Riverlawn Elementary Information Handbook

2024-2025

A Special Place to Be!

A Pathway to a Brighter Tomorrow

Principal’s Message

Dear Riverlawn Elementary Students and Families,

It is with tremendous excitement that I welcome you all, both returning and new, to the 2024-2025 school year! As your principal, I am incredibly honored to be part of this vibrant and dedicated school community. This year marks a new chapter for all of us, and I can't wait to embark on this journey together as the Riverlawn Bee family.

Building on Excellence

At Riverlawn Elementary, we are committed to providing a nurturing and stimulating learning environment that fosters academic excellence, social-emotional growth, and a lifelong love of learning. This year, we will continue to build upon that foundation, striving for even greater heights. I am particularly enthusiastic about serving our students, families, and teachers, and I look forward to collaborating with each of you to ensure a successful and enriching year for all.

Stronger Together

We believe that strong partnerships between school and home are essential for student success. Your continued support and collaboration are invaluable, and I encourage you to stay connected with the Riverlawn Bee family.

An Amazing Year Awaits

I am confident that this school year will be buzzing with learning, discovery, and fun. Together, we will create an amazing year for our students. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. You can contact me by email at michelle.greene@pcva.us or by phone at 540-643-0748.

Warmly,

Michelle Greene

Michelle Greene, Ed.D.

Principal

Riverlawn Elementary School

HOURS OF OPERATION AND DAILY SCHEDULE

OPENING DATES

August 13th                 1st Day of School for Students PK, K         

August 14th                 First Day for ALL Students

SCHOOL HOURS

Daily Hours:        

8:25 am - 3:00 pm        

8:00 am                Parent drop off begins                        

8:00-8:25 am               Students eat breakfast in the classroom

(Late arrivals will need to report to the main office and be signed in by an adult.)

3:00 p.m. - 3:20 pm          Parent pick up.

3:00 p.m.                 First buses are dismissed

3:15-3:45p.m.                Late buses dismissed

Except in certain situations as requested by parents, students should attend school the entire day.  If it becomes necessary for your child to arrive or leave at unscheduled times, please come to the office first and sign your child in or out.  

MORNING ARRIVAL PROCEDURES

Bus Arrival

Students who will be riding the bus will be dropped off at the gym doors.  Those students who arrive on buses prior to 8:00 am will wait in the gym until 8:00 am.  Starting at 8 am, students will be released from the gym to their classrooms by grade levels.  Before going to class, students may pick up breakfast in the cafeteria or at any of the grab and go breakfast locations throughout the building.

Parent Drop Off 

Parents may begin dropping off students at 8:00 am.  Pre-K and Kindergarten students will be dropped off at Door 5.  1st- 5th grade students will be dropped at the cafeteria doors. There will be staff members stationed at entry doors ready to welcome your child each day.  

1. All vehicles will enter on Beth Nelson Drive. 

• Any cars dropping off for 1st - 5th grade students will continue straight on Beth Nelson Drive toward the playground. 
• Cars dropping for Preschool and Kindergarten will enter the main office parking lot, take a left toward the rear of the school and continue straight until they reach their drop off point. 
• See map below for more detail. 

2. Doors are labeled with entrance numbers.  Students will be dropped off at the following doors:

• Pre-K, K - Door 5
• 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th- Cafeteria/Gym Door

3. A cone will be placed to indicate the drop off points at each site.
4. Parents will pull up to the available cone. 
5. PLEASE NOTE -There will not be enough room for cars to pass another car parked at a cone.  Please wait for the car in front to pull out before attempting to leave their cone. Parents and guardians are asked to remain in their vehicles to keep the line moving quickly and for the safety of our students and staff.  
6. Students will exit the car and enter the building.  
7. Once inside the building students will go straight to the closest grab and go breakfast station to pick up their breakfast and then immediately to class.
8. Older siblings will be dropped off at the younger sibling drop off site.  
9. Any cars dropping off for Pre-K and Kindergarten will exit on Brooklyn Road.  
10. 1st - 5th grade parents/guardians will follow the loop around back onto Beth Nelson Drive.

Please note; For the safety of all of our students and staff, parents/guardians will not be permitted to walk students to classrooms or enter the school during arrival, school hours, or dismissal.  Parents/guardians should enter at the main office and sign in for any other reasons.

AFTERNOON DISMISSAL

Parent Pick Up 

Parent pick up will begin at 3:00 pm. Pre-K and Kindergarten students will be picked up at Door 5.  Students in grades 1 - 5 will be picked up at the cafeteria/gym door.  Older siblings will go to the younger siblings' pick up spot for parent pick up.  Cones will be placed along the curb showing parents where to stop for pick up. 

1. All vehicles will enter on Beth Nelson Drive. 

• Cars picking up for Pre-K and Kindergarten will enter the main office parking lot, go left and continue straight until they reach their pick up location.
• Any cars picking up for grades 1 - 5 will continue straight on Beth Nelson Drive toward the playground.  

• See map attached for more detail. 

2. Doors are labeled with entrance numbers.  Students will be picked up at the following doors:

• PK & K-                 Door 5
• 1st-5th                Cafeteria/Gym

3. Cones will be placed to indicate drop off points at each site.
4. Parents will pull up to an available cone. 
5. PLEASE NOTE -There will not be enough room for cars to pass another car parked at a cone.  Parents must wait for the car in front to pull out before attempting to leave their cone.  No passing helps us ensure the safety of all students and staff.  
6. A staff member will ask to see the child’s cranberry parent pick-up card or ask for the password.  
7. The staff member checking cards & passwords will radio the hallway requesting to have the child sent to the cone.
8. Cars will need to merge into the parent pick up line in order to exit the parking lot onto Beth Nelson for 1st-5th grades.  
9. PK and K parents will continue straight and exit onto Brooklyn Rd. Please do not make a U-Turn and go toward the oncoming parent pick up line.

PLEASE NOTE: 

1) If you have forgotten your parent pick-up card you will need to give the password you have chosen to the staff member at the front of the line, they will then call for your child.

2) If you have forgotten your card and your password then you will need to pull around and park, and enter the office in order to show the office staff your ID. 

This policy has been instituted in order to ensure the safety of your child.  We want to make sure your children are cared for and released to the proper guardian.  Thank you for your patience in this matter.

PARENT DROP OFF & PICK UP MAP

PARENT PICK UP CARD & PASSWORDS

The color of parent pickup cards and passwords change every year.  If you did not get your parent pick up cards and set your password at open house, you will need to bring your photo identification card to the main office.  We will issue two parent pickup cards at this time along with asking for a different password for the current school year.  For the 2024-2025 school year, we will be issuing cranberry cards. 

CHANGE IN STUDENT OR PARENT INFORMATION

It is important that the school office be notified immediately of any change of address, home or work telephone number or of a change in emergency information during the academic school year.

ATTENDANCE

One of the most important factors that impacts a child’s education is regular school attendance.  It is important that every student is at school everyday because when you miss school, you miss out!  Did you know that if your child is late to school by 10 minutes each day, they miss 1,800 minutes of instructional time. That is the same as missing 15 school days of a 120 minute literacy block.  We want all students to excel and being here on time is crucial!  

If your child is sick or needs to be out, please contact the main office at 540-643-0305 to make us aware.  Please send any documentation or doctor’s notes upon your child’s return to school.  

COMMUNICATION FOLDERS

Every student will receive a Teacher/Parent Communication folder at the beginning of the year. Please look for this folder daily. One side will be marked Return to School and the other will be marked Keep at Home. We hope this will be an effective tool for students, teachers, and parents to use for communication.  

AGENDAS

In addition to the communication folders, students in 3rd-5th grade will receive an agenda.  This agenda will be used to teach students how to be responsible and accountable for keeping track of their homework and important dates. Teachers and parents may also use this agenda as a means of communication.  We encourage parents and guardians to ask to see their child’s agenda daily.

SCHOOL SAFETY AND SECURITY

Riverlawn Elementary utilizes a security system at our main entrance. The system incorporates a visual monitor, intercom and remote-controlled lock.  All doors, including our main entrance are locked at all times.  

One of our top priorities is to provide a safe learning environment for all students.  We follow the safety guidelines highlighted by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Service.  The following information highlights the safety protocol that will be utilized.  

The State of Virginia has adopted the I Love U Guys Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol (SRP) to provide guidance for general response to any incident. The SRP is action-based and covers all hazards in nature. It does not focus on the variety of scenarios schools might face but rather a set of actions schools can implement to protect staff and students. SRP demands a specific vocabulary but also allows for great flexibility and use of situational awareness to determine the level of implementation.

SECURE is used to secure school buildings and grounds during incidents that pose a threat or hazard outside of the school building. This may include an emergency in the area, law enforcement activity near the building, an unauthorized person on site, or a dangerous animal in the area. SECURE uses the security of the physical facility to act as protection.

LOCKDOWN is an action schools take to secure school buildings and grounds during incidents that pose an immediate threat of violence inside the school building. The primary objective is to ensure all students, staff, and visitors are secured away from immediate danger. Consideration will be given to safe locations for students and staff with functional or access needs. Incidents might include an altercation in the building, an intruder, or any other active threat.

EVACUATE is used to move students and staff to safer locations outside of the building when a fire or other emergency requires that they leave the building. The primary objective of an evacuation is to ensure that all staff, students, and visitors can quickly move away from the threat. Consideration will be given to establishing primary and secondary evacuation routes as well as evacuation meeting locations for staff and students with access and functional needs.

SHELTER can be used to quickly move students, staff, and visitors indoors in the event of a severe weather incident or if hazardous materials are released in the area. For severe weather, depending on the threat level (watch – conditions are ideal for a weather event to occur vs. warning – weather event is imminent or beginning), individuals may be required to move to rooms without windows or into the main building if they are assigned to an auxiliary or portable classroom. I

HOLD is utilized when hallways need to be cleared. Movement throughout the building is stopped and subsequent bells and any/all scheduled class changes are disregarded until all- clear is given. A HOLD could be used for a medical emergency in the hall that occurs just before a class transition bell. Once all individuals are cleared from the hallway, all students and staff should be accounted for and reported to school administration.

Parent Guidance:

In the event of the school utilizing Standard Response Protocol for a Secure or Lockdown please keep in mind the following:

• Parents will not be allowed in the building. While utilizing Standard Response Protocol there will be signage on the door to inform parents that access to the building is not allowed during that time. Parents who are already in the will be instructed to Lockdown as well.
• Depending upon the situation it may not be safe to release students. Secure may change to a Monitored Entry and/or Controlled Release as the situation evolves.  
•  In the event of an emergency the school recognizes the importance of communication between parents and students, however RES expectations are that students will not have access to cell phones throughout the school day.
• Communication will be sent out as soon as possible by the school system to keep parents informed. Please refrain from calling, emailing and texting school personnel and students during this time. School staff and personnel will be  working diligently to ensure the safety of all students during this time.

Standard Response Protocol Signage

VISITORS

We encourage and welcome visitors at Riverlawn.  Our priority is to maintain a safe and secure environment for our students. All visitors are required to have identification in order to gain access to the building.  Throughout the year, grade levels will have special activities for visitors to participate in.  Your child’s teacher will be able to provide more information on these events.  Our children’s safety is our number one priority. We hope you understand our need to take this step to maintain our school security

PROCEDURES FOR VISITORS

1. Depress button located by the entrance to notify staff
2. State business through the intercom
3. Provide photo-identification
4. You will be asked to enter the front lobby and go to the office window.  
5. Have photo-identification ready to give to the office staff.  Upon system approval, a visitor badge will be issued.    
6. Once you receive your badge, you will be given further instructions. It is important to wear your visitor’s badge at all times while you are in school.  
7. When you are ready to leave, you will need to go by the office to return your visitor’s badge and check out.

CHECK IN & CHECK OUT PROCEDURES

1.   Depress button located by the entrance to notify staff

2.   State business through the intercom

3.   Provide photo-identification

4.   You will be asked to enter the front lobby and go to the office window.  

5.   Have photo-identification ready to give to the office staff.  Provide the name/s of the student/s that you are checking in or out.  

6.  If someone other than a parent or guardian will be the one checking a student out, a call to the office is required to give consent.

• Please plan to check out students before 2:30 pm

VOLUNTEERS

Riverlawn Elementary staff recognizes that volunteers and community support strengthens the school community.  Volunteers who would like to spend time working within the school building helping with any of the following activities must go through a secure background check procedure.  

• Volunteer Opportunities:

• Classroom Parent (Assist the classroom teacher as needs arrive.)
• Busy Bee Volunteer (Spend a few days a week working individually with students)
• Office Volunteer (Assist with managerial duties for school related events.)
• Club Sponsor (Organize and run a club of interest during the school day.)
• PTO Representative (Assist with coordinating and managing PTO Sponsored Events.)

The background check is paid for my Pulaski County Public Schools.  For more information use the following link:

https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/2286/PCVA/3413005/Volunteer_Process_2023_update.pdf

BUS TRANSPORTATION

Every student is encouraged to use the privilege of riding a school bus.  School bus drivers have the tremendous responsibility to transport our students to and from school safely. Our students can do their part by engaging in appropriate bus behaviors.  Pulaski County Schools have division wide school bus expectations.

When students follow these expectations the bus riding experience will be safe for all passengers. If a student has difficulty following the expectations, the driver will report to school administrators. A written warning will be issued for the first offense, and the child will be given an opportunity to correct his/her actions (unless the violation is severe). Following that, bus suspensions will be used to reinforce the seriousness of bus behaviors. Video cameras have been added to many of our school buses to ensure the safety of our students.

BUS TRANSPORTATION CHANGES

Parents must inform the office in writing of any changes in transportation during the school year for their child.  Changes include riding a different bus and getting off at a stop other than the usual one.  If one student desires to go home with another, the parents of both students must make this request in writing.  This information will be passed along to make the bus driver aware of the changes.

OTHER TRANSPORTATION CHANGES

Please notify the school office by 2:15 if there is a change in transportation for your child for that afternoon.  We work diligently to communicate with teachers and students to ensure that everyone is aware of the changes.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Physical Education is an integral part of the instructional program.  On assigned Physical Education days children should wear tennis shoes and comfortable clothing. If your child is unable to participate in P.E. please send a note informing his/her P.E. teacher.

SCHOOL BREAKFAST/LUNCH PROGRAM

Riverlawn Elementary has been approved to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision Grant.  This grant provides students enrolled at Riverlawn Elementary with FREE breakfast and lunch daily.  Meal applications will not be required for any student enrolled at Riverlawn.  All students are encouraged to participate in eating school breakfast and lunch.

Your child will be responsible for picking up a grab and go breakfast when they arrive.  Students in PK and K will be eating breakfast and lunch in their classrooms.  All other students will be eating lunch in the cafeteria.  

Breakfast and lunch menus will be sent home monthly.  They will also be available online at the Pulaski County Public School Website.  Chef salads and Smuckers Uncrustables will be available on select days.  More details will be on the menus sent home.    

LUNCH VISITORS

You are welcome to eat lunch with your child anytime beginning September 3rd.  This allows our teachers and staff to establish clear cafeteria routines and expectations.  We ask that you follow the procedures for receiving a visitor’s badge listed on page seven of this handbook.  We do not allow outside fast food to be brought in for students.  This goes against the school nutrition healthy eating policy.  We appreciate your cooperation with this.

CAFETERIA CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have any questions or concerns about our breakfast and lunch program you may contact Mrs. Tammy Kohlar, Cafeteria Manager at 540-643-0906 during the hours of 7:00 am – 2:00 pm.

SCHOOL ACCIDENT INSURANCE

All students of Pulaski County Public Schools will be covered for the 2024-2025 school year through the VACORP Student Accident/Athletic student accident insurance program.  This school time coverage is provided free of charge and covers accidental bodily injury during a school-related activity, including athletics and school-sponsored field trips.  This coverage is secondary to any other coverage the family may have and will pay only eligible medical expenses not payable by other sources of coverage.

PULASKI COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT

Pulaski County Public Schools has a code of student conduct policy.  The development, implementation, and enforcement of the student conduct policy is intended to ensure a safe, non-disruptive environment for effective teaching and learning.

The Student Code of Conduct will be provided. When you receive it, please review it with your child.  You will need to sign the last page acknowledging you have received the code of student conduct and have taken the time to review it with your child.  Additional copies can be found online using the link below.  

https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1424746/Code_of_Conduct_2021-2022_Updated_.pdf

RIVERLAWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WIDE EXPECTATIONS

The staff and faculty have identified expectations for student behavior in each area of the school.  Every classroom teacher will be teaching the same lesson on how students are expected to behave throughout the entire school day in the various locations.

In the past, school wide discipline has focused mainly on reacting to specific student misbehavior by implementing punishment-based strategies including reprimands, loss of privileges, office referrals, suspensions, and expulsions. Research has shown that the implementation of punishment, especially when it is used inconsistently and in the absence of other positive strategies, is ineffective. Introducing, modeling, and reinforcing positive social behavior through school wide expectations is an important step of a student's educational experience.

When we want students to learn specific math or reading concepts we teach all the skills that were associated with mastering that skill.  Behavior should not be treated any differently.  Teaching behavioral expectations and rewarding students for following them is a much more positive approach than waiting for misbehavior to occur before responding. The purpose of school wide expectations is to establish a climate in which appropriate behavior is the norm.

The expectations are listed on the next page.  We encourage you to discuss these with your students regularly.  

House Points will be awarded to students who are caught being respectful, safe, and responsible.

Riverlawn Elementary School Wide Expectations

Definitions of Voice Levels

Bringing Toys to School

Students are expected to leave personal items at home such as toys, candy, and gum.  Students are not allowed to bring items such as trading cards, toys, stickers, etc.  This also includes those items that attach to backpacks.  Toys brought to school will be confiscated and returned only if a parent picks them up.  All articles not picked up by the last day of school will be discarded.  Electronic devices are not allowed to be on at school.  The school will not be responsible for destruction or lost items.