A Message from Mrs. Vazquez-Markley, Principal
Wow! What a wonderful start to the 2026-2027 school year! Thank you, everyone, for your support in helping our Ross Rockets transition from Summer Break to the new school routine smoothly.
Each week, during morning announcements, we highlight a Skill of the Week and share ways students can work on the skill. Teachers then choose the student in their class who has been working hard at the skill as their Student of Week! The student receives a certificate, a new book and pencil and then enjoys a treat with me in the afternoon!
Please check the SDoL calendar often to keep up with student holidays, etc. A copy of the one-page calendar was in the student first-day packets and can be found on the SDoL website. Watch for flyers for our Ross FTO meetings! This month’s meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 9th at 6pm. I hope to see you there!
I am excited for our Ross Rocket Literacy Night being held at The Lancaster Library 151 N. Queen St. on Tuesday, September 22nd, 5:30-7pm. Join us to explore this amazing resource we have right here in our city! It’s a free family event with lots of fun activities planned!
A reminder to anyone who would like to volunteer in our school or chaperone a field trip, please see the important message below regarding the child clearance process. There have been some additional steps that will need to be taken in order to volunteer or chaperone in the district. Thank you for following these important steps in order for us to ensure our students safety.
Important Dates in September
Friday, 9/4-Monday, 9/7
No School-Labor Day Holiday
Wednesday, 9/9
FTO Meeting at 6pm
Tuesday, 9/22
Ross Rockets Literacy Night at The Lancaster Library! 5:30-7pm
Ross Rockets Literacy Night at The Lancaster Library
What: A fun evening of exploring our Lancaster Public Library
Where: The Lancaster Library, 151 N. Queen St., Lancaster, PA
When: Tuesday, September 22nd from 5:30-7:00pm
Please join us for an engaging evening full of exciting games, activities and exploration! The public library is not just books, though they do have all of the most recent publications. Come see what your library card can do for you! Don’t have a library card yet? That’s ok! You may sign up for one during the event!
This is a FREE family-friendly event you won’t want to miss! Look for the flyer in Thursday’s folder to sign up!
Read more to find out what your student is learning in Art, Music and PE
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Art Class at Ross: All students began the school year working on a schoolwide collaborative project based on the book “The Dot”! Moving forward, K4 and K5 are working on shapes and cutting skills while creating collages. First graders are practicing their watercolor paint skills in their Salvador Dali-inspired bird painting. Second graders are practicing color mixing while creating their color wheel mandalas. Third graders are creating a painting inspired by artist Robert Indiana and his sculptures. Fourth graders are creating leaf mandalas, and fifth graders are learning about weaving!
PE – This month, students in the primary grades (K-2) will be practicing their locomotor movements in different learning activities. We will spend time practicing running, jumping, skipping, hopping, etc., and breaking down the skills so students feel confident in their movements. Students in grades 3-5 will complete our fitness testing. Here we will see how many laps they can run in the PACER test. We will also see how many curl-ups and push-ups they can complete. This will be our beginning-of-the-school-year measurements and we hope to improve our scores as we complete the tests again later in the school year!
Music Class: We are jumping right into music-making this year! Pre-K and Kindergarten are discovering that music has a steady beat. 1st grade is learning about the different types of sounds and vibrations that make music. In 2nd and 3rd grade, we are learning to read rhythms in triple meter and in 4th and 5th grade, we are learning to play the ukuleles. And, this semester, we have with us, Miss Strong!
Dear Parents & Guardians,
Hello! My name is Catelyn Strong, and it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to work with your child in Mrs. Spolum’s classroom this semester as a student teacher. I am currently a senior at Lancaster Bible College, and I am working on completing my degree in Music Education. I love creating and performing music and I hope to share this love with the children in our room this year!
A message from Tiffany Wiker, FTO President
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We are a non-profit group of dedicated families, teachers, and staff who volunteer our time and energy to make our school the best it can be. Our main goal is to build a strong, supportive community and provide resources that enrich every student’s learning experience.
What We Do:
Throughout the year, the FTO helps fund and organize:
- Fun family events and school socials like our movie night & Spring Fling Dance.
- Classroom supplies and teacher support. Example: the FTO provided a teacher with funds to purchase books needed in her classroom.
- Teacher appreciation events. Example: in past we have done luncheons and breakfast events. This year, we would like to provide a Holiday Breakfast and donate items for lunch during teacher in-service days.
- Special announcement! We will be running a new fundraiser this year and the more students who sign up, provides a chance for students to “Slime the Principal” event. Watch the Thursday folder for more details!
How You Can Get Involved
We know everyone has different amounts of time to volunteer. There is no wrong way to participate!
- Attend meetings: Join us on September 9th at 6pm in the Ross gym.
- Volunteer: Help out at an event, bake a treat, or join a committee.
- Stay connected: Follow our Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1DHKqNR6pM/ and watch your email for the school’s monthly newsletters.
We would love your unique ideas, your energy, and your voice. Together, we can make this a fantastic year for our Ross Rockets!
Warmly,
The Ross FTO
Entering Absences in ParentVUE
If your student is absent, please enter their absence through ParentVUE on the day of their absence. If you don’t remember your log-in, or if you’ve not yet set up your account, you may call the office for your log-in information. ParentVUE is an important part of your students’ school records. Easy access for you to enter absences, email their teacher and update your phone number or the phone numbers of emergency contacts.
You may also send a message by email to attendanceross@sdlancaster.org
Parent excuses must be received in the office within 3 days of the absence.
SDoL Celebration Snack Policy
A state mandate from the PA Department of Education requires that fewer high sugar foods be served in school. Therefore, we are unable to permit these types of snacks (such as cakes, cookies, cupcakes, candy) to be served as part of class celebrations. Please help us support this mandate by ensuring that only nutritious foods are sent in for lunch, snacks and celebrations in your student’s classroom. This includes birthday treats!
In place of treats, guardians are encouraged to send non-food items such as pencils, erasers, stickers, or even a book for the classroom in your child’s honor! You may also consider purchasing a celebration snack food basket from the District Food Service. Information is available by contacting the Director of Food & Child Nutrition Services at 717-291-6235.
We appreciate your help in supporting this state mandate.