International Walk to School Day Oct. 8th!

RTE students will "walk to school" on Wednesday, October 8th from 7:30 until 8:00 AM. Parents are also invited to participate in this annual event with students.  Just join us on the track and wear your sneakers!  Click here to learn more about International Walk to School Day.

Porkchop Productions presents...

The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf

Kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade all enjoyed a fabulous being-there experience right on RTE's campus!  According to the actors, RTE is one of their favorite schools to visit because our teachers and students are always so much fun!

Duty-free Lunch

Thank you to all of our duty-free lunch volunteers who assisted this past Friday.  Our teachers were able to enjoy some wonderful time together!

Follow us on Twitter!

A little birdie told me that you can see what's happening at our school each week by following the RTE Flight Status on Twitter.  What's been going on?  Last week we were busy with:

• 4th Grade Visit with Tim Miller, Meteorologist 
• Ms. Cleckley (RTE Teacher of the Year) was honored at a RSD2 Board Meeting
• Air Mail is delivering to meet its 6,000 letter goal!
• Grand Opening of the MakerSpace Invention Zone
• Green Apple Day of Service at RTE

Follow us on Twitter to receive updates and view pictures of the fun teaching and learning happening everyday!

Walk for life with RTE, go to the Fair FREE!

Round Top will have a team participating in the 2014 Palmetto Health Foundation Walk for Life/Race for Life on Saturday, October 18th.  We would love to have both parents and students join our team (students must have parents accompany them).  

As an added component of Richland Two's 2014 Breast Cancer Campaign, any member of Round Top's team receives FREE entry to the South Carolina State Fair!

The Palmetto Health Foundation and the South Carolina State Fair have teamed-up to take a "Grand Stand" against breast cancer.  Wear your 2014 Walk for Life/Race for Life T-Shirt to the SC State Fair on Saturday, October 18th or Sunday, October 19th and your admission will be absolutely free!! In order to receive a shirt, you must sign-up as a member of Round Top's team.  

If you would like to register or make a donation, visit Round Top's team link.

Thank you!

Important Dates to Remember!

Thursday - September 25:  Half day of school, dismissal is at 11:30 AM.  Lunch will be served.  Parent/Teacher conferences have also been scheduled for this day.

Friday - September 26:  Boys Fun Night at Frankie's Fun Park hosted by our PTO from 6:00-8:00 PM.  Pay at the door, no pre-registration required.  Just make sure you say you are with Round Top to get the special group rate!

Friday - September 26:  Deadline to register for PTO's Girls Night Out - Painting Class that will be held on October 10.  Please visit rtepaintingnight.eventbrite.com to register for this event.

Saturday - September 27:  Green Apple Day of Service beginning at 9:00 AM.  Be sure to wear your work clothes!

If you are not yet receiving our blog posts via e-mail, please enter your e-mail in the "Follow by e-mail" box just above the picture of the school.  

You will receive a confirmation e-mail from FeedBurner (not RTE) which contains a link you will need to click on to activate your 

account.  Thanks and have a great day!

Flu Vaccine Clinic

Nurse Jovi has scheduled a Flu Vaccine Clinic for Wednesday, October 8th from 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM.  This year the vaccine is effective for one full year and contains vaccine for three different strands of flu.  No appointment is necessary.  Just report to the health room if you would like to receive the vaccine.  The shot is available for $25 or the mist is available for $30.  If you have any questions, please call Nurse Jovi at 691-8676, ext. 3010.

Aviator Salute!

Students used their LIFESKILLS of Effort and Creativity to submit a design for our Annual Being There T-Shirt Contest.  Each year one winner's artwork is selected to be used for t-shirts students wear on field trips.  Congratulations to this year's winner: Julia Hickson!

Pictured from left to right: Luke Stokes, Peter Phillips, Julia Hickson, Donnie Weston, Ainsley Helms

PTO Events for the Girls and the Boys!

Girls Night Out DIY Painting Class

Friday, October 10 in RTE's Cafeteria

1st session 6:00-6:45 

2nd session 7:15-8:00 pm

Get your creative juices flowing at our first annual DIY Painting Class! For RTE girls and their mom, grandma, aunt or other special friend. We'll provide everything you need, including expert instruction from the pros at Wine & Design, to create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece! Each participant will paint their own canvas that can be a stand-alone work of art or combined to form complimentary pairings. 

Light refreshments will be served during the 

intermission between sessions. 

Cost is $12 per person.

YOU MUST PREREGISTER FOR THIS EVENT BY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26th AT 

RTEPAINTINGNIGHT.EVENTBRITE.COM 

NO WALK-INS OR LATE REGISTRATIONS ACCEPTED 

(Please understand the deadline is to allow Wine & Design time to wholesale order adequate materials to keep costs down.)

RTE Boys Night at Frankie's Fun Park 

Friday, September 26, 6:00-8:00pm

No Preregistration, Pay at the Door!

Location: 140 Parkridge Drive 

www.frankiesfunpark.com/columbia

RTE boys bring your mom, grandma, aunt or special friend to a night of awesome fun and games! Special group rate of $18 per person for the "Triple Fun" card. YOU choose the THREE activities you want! Among the activities to choose from: Bumper Boats,

Go-Karts, Laser Tag, Mini Golf or Drop Zone.

*Not entitled to unlimited play, 1 round each of the 3 activities chosen. Arcade & food not included.

Green Apple Day of Service-September 27

RTE is participating in the annual Green Apple Day of Service. During this Saturday morning event, students and their families can participate in service events that benefit our school. Among the planned projects are clearing the Nature Trail, painting classroom SmartBoard steps, painting our morning news show room, and weeding our garden areas. Please come prepared to work with appropriate clothing, sunscreen, water bottle, etc.

 Please fill out this survey to let us know where you would like volunteer:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1JzaGEdMneor6htfznkBd_y3n1N3DQtPOCaD_ZpYN9Cc/viewform?c=0&w=1&usp=mail_form_linkP

The Jungle Book - Parents Meeting Today

Reminder, there is a Parents Meeting today for students in the RTE musical, The Jungle Book. The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the collaborative lab.  (Formerly the large computer lab.) 

A calendar will be sent this week with rehearsal information.

Thanks!

Ms. Silva & Ms. Krantz

September is Attendance Awareness Month

Why Attendance Matters...

Good attendance is a habit that children need to learn early. Attendance is related to a child’s 

ability to be successful in all areas of school: academics, behavioral and social. Any time a child 

misses a day of school, it is a missed opportunity to learn. Regardless of the reason a child is out 

of school, they are missing instruction. 

School attendance is one of the most important factors related to school success and graduation. The research below provides some useful and very interesting information.

• Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year.  Half of the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school. (Olson, 2014)
• Chronic absenteeism and habitual truancy are important predictors of school performance, including high school graduation.  Chronic absenteeism can reduce the likelihood of post-secondary enrollment. (Balfanz & Byrnes, 2012)
• By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.(Balfanz & Byrnes, 2012)
• By middle and high school, chronic absences are a leading warning sign that a student will drop out. (Balfanz & Byrnes, 2012)
• Students who are routinely absent are also more likely to drop out of high school prior to earning their high school diploma. (Spradlin, Stephanie, Chen, Shi, Chen, Han, & Cierniak, 2012)
• Students who are chronically absent from school face an increase chance of future unemployment. (Lochmiller, 2013)

If you have any questions regarding your child's attendance, please feel free to call Round Top's attendance secretary, Teri Anton at 691-8676.

PTO Newsletter

Boys Night Out at Frankie's Fun Park...Girls Night Out DIY Painting Class...and more!  Read all about it here!

Special Announcement

Ms. Dixon, RTE art teacher, shared a special announcement with the faculty and staff yesterday...

Mrs. Jeaneen Tucker has been awarded by the 

South Carolina Art Education Association -

2014 Outstanding Principal of the Year Award!

Mrs. Tucker was selected based upon her philosophical, financial and total support of the ARTS at RTE! She will be recognized at the awards ceremony at The South Carolina Art Education Association's Annual Conference on Saturday, November 22, 2014, 4:30 PM, at the Hyatt Regency, Greenville, South Carolina.

Mrs. Tucker has supported the ARTS at RTE since the very first year.  She is being recognized for all her contributions and backing for all the ARTS. She is very deserving of this honor.  We are so happy for her and RTE!

CONGRATULATIONS MRS. TUCKER!

Special Visitors

Please enjoy a couple of pictures that Ms. Tucker snapped of our special visitors on campus Monday.  It was certainly a sight to behold and the students loved it!

School Improvement Council 2014-15

It's time to vote!

Please cast your ballot for this year's SIC members.  We have four candidates and you may vote for up to four.  Voting will be open until 4:00 PM on Thursday, September 11, 2014.

The first meeting is next Monday, September 15, 2014, at 6:00 PM in the RTE Book-a-Flight Media Center.  All meetings are open to the public.  Tentative meeting dates for the remainder of the school year are:  Oct. 20, 2014; Nov. 17,2014; Dec. 15, 2014; Jan. 12, 2015; Feb. 9, 2015; Mar. 16, 2015; Apr. 20, 2015; and May 11, 2015.  Please make plans to join us!

Thank you in advance for your support of this year's School Improvement Council!

Kelly Imbert Eifert, Ph.D.

Our family lives in Blythewood and I am a new parent at Round Top, with a son in kindergarten and a younger son who is 2 ½.  My professional background is in higher education, working for 15 years at different institutions, most recently at the University of South Carolina.  I currently work at the SC Department of Health and Human Services on projects related to federal regulations and their impact at the state level.  I am passionate about education overall and would welcome the opportunity to serve on the School Improvement Council as one way to serve the school that educates our children well.

Rachel W. Jones

I would like serve on the SIC at Round Top Elementary. My daughter, Katie, is in kindergarten. I have lived in Columbia all of my life and attended Richland District 2 schools. I work for USC School of Medicine in the Department of Medicine as the Residency Administrator. My husband and I have been married for 10 years in November and in addition to Katie, we have a two year old son named Baylor. I would like the opportunity to serve on the SIC at Round Top and help continue the school's success.

Elizabeth Buchanan

I am a resident of Blythewood, SC, and I work outside the home as a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals. I am the proud parent of two little girls who attend RTE in 3rd and 4th grade. I look forward to being an active advocate for the success of the public school system.

India Mack

My name is India Mack, and I reside in Blythewood with my husband Anderson Mack III and our two wonderful children. Our oldest, Alexis, is a kindergartner at RTE. Currently, I work full-time as an IT Project Manager for SCANA Corporation. I would be honored to serve on the School Improvement Council if afforded the opportunity. It is my desire to have an active role in the education of our children, while working with parents, educators and community stakeholders to collectively improve our schools.


Click on this link to cast your ballot:         http://goo.gl/pOhFLc

Thank You Round Top Family!

Thank you to all the parents and family members who attended our 2014 Parent Orientation from 6:00-7:30 last night.  Two of the most important cornerstones of a successful school experience are parent involvement and clear communication.  We encourage you to stay involved throughout the school year and maintain an open line of communication with your child's teacher(s).  If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please share those with us!  We look forward to another personal best year, so please visit and volunteer often.

Would you like to join the Cub Scouts?

Transportation Changes

At the beginning of the school year, parents reported to teachers how each student will arrive and depart from school everyday.  Teachers and Administrators rely on this information to be accurate to ensure students are accounted for, and updated with changes as needed.  Now that our After School Enrichment programs are beginning, we are noticing many children whose transportation arrangements have changed, without being communicated to the teachers.  The time-consuming process of verifying changes with parents during dismissal affects everyone when it delays bus departures or slows down the car-rider line.

Please review page 3 of the RTE Student Handbook, which states "Changes in transportation (ie. how your child is going home in the afternoon) can only be accepted by handwritten note. Leaving a voice mail message or emailing a message to any teacher/ employee is not an option."  Please send teachers a note for each and every day your child will not be departing from school in their usual manner.  If you have questions about this school procedure, please call Clarissa Bennett (RTE Transportation Contact) at 691-8676 ext 3020.  Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring our students' safe travels from school!

Home-School Communication

On September 4th we greeted hundreds of families who attended our Parent Orientation. This annual event is just one way schools connect and communicate with families.  Home-school communication is essential to student success. So now that parents have had a chance to "get connected" with teachers - it's time to "stay connected" with the school!

Note: All parents received this Parent Checklist at our Orientation event.  Parents who were not in attendance will receive this green checklist when their child's communication folder/ binder comes home with weekly papers from the teacher.

The SIC Needs You!

Are you wanting to become more involved?

Here is a way you can get involved in your child’s school and help make a difference.

The School Improvement Council is a group of parents, teachers, community members, and administrators who meet monthly to advise the principal and discuss ways to improve the school.

Don’t have a lot of time?  No problem! We meet once a month after work hours at the school. The SIC is a perfect way to become involved in the school when you already have a busy schedule.

Please submit your nomination and a brief bio to Teri Anton at tanton@richland2.org by 3 p. m. Monday, September 8th. 

Elections will be held next Tuesday - Thursday, September 9 - 11th. Winners will be announced Friday, September 12th.

School Counseling Newsletter!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful LONG weekend.  Check out the newest edition of  The Counselor Corner...... HERE!