RIDERWOOD RACCOON TRIBUNE - CALENDAR OF EVENTS
December 2016
Achieving Excellence Together - Educating Students for Success in a Changing World
DECEMBER
Dec. 1ThursdayDumbarton Orientation for Incoming 6th Graders (10-11)
Tuesday to Thursday Dec. 6 – 8 Holiday Boutique Days
Dec. 6TuesdayPTA Executive Board Meeting – 6:30
Dec. 9FridaySchools Close 3 Hours Early – Professional Development for Teachers in the PM
Dec. 10SaturdayHoliday Breakfast – come join in the fun
Dec. 12MondaySTAR LAB arrives and stays through the 12th
Dec. 13TuesdayHoliday Concert Grades 1 – 4 performing for the school at 9:00
6:30 PM – Grade 1
7:30 PM – Grade 3
Dec. 14Wednesday6:30 PM – Grade 2
7:30 PM – Grade 4
Dec. 16FridayHoliday Sweater Day
Dec. 19Monday9:00- Holiday Concert – K and 5 performing for the school
Dec. 20TuesdayKindergarten Concert – 6:30
Grade 5 – Chorus, Band and Orchestra – 7:15
Dec. 21WednesdayHoliday Parties (Grade 5 has to move their party to Dec. 22nd due to the field trip)
Grade 5 – ECO-Trekkers Field Trip
Dec. 22Thursday2:15 Sing Along
Winter Break Begins at the End of the Day
JANUARY
Jan. 3TuesdaySchool Reopens
6:30 – PTA Executive Board Meeting
Jan. 6FridayCrazy Hat Day
Jan. 9MondayGT/AA Review and Referral Committee Meeting
Jan. 11WednesdayBee Assembly
Jan 13FridayGeographic Spirit Day – wear clothing that names a place you have visited
2nd Marking term ends – School Closes 3 Hours Early
Jan. 16MondaySchool Closed for Martin Luther King’s Birthday
Jan. 17TuesdaySchool Closed for System-wide Professional Development
STAR LAB COMES TO RIDERWOOD FROM 12/12 TO 12/21
BALLROOM DANCING FOR GRADE FIVE JAN. 23 - 27
Jan. 23MondayK Assembly
Jan. 26ThursdayReport cards go home
Jan. 31TuesdayJump for Heart Assembly for K-2 (1:45)
Jump for Heart Assembly for 3-5 (2:30)
Dear Riderwood Families and Friends,
Who would believe that December could arrive so quickly? Not sure where the time has gone – but here we are preparing for the Holiday Boutique, the holiday breakfast, the winter concerts, holiday parties, and our annual winter sing-a-long. The Holiday Boutique will be held in Room 23 on the 6th, 7th, and 8th of December. The Holiday Breakfast is on the 10th, and we hope you will join us and enjoy the fun, festivities and food. The Holiday Boutique will also be open that day for your shopping enjoyment. And then the most fun of all – Winter Break and some much needed time for rest, relaxation and quality family time.
Noteworthy Items
- Kindergarten Registration - If you have a child that you need to register for kindergarten or first grade for next year, visit our website and print out a registration form. Send it or bring it to school. Pat Firey, our clerical secretary, will be preparing packets to go out in late January, so you can come to the Round-up with all the pieces of documentation you need for us to register your child and place them into a homeroom. Our round-up this year is on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2016.
- Book Fair - Thanks go out to Amy Loomis,Pam Lloyd, Trish Lige, and all the wonderful parent volunteers who worked so tirelessly to ensure a smoothly run and enjoyable Book Fair. This event ran most efficiently during American Education Week, had a high volume of traffic on a daily basis, and was enjoyed by all who visited, both young and old alike. Thanks to each and every one who assisted for your faithful service to this worthwhile annual event.
- Identi-kid Update for January- The IDENT-A-KID Child Safety Program will be at our school on 01/20/16 to PHOTOGRAPH, FINGERPRINT, WEIGH and MEASURE children. Parents will receive an ID card (now recognized by the U.S. Government’s SSA as a form of identification). ID cards are often needed for sports registration, travel, student discounts, and in emergencies. To participate, please fill in the Application Envelope which will come home with your child, and have them return it to school. Applications are also available on line at It is recommended that each parent keep a card with them at all times, and additional cards should be given to anyone who regularly cares for your child.Participation in the program is at the individual parents’ option. The cost per child is $8 for one card, $10 for two cards (includes eKid-ID), and $13 for three cards (includes eKid-ID). An eKid ID is the electronic Ident-A-Kid card sent to your cell phone via text/picture message and is free when ordering multiple cards. Please feel free to contact your local program director, Donna Aversa-Smith at or at (443) 275-1543, with any questions.
- Lost and Found – Please try and label your child’s possessions, especially coats, sweatshirts/sweaters and lunchboxes. We hope that during AEW you had a chance to check out the ever growing piles of lost and found items on display – we did see a slight depletion in the overwhelming collection we have, but already it is building up again. Anything that remains will be packed up and sent to a needy charity prior to the winter holiday break. So, you have a few more opportunities to check out these items that we hope to see reunited with their owners when you come in to enjoy the holiday breakfast, boutique, and winter concerts.
American Education Week Totals
If you see a smiley face next to a grade level total, this percentage reflects growth in attendance from the
prior year. As you can see, the percentages dropped in all but two grades, and the overall percentage dropped over 10 percentage points. Congratulations to first and second grade this year for having the highest attendance rates! We thank those of you who were able to join us and hope that you enjoyed your visit.
If you have suggestions for ways in which we can enrich your visitation experience, please send in a note or e-mail me. Including a grade level will be helpful; your notes do not need to be signed. Any and all feedback is welcome. Tell us what you liked, what you didn’t, what you would like to see more or less of,
or something you would like to see but didn’t. Your feedback is important and matters to us.
Riderwood Elementary School -November 2016 AEW Percentages
Grade / Conference Percentage2012 / Conference Percentage 2013 / Conference Percentage 2014 / Conference Percentage 2015 / Students Represented / Conference
Percentage
2016
K / 100% / 98.7% / 99% / 100% / 63/63 / 100%
1 / 85.7% / 95.7% / 100% / 100% / 64/65 / 98.4%
2 / 89.7% / 92.6% / 97% / 96.4% / 65/70 / 98.4%
3 / 77% / 97.7% / 94% / 98.5% / 71/81 / 87.6%
4 / 85% / 94.3% / 92% / 92.8% / 63/70 / 90%
5 / 72.6% / 78.8% / 74% / 92.7% / 71/80 / 89%
Total / 84.3% / 93% / 93% / 96.2% / 397/429 / 92.5%
Grade / Nov. 2008 / Nov. 2009 / Nov. 2010 / Nov. 2011 / Nov. 2012 / Nov. 2013 / Nov. 2014 / Percentage Nov 2015 / Students
Represented / Percentage
Nov. 2016
Kindergarten / 75.7% / 84.8% / 84.8% / 74.6% / 92.8% / 65.8% / 74.2% / 90.9% / 45/63 / 71.4%
First / 80% / 84.3% / 81.8% / 85% / 80% / 83% / 68.8% / 69.1% / 54/65 / 83%
Second / 89% / 87.8% / 87.7% / 95.1% / 84% / 71.5% / 82.8% / 79.9% / 56/70 / 80%
Third / 74.9% / 81.3% / 75.9% / 85% / 76.4% / 77.3% / 80.8% / 37/81 / 45.6%
Fourth / 73% / 73% / 66.6% / 76.4% / 89% / 89% / 70.% / 64/2% / 45/70 / 64.2%
Fifth / 68.8% / 70.3% / 82.7% / 72.5% / 68.7% / 68% / 54.2% / 35/80 / 44%
Total / 78.9% / 78.7% / 79.8% / 83.8% / 75.3% / 73.3% / 72.3% / 272/429 / 63.4%
Riderwood Elementary School -November 2016 Conference Percentages
BCPS One Parent Log-ins
Hoping to see this percentage increase. If you need help with your account – please contact the school and speak with Mrs. Miller or Mrs. Lynch. We just sent out account information to all those parents who have not yet logged on to BCPS One. This is our current percentage of BCPS One parent access as of 11-23-16. We are two percent higher than we were at this point last year.
As always I hope you have a safe, pleasurable, and healthy holiday break. Celebrate the season with family and friends, give thanks for the food that you partake of during the holiday season, and make the most of enjoying one another’s company over the winter holiday break. Keep an eye out for any snowflakes that show up to enhance the beauty of the season, no snow yet this year – maybe ole Mother Nature is saving it up for one big dump again this winter! The more snowflakes the merrier in my book, and I am sure that echoes the sentiments of your children as well.
Warmest wishes for a gratifying holiday season,
Kathy DeHart
Kathy DeHart
Wishing you the joy of family, the gift of friends, and the best of everything for the New Year.
BCPS Grading and Reporting
WHAT?BCPS staff from the Division of Curriculum and Instruction will present on Grading and Reporting.
WHEN? Wednesday, December 14th, 2016
7pm - 9pm
WHERE? BCPS Greenwood Administration Building E,Room 114
6901 N. Charles Street, Towson, Maryland 21204
WHO? All BCPS stakeholders are invited to attend.
This includes parents, teachers, students, staff, and community members.
QUESTIONS?Contact Aimee Freeman
Email: