Back-to-School Toolkit 2025-2026

The Sapphire Community Portal will open at 8:00 am on Monday, August 11, 2025.

At this time, families may log in to find:

• Teacher and classroom assignments
• Schedules
• Bus stop assignments and pick-up and drop-off times

Families are also asked to log in to the Sapphire Community Portal to review and complete annual forms, including:

• Annual Acknowledgment Form for the discipline code and school handbook
• Acceptable Use of Technology Form
• Medical Update Forms 
• School Counseling Lesson Opt-In (K-6 only—see School Counseling Lessons for more)

These forms are required by all families every year for each child enrolled in the district. Upon logging in, families will see a section titled Forms Awaiting Completion. These forms are required to be signed by September 30, 2025. 

If you need assistance logging into Sapphire or with finding forms or other information, please contact communityportal@pinerichland.org. 

The first day of school for students is set for Wednesday, August 20, 2025. The last day of the school year is Thursday, June 4, 2026. Back-to-school activities, including orientation, find your classroom day and opportunities to walk schedules are posted on individual school calendars. 

Bus stop information is found in Sapphire starting August 11.

Reminders

During the first few weeks of school, buses tend to run late. Always allow a ten-minute window before and after your scheduled pick-up and drop-off times. Our school staff will take extra time and care at dismissal to ensure that our students board the correct bus in the afternoon. Each day, you should see a gradual improvement as we inch closer to the target arrival time. Your patience and understanding throughout these first days of school are much appreciated!

If the district is alerted of a delay longer than 10 minutes, we will send a rapid call with phone call, text message and email to notify parents. Ensure that your contact information is updated in Sapphire and that you have the correct numbers indicated for phone calls and text messages.

Please allow a window of ten minutes before and after your scheduled pick-up and drop-off time. If the district is alerted that your bus will be more than 10 minutes later picking up or dropping off, we will send a rapid call with a phone call, email and text message to notify parents.

Alternate Transportation

If you need alternate transportation arrangements, please see: 

• Shared Custody Transportation
• Alternative Childcare Transportation
• Private/Parochial Parent Transportation Request

Contact

Contact John Stoughton, transportation coordinator, with questions or concerns about transportation at 724-625-4444 ext. 6803 or jstoughton@pinerichland.org. If you believe your student has missed the bus, please call STA dispatch directly at 724-502-4614.

Be sure to visit our Transportation page for safety reminders and other important transportation information.

As of the 2025-2026 school year, Pine-Richland School District's Food Service program is managed by Chartwells K12. Chartwells aims to transform cafeterias into inviting spaces where students want to be, bringing a sense of happiness to each meal as they connect with friends and refuel for the day ahead.

Prices for breakfast and lunch are unchanged from last year. Breakfast is free for all students in 2025-2026!

Free/reduced price meals are available for eligible families. Family circumstances can change at any time; therefore, the Free/Reduced Price Meal Application can be completed anytime during the school year.

School breakfast and lunch menus are hosted on Nutrislice.

A free online account can be created at SchoolCafe.com to manage breakfast and lunch payments. Parents can monitor student balances and to request automatic low-balance email reminders. Please visit the Food Service page to learn more about alternative payment options. 

Please make sure your child’s health information is up to date. Be sure to complete the medical update forms in Sapphire for all children. This is an annual requirement for all students.

• Allergy Management
• Dietary Needs
• Health Screening
• Immunization Requirements
• Medication at School

See our Health Services page for more information.

In addition to tools such as the Sapphire Community Portal, Pine-Richland communicates with our families and community via newsletters, eBlasts, social media and rapid calls (emergency alerts). 

• eNewsletters: Pine-Richland sends four newsletters throughout the school year to registered parents.  These are not sent to Sapphire contacts, so it is important that parents register to receive these. Learn more about each and sign up here »
   
• Email: We communicate with our families via eBlasts throughout the year. These may include district-wide reminders or school or grade-specific updates. These messages are sent to parents registered to receive them. Email lists are maintained by grade level, so please be sure that you are registered at the grade level for each of your children.
   

• Rapid Call System:  In the event of an urgent situation, including bus delays, weather delays or cancelations, evacuation, lockdown, emergency dismissal, etc., the district communications office will send a rapid call—automated phone call, email and text message—to all parents using contact information found in Sapphire. Make sure to keep your family's contact information updated in Sapphire and indicate which phone numbers should be used for emergency notifications. 
   

• Social Media: Pine-Richland uses Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn to share positive district news, photos and videos. Be sure to like or follow us to see student and staff accomplishments. 

K-6 families are asked to complete an opt-in form in Sapphire for school counseling lessons (see curriculum here). This must be completed for each child in grades K-6 who wish to participate in school counseling lessons each quarter.

Note that only K-6 families are required to opt in. 7-12 grade students follow an opt-out model. If you would like to opt your child out of one or more of the lessons (with the exception of required lessons linked to Career Education and Work Standards), please complete this form.

• Hance Elementary School
• Richland Elementary School
• Wexford Elementary School
• Eden Hall Upper Elementary School
• Pine-Richland Middle School

Parents and students should refer to the Student Handbooks and Discipline Code throughout the school year when questions arise. 

Pine-Richland School District's Technology Department emphasizes the strategic use of technology to enhance the experience of all learners, efficiently manage operations and improve communications with students, staff and the public.

Students and parents should visit PRRams.org for school-specific classroom resources.

Students can contact our helpdesk for support with district-issued devices.