River Dell Elementary School

Johnston County Public Schools and River Dell Elementary welcome and appreciate volunteers in our schools! Research shows that when families and communities are involved in school, children have an increased likelihood of being successful in academics and social interactions. Please read the following information to learn how to become a volunteer and support our schools. VOLUNTEERS NEED TO GO THROUGH THE VOLUNTEER APPROVAL PROCESS EVERY YEAR. To ensure the safety of our students, all volunteers must be approved. JCPS has established three levels of volunteers. Level 1 Volunteer: Level I Volunteer status requires only the approval of the school principal. A Level I Volunteer may only volunteer in roles that do not involve direct and independent supervision of students. Level 2 Volunteer: Level 2 Volunteer status requires principal approval, a criminal records background check, and district approval. Level 2 approval is at the discretion of District Administrators. A Level 2 Volunteer may volunteer in short-term roles where they directly supervise students but may not volunteer in extended, long-term roles where they directly supervise students. Level 3 Volunteer: Level 3 Volunteer status requires an application with references, principal approval, and submission to Human Resources to vet and submit for formal board approval. Level 3 Volunteer status also requires a criminal records background check. Level 3 approval is at the recommendation of the principal and the discretion of District Administrators. Johnston County Public Schools is pleased to announce MYVolunteer as your new volunteer management system, managed through an online portal at https://myvolunteer.com/jcps/volunteer/login To become an approved volunteer, you must complete the application. This process includes previously approved volunteers. All volunteers go to an “inactive” status each July 1st. Volunteers will need to reactivate their accounts yearly to serve. For questions about the JCPS volunteer process, or if you need assistance, please call Kristina Benson at 919-934-6032 ext. 8073 or kristinabenson@johnston.k12.nc.us.

The beginning of a new school year is filled with excitement, but can also be overwhelming for parents. So, we are providing a one-stop shop for all things back to school the Back to School Basics page! 🌟 Click on the link below to learn more about orientation dates and times, beginning-of-the-year documentation, enrollment, transportation services, school nutrition services, communication tools information, and more! https://bit.ly/3WPLcX3

The beginning of a new school year is filled with excitement, but can also be overwhelming for parents. So, we are providing a one-stop shop for all things back to school the Back to School Basics page! Click on the link below to learn more about orientation dates and times, beginning-of-the-year documentation, enrollment, transportation services, school nutrition services, communication tools information, and more. https://bit.ly/3WPLcX3

All beginning of the year forms will be completed online. There are 3 forms to complete. These are the Parent Guardian Verification Form, the Publication Permission Form, and the Digital Citizenship Agreement. You may complete these ahead of time or at open house. Click below to begin: https://www.johnston.k12.nc.us/page/beginning-of-the-year-documents

Only 2 days remain until the start of the 2024-2025 school year begins! Monday, August 26th, 1st-12th grade children on the traditional calendar will fill the halls again. Visit the Back To School page at: www.johnston.k12.nc.us/backtoschoolbasics for any last minute questions. We can't wait! 🌟

Hello Racer Families, this is Ms. Durko with some reminders. Tomorrow is the last day of school for JCPS. We have had an amazing year, and your students will be very, very missed. Report cards will come home tomorrow. Also, tomorrow, we will be welcoming seniors who attended RDE back home to have a special breakfast and then participate in a special Graduation Parade in their caps and gowns. This is definitely one of our favorite events of the year. We ask that all staff and students wear their favorite college gear tomorrow to celebrate the graduates. Tomorrow is an early release day, and dismissal procedures will begin at 1:45. We encourage parents to arrive on campus no later than 2:05 as carpool always ends more quickly on the last day of school. We hope everyone has a safe and wonderful summer. Have a great night and remember, once a Racer, always a Racer.

Good evening Racer Families, this is Ms. Durko with some announcements and reminders. It is hard to believe that this is our last week of school. Each year seems to fly by quicker than the one before and it is unbelievable how much our wonderful students have grown up over the year right before our eyes. On Wednesday, the PTA will be selling Spirit Sticks and stickers for the last time this year. They will be set up in the front hallway Wednesday morning. Mr. Contos is in the process of collecting all books that have been checked out throughout the year from the media center. Homeroom teachers have master lists of books that are still checked out by individual students. We will need to collect all of those books before Thursday. If you cannot locate a particular item, your child's teacher can let you know how to pay for that book so it can be replaced and your student can get his or her report card on Thursday. Thursday is the final school day for students, and it is also an early release day. Dismissal procedures will begin at 1:45 on Thursday. We hope everyone has a wonderful week. We are going to treasure every last minute with our students this week. Have a wonderful night, and remember, once a Racer, always a Racer.

Good evening Racer families. Tomorrow our 5th graders will be taking the science EOG. Please make sure to get lots of rest tonight and eat a good breakfast in the morning. We know you all are going to do great! Your fellow Racers will be cheering you on!

Racer families we have a 3 day weekend this weekend. Monday is Memorial Day & there is no school for staff or students. Enjoy, have fun, and be safe!!

Good evening Racer Families, this is Ms. Durko with some reminders. We are so proud of all of our students that took the Reading EOG today! They worked hard, took their time, and used their skills to do their very best. Tomorrow is the MATH EOG for all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. A friendly reminder to have students in the building tomorrow no later than 8:55 as the test will begin shortly thereafter. Remember to get a good night's rest, give big hugs and lots of encouragement, and eat a good breakfast in the morning. Breakfast is always free at RDE for all students in all grades. Our students and teachers have worked hard and we can't wait for them to show off their Math Skills tomorrow! We hope everyone has a great night and remember, once a Racer, always a Racer.

Hello Racer Families, this is Ms. Durko with some important reminders. Tomorrow is the Reading EOG for all 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. Our students are READY and they are going to do an amazing job! In walking around and going into classrooms, it is so obvious that they are excited and ready to go! I am confident in our students and can't wait for them to show off their skills! Please make sure that your child arrives on campus before the tardy bell at 8:55. Remember to get a good night's rest tonight, give them lots of big hugs and big encouragement, and a good breakfast tomorrow morning. As a reminder, breakfast is free for ALL students at RDE. We hope everyone has a great night and remember, once a Racer, always a Racer.

Hello Racer Families, this is Ms. Durko with some announcements and reminders for the week ahead. We continue with our spirit activities leading up to the EOG this week. Monday is "We are all geniuses! Wear jeans!". Tuesday is "Don’t sweat these tests. Wear athletic or exercise apparel." And Wednesday is "We’ve got test-taking down to a T! Wear your favorite t-shirt!" I also wanted to make sure to let you all know that although we cancelled Field Day due to weather conditions, Mrs. Mullins has been doing some of the fun field day activities each week with classes. The EOG's (End of Grade Tests) are coming up for all 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. The schedule is as follows: Thursday, 5/23 is the READING EOG, Friday, 5/24 is the MATH EOG, and all 5th graders will also take the SCIENCE EOG on Wednesday 5/29. Please make sure that students get plenty of rest before these test days, eat a good breakfast at home or at school, and arrive on time. If students arrive late on any of those testing days, they may have to take the test in another, less familiar location instead of their normal testing location, so arriving between 8:25 and 8:55 is extremely important. Monday, May 27th is Memorial Day and there is no school for students or staff. We hope everyone has a wonderful week and remember, Once a Racer, always a Racer. Have a good evening.

Hello Racer Families, this is Ms. Durko with some announcements and reminders. As we get closer and closer to the end of our school year, please be reminded of our arrival time each morning. Students can begin coming on campus in carpool at 8:25. The tardy bell rings at 8:55. We want to try to have all students in their classrooms by the time the tardy bell rings at 8:55 each morning. Also, we have gotten another reminder from our neighbors at River Dell Townes which is the neighborhood nextdoor to our school. Please do not park on the sidewalks in the morning or the afternoon, and also do not park in resident parking in the morning or afternoon. They have informed us that if this continues, towing may be enforced for violators. Thanks for your attention to this. Spirit Week has been going great so far! Tomorrow is "Cozy up and work hard" day. We encourage everyone to wear their comfy pj's to school tomorrow. Also, we will be doing a Caps for a Cause event again tomorrow. You can wear your PJ's for free, and for $1.00 you can wear a hat as well and support a Racer family in need. We hope everyone has a wonderful night and remember, once a Racer, always a Racer.

PTA Meeting tonight at 6:00pm!

Good evening Racer families, this is Ms. Durko with some announcements and reminders for the week ahead. First of all, we want to thank everyone who participated in our special Caps and PJ Bottoms for a Cause event on Friday. 100% of the funds we raised will go to help a very special Racer in need. Thank you for your generosity. We are Racer Strong! We want to thank all of our families as well as our PTA for celebrating our teachers and staff last week during Teacher Appreciation Week. We truly have the best staff and they are so deserving! This week we will begin having special spirit days to gear up for the upcoming EOG's. You should have received a flyer on Friday listing out each day. We will also post it to our River Dell Facebook page. Tomorrow, Monday, is "Show your RDE pride! Wear green or an RDE shirt." On Tuesday, May 14th, there will be a PTA meeting at 6:00pm in the RDE Media Center. We will be holding PTA elections that evening as well. We hope to see lots of Racer families in attendance. We hope everyone has a wonderful week. Remember, once a Racer, always a Racer. Have a good night.

FYI: The sirens/squad cars are here as our sweet student Noelle’s escort…there is no emergency. Park if you come to pick up a student.

We have a part of our Racer family that is in need of our support. We hope lots of Racers take part in the Caps and PJ bottoms for a cause event tomorrow! Just $1 to wear a hat and/or PJ bottoms for the day. All proceeds will go to the family in need. Thanks Racers, and have a great night!

Good evening 5th grade parents! There is a 5th Grade party parent meeting TONIGHT: Thursday, May 9 · 6:00 – 7:00pm Here is the Google Meet Video call link: https://meet.google.com/zeq-qdwr-azw Hope see you all there!

This Friday we will be having a Caps and PJ bottoms for a cause event. All staff and students are encouraged to wear hats and/or PJ bottoms for one dollar. All proceeds will go to an RDE family in need.

Good evening Racer families, this is Ms. Durko with some reminders for the week. This Tuesday, 4th quarter Progress Reports will be coming home with all students. Please look over these carefully and contact your child's teacher if you have any questions. This week is a very special week. It is "Teacher Appreciation Week" and we want to take time this week to celebrate our amazing RDE Teachers and staff for all they do each and every day for the students at River Dell. I firmly believe the teachers we have at River Dell are the best of the best. They are gifted not only at bringing academic lessons to life each and every day, but also building genuine, authentic relationships with the students at RDE. The care and concern they have for our students is unmatched. The time they spend during the day as well as the countless hours they spend before and after school preparing to meet each student's needs does not go unnoticed. Please take time this week to share your appreciation for all they do to make River Dell the most amazing school. I feel lucky to be surrounded by such dedicated professionals who lead with their hearts every single day. We hope everyone has a great week and remember, once a Racer, always a Racer. Have a good night.