow, to post to the Super Spike Newsletter and the RES website, and will be included in the RES yearbook. Additionally, access to the Google photo album will allow you to see schoolmates' photos.

In commemoration of our 2020 Spring Concerts that were not able to take place, Mrs. Hintenlang created the video below. Feel free to play or dance along!

As part of the yearly health curriculum, 4th, 5th, and 6th-grade students receive instruction on human growth and development. As part of our distance learning, we would like to extend this opportunity to your homes during this time. The link to the letter below contains links to videos that we encourage you to view with your child, as he/she would have done with the Physical Education teacher and School Nurse in the classroom. We understand that these can be difficult conversations to have with your children, but they are of great importance to our children’s health. If you prefer that your child does not receive this instruction please disregard this letter. Additional resources are provided in the letter below.

You might be close to running out of new picture books to read, and we know that there's nothing better than a good book before bed! The RES staff doesn't want anyone to miss out on the excitement of shared reading!

Each week in the Smore newsletter, you will find a link to FIVE stories, each read aloud by one of our super staff members. Spread them out over the week, and you'll have a new bedtime story each day!

When growing brains are engaged in the hard work of learning, it is very important to include brain breaks in the learning routine. Although they take a little bit of extra time, research shows that these breaks not only reduce stress and frustration but also increase attention and productivity. Taking a brain break before working on a challenging task can make a child's brain more available to new learning. Taking a brain break after a challenging task is not only a great incentive to finish the task, but also allows the brain to process all the new information it just gained. In other words, brain breaks should not only be fun, but frequent!

Brief brain breaks can be as simple as getting up to get a drink of water, cuddling with a pet, or running up and down the stairs. But adding some mindfulness activities such a deep breathing, mindful movement, or visualization can add additional benefits in terms of stress management and creating a fresh start on their next activity. They not only help at the moment but practicing these activities now is a great way to create new habits that will help your child deal with challenging or stressful situations in the future as well!

Each week we will be providing a menu board of these extra-special brain breaks to help you add some of these benefits to your distance learning routine.

During distance learning, there might be times in which students need the support of our school counselor, Mrs. O'Neill. She is available during this time to help students and their families. Please click here to access Mrs. O'Neill's website.

In order to help promote student wellness, the district is providing optional activities for all grade levels that could be completed individually or with families on Fridays. The activities address the physical health, mental health, and social connectedness of our students. Please click on the following link for the student wellness activities (previously provided on 5/7).

Council Rock’s Medication Take-Back Day will be held on Wednesday, May 13th, 2020 from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

If you would like to retrieve your child’s medication or medical supplies, please click the link below and complete the take-back form by Friday, May 8th: https://forms.gle/LXHvGPuDM55SGUvG6.

If you are unable to pick up your child’s medication or supplies on May 13th, you may designate a person to pick up the medication or supplies for you by indicating that on the form.

Please note that controlled substances can only be picked up by adults. If you are unable to pick up your child’s medication and unable to designate a person to do so for you, please indicate your hardship on the form. If you do not complete this form to schedule your pick-up or indicate your hardship, your child’s medication will be disposed of at the end of the day on May 13th, 2020.

To pick up your child’s medication or supplies on May 13th, please arrive in your car at the main entrance of your child’s school between the hours of 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm.

Please remain in your car, and the nurse will come to your car to give you the medication or supplies. If you are feeling any signs of illness on May 13th, please do not come to Medication Take-Back Day. Instead, please email the school nurse directly, and alternative arrangements will be made to obtain your child’s medication or supplies.

Please refer to the following information if you plan to pick up personal items from RES at your assigned time on Wednesday, June 10th or Thursday, June 11th. Kindly keep in mind that the health, safety, and well-being of our staff, students, and families are the priority. This will be a short visit to collect personal belongings and essential materials from classrooms. Please know that accessing the building is completely voluntary.

Families are asked to adhere to the schedule below. Access times are assigned by student last name to minimize the number of people in the building at any one time. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding!

The schedule for Wednesday, June 10th is as follows:

• 8:30 - 9:00 - Student last name A-B
• 9:00 - 9:30 - Student last name C-D
• 9:30 - 10:00 - Student last name E-F
• 10:00 - 10:30 - Student last name G-H
• 10:30 - 11:00 - Student last name I-J
• 11:00 - 11:30 - Student last name K-L
• 11:30 - 12:00 - Student last name M

The schedule for Thursday, June 11th is as follows:

• 8:30 - 9:00 - Student last name N-O-P
• 9:00 - 9:30 - Student last name Q-R
• 9:30 - 10:00 - Student last name S
• 10:00 - 10:30 - Student last name T-U-V
• 10:30 - 11:00 - Student last names W-X-Y-Z

Below are the procedures that must be adhered to if you plan to access RES:

• You must enter and exit the building through the main entrance. That is the only entrance that will be unlocked. The doors will be propped open.
• You are only permitted in classrooms needed to gather essential/personal materials (no bathrooms, no cafeteria, no gym, etc.)
• It is asked that only one parent accompany their student/s into the building; non-attending siblings/family members are not permitted to enter the building.
• Please be thoughtful of our community by keeping all precautions as outlined by the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/) and CR in mind. You must wear a face mask. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before coming into the building and when you leave the building. Keep the 6 ft. social distancing guidelines in mind when you see other families or students. Go only to the necessary classroom(s) and limit the things that you touch as you go there.
• If you are feeling sick, have a temperature over 100 degrees, or are having respiratory symptoms, please stay home. If you cough or sneeze, please do so into a tissue or your sleeve. If you want to wear gloves, please do so. We need to take care of ourselves and each other!
• I will be in the office, but the office will not be open. I will also be practicing social distancing. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, I can be reached by email. Staff members will not be in the building during student pick up days.
• Homeroom teachers will email parents following this communication to give any guidance, direction, or additional information that may be helpful. As all of our teachers have their own unique circumstances during this time, classrooms may look or be organized differently. **Please bring a bag with you to take home personal items.
• We are not asking families to return items at this time (library/textbooks, instruments, etc.)
• This family/student visit is optional. There is no expectation at this time that families come to school to clean out desks and take home all supplies, student work, etc. for the summer. This is just an opportunity to pick up needed supplies or personal items. We plan to schedule additional opportunities to access the building once restrictions are lifted.

Council Rock School District is canceling its Summer Music Program, Summer Academic and STEM Academy, Title 1 Summer Camp, and Camp Invention. Any registrations and payments received will be returned to families over the next several weeks.

Please note that Camp Invention is offering an at-home alternative this summer. The Council Rock Director, Christine Marsden, will reach out in a few days with additional details on how to sign up for the at-home version and/or get a full refund.

For questions about these three summer programs, please contact Dr. Susan Elliott, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning via email at selliott@crsd.org. Thank you for your understanding. Please stay safe and well.

On-Line Registration is now fully open! Please go to the CRSD site at www.crsd.org and click on the Student Registration tab.

You can submit your completed registration by using instructions listed on the site. Once your file is reviewed, we will be in contact to complete the process via e-signature. Please do not forget applications must be submitted by June 1st to guarantee a spot in your student’s home school!

If you have any questions please reach out to our registration department at registration@crsd.org.

To apply for free lunch during the COVID-19 school closure, you may:

• Download the Free and Reduced Lunch Application, fill it out, and email back to Karen Moody kmoody@crsd.org. DO NOT send your application via US mail to the district office as there is no mail being delivered to our buildings during this time.­­­
• Apply online by visiting: https://www.compass.state.pa.us/compass.web/Public/CMPHome (the website offers language options other than English)

You will only need to submit one application per household, even if your children attend more than one school in Council Rock School District. Eligibility determination is made using federal income eligibility guidelines and applicants will be informed of a decision within two business days of submission.

Throughout the duration of the COVID-19 school closure, Council Rock School District is offering a “grab and go” food service. If your family qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, you will be given instructions as to how to access these meals when you are notified your child is eligible.

For questions, please email kmoody@crsd.org

No matter where we spend our days, we are still one big Super Spike Family! Check out this video, where the grown-ups of RES tell you how much we are thinking of our students and families!

Success for every student, every day!

Email: djordan@crsd.org
Website: http://www.crsd.org/site/default.aspx?domainid=1666
Location: Richboro Elementary School, 125 Upper Holland Road, Richboro, PA, United States
Phone: (215) 944-1900
Twitter: @RES_Bulldogs