Dear RGS Parents, 

We look forward to welcoming you to Parent Teacher Conferences this Thursday and Friday. Below are a few reminders about conferences.  

Should students attend?

• Kindergarten: Our kindergarten teachers find it is most helpful to conference without students present, if possible. 
• 1st-4th grade: We encourage 1st-4th grade parents to bring their children so they can take ownership of their own learning. Our focus at conferences is to empower students to reach their academic goals.
• 5th-8th grade: While most families opt not to bring students with them, we want you to know they are welcome.

K-4th grade

By now, you should have received an invitation to sign-up for a conference with your child’s teacher. Conferences are 25 minutes in length. We ask for your support wrapping up the conference in a timely fashion to keep on pace and allow everyone their opportunity. The decision to bring your child is up to you. If you do not bring your child, please consider asking them a few questions beforehand, such as:

• What are you most proud of this year in school?
• What would you like me to ask your teacher?
• What would you like for me to know about school this year?

5th and 6th grade

Conferences for these grades take place upstairs near the 5th and 6th grade classrooms. We use a modified “arena” style for conferences. Teachers are stationed at individual areas in the hallway and parents rotate through to meet with each core teacher. 

Teachers make every attempt for each conference to be as efficient as possible. It is important for parents to arrive on the day they are scheduled, arrive at the beginning of the time slot scheduled, and to keep individual conferences under eight minutes. You may have to wait at times between individual meetings. We understand this can be frustrating. The time blocks are two hours long to accommodate wait times; if parents arrive at the end of their scheduled block, they spill over into the next block, creating greater wait times. We ask for everyone to please do their part to make this as pleasant as possible for all and please plan on this process taking two hours. Should there be concerns that may not be addressed fully in eight minutes, or a need for further discussion, we can schedule an additional meeting for a later time between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. 

7th and 8th grade

Conferences for these grades take place upstairs near the 7th and 8th grade classrooms. We use a modified “arena” style approach and ask parents to rotate through individual teacher lines. With five teachers to rotate through, we are able to provide no more than five minutes per student. We ask that you make arrangements with individual teachers should this amount of time not suffice. We ask that you come during the first hour of your two-hour time slot and plan on spending two hours with us in order to meet with all five teachers. 

Art/Music/PE/Library

We would love for you to have the opportunity to conference with our specialists! To speak with our Art, Music or PE teachers please visit the Art Room (228) and you are also welcome to meet with Ms. Mizera in the Library. 

We look forward to seeing you all and to celebrating the great learning that is taking place this year!  

All the best,

Joanna Tobin, Principal

Dear Grade School Community,

As always, we appreciate your attention to and support for school safety. A frequently asked question this fall has been, “What are the rules for the playground before and after school?” 

There is no adult supervision before 8:20 a.m. and after 3:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. on Wednesdays). During these times, children on campus must be supervised by an adult.

We also ask that you respect the playground rules listed on page 13 of our Parent Student Handbook. Some highlights include:

• Demonstrating respect for each other and adults
• Using all playground equipment appropriately and safely
• Use only approved balls or frisbees (no hard balls, lacrosse balls, bark, sticks, rocks, etc.)
• Football must be played on the field only – not on hard surfaces

Thank you for your continued support.

Warmly,

Joanna Tobin, Principal