August 7, 2025 RCSD Educator Digest

Communications

ParentSquare

• Check out this list of what’s new in ParentSquare - including the brand new “read receipts” for messages!
• Don’t forget the major change this year - the unmerging of personal and professional accounts - learn more here.
• Need support with ParentSquare? Reach out to Jessica Hull.

Educational Services

K-5 Professional Development Cycle
All K-5, SDC, and RSP teachers will have District Cycle Professional Development this year. Please review this PD Cycle Schedule to see which date(s) your PLC will be attending Professional Development. Please let us know if you notice any discrepancies in grade level placements or PLC members listed. More information will be shared as your PD date approaches.
Contact: Kelly Yusim, Lisa Wegsteen, or Monique Homesley

6-8 Professional Development Cycle
6-8 Math, ELA, ELD, Science, History, SDC, and RSP teachers will attend Professional Development this year. Please review this PD Cycle Schedule to see which date(s) your PLC will be attending. Please let us know if you notice any discrepancies in department placements or PLC members listed.
Contact: Kelly Yusim, Jennie Ruvalcaba, Lisa Wegsteen, or Monique Homesley

K-2: Amira Training Follow Up
Thank you for your time and engagement during the recent Amira training! Here are answers to the questions that came up during the session, grouped by common themes for your convenience: Q&A Document
Looking ahead to the 2025–26 school year, please know that our contract with Amira will include access to tutoring and assessments. The only required use of Amira is the state-mandated assessment in October. However, if you’re interested in exploring additional features like tutoring or other assessments, you’re welcome to use them.
We will continue with the following assessment and instruction expectations for this year:
K–1: Foundational Skills Assessments in ESGI and Lexia weekly instructional minutes
2nd Grade: i-Ready Diagnostic 3x/year and weekly instructional minutes
Resources:
Teacher Resource Hub / Amira Assess and Tutor Teaching Training Handout / Amira Academy/ Clear Cache Example/ Amira Training Feedback Form
Thank you for your feedback and patience as we roll out the screener and implementation process. Please reach out with any additional questions!
Contact: Kelly Yusim

K-1 Lexia Licenses
All Kindergarten and First-Grade students have a Lexia Core5 account. Students and teachers can access Lexia via Clever. Please have all Kindergarten and new student Auto Placement assessments no later than October 3rd, 2025. Any students that had access to Lexia last year will have their lesson placement continued from the previous year. Please have Kindergarten students working on Lexia for 15-20 minutes a week and First-grade students for 20-25 minutes a week. For more information, please see the Lexia Resources document below.
Lexia Resources
Contact: Kelly Yusim

Middle School ELA Pacing and Planning Guides
Welcome back, ELA Teachers! I wanted to share the Middle School ELA Pacing & Planning Guides that were finalized last year. These guides outline the writing genre focus for each trimester and the order and pacing of the curriculum units taught across the district for grades 6–8.
6th Grade ELA Planning and Pacing Guide
7th Grade ELA Planning and Pacing Guide
8th Grade ELA Planning and Pacing Guide
Contact: Kelly Yusim

K-8 Math Suggested Curriculum Pacing Guides
These pacing guides are structured to allow time for setting up classroom routines and time for students to get to know one another before diving into the curriculum. HERE is a resource with some ideas to support building a math community in the beginning of the school year.
K-5th Grade
6th Grade
7th Grade
8th Grade
Contact: Lisa Wegsteen

Raptor
If you have the Raptor app on your phone, please be sure that it is updated. Also, please make sure you are able to login and see your school name at the top. It is helpful to review the Beginning of the Year Reminders in order to be ready to use the app in the event of a drill or emergency.
All staff with the app have the ability to initiate an emergency. Please be careful not to initiate one during a drill. An emergency is initiated by using the icons on the main screen. It then asks you to slide to initiate. Again, please do not do this for a drill. When a drill has been initiated, you will login and go to Incidents to account for staff and students.
Please reach out to your site admin if you have any questions.

August 4th PD - Suzanne Dailey
There have been many requests for a copy of the slides from Monday. Suzanne has graciously shared them in a PDF, removing her personal pictures. Here is a PDF you can access. Please use them for yourself, and not share with others as this is her work she has synthesized AND put together over the years. Thank you!
Contact: Rachael Peck