SWARTHMORE-RUTLEDGE SCHOOL
100 COLLEGE AVENUE, SWARTHMORE, PA 19081-1499
Phone (610) 544-5700 Fax (610) 338-0609
August, 2015
Dear Swarthmore-Rutledge School Families:
Welcome to the 2015—2016 school year! I hope everyone had an enjoyable summer full of laughter and fun. I cannot wait to hear about all of your exciting adventures and experiences during the past ten weeks. Your smiling faces will tell the story. Summer vacations are always special to children. They will always remember the funny and awkward moments that they shared with their family andfriends.I frequently chuckle about my childhood vacations traveling with my family in a car. There were lots of funny stories. Moments like that make you ROTFL (a term I learned from my text-savvy niece). I am not proficient in texting; I spell out every word whenever I text.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015 will be the first day of school for grades 1-5.
Your class assignment can be found in the Parent Portal. The teachers and I have worked diligently to prepare the 2015-16 class assignments. They reflect upon all of the academic and social achievements you have made throughout the course of the school year before selecting your teacher. Their goal is to ensure that all students have the opportunity to continue their success at SRS. We appreciate your support and partnership in your child’s development.
We would like to wish the fifth grade class of 2015 a successful sixth grade year at Strath Haven Middle School. Your gift of the structures located near our office door will remind us of your creativity and imagination. Your legacy willlive on in the hearts and minds of the students at SRS. We are fortunate to have a Dimensions in Arts Committee dedicated to helping students express themselves and leave their imprint upon the school. Truly, SRS is the Road to Success
I look forward to seeing your smiling faces and listening and reading about your summer adventures. Enjoy your days.I hope to see many of you at our Back to School Movie Night on Friday, September 4th at 8:00pm. I’ll bring popcorn.
Let’s plan to celebrate a successful start of a new school year by having a picnic by the swings on Friday, September 11th. All families are welcome to bring a picnic dinner and blankets. This will be a great time to meet with old friends and greet new families.
Please find below information about the 2015—2016 school year. In an effort to reduce the size of the beginning of the year packet, the WSSD schools have made an attempt to place informational documents and fliers on the WSSD website ( Please review each section listed, utilize the website for access to any materials relevant to your child and contact the office at 610.544.5700 (Option “0”) if you have any questions.
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School Calendar
The 2015-2016 calendar is posted on the website ( Select “Swarthmore-Rutledge School” from the “Select a school” drop-down at the top of the district’s home page. Click on the “Calendar”iconin the upper right corner of the SRS homepage.
A full-year district student calendar is available from the district’s homepage, top right “Calendar” icon.
Arrival Procedures
Children who walk to school via College Avenue should cross with the crossing guard stationed at the intersection of Princeton and College Avenues. Children arriving from College Avenue may walk through the building to reach the courtyard, or they may enter the courtyard via Princeton Avenue.
Bus riders exit their buses on Princeton Avenue. For safety reasons, we ask that students who are driven to schoolnot be dropped off on Princeton Avenue.
In case of inclement weather, the assistants will direct students to their designated waiting areas. Primary (K—2) children will wait in the student dining room and intermediate (3—5) children will go to the gym.
Students in grades 3—5 are permitted to ride their bicycles to school after the school office has received a permission note from parents. Younger students are allowed toride their bikes to school if accompanied by a parent. Please remember that in Pennsylvania children are required to wear
Helmets by law. It is recommended that all bicycles be securely locked at the rack.
Parents are permitted to drive their vehicles through the staff parking lot (front) and drop their students off between the cones on the sidewalk. Staff members will be positioned at the front door from 8:20 to 8:45 a.m. to help keep the flow of traffic moving and to keep our students safe.
For kindergarten car riders arriving at SRS, parents are to park on College Avenue and walk to the lobby. A kindergarten staff member will meet students (8:45 for AM session and 12:45 for PM session) and will walk students to their classroom. Children should not be left unattended in the SRS lobby prior to a kindergarten staff member arriving to receive them.
Dismissal Procedures
Upon dismissal, elementary walkers may meet their parents outside our main entrance near our Butterfly Garden or may discuss with their children another area to meet such as the playground. Car riders may be picked up along the school side of College Avenue. Children should not cross College Avenue except with the crossing guard (at Princeton & College Avenues) or with a parent.
Kindergarten students are not permitted to leave the building until a parent is present. Parents should park and walk to the lobby where the children will be supervised by a kindergarten staff member.
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Internet Acceptable Use Form
The Internet Acceptable Use form requires a parent’s signature for every child each year. Please access the formon the district website. Under the “Resources” tab, click on “Forms”. Complete the Internet Acceptable Use form and send it to school with your child. The form will be collected and filed.
Food Services
Dining Room Services
Mr. Jay Gordon is the Food Service Director for Aramark. Valuable information about the breakfast and lunch programs can be found on the district website. Click on “Departments”, then click on “Food Services”.
Free/Reduced Lunch and Special Milk Program Applications are available online. From select “Swarthmore-Rutledge Schoool” then click on the “Resources” tab. Click on “Forms”, then select the application you wish to view. Applications are also available from the school office.
The September menu will also be posted under the Food Services section. Lunch will be available in the cafeteria beginning September 8th. Students may buy lunch ($2.45) or bring it from home.
Our dining room procedures will be reviewed with new students during the first week of school. (It may be helpful for some of our first graders to bring their lunches from home the first few days until they become comfortable with our dining room procedures).
To prevent loss and promote care of possessions, please putyour child’s name and room number on lunch containers and clothing.
Back to School Night
Our Back to School Night is Thursday, September 17, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. Parents will meet in the auditorium to receive information about the evening’s events and an update from Home and School.
Home and School Association
The Swarthmore-Rutledge Home & School Association has the best group of parents serving our school and community. This group of talented, enthusiastic parents are responsible for the outstanding extracurricular programs our students and staff experience. We thank them for their tireless support of our students and staff.
Michelle Williams and Lynn Meza will be the co-presidents for the 2015-2016 school year. Information regarding SRS Home & School may be found on the Home & School website ( The first meeting is scheduled to be held on September 30, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. in the library.
In addition, the SRS Home & School Association provides many opportunities for enrichment outside of the official elementary school day. One enrichment is learning a foreign language, specifically Spanish, French and/or Mandarin Chinese. This fee-based program is called the "Globetrotters H&S Foreign Language Program". The program is developmentally appropriate and designed to make learning a second language fun.
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Classes are led by experienced language instructors before or after school. Its goal is to offer consistent instruction that enables students to build on their language skills from year to year. For the 2015—2016 school year we are offering Level 1 to 4 classes in most of the three languages. Classes fill up quickly and placement is on a first come basis. For additional information about the program and/or for the forms required for enrollment, please go to Under the programs tab, you will see "Globetrotters -- the H&S Foreign Language Program". Questions about the program and/or enrollment can be directed to Katie Turner at .
New Students
We would like to welcome you to the SRS family. Home & School has arranged student volunteers to provide tours of our beautiful building on Wednesday, September 2nd at 2:30 p.m. and Thursday, September 3rd at 9:30 a.m. These tours are optional for any of our new students and parents who would like to become better acquainted with our charming but rather large school. I invite you to tour our building beginning in the front lobby where student guides will welcome you and take you on a tour of our school.
Various meetings and in-service activities are scheduled during this week, therefore staff members may not be available to answer questions. However, please feel free to leave your name and telephone number with the school secretaries, Mrs. Sharon Artingstall and Mrs. Kathy Swierczek and we will return the call.
Kindergarten
Open House Visitation
On Tuesday, September 8th, we ask parents of kindergarten students to accompany their children to SRS to participate in Open House activities. Small groups of students and their parents are assigned to specific 30-minute blocks of time. Kindergarten parents will receive an email indicating the time of their visitation.
During Open House visits, students will visit their classrooms and meet their teachers. Teaching assistants will accompany students on a tour of the school, with an opportunity to tour a district school bus. While students tour SRS, parents will have a chance to meet with classroom teachers and complete paperwork.
The kindergarten teacher will give each student’s parent a set of five transportation stickers to be worn during the first five days of school. Parents are requested to complete the stickers each day with the child’s name, teacher’s name, bus number and/or pick-up plans and contact number. The stickers should be placed on the child’s clothing prior to boarding the bus in the morning. The transportation director has given the bus drivers a list of their students, grade levels and bus stop locations. The drivers will be looking for stickers to identify the kindergarten students at each stop. Kindergartners will be seated in the front of the bus for supervision. The kindergarten teacher assistants will meet the children when the bus arrives at SRS.
Voluntary Student Accident Insurance
W-SSD does not carry medical/accidental insurance for students, but does provide you access to an accident plan through the same company that carries our athletic insurance – United States Fire Insurance Company. This plan pays benefits from the first dollar, no deductible, and pays in addition to any other insurance. An application that describes benefits and prices is available on the SRS homepage. Under the “Resources” tab, click on “Forms”. To purchase the coverage, simply complete the application (click on “Voluntary Student Accident Insurance”), enclose a check or money order, and return the application directly to the insurance company at the address on the brochure. If you do not have internet access and would like a brochure printed for you, please contact the SRS office at 610.544.5700. If you have any questions, contact AG Administrators, Inc. @ or by telephone @ (610)-933-0800.
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Volunteers
Volunteers are always welcome to help support the students and staff at SRS. We appreciate your valuable time and talents you have shared with the students and staff of SRS. The children look forward to seeing their family members and neighbors share in their educational experiences. This will be a memorable time in our students’ development.
All volunteers and chaperones are required to complete a WSSD Volunteer Form located on the website under the Human Relations Department tab. After selecting the HR tab, go to District Forms located on the right side of the page and select Volunteer Form located at the bottom of the list. Please complete the form and submit it to your child’s teacher or the school office. The forms will be reviewed to determine if additional clearances are required. Volunteer forms must be completed annually.
(All volunteers, including one-time volunteers and visitors must: Sign in and out at the office and wear an identification badge during their volunteer activity or experience.)
Transportation
Transportation information will be sent via email and can be found on the parent portal. If you have any questions about student transportation, please contact the district transportation office at 610.892.3470 Ext. 1702.
Bus Buddy Program
We have an optional Bus Buddy program for new students coordinated by our guidance counselor. New students are paired with veteran SRS students to help reduce school bus anxiety and to begin new friendships. If you would like a bus buddy for your child, pleasecall us at 610.544.5700 by August 28th.
School Hours
Grades 1—58:45 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Kindergarten:
AM8:45 – 11:30
PM12:45 – 3:30
For Grades 1—5, students are considered late if they arrive after 8:45 a.m. Supervision of the playground is provided at 8:20 a.m. For safety reasons, it is important that students not arrive before the scheduled time. Students line up for admission at 8:40 a.m. on the tennis courts.
On the first day of school at 8:40 a.m. staff on duty will signal for children to get in their classroom line. School guides will stand at the head of each line holding classroom numbers. Teachers and student guides will assist primary children and children new to our school locate their class line during the first weeks of school.
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Parents are welcome to wait with their children until they feel secure with the routine and their new classmates. Classroom teachers will lead their classes into the building. If you walk with your child’s class to their room, please be mindful not to linger. This will allow teachers to begin their classes on time.
If your child is absent from school for any reason, an attendance notification will be emailed to Contact 1 and Contact 2 on the Student Information Form each day a student is absent. Please reply with the student’s first and last name, date of absence and reason. This reply will serve as the Pennsylvania State Law required Absence Note; therefore, you will not need to send a note with your child when they return to school. Medical forms may be faxed to the SRS fax number 610.338.0609. Please keep your contact information up to date.
Visitors can access the office through the main lobby after using the intercom located to the left of the doors. All visitors must show photo identification, sign the Visitor’s Form and wear a visitor’s badge while in the building.
I look forward to meeting all of the SRS families to make the 2015—2016 school year a memorable and productive year for all of our children.
Sincerely yours,
Angela Tuck
Dr. Angela Tuck
Principal
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