Dear Thomas B. Riley Families,   

 

We hope you had an amazing summer as a family full of rest, relaxation, and quality time. We are very excited to soon begin the 2023-24 school year on August 31, 2023.   

 

Bell Times and Back to School Information

All back-to-school information can be found on our school website. Please note our bell times have changed this year slightly. Our first period now begins at 8:00am. There will be a warning bell for all students at 7:55am to enter the school. We ask that all students enter through their designated doors only and not through the front of the school. The main entrance is used for primarily for our students in ALP and PLP with accessibility needs such as wheelchairs to safely enter. We appreciate the cooperation of our students in ensuring this entrance is clear for them to enter safely.

 

*New - Soft Start – Doors open at 7:50am

To ensure all students are supported in a gradual transition into their school day, we will be opening the entrance doors for all students at 7:50am this year for students who would like to come into the school a little bit earlier. Students are welcome into the school at this time to prepare for their day by putting their backpack in their locker, gathering their supplies and getting settled in their classroom. Classrooms and hallways will be open and supervised by school staff beginning at this time.

 

School Supplies

If this is your first year in Junior High School, welcome! One of the biggest changes is that students are responsible for bringing all of their own school supplies in Grades 7-9. It is imperative that students arrive with the following for a successful start to the school year. You may also find this list on our school website for future reference.

 

Students is Grade 7 to 9 can use the following supply list as a guide to what they will need. Some variations may occur depending on the classes in which the students are enrolled. 

·       Three ring binders (2 or 3)

·       Loose Leaf Paper (lined)

·       Duotangs (4 different colors)

·       Coil notebooks

·       Dividers

·       Pencil Case

·       Pens (Black or Blue, Red)

·       Pencils (HB)

·       Highlighters

·       Fine liner marker

·       Eraser

·       Geometry Set (including protractor, compass, 45-45-90, 30-60-90)

·       Scientific Calculator (includes sin, tan, cos)

·       Pencil Crayons

·       Graph Paper

·       Kleenex Package

TLC Uniform Requirements

If your child attends our TLC Program, it is a requirement that they arrive at school in their designated uniform. There will be a 2 week grace period for students to gather all clothing items as some may be out of stock, etc. After this time we will be following up to ensure the correct dress code is followed. The uniform requirements are found here.

 

Lunch Hour: Off-Campus Expectations

Students in Grades 7-9 are permitted to leave the school campus over the lunch hour, however it is important to note that our lunch hour is only 44 minutes in length. This is not sufficient time to walk as far as the new developments to buy lunch and return back to school in a timely manner. Students who return to school late on a chronic basis will lose the privilege to leave the school campus. We would appreciate families having this conversation with their children ahead of time to ensure a smooth start to the school year. Attendance is taken in all class periods and late entries will be recorded in Powerschool for families to monitor.

 

Breakfast Program

A small breakfast is available for all students prior to the school start time every day. Our breakfast program is served in our Cafeteria space and open from 7:40am-7:55am. It will close at the same time as the warning bell so students have sufficient time to transition into class. All students are welcome. 

 

Preferred Communication: Email

If you wish to contact either your child’s teacher or administration this year, email is the preferred method for initial contact. Leaving messages at the office makes it difficult to track communication and easier for communication to be missed. Please see our Staff Contact page on our website for emails for all of our staff.

 

Our school staff are happy to give you a call back following an email request using the school phone. If you were provided with a staff member’s number for the purposes of a field trip or emergency situation in the past, please do not use this as a form of contact moving forward through phone calls or texts as this is their personal communication device and not intended for school use. Staff have been advised to refrain from any communication other than the school landline and email except for extenuating circumstances such as an emergency situation.  

 

Final Communication – School Start Up

You can expect an additional communication from your child’s teacher by the end of the day Wednesday with more information on school start-up and first day information meeting spots for all grades outside of the school. All Grade 7 students will meet at their designated meeting spots outside and then transition into the gym for further direction. Students in Grades 8 and 9 will move from their meeting spots outside to their homeroom class for the first three school days (Thursday August 31, Friday September 1 and Tuesday September 5). The rest of the school day will be in condensed periods. You will be able to view your child’s schedule in Powerschool by this time as well.

 

Our school office is open now. If you need to register a child please email or call the school to make arrangements as soon as possible.  

 

We look forward to seeing all of our students and families soon! You can also expect a weekly communication in the form of a Weekly Message at the start of every week to keep you up to date with all of the amazing things happening this year at T.B. Riley School. I feel incredibly honored to be a part of this very special learning community and know that this will be the very best year yet!

 

Take care,

 

Tiffany Austin

Principal, T.B. Riley School