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Ross Elementary School

Future Ready

Ross Round Up, September 18, 2026

Posted Date: 09/18/26 (04:51 PM)


 
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Ross Round Up

School newsletter from Mrs. Tripp for parents

September 18, 2026

Parent-Teacher Conferences Coming Soon

Reminder: Sign Up for Parent Teacher Conferences!

Classroom teachers have sent links for Parent-Teacher Conferences on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. Sign up for a time. 

While you're at conferences, visit the Idaho Book Fair and check in with Mrs. Sanders (Music room), Mrs. Bulen (gym), and do some chalk art in the courtyard. 

How to be involved: Sign up on ParentSquare to provide a dinner item for teachers on these long conference days. 

Idaho Book Fair Sept. 30-Oct. 1

Idaho Book Fair will be open in room 1 during Parent-Teacher Conferences. 

Students will be bringing home Wish Lists next week. 

Teachers will also have Wish Lists posted at the book fair in case you want to gift books for the classroom. 

 All proceeds from the book fair go directly to purchasing new books for the library that students can enjoy for years to come! 

Lost and Found

While you're at conferences, check out our Lost and Found in the courtyard. It's growing every day! 
 

Ross Celebrations

AVID National Demonstration School Nomination

Ross Elementary has been nominated as one of just a few elementary schools across the country as an AVID National Demonstration School! 

This is a huge honor! AVID is a program that we use to organize all our work at school and provide rich, meaningful experiences for students in Writing, Inquiry (asking and answering questions), Collaboration, Organization, and Reading. AVID also helps students become leaders and have school skills that they can take with them in their future lives so they have no limits on what they choose to do, whether college, career, or community service. 

How to be involved: During Parent-Teacher Conferences, feel free to stop by Mrs. Tripp's booth to find out more about AVID and how our AVID program helps students learn and grow. 

5th Grade CAST Applications

Today, CAST Values and AVID Team applications were due. 

Next Friday, CAST Service Team applications are due. CAST Service teams are the Pre K team, the Library team, and the MakerSpace team. 

Wednesday, Sept. 30, we'll announce our CAST teams to 5th grade classes. 

We've had over 70 kids already apply for CAST (that's almost half of our 5th graders), and expect many more CAST Service applications to come in by next Friday. This shows us that our students WANT to be involved! While not all students will be accepted into CAST, we try to find ways for them to be involved at Ross as much as they want to be. The more involvement, the more connected they are at school and the more they learn. Let's go, Rossome Rams!

How to be involved: Ask your 5th grader if they applied for one of the teams and why they chose that team. 

4th Grade Lunch Club Applications

Today, our first round of Lunch Club applications were due. 

We had over 20 Lunch Club applications with some amazing ideas ranging from Squish and Squeeze Slime Club to Space Club to Story Writers Club. 6 of those need an adult volunteer still--the other 14 had parents or family members able to help. 

Mrs. Wardell will begin contracting parent volunteers to set up clubs in the next few weeks. 

How to be involved: Ask your 4th grader is they applied to run a Lunch Club. Or, sign up to help a student that needs help running a Lunch Club using the link in ParentSquare. 

Student Leadership Highlight--Cafeteria Helpers

We have a robust set of 66 4th and 5th graders that signed up to be cafeteria helpers this year! 

Helpers go to the cafeteria a few minutes before lunch, wash hands and put on gloves, then help our AWESOME lunch ladies serve to our students. This helps in two ways: 
  • Getting students through the lunch line faster
  • Giving cafeteria helpers a chance to be a student leader

One benefit is that students who help get a free lunch at the end of their shift. 

How to be involved: Ask your student if they are a volunteer. It's not too late to join the crew! 

MakerSpace Donations

Thank you for the generous outpouring of MakerSpace donations. Mrs. Wardell plans amazing activities each day. 

How to be involved: Ask your child if they've joined the fun yet! 

I-Ready Class Awards

Each week, we give a special award to the 4th and 5th grade classes that have the most students pass 2 or more I-Ready lessons on their personalized pathways. This personalized learning is a powerful supplement to the hands-on instruction teachers provide in class and in WIN (What I Need time). 

Winning classes are honored on the announcements, on our hallway TVs, and with a Stuffy Trophy that they get to keep for the week in their classroom. Winning classes vote for which Stuffy Trophy to keep. 

Our winning classes this week were: 
  • Mrs. McKernan (second week straight!)
  • Mrs. Harding
  • Mrs. Marshall

Last week's winning classes were: 
  • Mrs. McKernan
  • Mrs. Johnson

How to be involved: Ask your student to show you one of their I-Ready lessons at home. They can log in using their Clever account, which they all know how to do, and show you the Math they are working on. 
 

Follow us on social media!

Ross Facebook Page
Ross Instagram
Ross YouTube Channel
Ross Elementary School Website
 

Family Event Calendar

Upcoming events

  • Sept. 23--Farmstead Night
  • Sept. 25--School Picture Day
  • Week of Sept. 28--5th grade Starbase field trips start
  • Sept. 30--2:00-7:00--Parent Teacher Conferences and Idaho Book Fair
  • Oct. 1--2:00-6:00--Parent Teacher Conferences and Idaho Book Fair
  • Oct. 2--No School--Fall Break
  • Oct. 9--No School--Teacher Learning Day
  • Oct. 15--Jog-a-Thon
  • Oct. 20--Chick-fil-A Night
A school calendar for September 2026, themed 'Responsible', features dates, events, and cat illustrations.
A school calendar for October 2026 featuring playful autumn characters, important dates, and a student AVID toolbox section on the right side.
 

PTA Updates

Amazing turnout at the meeting Thursday!

Thank you for all those who came to the PTA meeting last week. It was so great to see so many involved parents. 

Upcoming events: 
  • Farmstead Night--Sept. 23
  • Jog-a-Thon--Oct. 15
  • Chick-fil-A Night--Oct. 20
A promotional flyer for a Lowe Family Farmstead fundraiser night for Indian Creek and Ross Elementary on September 23, 2026.
Indian Creek-Ross Elementary PTA contact information with logos and key personnel.
 

Volunteer Opportunities

Check out the Volunteer sign up in ParentSquare for opportunities to help

We need volunteers for Dads on Duty, Lunch Clubs, and Reading Buddies. 

Also, on Oct. 15, we're looking for Jog-a-Thon volunteers. 

Join us for some fun by clicking the volunteer link in ParentSquare sent out on Wednesday. 
 

All About Ross

Ross Elementary Key information

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

An image with the word 'Important' and drop-off/pick-up reminders.

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).
 

Attendance Matters

Attendance matters information about how missing days of school adds up over time.
An infographic guide titled 'Do You Have a Sick Child?' outlines symptoms for keeping children home from school.

Cell phones and smart watches

ross is a learning zone

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!
 
Elementary Handbook
 

Michelle Tripp

Principal, Ross Elementary
Contact info:
michelle tripp