Quick Reference Guide 2022-23

Please see also:

For complete policies and procedures,
refer to the River Grove Parent/Student Handbook

STAY UP-TO-DATE AND IN CONTACT

Parents/guardians are responsible for informing the school office of address, email, and/or phone changes using this form.

SCHOOL AND OFFICE HOURS
  • School hours: 8:30am–3:15pm.
  • Office hours: 8:00am–4:00pm.
  • Students may arrive at 8:15am (earlier, if enrolled in before-school care).
  • Students must be off campus by 3:30pm (unless enrolled in after-school activities/care).
ABSENCES OR TARDIES
  • Call 651-409-3122 or email attendance@marineareaschool.org and your child’s teacher (click here for the contact list) by 9:00 am if your child is sick, late, or absent for any reason.
  • If arriving late, check into the office in Earth, then accompany your student to his/her classroom.
  • Students arriving after 9:30am are considered absent for the morning.
DAILY DISMISSAL CHANGES

We have a big campus, and keeping your kids safe is our top priority. Please contact the office with any dismissal changes (e.g., you will be picking up instead of your student taking the bus).

  • If there is a change to your child’s normal dismissal, call 651-409-3122 or email attendance@marineareaschool.org by NOON (except for emergencies), or use the online form:
  • For the safety of your child, we cannot rely on verbal directions given by the child. We must receive notification from a parent/guardian or we will require the child to use their normal dismissal transportation.
EARLY RELEASE
  • Contact us at least one hour ahead of pick-up so we can alert the teacher. Meet your child in the school office, where you can sign your child out for the day.
ARRIVALS AND DISMISSALS
Before Leaving Home
  • Whether your student is arriving by bus or parent transport, River Grove is asking all parents to conduct a daily health screening of their children before leaving home. Daily health screenings will not take place at student arrival.
  • Students exhibiting symptoms of any contagious disease during the school day will be assessed by the school’s Health Office and may be sent home. Please refer to the COVID policies and procedures for more info.
Morning Arrivals
  • Bus Arrivals
    • Staff meet the students in the bus lot. Staff will escort kindergarten and first grade students to class.
  • Parent Drop-Off Arrivals — “Guest” Parking Lot
    • Drop off students in the guest parking lot between 8:10-8:30am.
    • Enter by the far (northernmost) entrance.
    • Classrooms open at 8:15am.
    • If arriving after 8:30am, come to the office in the Earth building to check in.
      • **Late arrivals should park in the guest parking lot. Parents should escort their student(s) to the main office in the Earth building. Parents will accompany the student to the classroom.
    • Never drive around parked school buses waiting for students to load and unload.
    • Do not park/unload on the road or the service road (unless you require handicap accessibility).
Afternoon Dismissals
  • Parent Pick-Up — “Guest” Parking Lot
    • Begins at 3:15pm and usually takes 10 to 15 minutes.
    • Teachers will escort all students to the Guest parking lot.
      • For safety, students will wait behind the roped off area.
    • Parents will wait outside of the parking lot on the road until signaled to enter the parking lot.
      • Enter the “Guest” parking lot in the far, northern entrance. Exit by the south. DO NOT block the road by turning around.
      • Stay on the right side of the road to allow oncoming traffic to pass.
    • Once students from all classes are waiting safely, the parking lot will open. Wait for the signal. (The estimated opening time: 3:15pm.)
    • Parents will display a “car card” in the front passenger side window, helping staff to identify the cars.
    • Each car will stop at the designated pick-up spot and wait for their student(s) to be called forward by staff.
      • Unless directed to by staff, do not pull up around other cars.
    • Please load your students as quickly as possible so we can move to the next group of cars.
    • If necessary, pull ahead out of the traffic pattern to buckle seat belts.
    • Never drive around parked school buses waiting for students to load and unload.
    • Do not park/unload on the road or the service road (unless you require handicap accessibility).
  • Bus Dismissal
    • After dropping off parent pick-up students, teachers will continue to the bus lot with the remaining students. Once the class reaches the bus parking lot, teachers will help load buses.
      • If circumstances require, students may sit in assigned seats.
      • Buses generally leave no later than 3:20pm.
Handicapped Accessible Arrival and Dismissal
  • If you require handicap accessibility, please contact the front office for assistance.

OLDFIELD ROAD RESTRICTION
Oldfield Road N Restriction
  • Do not use Oldfield Road north of Hwy 7 to Ostlund Trail N. This road is not an approved route for River Grove traffic, and usage may affect our Conditional Use Permit.
WE ARE A SCHOOL ZONE!
  • Only delivery, emergency, and handicap-authorized vehicles are allowed on our service roads.
  • When picking up a student, park in the “Guest” parking lot. Do not drive or park on the service road except in an emergency.
  • Drive slowly on campus and on area roads.
  • Watch for kids walking and biking, please!
LOST AND FOUND
  • Located in the Commons.
  • Four times a year, articles not claimed may be discarded or may be donated to charitable organizations:
  • 1) After fall conferences 2) Prior to winter break3) After spring conferences 4) The last day of school
  • To assist in recovery of lost items, please ensure items have your child’s name written on them.
PARENT PORTAL
LUNCHES
  • Please place your order every other week via the lunch order form on our website.
  • We can accept cash or check for lunch accounts. Please send with your child, mail us, or stop in the office. If you would like to pay with a credit card and need your account log-in information, please contact the office. Deposits made to your child’s lunch account act like a bank account; when your child actually takes a lunch, his account will be charged.
  • When a lunch account balance reaches $0.00 a student may charge no more than $15 to this account. Please see the Parent/Student Handbook for complete info.
LIBRARY
  • Please return library books in good condition. If a book is lost or damaged, we ask for a $5 replacement fee.
HEALTH CONDITIONS AND ALLERGIES (MORE INFO HERE)
  • Please contact the school nurse, Megan Lapos (mlapos@marineareaschool.org), if your child has any serious health concerns or allergies.
MEDICATIONS
  • Drop off any medications to be administered in school in the Health Office.
  • All prescription medication requires a form signed by a physician or medical professional.
  • The OTC form is required for non-prescription such as Tylenol.
  • Please see the separate COVID policies and procedures.
WELLNESS POLICY
  • River Grove is an Allergy Aware school. In order to protect the safety and wellness of all our students, it is our policy that food items are NOT given out as classroom rewards or for birthday parties and celebrations. Please see your child’s teacher for ideas to celebrate important events using non-food items.
VISITING AND VOLUNTEERING
  • Check in at the Main Office in Earth. For the safety of our staff and students, all visitors, including parent volunteers and community members, must wear a visitor badge. Please check out and return the badge before departing.
  • If you would like to visit or volunteer in a classroom, please contact the teacher directly in advance to schedule a time that works for all. Please do not bring siblings or extra guests.
CLOTHING POLICIES
  • A reminder that closed-toed shoes MUST be worn at all times. The students play outside where there are sticks, rocks, and other things that could potentially injure little feet. No sandals.
  • Rain/mud boots are recommended when conditions warrant.
COLD WEATHER POLICY
  • River Grove is an environmentally aware school. It is important that students are appropriately prepared for all weather conditions. Warm coats, hats, gloves, boots, snow pants, and rain gear are necessities as students will be outside in all weather conditions.
  • If the temperature is 32 degrees F. or below, a winter coat, hat or hood, and gloves or mittens are required.
  • Snow gear, including snow pants and boots, are required when any snow is present, even a trace.
  • When the wind chill falls between 0 and -10 degrees F., recess may be abbreviated at the discretion of the staff.
  • Students will not go outside for recess or gym classes when the air temperatures reach 0 degrees F. and/or a wind chill of -10 degrees F. or colder.
DIRECTORY INFORMATION
  • Every year, we publish a school directory that includes student names, parent names, addresses, parent emails, and parent phone numbers. If you do not want your information to be included in the directory, complete the directory opt-out form by September 15 of each year. This form also defines use of student images on social media and the school’s website.
OTHER

Comments are closed.