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September 2024

Back to School Rutherford Newsletter Banner with clip art of school

August/September 2024, Volume 2 | Issue  7

Principal's Message

It is my pleasure to welcome everyone back for another great year at Rutherford. We are excited to have students back in our classrooms and enthusiastic toward learning. It is our mission to help every child feel welcomed, connected and a part of our Rutherford Elementary family. We strive to challenge each student to grow in his or her academics and “Learn Like a Champion Everyday”.

How Do I Use Home Access Center (HAC)
to Check My Child’s Attendance & Grades?

The eSchoolPlus Home Access Center is where students and parents can check official grades and attendance at any time. HAC will be the most accurate reflection of grades as opposed to Canvas or Google Classroom because not all grades may appear in Canvas or Classroom. If you are unsure of your user information or if you’ve created a username and password, please use the tiny link below to access directions on HAC.

https://tinyurl.com/y c2v5hzk

Join Our PTO Raising Hands to Volunteer
Be on the lookout for more information through ClassDojo, email, and flyers about joining the Rutherford PTO next year. Meetings are held once a month. Help is always needed and appreciated in planning fundraisers, student events, such as the End of the Year Bash and Book Fair.
 
Please reach out to Mr. Doi or Mrs. Sayre for more information or contact members on Facebook using Rutherford PTO.

WHAT IS MTSS?

MTSS stand for Multi-Tiered System of Support. MTSS is a multi-level system of support that we provide to ALL students. The staff at Rutherford uses researched based protocols to ensure each student gets what they need. We use this approach to focus on the whole child- Academics, Behavior, and Social Emotional wellbeing. One part of the MTSS system is YOU, our families and community. In an effort to better communicate with you, we will be sending out quarterly newsletters with updates and resources from the school. Thanks for partnering with us in your child’s education. We are in this together.

Our Vision Statement

Rutherford Elementary will prepare our students for tomorrow’s world by providing a positive comprehensive school wide system of support that will foster academic, behavioral, social, and emotional needs of a diverse body of students. This will create lifelong learners who are respectful and responsible citizens able to adapt to the challenges of our ever changing world.

WELCOME TO RUTHERFORD!

First Grade: Brooke Bechtold Second Grade: Kira Heaps
Third Grade: Sabrina Sobers
Fourth Grade: Jadyn Noullet

Data & Instruction Specialist: Casey Kennedy Librarian: Holly Etzweiler

PBIS SCHOOL STORE

Students at Rutherford enjoy spending the Raves they’ve earned at the School Store. Would you like to help us end our year strong with great incentives for the students to purchase using their Raves? If you'd like to donate something to our School Store, please use this QR Code.

Rutherford's School Store Amazon Wish List

Our Rutherford Cubs would greatly appreciate your generous donation!

Why Chronic Absenteeism Matters:
What the Research Says

Chronic absenteeism is widespread—about one out of every six students missed three weeks or more of school in 2015-16. That translates to more than 100 million school days lost. Research suggests the reasons for chronic absenteeism are as varied as the challenges our students and families face—including poor health, limited transportation, and a lack of safety — which can be particularly acute in disadvantaged communities and areas of poverty. Whatever its causes, chronic absenteeism can be devastating:

Chronic absenteeism may prevent children from reaching early learning milestones.

Children who are chronically absent in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the third grade.

Students who cannot read at grade level by the end of third grade are four times more likely than proficient readers to dropout of high school.

Irregular attendance can be a better predictor of whether students will drop out before graduation than test scores.

A study of public school students found that an incidence of chronic absenteeism in even a single year between 8th and 12th grade was associated with a seven-fold increase in the likelihood of dropping out.

Frequent absences from school can shape adulthood.

Chronically absent students are more likely to drop out of school which has been linked to poor outcomes later in life, from poverty and diminished health to involvement in the criminal justice system.

US Department of Education. "Chronic absenteeism in the nation’s schools: A hidden educational crisis." (2019).

Important Dates Banner with colorful flags

 

August 26:
First Day of School
August 30 - Sept. 2:
Labor Day Recess
September 3-6:
Acadience Benchmark, PSI, & Heggerty Evaluation
September 6:
Wear School Colors
September 20:
Dress Like a Pirate Day
September 27:
Book Buddy Day
October 11:
Teacher In-service Day
October 14:
Teacher In-service Day
October 31:
Fall Party & Costume Parade
November 4:
Teacher In-service Day
November 5:
Teacher In-service Day
November 7:
Marvel Math Night 6PM - 7:30PM
November 11:
Teacher In-service Day
November 25:
Kindergarten Parent/Teacher Conferences - No School for Kindergarten Students
November 26:
Parent/Teacher Conferences - No School for Elem. & Middle School
 

PBIS

PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. It is a school-wide system that recognizes the positive behaviors of our students and aims to promote social emotional learning while enhancing the safety of our students throughout the school day. It is used in schools across the country. Here at Rutherford our focus of this plan is to create a positive school climate that fosters being respectful, responsible, prepared, and safe.

At Rutherford we have a unified set of school- wide rules. These rules define our expectations for behavior in our school. Our four rules are: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe, Be Prepared. We have a dedicated team of staff members that look at school-wide behaviors, identify areas of need based on data, and put systems of support in place to make improvements.

One of the largest supports we have in place currently is our Rutherford Raves. When Rutherford staff see students demonstrating our four school rules, they receive a Rutherford Rave. Students can save their Raves to purchase items from our school store, purchase a monthly grade level reward, or enter in a weekly prize drawing. Students have many opportunities throughout the day to earn these Rutherford Raves. The staff at Rutherford is always on the lookout for students following the school rules.

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