We have volunteer opportunities large and small available now – committee positions are being filled for 2019/20 – lead or provide help. Most parents at Roscomare work –we have opportunities for working and non-working parents. Click here for a list of all the Committees.
Click here to Sign up online for volunteer opportunities.
NEW FAMILY GUIDE | 2019 – 2020
Table of Contents
Congratulations on joining our wonderful Roscomare Community, where lasting friendships and a commitment to quality education flourish!
Roscomare Road Elementary School holds the unique honor of being a CALIFORNIA DISTINGUISHED SCHOOL by the California State Board of Education, an award given to approximately 5% of California schools that best represent exemplary and quality educational programs. And we’ve also been named a GOLD RIBBON SCHOOL! With a student body of approximately 460 Kindergarten/TK through 5th graders, Roscomare Road Elementary School proudly serves parts of the Bel Air and Sherman Oaks communities.
Together, our Principal, teaching staff and active parent association (Friends of Roscomare) are dedicated to enriching the elementary experience of every student. We rely on the donation of time, talents and resources by parents, teachers, staff and our partners in the community to continue to make Roscomare a premier top-ranking public school within Los Angeles Unified School District.
As we welcome you and your family to your first year at Roscomare, we hope the attached guide will provide important and timely information.
We look forward to seeing you and your children for the TK/Kindergarten Welcome which takes place the week before school starts. The first day of instruction is on Tuesday, August 20 (Early Dismissal every Tuesday 8:10AM-1:43PM).
TK/KINDERGARTEN NEW STUDENT WELCOME
All new students and parents are encouraged to attend the TK/Kindergarten New Student Welcome on-campus. It’s a casual and fun opportunity to meet other incoming families, our active parent body, the TK/Kindergarten teachers and our Principal.
SCHOOL HOURS
School starts promptly at 8:15 AM and the day ends at 2:43 PM, with the exception of Early Dismissal Tuesdays, which end at 1:43 PM. There are two bells: the first bell rings at 8:10 AM and classrooms are open, the second bell rings at 8:15 AM indicating the start of school.
Children who arrive after the 8:15 AM bell will enter through the office and will be marked tardy.
In accordance with district policy, be sure to deliver a note to the office explaining any day your child is marked tardy or absent. As district policy, you will receive phone calls and emails from LAUSD every time your child is late or absent so we suggest arriving to school on time to avoid that.
PARKING
VIP Parking: Limited VIP parking spaces on the front parking lot are available by live auction at the Spring Gala for the following school year. One spot is being raffled off for this 2019/2020 school year–a limited number of chances are available for $50 each and you can purchase as many as there are available until they are sold out. Click here for to get raffle tickets and a chance to win.
Parking at Roscomare is challenging (see Kiss & Ride) – particularly during the first 2 weeks of school. Families who arrive early (by 7:30 AM) for morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up (by 2:10PM) will have a much easier time securing street parking. If you arrive early, come in to the school, we often have projects where we could use a hand – offer to help, you’ll make friends.
The parking lot where Bel Air Foods used to be graciously allows Roscomare families to park in the parking spots at the back of the lot (closest to school), just a short walk to campus. Please leave the first several spots nearest the market and other businesses for their patrons. Long-term parking is not permitted.
Please read posted signs and do not block residential driveways, and please do not block our ONE SCHOOL EMERGENCY GATE on Roscomare Road (if you took the tour and parked inside the gate, that’s the gate you drove through. If you block another car in front of the school, you must leave your cell phone number on your dashboard so you can be reached to move your car. Please be courteous to our neighbors, our local market, and patient with one another. Above all, safety is our top priority.
Note, there is a lane that is for drive thru only — no drop off or parking is allowed in the drive-thru lane.
No texting while driving into school… it can wait, let’s keep our children, families and staff safe.
There is no drop-off or parking in the drive-through lanes on-campus in the morning or at pick-up as doing so will block the flow of cars and cause significant traffic congestion in both directions of Roscomare Road.
Please follow these rules, to allow for a safe and friendly school environment. Our children are watching and learning.
KISS & RIDE / MORNING DROP-OFF
The flow of morning traffic on Roscomare Road can be a challenge. Parking (see PARKING) is available on portions of the street near campus, as well as in the northern-most parking spaces at Bel Air Market. Please read signs carefully to prevent your car from being towed.
To ease local traffic conditions, KISS & RIDE is our parent-run “valet” system, allowing parents to avoid street parking, and lots of extra traffic, by pulling in the front school drop-off lane (lane closest to the sidewalk), remaining in their car, and dropping-off their child to a Roscomare parent who will open their door, greets them with a friendly smile, help them with backpacks, musical instruments, lunch bags, etc. This eliminates the need to find parking in order to walk a child to class. After October when TK and Kinder children can use Kiss & Ride, those children will also be walked to the Kinder yard by the Kiss & Ride parent.
Kiss & Ride is run solely by Roscomare parents and requires 100% participation by every family. Each family has a MANDATORY responsibility to participate for one hour 7:30 AM- 8:30 AM approximately 6 mornings during the school year – families who are not able to be present may assign a nanny or another suitable replacement to fill their required position. Weekly Kiss & Ride schedules are assigned by class and are distributed at the beginning of the school year for plenty of advance notice. Room Parents will contact you with schedule information.
Eleven parents are required each morning from 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM for Kiss and Ride to remain open. Duties include: opening car doors, helping students exit cars and moving traffic along safely, quickly and efficiently. Without 11 volunteers, Kiss & Ride could be shut down, making the morning commute unbearable for all. Contact Anisa Abji (aabji2003@gmail.com) with questions or to help.
For safety, you may not be on your cell phone or texting while pulling into Kiss N Ride.
PICK-UP
All TK/Kindergarten students must be picked-up on-time from their teacher at the classroom by a parent/guardian at the end of each school day. As a reminder, Tuesday’s are always a 1:43 early pick up, and we have several days a year that are minimum days when pick up is at 12:29pm. Forms are available in the office should you need to pick-up early, but please avoid late pickups and anticipate traffic getting to pick up after 2:15pm.
WHAT TO BRING
Friends Of Roscomare (referred to as F.O.R. or FOR in all caps)
Friends of Roscomare is our wonderfully dedicated parent association. There are monthly meetings open to all parents throughout the year providing the opportunity to get involved, learn about our school, and hear the latest news and updates from our parent-run board, parent committee chairs and members, and our Principal. Meetings generally take place in the library and are kept to one hour from 8:30-9:30 AM – after assembly once a month on a Friday. All parents are encouraged to attend, and one representative room parent from each class is expected to attend. Meeting agendas are posted on our website on the FOR Board Page and the bulletin board prior to the meeting. Please contact Sharon Silver (sharonGsilver@hotmail.com) to request to add a topic to the meeting agenda.
Through Annual Giving and its many fundraising activities, Friends of Roscomare funds the following programs and positions:
F.O.R. BOARD MEMBERS 2019/2020:
President, Sharon Silver
Vice President, Olivia Rhoads
Co-Treasurer, Sally Vosicher
Co-Treasurer, Veronique Audouy
Secretary, Jessica Johnson
Our dedicated and talented Committee Chairs is on the website here.
Friends of Roscomare Board/Parent Meeting Schedule for the 2019/20 school year will be announced in August 2019 – the first meeting is scheduled for Friday September 6, 2019 8:30am – after morning assembly. The first meeting of the year on September 6th will take place in the auditorium… future meetings will take place in the library. Come for the whole meeting or a few minutes, we don’t mind if you need to leave early, we are happy to have you! We always have coffee and a breakfast treat too, and younger children are welcome!
ANNUAL GIVING
Annual Giving is an essential program that finances the many valuable educational enrichments at Roscomare that are not at all funded by LAUSD, including art, music, computer teacher, computer lab, science teacher and lab, physical education coaches, classroom aides, library books, an extra teacher, supplies, and much more. All contributions to the Annual Giving Fund directly benefit our school and are 100% tax deductible. Without 100 percent participation from all families on a per student basis, staff positions and programs need to be cut.
The minimum contribution request for the 2019/2020 school year is $1,200/per student and there are higher suggested amounts for parents who are comfortable doing so. This amounts to $6.67 per school day – there are 180 school days. Pay online here, or drop a check (payable to Friends of Roscomare or F.O.R.) in the office. Additional forms are also available in the office. Your generosity is greatly appreciated and needed to pay the staff and programs that parent volunteers have lined up for this school year. We strive to keep our minimum requested amount low and rely on other fundraisers throughout the year to fulfill our budget requirements. For comparison, neighboring LAUSD elementary schools request as much as $2,700/student. We also rely on matching contibutions from companies – most large companies will match their employees contribution to Friends of Roscomare- a 501c3 organization – so please ask your HR department.
In order for our school to maintain it’s high-quality programs and excellent standard of education, your $1,200/per child contribution needs to be made at the start of every school year in August. Payment plans are available starting at $120/month. As a reminder you are no longer paying for your child to attend preschool! And you are avoiding $40,000 a year in private school because you are able to send your child to a great public school — it only stays great if everyone participates in the $1,200, per student contribution in August. Pay online here,
Many companies have set aside annual charitable contribution funds, or MATCHING PROGRAMS. Please contact your employer to determine whether they will match your contribution. It’s free, easy and a win-win, earning money for Roscomare – and a tax deduction for your company. Ask early, don’t wait for your company to exhaust their funds on other schools.
For matching questions, please contact Sally Vosicher at svosicher@gmail.com with questions.
ROSCO READER NEWSLETTER & E-BLASTS
Sign-up now at: www.RoscomareRoadSchool.net click “SIGN-UP for ROSCO READER, our weekly E-newsletter that arrives around 8am on Sunday’s, containing timely reminders, key dates and upcoming events from Friends of Roscomare Committees, Board and our Principal. In our continued effort to “be green” and save money, paper copies are not distributed. Note, please check your spam/junk mail for two weeks after signing up as it may end up there. Eblasts are also sent with timely info and reminders. Thanks to volunteer parents who put this important information together each week to help make sure we don’t miss anything! Add roscomareinfo@gmail.com to your contacts to avoid having the email go to your junk folder.
IN THE CLASSROOM
There are many opportunities to be involved in your child’s Kindergarten/TK experience, get to know their friends and participate as they learn and grow. Please talk to your teacher.
VOLUNTEERING
Want to be a Room Parent or Room Treasurer? Let your Teacher know!
Room Parents & Room Treasurer: Our School-Wide Room Parent Coordinator, Heather Mock (hcmock@gmail.com) emails all Room Parents regular reminders and frequent updates throughout the year. She will hold one mandatory informational meeting at the start of the year for all room parents.
EVENTS
There are typically Kindergarten/TK playdate scheduled for people with children starting Roscomare in August 2019. The first meet up is at Kidchella, our annual fair – click here to get tickets… and meet at the connect 4 when the fair begins at 4pm.
There may be a couple of other Kindergarten/TK park playdates planned during the summer just before school starts. Check back here for details.
There is an evening Kindergarten/TK parent wine/cheese social early in the school year for parents to meet–Thursday Sept 5th 7-9pm – adults only. Click here to purchase tickets. Space is limited so don’t delay.
Occasions typically celebrated in the classroom include: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Young Author’s Day, End of Year Celebration, and more. It’s a great way to spend time with your TK/Kindergarten student and to get to know their new friends!
Class parties are often held during lunchtime and food is donated by parents in the class. Sign-up sheets are distributed for parents to volunteer to bring food and paper products, as well as set-up and clean-up for each event. If your child has allergies or dietary restrictions, please send your child with a lunch on these days as Room Parent volunteers unfortunately cannot be responsible for placing special orders, nor does the Classroom Fund allow for such accommodations.
KINDERGARTEN YARD
TK/Kindergarten students have their own “Kindergarten Yard”. In the morning, all TK/Kindergarten students report to the Kindergarten Yard, where they meet in teacher-designated spots at the bell. Teachers will escort them to their classroom. (For the safety of our children, the Big Yard is reserved for grades 1st – 5th.)
FRIDAY MORNING ASSEMBLY
Friday Morning Assembly is a weekly school-wide gathering of all classes on the Big Yard. Students are encouraged to show their school spirit by wearing a Roscomare shirt or sweatshirt every Friday (see SPIRIT WEAR)! You can purchase tshirts and other spirit wear at the Kindergarten welcome. Our Principal gives stickers to childen wearing their Roscomare shirts on Friday. At Assembly, students are given “Principals Awards” and timely information is shared with the students from our Principal and Student Council.
Parents are welcome to attend assembly. Your child will report to the Kindergarten Yard and will be escorted with their class to assembly.
FREE & EASY WAYS YOU CAN EARN MONEY FOR ROSCOMARE
Encourage grandparents, friends, family and neighbors to earn FREE dollars for Roscomare too!
CORPORATE SPONSORS
Roscomare families support the businesses that support our amazing school. Your company (or let a friend with a company know) will be noticed by approximately 6,500 commuters, parents and teachers daily and enjoy a tax deductible donation while supporting our school. Or join the Corporate Sponsorship team and help bring in new sponsors. We offer multiple levels from $250 – $5,500+. Click here to see available packages online offering on-campus outdoor vinyl banners, newsletter ads, advertising on our website and more.
FUNDRAISERS
Community Fundraising is essential to providing the high quality of education that is offered to all students at Roscomare. Various school-wide fundraisers are held throughout the year, helping to bridge the budget gap between our Annual Giving and Budget needs. These events truly take a village and are a great way to get to know your Roscomare Community!
SCHOOL-WIDE EVENTS
HOLIDAYS
2019/20 holiday dates below!*
* dates subject to change
Students are encouraged to show their school spirit by wearing Rosco Spirit Wear every Friday. Fashionable t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and other great items are available for purchase at the Rosco Retail table in the front of the school once a week after school, and will be available for purchase at the Kindergarten/TK Welcome event on Wednesday August 14th at 9am.
AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Our Roscomare Art Teacher & Music Teacher & Computer teacher offer after school classes for 1st-5th grade students.
Theater Arts rehearsal classes taught by Upstage Productions in our auditorium will be available to K-2 the second half of the school year. It is a twice a week program on Tuesday & Thursday culminating in two professional productions which are usually sold out to an audience of 220 people. The K-2 show for 2019/20 school year will be Jungle Book! Stay tuned for sign ups in December – these classes fill up fast! Kindergarten children are picked up at their classes after school by Upstage teachers and brought to the auditorium. (The 3rd-5th grade will have a program the first half of the year which in 2019/20 will be “Annie Jr.”) .
STAR is our on-campus after-school program, offering additional enrichment classes after hours. Visit www.starinc.org. TK/Kindergarten students are escorted from the classroom after school by the STAR staff and a snack is provided. Enrollment forms are available in the office.
LOST & FOUND
Lost & Found is located near the lunch benches. Unclaimed items are donated to charity several times each year, so be sure to pick up your lost items.
Roscomare’s annual yearbook is available for advance purchase at www.TreeRing.com. Customized and personalized page options are available to make a unique keepsake for your child. Order details and deadline information will be distributed. There is a discount for purchases at the beginning of the year. The yearbooks arrive the last week of school and even Kindergarten children have all their friends and teachers sign it.
Still have questions? Don’t miss the TK/Kindergarten welcome the week before school begins. Our Principal and our President, Friends of Roscomare will be present and will go thru many of the items above.
