Ramona Community Montessori School

Student Hours & Bell Schedule

Parent and Student Handbook

RCMS Newsletter

November 8, 2026

GREETINGS RCMS Community!

This newsletter comes out every Sunday evening to keep you informed of upcoming events and to celebrate highlights of recent happenings and celebrations. We also have a live link on the RCMS Website. This week features (click on the title to jump to the section):

Click on an event to see more details!

No School - Wednesday, Nov 11th - Veteran's Day

There will be no school on Wednesday, November 11, in observance of Veteran's Day.

We are grateful to all who have served and continue to serve our country. Thank you to our veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice.

RCC Flag Gathering for Veteran's Day

Wednesday, Nov. 18th

We would like to invite any parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends of our students to join us at our Flag Gathering to be recognized for their current or former service in our Armed Forces.

Wednesday, November 18, we will begin at 7:55, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. (We are hosting this on the Wednesday following Veteran's Day, as Wednesday, November 11th is holiday with no school attendance.)

MVA, our sister school, will join us and the MVA choir will share patriotic songs. We will then invite any veterans or folks currently serving to introduce themselves and share which branch of the service they were involved in.

Our goal is to recognize those who serve, and thank them for their service. Our students will benefit from seeing our active duty personnel and veterans. We hope to see many of you at our Flag Gathering in a few weeks.

3rd Annual Read-A-Thon–Ends Nov 9!

Our Reading Trail: From Wagon Wheels to Movie Reels is coming to an end!

Be sure to turn in your reading trackers and submit donations by November 9.

The student with the MOST MINUTES READ will be announced at the November 18 flag gathering!

1st Annual RCC Drive-In Movie Night – Nov 13

Join us for our first-ever Drive-In Movie Night featuring Sing 2! Every attendee receives one FREE popcorn ticket and a parking spot for their cardboard car or folding chair! Please bring your own chair and a flashlight or lantern.

Our First In-Person PTSA Spirit Store at Movie Night!

Shop children's shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and our RCMS Zebra and MVA Hawk blankets! Come hungry for delicious lumpia and pancit dinner boxes, plus a snack bar stocked with candy and treats!

BMX Assembly - Nov 18

Membership Drive & Read-A-Thon Winners – Nov 18

Join us at the flag gathering on November 18, just before our exciting 9:00 AM BMX Assembly, as we celebrate our PTSA Membership Drive winning classes and announce our Read-A-Thon Minutes Champion! The winning classes will enjoy their Sweet Treat Parties on November 19!

Minimum Day - Thursday, Nov 19th

Thursday, November 19 is a minimum day and marks the end of our first trimester!

There will be no school on Friday, November 20, as we begin our Thanksgiving break.

Looking forward for everyone to have a wonderful break filled with time to rest, recharge, and enjoy time with family and friends. We are grateful for our RCMS community!

Winter PTSA Fundraisers!

Sees Candy and Gifts

https://www.yumraising.com/store/winter-2026-ramona-community-school-ptsa-65ff/JesHal8374

Lynch Creek Farm Greenery

https://lynchcreekfundraising.com/campaigns/105315

Craft a Gift Family Night – Dec 4

Our next PTSA Family Night is already in the works! We're planning a magical evening of holiday crafting and gift-making for our RCC families. We are currently collecting donations of craft supplies, holiday decorations, and snack bar goodies to help bring this event to life!

ALL THINGS PTSA

(Parent Teacher Student Association)

Want to Help?

We are always grateful for our amazing RCC families! If you're interested in donating or volunteering, please reach out to PTSA through email or Facebook.

Thank you for helping us create unforgettable memories and experiences for our students and families! Together, we make RCC a wonderful place to be!

- YOUR PTSA

Wednesday Dismissal: Curbside Courtesy

A friendly reminder that RCMS dismissal on Wednesdays begins at 11:47 a.m. Our sister school, MVA, dismisses earlier at 11:30, and we appreciate your courtesy in allowing their families first access to the curbside pickup area.

Please do not enter the pickup line before 11:30 a.m. This helps ensure MVA families can safely and efficiently pick up their students before RCMS families begin lining up. Thank you for your patience, cooperation, and support in making dismissal smooth and safe for everyone!

SCHOOL PICTURES

Lifetouch - School Pictures are ready!

Families who would like to order pictures can visit MyLifetouch and use an existing account or create a new one.

California Coastal Art & Poetry Contest

California students in kindergarten through 12th grade are invited to submit artwork or poetry with a California coastal or marine theme to the 25th annual Coastal Art & Poetry Contest. Entries can be submitted online by 5pm on January 28, 2027. For prize information, rules, contest flyer, entry form (and helpful links for teachers and students), please visit https://www.coastal.ca.gov/art-poetry/.

The California Coastal Commission, part of the State of California's Natural Resources Agency, also offers resources for educators and students throughout the year.

RCMS Yearbook - on Sale Now

Yearbooks are available for purchase online only. Cost is $30

CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR YEARBOOK

BREAKFAST AND LUNCH at School

Food Services continues to provide FREE breakfast and lunches for ALL students. Breakfast is served from 7:25-7:45 am. Breakfast and lunch Menus are published monthly. They will be linked in this newsletter as soon as they become available.

If you plan to have your child eat breakfast, please arrive in time for the student to finish eating before the start of class.

Students are always welcome to bring lunch and snacks from home. We kindly ask families to consider avoiding peanut products when packing food for school. We have a few students with severe peanut allergies, and while we make every effort to prevent cross-contamination and keep these students safe, limiting peanut products on campus helps us create a safer environment for everyone.

November Cafeteria Menus

RCC November 2026 menus - Jessica LaTour.pdf

PARENT VOLUNTEERS

We are so very happy to welcome volunteers to our campus.

Level One volunteers must go through a clearance process which includes: photo identification, negative tuberculosis test, the clearance process takes a few days. Pick up a volunteer packet in our main office if you are interested.
Level Two volunteers also require a physical and fingerprint clearance.

Not all classrooms use parent volunteers, and our Montessori teachers typically prefer to wait until classroom cultures are normalized before including other adults in the mix.

ATTENDANCE

We cannot emphasize too much how important it is to their success for students to be at school, on time, for the whole day of instruction.

STUDENTS LEAVING EARLY

Due to the traffic congestion and the busyness of the end of each day, students needing to be picked up from school early, need to be checked out from the front office before 1:45pm (at least 30 minutes prior to dismissal). Please plan accordingly when your student needs to leave school early for appointments.

Ramona Community Flyers - Click HERE to view Flyers

ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL - Efficiently & Safely

Please take a moment to review the protocols below to ensure that we keep all students safe and maintain maximum efficiency.

It is no secret that our parking lot can be a challenge during drop off and pick up times. As we share the campus with our sister school, Mountain Valley Academy, we have strategically timed our RCMS and MVA arrival and dismissal times in order to minimize the traffic as much as possible. Please show extra grace and courtesy during the busiest times in the parking lot and follow these protocols:

The middle row in the parking lot is one way (southbound) only. If you pass through the middle parking row, please exit at the south into the inside lane for flowing traffic.
The inside lane is for flowing traffic only - students may not enter or exit cars from the inside lane, only the outside lane (curbside).
If using the pick up lane, you may only pick up at the curb in one of the 4 marked spaces. There is no loading unless your are in one of these 4 spaces.
Handicapped spaces are for vehicles with handicapped placards only. Please do not idle or park in these spaces unless you have a valid handicapped placard on display.
The school-side curb is for IMMEDIATE loading and unloading ONLY.
Please remain inside your vehicle when picking up at the curb. If your child is not yet able to get in the car and/or buckled on their own, you need to park and then walk up to meet your child.
If your student is not in front of the school ready and waiting for pick up, please park in an available parking space to wait for their arrival.
Please abide by all traffic laws. Do not enter the parking lot using the exit lane, and do not turn left when exiting the parking lot.
Pedestrians, please use the blue crosswalk in the parking lot to enter and exit campus. Do not walk in-between cars in the pick up line. This is not only dangerous for you and drivers, this also slows down the flow of traffic.
If a friend or family member is picking up your student, please make sure they are aware of and follow the parking lot protocols.

Please review the complete Ramona Community Campus Parking Lot Protocols HERE

RCMS Bullying Prevention and Reporting

We encourage our students to be up-standers and if they "See Something, Say Something" to reduce bullying on our campus. We investigate all instances of bullying that are reported to our school site. If there are any concerns please email our counselor, Ms. Bishop or Principal, Mrs. Sawada, and/or complete the bullying reporting form: Online Bullying Reporting Form (If you are a parent assisting your child with completing the form, you must be signed in to their student email.)

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