Wednesday, Mar 27, 2024
“EC1 IS OUT OF THIS WORLD”
Calendar:
April 1st - 5th: NO SCHOOL - spring break
Thursday, April 18th: KINDERGARTEN INFORMATION NIGHT
Friday, May 3rd: NO STUDENT ATTENDANCE - Teacher Institute
Monday, May 27th: NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day
Tuesday, May 28th: 11:30 Dismissal (Currently Last day)
RES PTO
Volunteer Form
Box Top for Education
Other important information
Link to stay in the know with the PTO
UPCOMING PTO EVENTS:
PTO Happenings:
Texas Roadhouse Roll and Gift Card pickup is tomorrow (Wednesday, 3/27/24) from 4-6 pm at the 2-3 building.
3rd grade parents: Please complete the online form regarding 3rd grade celebration shirts ASAP. Every student that has a completed form by the due date of 3/29 will be entered to win a chance at Knight's Action Park day passes.
RES Skate night will be held on Tuesday, April 30, from 5:30 to 7:30pm at Skateland. Admission is $6 and skate rental is $4. See the PTO Facebook page for more details.
PTO is seeking nominations for vice-president (we currently have none and this spot is vacant at the end of the school year), and other offices if you wish to run. The election is on April 11 at the 6pm PTO meeting. If you are interested in becoming an officer and helping make the PTO and RES great, please submit your name and position desired to rochesterelempto@gmail.com
Don't forget to scan your receipts for the Box Tops For Education Challenge! Help your child's classroom win a prize. Sign up at www.boxtops4education.com Use referral code: QEQ52AOW
Central Illinois STEM Fair Volunteers
The Central Illinois STEM Fair planning committee is looking for parent volunteers to help with running this annual event. No experience necessary! The time required can be as little as one hour on the day of the event. Jobs the day of the event include helping with ticket taking and registration at the door and helping with cleanup at the end of the day. We also need a volunteer to help with planning the event. The organizing committee meets once a week and handles a variety of logistics and publicity tasks that help to make this the biggest K-12 STEM event in Central Illinois. This is a great way to learn about all the great STEM activities for students. Please email rochesterstemfair@gmail.com if interested.
Central Illinois STEM Fair Tickets Available
Ticket registration is open for the 2024 Central Illinois STEM Fair, to be held Wednesday April 10 from 6-8 pm at the RAC. Last year the STEM Fair hosted 77 exhibits and attracted over 500 attendees from 20 different schools in Central Illinois. The STEM Fair showcases locally-available STEM activities for students covering a wide range of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Reserve your free ticket today at https://central-illinois-stem-fair.odoo.com/
Rochester Healthy Kids Running Series
Children ages 2-14 are welcome to sign up. Registration runs through April 12th.
2/3yr olds - 50yd dash, 4/5yr olds - 75 yd dash, K/1st grade - 1/4 mile, 2nd/3rd grade - 1/2 mile, 4th-8th grade - 1 mile
Races will be held at the back of the Rochester Park on Sunday afternoons at 4:00pm. Race dates are April 14th, April 21st, April 28th, May 5th, & May 19th. (Rain Date of June 2nd.)
Due to grant funding from the Illinois State Board of Education, Rochester CUSD 3A will be opening a needs-based prekindergarten classroom in January 2024. Please contact the District Office for more information. 217-498-6210 ext 61522
EXTRA CLOTHES: This is a huge necessity!!
Please send in an EXTRA OUTFIT for your child to keep at school. They are needed for all grades Pk, K and 1st! There are many times a child could need a change of clothes. It could be for a bloody nose, milk spill, if they fall in a puddle, or have an accident. We have a very LIMITED supply of extra clothes at the school. We have already run through a lot of our supply and we are only a couple weeks in. Besides, kids are much more comfortable in one of their own outfits. We try to avoid having to call a parent for a change of clothes when something occurs. Please help us by sending them in. We appreciate your help with this matter.
**ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING LATE BUSES, PLEASE DIRECT YOUR CALLS TO THE BUS GARAGE. (217)498-9834
**If you plan on picking up your children due to a double bus route, we ask that you pick them up at their own buildings. Please do not have them shuttle to the EC1 to be picked up here or they will be put on a bus and sent back to their building. They should only be picked up at the EC1 building if they are current students. We appreciate your help with this matter.
***PLEASE DIRECT ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING LATE BUSES TO THE BUS GARAGE. THEY CAN BE REACHED AT (217)498-9834.
TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION:
Transportation Changes:
Parents may make up two choices for bus transportation. Examples: home and daycare. You will be asked to specify your two choices at the beginning of the year. We would also appreciate no transportation changes the first two weeks of school, as we are trying to finalize bus assignments and routes. Any special plans for after school which require a change in transportation, should involve a parent pick-up at school or the regularly scheduled drop-off spot. Students will not be allowed to have non-school transportation drops, such as riding home with another student, scout settings, piano lessons, tutoring lessons, etc. Students will be placed on the bus if no note of call has been received by 2:00pm. Students will not be dropped off if the bus driver does not see any sign of someone being home.
Parents are encouraged to send a note with their child the morning of a transportation change. For emergency purposes, transportation requests may be phoned in up to 2:00 pm. Parents who abuse the transportation system will be contacted by the administration and a letter will be sent home.
If you plan on picking up your child early, please call in advance so we can notify the classroom teacher and get the student to the gym. The end of the day gets very hectic with over 250 children going in different directions. Any help with this matter is greatly appreciated. Our top priority is making sure every student makes it home safely. Thank you in advance.
Parents may request a transportation change by phone prior to 2:00 pm. Please call 498-9778 (RES EC-1) or 498-6216 (RES 2-3).
Please see the RES Handbook on page #34-35 for policy updates on transportation.
Parent Drop-off at Rochester Elementary:
Students are to be dropped off in the DROP OFF ZONE designated in the front of the building
DO NOT get out of your car in the drop-off line
Students need to be able to get out of the car themselves
If a student is unable to get out of the car by themselves, parents are to PARK in the lot and walk the students to the crosswalk to a staff member.
Parents will not be allowed to enter the building.
All students enter the front of the building under the assistance of staff.
Just a reminder that the front doors do not open until 7:30am. If you could please keep your kids in the car until the front doors open, that would be greatly appreciated.
Bus Drop off:
School buses arrive at 8:10 a.m. and safely drop off our 2-3 students first, followed by the EC-1 students.
Staff are present to assist students from the bus to the classroom under staff supervision.
Parent Pick-up in front of the school:
RES students will be picked up by parents/guardians at 3:20p.m.
Parents will park and line up safely in an area designated by the building administrator.
Families will be provided ONE RES Pick up Ticket. The ticket will include the name of the student, grade, and classroom teacher.
Students will exit the building under the supervision of staff safely to a parent/guardian WITH THEIR TICKET.
Reporting Absences:
Parents/guardians must report an absence by calling the office prior to 9:00 a.m.
A note or email may be sent the next day the child attends ONLY in the event that the parent/guardian cannot report the absence by phone on the day of the absence. The note or email must include the following:
Student’s name, grade, and teacher’s name
Parent’s/guardian’s name
Reason for absence
If a child is marked absent by the classroom teacher and NO CONTACT from parents/guardians has been made prior to 9:00 a.m., office personnel will attempt to contact parents/guardians to determine the reason for an absence.
BY DOCTOR’S NOTE: If a student is absent due to a medical or dental appointment, he or she must return to school with a written excuse from the doctor or a member of the doctor’s staff that includes the date and time of the appointment and the time the student left the office. If the note excuses an absence due to illness or injury, it must include the reason for the absence and the specific dates that the student is excused from school.
YMCA Program:
YMCA afterschool program will be held at the EC-1 building for K-6 grades
2nd and 3rd grade students will go to the bus lot with their classroom teacher and meet a YMCA staff member.
Kindergarten and 1st grade students will report to a YMCA staff member at dismissal time.
Students must be picked up by 6:00p.m. at the front doors of the EC-1 building.
YMCA contact information is 217-553-9342
Safe2Help:
Safe2Help is a 24/7 program for students, staff, and families to share school safety issues, find resources to get help, and find encouragement to help others. Anyone can call to talk to a trained staff member about abuse, bullying, depression, self-injury, or suicidal thoughts for themselves or other students. You can access Safe2Help by calling 844-4-SAFEIL, texting SAFE2(72332), or emailing help@safe2helpIL.com.
Breakfast and Lunches:
Breakfast will be available to students every morning at a price of $1.45. The lunch price is $2.85 and milk only is $.70 cents. The menu for the month can be found on the Rochester 3A website under each building. If you have questions or concerns please contact Aramark at 217-498-0139 or email to mwilhour@rochester3a.net. Lunch accounts can be paid online with a fee or checks and cash may be sent into the office to apply to your students account. Please make all checks payable to Aramark.
Parents/Guardians may NOT attend lunch.
**The low lunch balance alerts have been reactivated for all families. You will get an alert when your lunch balance is below $5.00. If you choose to shut off the alert, you will no longer get any school announcements.
***PLEASE DIRECT ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S LUNCH ACCOUNT TO ARAMARK. THEY CAN BE REACHED AT (217)498-0139.
Birthday Treats:
Birthday treats for students will only be able to be purchased through Aramark. Store bought treats are not permitted to be brought into the building. Birthday treat forms may be found on the Rochester 3A website under each building. To ensure the treats can be ready Aramark requests your order to be placed one week in advance. Treats cannot be paid for with your child’s lunch count. You will need to send in the order form along with the exact cash or check made out to Aramark. Personal checks without numbers cannot be accepted for payment. If you have questions or concerns please contact Aramark at 217-498-0139 or email to mwilhour@rochester3a.net.
Lunch Choices
***Cereal offered daily for breakfast
Wednesday, March 27th:
BREAKFAST: Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
Chicken Patty w/Storm Sauce
Cheese Quesadilla
Chicken Nuggets
Thursday, March 28th:
BREAKFAST: Banana Chocolate Bar w/Cheese
Waffles & Sausage
Hot Ham & Cheese Melt
Mini Corn Dogs
Friday, March 29th:
BREAKFAST: Mini Confetti Pancakes
Cheese Pizza
Pepperoni Pizza
Chicken Patty
Monday, April 1st - Friday, April 5th: SPRING BREAK