Ross Round Up, August 28, 2026

Posted Date: 08/28/26 (04:05 PM)

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Ross Round Up

School newsletter from Mrs. Tripp for parents

August 28, 2026

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In the Flow

We are really in the flow now at Ross!

Students have been working through their Math benchmark testing so we can see what they know and plan the perfect instruction for them.

Our Littlest Rams--our Pre K students--have started and are getting used to school. It's so fun to see their sweet little faces on campus every day!

CAST and Lunch Clubs

Next week, I'll go visit 4th and 5th grade classes to let them know about how to start a Lunch Club (4th graders) and how to apply for CAST (5th graders).

Lunch Clubs are student-led activities that 4th graders plan and run for anyone to come to. Some of the clubs in the past have been Art Club, Nail Art Club, Space Club, Animal Research Club, Friendship Bracelet Club, and many others. Clubs are open to all students and are free to participate in. Here's a link to the Lunch Club application.

We'll be asking for volunteers to help run these clubs later in September, so keep an eye our for that.

CAST stands for Connecting All Students Together and is our 5th grade student leadership team. We will start with two CAST teams--AVID team and Values team. The AVID team helps other students be the best learners they can be, and the Values team focuses on making Ross a better place to be.

Attached here is the CAST application that students will get next week.

Applications for Lunch Clubs and CAST are due Sept. 18. Part of being Responsible is turning things in on time, so no late applications are accepted for CAST or Lunch Clubs. Students are free to turn them in early.

Love,

Principal Tripp

Family Event Calendar

September 2026 calendar with cartoon cats and school events, including early release days and parent-teacher conferences.

PTA Meeting Sept. 10 from 3:45-4:45

Come join our PTA!

We share our PTA with Indian Creek since we have so many families in common. We also coordinate with Hubbard's PAC on dates and activities.

Coming soon from PTA:

Kiss the Pig in September
Jog-a-Thon in October

Look for more details coming soon on both of these activities!

Indian Creek-Ross Elementary PTA contact information with logos and key personnel.

Safety Drills

Evacuation, Reverse Evacuation, and Hall Check Drill Today

Today we had our first Evacuation and Reverse Evacuation Drill (formerly known as Fire Drill). The students did a great job practicing how to be safe if we need to leave the building and get back in the building from outside.

Evacuation = Leaving the building safely

Reverse Evacuation = Returning to the building safely

Part of that drill is a Hall Check Drill. During a Hall Check, students stay in the classroom and we hold off on transitions to the bathroom, Specials, WIN classes, etc. until the Hall Check is cleared. Instruction continues as normal. There can be many reasons for a Hall Check--maybe a dog that's gotten into a hallway from outside, a medical emergency, or a student needing additional support. We practice these with each Evacuation Drill so students are familiar with what to do if a Hall Check needs to be called.

If you ever have any questions about a drill, please feel free to call the office. We do our best to keep these as stress-free as possible for students while we practice.

A cartoon whistle with a yellow lanyard is shown above text that reads 'THREE TWEETS= GET IN GET SAFE'.

Lock Down Drill Practice

Lock Down is when we need to keep students inside classrooms and quiet for safety reasons for a time. Unlike Hall Check, instruction doesn't continue--we practice getting quiet and secure in a classroom.

We will practice Lock Downs next month with the help of our amazing SRO, Office Casey.

Today, we reviewed Lock Down procedures while in the gym or cafeteria using the Get In, Get Safe protocol.

Three tweets = Three blows of the whistle by the staff member on duty

Get In = Get into the locked room indicated by the adults in charge--they will be pointing to the nearest safe room

Get Safe = Sit down and stay quiet, waiting for further instructions

Students did a great job listening and asking good questions. They are prepared to be safe!

Donations for MakerSpace

Thanks for all those who have donated so far!

Here's the updated list of needed materials.

All About Ross

Scooter & Bike Safety

Child Safety On and Off Campus

A cartoon ram wearing a helmet and backpack rides a scooter past a school zone sign.

Drop Off, Pick Up, and Bus Information

Drop Off/ Pick Up Reminders

General Notes

Safety of your child(ren) is our priority. Please pick up and drop off your child in the designated areas.
Be patient, especially as we start the school year and the pick/up drop off routines are new to many families. We will have staff to support you and others outside.
No drop off/pick up in the bus lane.

Morning Drop Off

Drop off may begin no earlier than 8:30am. We do not have supervision prior to that time.

End-of-Day Car Line Pick Ups

Car line students are released from class at 3:30 (5 minutes before the last bell). This allows us to get as many cars through the line as we can prior to walkers/bikers/walking pick ups being released for safety reasons.
Pick up line will be along School Avenue from the south of the school to the entry into the parking lot.
Pull forward as far as you can. At the end of the day, students will be waiting for your car to arrive near the front of the line to load in your car.
Use designated cross walks to access the parking lot or playgrounds.
Call the office by 2:00pm if there will be a change in the way your child will normally go home so the teacher can be made aware.

End-of-Day Walking Pick Ups

Walk up pick up students are released from class at 3:35 (the end-of-day bell). If you park and are waiting to pick up your child (rather than driving through the car line), they will come out at 3:35 to meet you.
If you need to park for pick up, please park on School Avenue to the north of the parking lot entrance so you don't block the pick up line (not right in front of the school).

Ross Elementary School Website

Elementary Handbook

Attendance Matters

Cell phones and smart watches

Ross is a Learning Zone!

Ross is a learning zone. We want to have uninterrupted instruction time and we want kids to be able to play with each other.

For that reason, we have any students with cell phones leave them in their backpacks during the school day (except for medical uses). Smart watches can be used as watches or tools (example: the calculator function), but not as a cell phone (example: texting).

If a student is using their phone or smart watch while on campus, we have them bring it to the office for the rest of the day. If they do it a second time, we have them bring it to the office and keep it there for a parent to pick up.

Please help us protect instruction and social interaction time for our Rossome kids!

Michelle Tripp

Principal, Ross Elementary

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