River Oaks Elementary Dolphin Gazette Responsible Learners Today Becoming Successful Leaders Tomorrow

Aer ica A. Wi l l i a ms , Pr inc ip a l

Geo f f rey Dea vers , Ass i s ta n t Pr inc ipa l

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w ww .pw cs . edu/r ivero a ks

October, 2016

Message from the Principal

Thank you for a Wonderful Back to School Night!

Upcoming Dates for October: October 2-Advisory Council Mtg. 4:00 PM (Library)

October 3-START & Signet Parent Night (Covington--

Harper Elementary School) -6:00 PM

*Required Volunteer Training for Paretnts-6:30 PM

(ROES Library)

October 4-Walk to School-8:30 AM Powell’s Creek &

Singer Way

*Kindergarten Field Trip to Cox Farms-9:00 AM-1:30 PM

*PEP-4:00-6:00 PM

October 5-Fire Drill

*Yankee Candle Fundraiser Begins

October 9-No School (Teacher Professional

Development Day)

October 10-Grade 4 Field Trip to PWC Fairgrounds-

9:00 AM-1:30 PM

October 11-ROES McDonald’s Night-5-8:00 PM

(Rt. 234 Dumfries)

*Interims Go Home

October 13-Safety Patrol Meeting-11:15 AM-12:15 PM

October 19-Earthquake Drill

October 18-Grade 4 Field Trip to Mt. Vernon-9:00 AM-

1:30 PM

October 25-Safety Patrols Field Trip to the Fire Station

October 26-Required Volunteer Training for Parents-

6:30 PM (ROES Library)

October 31-Yankee Candle Fundraiser Ends

Yankee Candle Fundraiser

The River Oaks Elementary School Yankee Candle

Fundraiser begins Thursday, October 5, through

Friday, October 31, 2017.

The Yankee Candle Fundraising offers you two ways

to shop Online:

1.) Visit www.yankeecandlefundraising.com enter

the ROES group # 992244236 and start shopping.

2.) Also follow the direction to download the,

Yankee Fundraising App for iPhone or Android

and invite friends, family and phone contacts to shop

online. Online orders will be delivered to your home

instead of picking the order up from the school.

October 4th is International Walk to School Day

Leave the cars at home, put on your sneakers and join us

for a walk to school!!

River Oaks Teachers and Staff will meet everyone at

8:30 AM, on the corner of Powell’s Creek and Singer

Way to walk to school.

Required Parent Volunteer Training

Prince William County Schools require all parents

who volunteer in a school or attend

Field Trips with their child to receive yearly

volunteer training in advance.

Volunteer Training will be offered October 3 and 26,

at 6:30 PM, in the ROES Library.

Please contact Lori Hurd at 703.441.0050 for more

information.

Fall Picture Day

Fall Picture Day will be Wednesday, November 1.

Information Packets will be sent home with your child and

a reminder will come home with your child the night

before. You can also visit Lifetouch.com for clothing

suggestions, online payment details and more.

Payment for all pictures is due at the time your child is

photographed on Picture Day.

Mark your Calendar for Wednesday, December 6, for Fall

Picture Retake Day.

Regulations and Policies

All regulations and policies of Prince William County

Public Schools are available on the School Division

website, pwcs.edu. Both can be searched by topic or

number on the home page by choosing “Policies &

Regulations” from the "About Us" drop-down menu.

Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)

Join the River Oaks Elementary PTO. Parent/Family

memberships are available for $10.00. Applications are

available in this newsletter and on our webpage

Back to School Night Pictures

Teacher Workday and Parent/Teacher

Conferences

Monday, November 6th, is a Teacher Workday, and

Tuesday, November7, has been designated

Parent/Teacher Conference Day.

There will be no school for elementary students on both

of these days.

We all know how powerful the partnership between home

and school can be. Please don’t miss this opportunity to

meet with your child’s teacher. If work schedules prohibit

key family members from attending conferences, please

contact your child’s teacher to arrange a telephone

conference. We all have the same goal. We want your child

to learn to his or her fullest capacity. Since you are your

child’s first teacher, you often have information that is

critical to achieving that success.

As professionals, our teachers can share with you vital

information regarding your child’s learning style,

motivation, responsibility, work habits, and rate of

progress. This exchange of information is too valuable to

ignore. We are appreciative of your interest and

commitment.

Teachers will be contacting you to set up a conference

appointment. If you have not received notification by the

end of October, please contact your child’s teacher.

Box Tops for Education

Please send in your Box Tops for Education logos from

General Mills Products.

Harris Teeter’s Together in Education Program

River Oaks Elementary now has an account with Harris

Teeter’s, “Together in Education Program”. The next time

you visit a Harris Teeter’s, tell the cashier you want the

River Oaks account number (2276) linked to your VIC

card. Each time you shop, 5% of your Private label

purchases will be contributed to River Oaks Elementary

School!

Family Life Education Program Notification to

Parents

The Parent Letter/Opt-Out Form is part of the PWCS

student “Code of Behavior & Forms,” and is located on

the PWCS home page on the Code of Behavior & Forms

page and on the Science and Family Life Education web

page. Objectives by grade level are also located on the

Science and Family Life Education web page (choose the

Family Life Education tab). Hard copies of the objectives

by grade are no longer distributed to students.

Parents should visit the site and review the objectives for

their child’s grade level or course. Parents may exercise

opt-out for any FLE objective by returning the opt-out

form to the appropriate teacher at any time during the

school year but preferably within the first month of

school.

Questions about the FLE program or opt-out procedures

may be directed to Kathy Keesee, Administrative

Coordinator, Science and Family Life Education, at

703.791.7847 or lanzafk@pwcs.edu.

First Day of School

PARENTAL RIGHT TO INFORMATION ABOUT TEACHERS:

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, most recently reauthorized as the Every Student Succeeds Act,

states that parents in Title I schools have the right to request certain information about their child’s teachers.

The information that you have a right to request about your child’s teacher is:

a. Whether the teacher has met state qualifications and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subjects

the teacher is teaching.

b. Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which state

qualification or licensing has been waived.

c. The baccalaureate degree major of certification or degree held by the teacher, and the field of discipline

of the certification or degree.

d. Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.

At River Oaks Elementary, we are extremely proud of our teachers and paraprofessionals, and are happy to

provide you with any of the information above pertaining to your child’s teacher(s). If you have such a request,

please call the school at 703.441.0050 and ask for the information you are interested in.

NOTIFICACIONES A LOS PADRES: REQUISITO De Las ESCUELAS DE TITULO 1

Derechos de los Padres sobre los maestros/as

Según la ley de “Ningún Niño/a Se Quede Atrás” del 15 de Decembre del 2015, los padres de alumnos/as que

asisten a las escuelas de Titulo I tienen derecho a solicitor información especifica de las maestras/os de sus

hijos/as:

a. Saber si la maestra/o de su hijo/a ha superado los requisitos establecidos por el Departamento de

Educación para enseñar las materias que enseña.

b. Saber si la maestra/o de su hijo/a está bajo licencia provisional o de emergencia o si las licencia para

enseñar se le ha suspendido o ha cambiado.

c. El grado de titulación de la maestra/o y las titulaciones adicionales a nivel académico o de discilpina

que la maestra/o pueda tener.

d. Si el alumno/a está recibiendo servicios de un paraprofessional y si es asi, de quien se trata y sus

cualificaciones.

Aqui en la escuela River Oaks Elementary estamos muy orgullosos de nuestras maestras/os y de las asistentes

y estamos deseosas de poder proveerles con la información que deseen de cualquiera de nuestras maestras/os.

Si quisiera saber esta información, por favor llame al 703-441-0050 y le ayudaremos en lo que desee.

Parental Notification of Assessment Opt Out Policies under The Every Student Succeeds

Act of 2015

According to the Virginia Department of Education, "All students in tested grade levels and courses are

expected to participate in Virginia's assessment program, unless specifically exempted by state or federal law

or by Board of Education regulations." On December 10, 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015

(ESSA) was signed into law. Section 1112(e)(2) of ESSA states that parents of students in Title I schools have

a right to know about state or division policies regarding student participation in any assessments mandated

by ESSA, including any policy, procedure, or parental right to opt students out of such assessments. The

Commonwealth of Virginia does not currently have an Opt-Out policy for SOL assessments. However,

Section 22.1-253.13:3.C of the Code of Virginia states that, “The Board of Education shall not include in its

calculation of the passage rate of a Standards of Learning assessment for the purposes of state accountability

any student whose parent has decided to not have his child take such Standards of Learning assessment,

unless such exclusions would result in the school's not meeting any required state or federal participation

rate.” Prince William County Public Schools regulations state that, if a parent or guardian decides to not have

a student take a state or local assessment, then the person making the request should be informed about the

academic consequences that decision could have on the student.

If you would like to receive more information about this topic, please contact the principal.

Notificación a los padres/tutores sobre las normativas de exclusión de evaluaciones en

virtud de la Ley «Cada Estudiante Triunfa» de 2015

Según el Departamento de Educación de Virginia, «se espera que todos los estudiantes en los grados y cursos

con exámenes participen en el programa de evaluación de Virginia, a menos que específicamente estén exentos

por ley estatal o federal o por reglamentos de la Junta de Educación». El 10 de diciembre de 2015, el decreto

«Cada Estudiante Triunfa» de 2015 (ESSA) se convirtió en ley. La sección 1112(e)(2) de ESSA establece que

los padres de los estudiantes de las escuelas de Título I tienen el derecho de conocer las normativas estatales o

de la división escolar sobre la participación de los estudiantes en las evaluaciones ordenadas por ESSA, lo que

incluye cualquier directiva, procedimiento o derecho de los padres de excluir a los estudiantes de tales

evaluaciones. El estado de Virginia no tiene actualmente una normativa de exclusión para las evaluaciones de

los Estándares de Aprendizaje (SOL). Sin embargo, la sección 22.1-253.13:3.C del Código de Virginia

establece que «la Junta de Educación no incluirá en su cálculo de la tasa de aprobación de una evaluación de

los Estándares de Aprendizaje, para el propósito de la rendición de cuentas estatal, a ningún estudiante cuyos

padres/tutores hayan decidido que su hijo/a no tome dicha evaluación de los Estándares de Aprendizaje, a

menos que tales exclusiones produjeran que la escuela no cumpla con la tasa de participación estatal o

federal requerida». Los reglamentos de las Escuelas Públicas del Condado de Prince William establecen que,

si un padre o tutor decide que su estudiante no tome una evaluación estatal o local, entonces la persona que

hace la solicitud debe ser informada sobre las consecuencias académicas que dicha decisión podría tener sobre

el estudiante.

Si desea recibir más información sobre este asunto, póngase en contacto con el director de la escuela.

Right to Special Programs/Services

This notice is intended to inform the community of a

student’s right to a free, appropriate public education

and the availability of programs and services, including

a special education. The Individuals with Disabilities

Education Improvement Act (IDEA) and Section 504

of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) are federal laws

that give the School Division certain responsibilities

with respect to providing such educational programs to

students with disabilities. Under the IDEA and Section

504, the School Division has the responsibility to

actively and continuously identify, locate, and evaluate

those children, infant to age 21, living in Prince

William County who may be in need of special

education and/or related services, or adaptations or

accommodations to regular education services. These

laws also require the School Division to:

• Refer for possible evaluation any student of school

age living in the School Division who a school staff

member suspects may be disabled.

• Provide appropriate educational and school‐related

opportunities to students with disabilities in an

inclusive setting to the maximum extent appropriate.

• Provide notice of the availability of services and

types and location of services to nearby private

schools, pediatricians, and the Health Department.

• Provide parents/guardians of students with disabilities

with notice of their rights annually, and prior to their

student’s evaluation and placement, or any significant

change in their student’s placement.

• Develop and implement procedural safeguards with

respect to actions regarding the identification,

evaluation, and placement of students with disabilities.

• Provide procedures for the reporting, investigation,

and resolution of student complaints of discrimination

or harassment based upon disability, which were

revised by the School Division in April of 2016 and are

contained in Regulation 738-1, “Complaint Procedures

for Student Claims of Discrimination or Harassment.”

• Provide written notice of the School Division’s

procedural safeguards to parents or guardians.

If you suspect that your student may have a disability

affecting your student’s development or academic

performance, or may have a mental or physical

impairment that substantially limits a major life

activity, please contact the Director of Special

Education at 703.791.7287 for further information.

Derecho a recibir servicios/programas especiales Este aviso tiene por objeto informar a la comunidad sobre los

derechos de los estudiantes a recibir una educación pública

gratuita y apropiada, y sobre la disponibilidad de programas y

servicios, incluyendo una educación especial. La Ley de

Educación para Individuos con Discapacidades (IDEA, por sus

siglas en inglés) y la Sección 504 de la Ley de Rehabilitación

(Section 504) son leyes federales que dan ciertas

responsabilidades a la División Escolar con respecto a la

provisión de tales programas educativos para estudiantes con

discapacidades. De acuerdo a la ley lDEA y la Sección 504, la

División Escolar tiene la responsabilidad de identificar, localizar

y evaluar de una manera activa y continua a los niños, desde

infantes y hasta la edad de 21 años, que viven en el Condado de

Prince William y que posiblemente necesiten educación especial

y/o servicios relacionados, o adaptaciones o ajustes a los servicios

de la educación regular. Según estas leyes, la División Escolar

también debe:

• Recomendar la posible evaluación de cualquier estudiante en

edad escolar que vive dentro de las zonas de asistencia de la

División Escolar si un miembro del personal escolar sospecha

que él/ella sufre una discapacidad.

• Proporcionar a los estudiantes con discapacidades

oportunidades educativas y escolares adecuadas dentro de un

ambiente inclusivo apropiado en la mayor medida posible.

• Proporcionar información acerca de la disponibilidad, los tipos

y la ubicación de los servicios a las escuelas privadas cercanas,

profesionales pediátricos y al Departamento de Salud.

• Proporcionar a los padres/tutores de estudiantes con

discapacidades información sobre sus derechos anualmente, y

también antes de la evaluación y colocación o cualquier cambio

significativo en la colocación del estudiante.

• Desarrollar e implementar garantías procesales con respecto a

acciones relacionadas con la identificación, la evaluación y la

colocación de estudiantes con discapacidades.

• Proporcionar procedimientos para la presentación de informes,

investigación y resolución de las quejas de los estudiantes por

discriminación o acoso basado en la discapacidad, que fueron

revisadas por la Dirección Escolar en abril de 2016, y que forman

parte del Reglamento 738-1, "Procedimientos para presentar

quejas estudiantiles por discriminación o acoso».

• Proporcionar a los padres o tutores un aviso en forma escrita de

las garantías procesales de la División Escolar. Si sospecha que su hija/o pueda tener una discapacidad que afecta

su desarrollo o su rendimiento académico, o un impedimento

físico o mental que limita sustancialmente una actividad

primordial de su vida diaria, por favor, póngase en contacto con

el Director de Educación Especial al 703.791.7287 para obtener

más información.

RIVER OAKS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PTO

Parent Teacher Organization

2017-2018

Primary Member: ___________________________________________________

Member Type: ______________Faculty $10.00 ______________Parent/Family $10.00

Street Address: ___________________________________

City: ____________________________________________

Home Phone: _____________________________________

Email: ___________________________________________

Alternate Email: ___________________________________

Grocery Card Enrollments:

Harris Teeter Card Number: ___________________________________________

FOR OFFICE USE ONLY:

Membership Type: __________ Family/Parent ___________Faculty

River Oaks Elementary PTO will be a 501(3)© Non-Profit Organization

Payment: _________ Cash ____________Check/Number