Friday, July 27, 2012


Beginning of the Year Preparations Have Begun!

Knowing that the students arrive in a little over a week has created a sense of excitement among the Gold Rush staff.  While teachers do not officially report back to school until August 1st, many have already been in the building preparing for the coming year.  We are all eager to ensure that the building and our classrooms are ready to go for the children’s arrival.  

We are excited to officially welcome aboard our new teachers on Monday, July 30,th at the District new teacher meeting.  This will be a wonderful opportunity for our new staff (myself included) to learn more about our District.  We will continue to learn about one another and Gold Rush’s traditions as a full staff later next week.  I look forward to sharing with you the highlights of our time together in my next post.

We are also looking forward to Back to School / Goal Setting Conferences as they are a wonderful opportunity for your family to meet your child’s new teacher and share your hopes and dreams for the coming year.  Please make sure to schedule your child’s Back to School / Goal Setting Conferences on either August 6th or the 7th through your parent portal.

Assistant Principal Julie Roach Transitioning to Rock Ridge Elementary

It is with mixed emotion that I share with you that Gold Rush’s Assistant Principal, Julie Roach, accepted an Assistant Principal position at Rock Ridge Elementary School.  While Gold Rush is sad to lose such a talented, creative and caring member of our school community, we are happy for the personal and professional opportunity that has been presented to Mrs. Roach.  Please join me in thanking Mrs. Roach for all that she has done to support our school and congratulating her on her new venture.

Free and Reduced Lunch Application Online

Parents can now apply for free and reduced meals online. The MCS Software module, "Apply for Lunch," enables parents to complete a free and reduced lunch application.  Click here to apply for school lunches.  Computers are available to parents at the DCSD Nutrition Services Central Office.

School Lunch Prices
The Board of Education increased the price of school lunch on July 1. The price of lunch is the following:

Elementary Lunch $2.75
Elementary Seconds (entrée) $1.50
Elementary Nutrition Break $1.00
Secondary Lunch $3.00
Secondary Seconds (entrée) $2.00
Secondary Breakfast $2.00
Adult Lunch w/o milk $3.25
Adult Lunch w/milk $3.65
Adult Seconds (entrée) $2.00
Milk, 8 oz. carton $.50

Reminder: Express Check In

Please complete your online check in by Wednesday, August 1st, if you did not do so already. Click here for the link.

Volunteer Opportunities:

School Advisory Committee

As the new school year approaches, please consider an opportunity to serve on our School Advisory Council (SAC). If you are interested in being involved at GRE and providing input on how the school is meeting our school improvement goals for the year, please submit a paragraph about yourself to janis.liccardello@dcsdk12.org by August 3rd. Please include a brief description about yourself and why you would like to serve. We will have a station at Back To School/Goal Setting Conferences where the community will vote for your appointment.  This is a wonderful way to make a difference! 

Monday, July 16, 2012


Settling In At Gold Rush
I am excited to be joining Gold Rush Elementary School this year!  I have already had a chance to work with many of the teachers, staff and administrators this summer and I have found them all to be warm, welcoming and dedicated to doing all that they can for our children.  I have also enjoyed getting to know the students that are here this summer in the Before and After School Enterprise (BASE) program.  I am looking forward to getting to know your child(ren) and working closely with your family this year!  Together we are going to have a wonderful school year! 

New Faces at Gold Rush
We have several new faces at Gold Rush this year.  Many of our prior staff members were regretfully unable to return to our school due to family and life circumstances.  We also added staff this year to ensure manageable class sizes.  Returning faculty members have worked with me to find educators that will be a perfect fit for our school.  Together we sought out individuals who loved children and had the experience and knowledge to be successful in our setting.  Each of the teachers hired are extremely talented and are coming with rich experiences that will benefit our existing school.  Please help me welcome the following teachers to our community:

* Jennifer Billings - Grade 1
* Rebecca McMillan – Grade 1
* Deborah Murry – Grade 2
* Kayla Shulte – Grade 2
* Lara Castro – Grade 3
* Marget Brownley – Grade 3
* Corissa Nelson – Grade 3
* Megan Fleet – Grade 5
* Courtney Jones – Grade 5
* Kelsey Heitmann – Music
* Megan Isberg – Special Education

Your Child's New Teacher 

You may now view your child’s teacher by logging into your Parent Portal.  As you recall the Parent Portal is an electronic way of viewing important information about your child, including his/her teacher, report card and much more. You can find the Parent Portal on the District website. Once you log into the Parent Portal click on * select a student * reports * student schedule * and your teacher assignment will be displayed.  If your child has a teacher listed with a TBD for either first and/or fifth grade please note they are the following teachers:

TBD Grade 1 – Rebecca McMillan
TBD Grade 5 – Courtney Jones
  
Start of the Year Information
Express Online Check In

Express Online Check In, our online registration system, is now scheduled to open on Wednesday after 12 PM due to technical difficulties.  We appreciate your patience with this unexpected delay. Just a reminder that you can access the Express Online Check In through the Parent Portal.

Overdue Fees

You will receive a statement balance during registration on August 6th and/or 7th if you have a book fee from previous years. You can go online and pay past due fees before Wednesday, August 1, to avoid receiving a statement during registration. To pay prior to registration login to your Parent Portal and click the fees tab. You can only pay by credit card online using our new Revtrak system (see information below). You can only pay by check during registration.

Revtrak: New Online Payment System

    RevTrak is our new online payment system that can be used for all fees except Nutrition Services and Before and After School Enterprise (B.A.S.E) 

    Parents can access Revtrak through the Parent Portal.  Parents will be asked to provide an email address and password when entering Revtrak for the first time.  Parents will simply need to reenter their email address and password after their initial visit.

    Logins for the Parent Portal and Infinite Campus have not changed.

    For additional information about the new Revtrak payment system click here
  
Mark Your Calendar


Back to School Goal Setting Conferences * August 6th or 7th 


Back to School Goal Setting Conferences are an opportunity for your family to meet your child's new teacher, take his/her picture and finish your registration for the start of the school year.  Please make sure to sign up for your child's individual conference time on either the 6th or the 7th by logging into your Parent Portal or accessing the link on Gold Rush's website. 


Volunteer Opportunities

Parent Representative for the School Advisory Council (SAC)

Serving as a parent representative for the School Advisory Council (SAC) is a wonderful way to make a difference! Parent representatives for SAC are elected by our parent community and are responsible for providing input on how the school is meeting our goals for the 2012-2013 school year. Parent representatives also help draft our school goals for the following year and provide input on our current practices.  SAC meets in the evening once a month to review our progress toward our current initiatives.  If you are interested in serving on SAC please submit a paragraph describing yourself and how you will contribute to SAC to janis.liccardello@dcsdk12.org by July 31st.  All parents will have the opportunity to vote for their representatives at our Back To School Goal Setting Conferences on August 6th and 7th

Registration Helpers

If you are interested in volunteering on Back To School Goal Setting Conferences August 6th and/or Aug 7th.  Help is needed with registration for two hour increments. Please contact Susan.Gruenthal@dcsdk12.org