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Graves Welcome Letter

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A graphic with the Graves Elementary School logo with the words "welcome letter".

Dear Robert Graves Parents and Guardians,                                                                                         

I hope you have had a great summer where you were able to relax and prepare for another exciting year at Robert Graves! This summer, at Robert Graves, we have been busy preparing for the first day of class on September 3rd.

On the back of this double-sided letter is information on arrival, dismissal, and other key topics.

Healthy Kids: We are happy to say that, at Robert Graves, we offer both before care and after care. Fees are set by the Healthy Kids Program. Specific sign-up information is available at https://www.healthykidsprograms.com.

Summer Reading Challenge: All students who participated should bring in their sheets on the first day of school.  If you need information regarding this, please contact Mrs. Yonnetti at wyonnetti@kingstoncityschools.org.  

Back to School Night: This year our BTS night is scheduled for September 17th from 6:00-7:30pm.

Arrival and Dismissal: Specific details on arrival and dismissal are at the bottom of this document, however, we highly encourage parents to have students ride the buses.

Lunch and Breakfast: Again this year, lunch and breakfast are provided at no cost to students.  Please refer to the website later in the month for the menu for the first day of school.  Copies of the menus will be sent home monthly.

TEAMS: We will continue to use the TEAMS program for updates and to communicate quickly with parents. The two channels on Teams to follow are the PTO and Information Area channel.  If you have any questions regarding TEAMS, please direct them to your child’s teacher. 

Classroom Supply Lists were sent home with 1st-4th students in June. Copies of that information is available on the RG website.  You can email the teachers with any questions.

This year we are very happy and excited to welcome 2 new staff members to the Robert Graves Team.

Ms. Julia Simonini will be joining our Kindergarten team as our consultant teacher.

Mrs. Karen Martin will be full time with us this year as a teaching assistant.

My team and I are very excited about this year, and we are looking forward to teaching our exceptional students and working with our community.  

Have a great remainder of your summer and see you on September 3rd.

Sincerely,

Dr. Errin Parese
Principal

 

 

Arrival  

  • Students eating breakfast will be able to enter at 8:30am. Bus students will enter through the front doors. 
  • All students may enter at 8:45am.
  • Students being dropped off may line up with their parents outside the cafeteria door. Students being dropped off who will eat breakfast should be walked up to the cafeteria door and can enter at 8:30am.
  • Parking for parent drop off cars will be in the main lot in front of the cafeteria.

Dismissal

  • If you completed the Dismissal Plans Survey, a note still needs to be sent in if your dismissal is other than riding the bus.
  • Buses will depart between 3:05pm and 3:15pm.  We ask parents waiting for students at bus stops to be flexible for the first few weeks as we develop consistency.
  • Parents picking up students are asked to arrive at 3:00pm. Parents can park in the main lot in front of the cafeteria and walk up to the cafeteria to sign out students.  

     Please always send a note if:

  • There is any change in dismissal – bus or parent pick-up.
  • You plan to pick up your child early or at regular dismissal time.

      Sending in a note prevents classrooms from being disrupted during the school day.

  • Between 2:45pm and 3:10pm is a hectic time and last minutes changes should only occur in the event of an emergency.
  • If you have a set schedule for dismissal, you can send in one note…you do not have to send a note in every day.  If the schedule changes weekly, please send in a note on Monday with the week’s schedule.

PLEASE NOTE:  Dismissal info from last school year does not carry over.  Please send in a new note.

Absences

If your child is going to be absent due to illness, please contact our nurse, Mrs. Mitchell at 845-943-3424.

  •  A written excuse (with dates and reason for absence) must be sent in with your child on the day he/she returns to school.  If no note is received, the absence(s) will be marked as “illegal/unexcused”.

Email and Text Alerts (reminders of days off, early dismissal/emergency closing notifications, bus changes/other important information)

  • If you have a cell phone number and email address on file with the school, you should be receiving email and text alerts regarding information about RG and the KCSD. 
     
  • If you are not receiving them, please contact the Main Office so we can update your information.  If you have sitters/caregivers that may need the notifications, they can sign up for the alerts at: https://www.kingstoncityschools.org/resources/email-and-text-list-sign-up.

Handbook

  • On the first day of school, you will receive the RG Handbook which has a lot of very important information.  Please read it and the Required Notifications and Pertinent Information and return sign-off part.  
  • Do not photograph/videotape, pesticide notification, FERPA…must be completed and turned into the Main Office every year.  These do not carry over.

Visiting Robert Graves

All Kingston City Schools now use the Raptor security system. Anyone entering the building as visitors or signing out a student, must sign in at the front desk and provide a valid ID.  While this takes some time, it is for the safety and security of our students.

Staff Contacts

  • Main Office – Dr. Parese or Mrs. Yonnetti                  943-3422
  • School Nurse – Mrs. Mitchell                                      943-3424
  • School Psychologist – Mrs. Barros                             943-3427
  • School Social Worker – Mrs. Binney                          943-3425
  • Graves