Back to School forms

Rio Grande School Important Back to School Information 2021-2022

Below are the Back to School Forms that are required to be filled out and completed prior to the start of school. If you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out to Laura Neutra at the front desk ([email protected] or 505.983.1621).

The following information is designed as a snapshot of important information for the school year. The Family Handbook will be made available at the start of school and contains all of our policies and practices that help keep our school running smoothly. Please feel free to call the office (505-983-1621) with any questions you might have!

School Hours:

Early Childhood Program, Pequeños: Early drop-off begins at 8:00 a.m. Mondays through Fridays: 8:00 a.m. – 2:50 p.m.
Early Childhood Program, Grandes: Early drop-off begins at 8:00 a.m. Mondays through Fridays: 8:00 a.m. – 2:50 p.m.
Kindergarten through Third Grade: Early drop-off begins at 7:30 a.m. Mondays through Fridays: 8:10 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Fourth through Sixth Grade: Early drop-off begins at 7:30 a.m. Mondays through Fridays: 8:10 a.m. – 3:10 p.m.
Main Office: Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Arrival
Pequeños and Grandes: Students in both Pequeños (ECP) and Grandes (ECG) must be walked to their classrooms each morning, in order for parents to sign in on the daily sheet; Pequeños and Grandes must be picked up in the classroom and signed out at the day’s end. ECP and ECG students may not be dropped off or picked up without an adult escort to and from their classrooms. Students should arrive no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and no later than 9:00 a.m.

K – 6th Grade: To maximize our students’ readiness for a day of learning, we ask students to arrive at school by 8:00 a.m. with classes starting promptly at 8:10 a.m. If students need to be dropped off before 8 a.m. we have complimentary morning care beginning at 7:30 am. Students arriving prior to 8:00 a.m. should proceed directly to Gilbert Hall (our multi-activity center or MAC). There is no supervision available prior to 7:30 a.m.

Dismissal and Carpool
Pequeños, Grandes and kindergarten: Dismissal is at 2:50 p.m.

1st – 3rd Grade: Dismissal is at 3:00 p.m.

4th – 6th Grade: Dismissal is at 3:10 p.m.

You may either park and meet your child at the main door or follow the car line and pick your child up at the curbside in front of the school. An adult will escort your child to the passenger side of the car. Under no circumstances should a child step off the curb into the roadway without an adult escort. Thank you for your cooperation.

Students in K-6 who are still waiting for rides at 3:20 p.m. will be automatically sent to the Extended Care Program and parents will be billed $15 per day regardless of time spend in the program. Pick up NO LATER than 5:30pm..

Early Student Pickup
Please contact the school office when you need to pick up your child before regular dismissal. We will have your child in the reception area at the designated time. Your child must be signed out in the reception area before leaving campus. It is important that this procedure be followed at all times.

A child will only be released to the individual(s) you indicate on the Student Pickup Permission Form. Classroom educators and the Extended Care staff are provided with this information at the beginning of the school year. You are required to notify the school office in writing if you wish to add or delete an authorized individual. A child will not be released to an unauthorized individual. If a parent is not allowed to take a child due to custody or other issues, you need to provide the school with the appropriate supporting legal documentation.

Extended Care
The purpose of our Extended Care Program is to provide a warm, nurturing environment to help children transition from a busy day at school. Under supervision by the extended care staff children play actively outside, relax after a day of school, participate in optional arts/crafts and cooking activities, eat a snack, or do homework.

Extended Care is available on an as-needed basis. While no prior registration is required for kindergarten through 6th grade we do request that you let your child’s educator know by no later than 2:00 p.m. Students in K-6 who are still waiting for rides at 3:20 p.m. will be automatically send to the Extended Care Program and parents will be billed $15.00 per day regardless of time spent in the aftercare program.

Grades K-6: Upper Grades Extended Care takes place in Gilbert Hall or outside on the playground or field from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The fee for the Upper Grades Extended Care Program is $15 per day. Late pick-up fees will be assessed at $1.00 for every minute late.

Communication with Educators and Staff
The school office will be available to take your calls during school hours between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. The school’s voicemail system will record messages during other hours.

Calls to Administrators/Staff
If the administrator/staff person you are calling is not available to take a call, your call will be transferred to his/her voicemail. Your call will, in most cases, be returned within 24 hours. It is helpful to include the nature of your call in your message, so that the person you are calling can make any necessary preparations/research prior to returning your call.

Calls to Educators
If you are calling an educator during class time, you will be routed to the educator’s voicemail. Only emergency/urgent calls will be put through to the educator during class time. Calls for the educator regarding dismissal time instructions (e.g., an alternate person picking up your child or directions for your child to be sent to the Extended Care Program) that come in prior to the lunch hour will be transferred to the educator’s voicemail. Dismissal related instructions called in after the lunch hour will be taken by an office staff member, who will relay the messages to the educators at the end of the school day.

Please note that the educators’ primary duty during the day prior to dismissal is to teach and supervise students, so your patience is appreciated if the educator is unable to return a call until after the school day ends. Every effort will be made to return your call the same day. We ask that normal routine communication (by phone or email) occur during the working hours and please respect the evening hours of faculty and staff by limiting your communication to emergency calls only.

School-to-Home Communication
At the beginning of the year, you will receive our e-newsletter, NewsGrande, on a bi-weekly basis due to the amount of information that needs to be communicated in a timely fashion. Once we settle into the school year, however, NewsGrande will be published biweekly. The newsletter, which you will receive by email, includes communications from the administration, news concerning the RGS community, and an updated calendar of events. We know that family life is full, but do request that you check your email for NewsGrande, as it is our most consistent, frequent form of communication between home and school. In addition, all educators will send home or email informative classroom specific newsletters approximately every two weeks.

Emergency and Medical Records
For your child’s safety, it is important that you fill out the paperwork included in the late spring or summer mailing and submit it to the office well before school starts so that we have the appropriate emergency and medical information on hand should your child become sick or injured. In addition, it is illegal for RGS to allow your child to attend school without either your child’s immunization record or a state approved exemption form on file with us. If you have any questions about these required forms, please call the office.

School Supplies
We provide all pencils, paper, and most supplies for the students. However, students may bring their own special pencils, pens, and notebooks if they so choose.

Dress Code
While there is no formal dress code at RGS, we expect children to come in clean and neat clothing, appropriately dressed for the school day. Pants must ride no lower than the top of the hip bone. Sturdy shoes for outdoor and P.E. activities and clothing appropriate for the weather and outdoor play are expected. Shoes such as sandals or shoes with platforms or smooth soles are discouraged for safety reasons. Shirts which advertise alcoholic beverages or which display inappropriate language, art work, or messages, short shorts, and bare midriffs are not allowed. Students wearing unacceptable clothing or who are not dressed appropriately for daily P.E. or cold weather will need to call home for appropriate clothing.

Educators will advise you of any special clothing items the children might need to have on hand, e.g., slippers for muddy days.

Back to School Forms: