Rocket Wrap Up

October Newsletter

And We're Off!

Dear Families,

Fall is here and we are well into establishing routines and working with students. Our staff has enjoyed having the opportunity this week to meet with families during conferences to discuss current progress and goals for each student. If you were unable to make your conference, please reach out to your child's teacher to set up some time to discuss how we can partner together to help each student grow this year.

Your teachers and staff have been focusing on several pillars this year to carry out our mission: Learning, Safety, Partnerships, and Fiscal Responsibility.

A few of the ways we are doing this are:

Learning--Teachers and staff have been working to design plans and goals for each student to help group. Teachers in 1st and 2nd grade have specially designed times each day for each student to receive dedicated instruction to fill their area of need. Students are monitored each week for growth and plans are adapted to meet the results of that monitoring.
Safety--Staff has begun using PublicSchoolWorks to document and review student behaviors (positive and negative) throughout the building. This information is used to work with our partners to help create groups, lessons, and plans to target needs based on behaviors.
Partnerships--We are excited to be able to welcome families back in to our building in a pre-covid capacity! We are also excited to expand our partnerships with the Marion Family YMCA, OhioGuideStone, Community Counseling and Wellness Center, ADAMH Board, Marion Public Library, and many more throughout the year.
Fiscal Responsibility--As we continue we continue to analyze all purchases to ensure the purchase helps us reach the goals/needs as outlined in the previous pillars. We are also happy to announce that we have received a 21st Century Learning Center grant and will be able to operate those programs very soon! We are also continuing to pursue grants and funding in areas of need that will help us carry out our mission for our students and community.

We look forward to continuing to work toward our mission together, and serving our students and community. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher for any help or assistance!

Yours in Education,

Jess Parthemore, Ed.S.

Principal

Ridgedale Elementary

Before/After School Opportunities

We have a lot of opportunities that will be starting soon for students as a result of our partnerships with the Marion Family YMCA as well as being a new recipient of the 21st Century Learning Center grants.

We are working on a full, detailed explanation of what opportunities are available, as well as how to sign up soon. Please look for that information to come out quickly!

We are excited to provide these opportunities and begin to have more time to provide assistance for our students!

Dribbling Club Opportunity

Boo At the Barn

Yearbook Art Contest

Afternoon Dismissal

Please send a note to the office or call the office whenever there is a change from your child's regular dimissal schedule. Our staff will follow your selected dismissal path unless we hear otherwise.

Buses are released at around 3:10 each day (after the Tri Rivers shuttle returns), so it is often too late to get someone off the bus or put them on the bus if we do not know about it before dismissal begins (and not that we don't trust your child, but sometimes they want to go home the opposite way that they are supposed to and will try to make that choice for us :-)).

Thank you for your help with this!

Stay Safe Speak Up Safer Schools

Ridgedale Schools has partnered with PublicSchoolWorks to offer the Safer Schools site to help with student safety reporting.

You can now use this to report any concerns that you may have. PublicSchoolWorks monitors these reports 24/7. If there is anything that is especially concerning, administration is immediately called to begin to address the concern. If it is not considered an immediate need, administration will receive an email notification to address the situation the following day at school. Please see below for screenshots (they are also hyperlinked to be able to direct you directly to the site).

You may always access the site from the Ridgedale website and app.

open_in_new zoom_out_map

What do I do if my child is absent?

Daily, consistent attendance is crucial for your student's development and academic growth. The State of Ohio has establish attendance law that requires us to track student attendance, notify you when your student is not present at school, and notify you if your student meets certain attendance thresholds. Please see the document here for more information about attendance law.

Sick

If you child is sick, please call the office or send an email to Mrs. Shumaker (cshumaker@ridgedaleschools.org). If you take your child to the doctor or urgent care, please send the school excuse in to school (paper form or email).

This will be an excused absence.

Medical Appointment

If your student has a medical appointment (doctor, dentist, counseling, etc.), please send the school excuse (paper form or email) in to the school.

This will be an excused absence.

Vacation/Planned Absence

As we approach the holidays--please keep this in mind!

If your family has a planned absence, please send a note/email in to the school before the absence. This allows our staff the opportunity to provide work or materials for your student and allows for the absence to be an excused absence.

Any vacations or planned absences that are not notified before the absence occurs will be not be excused absences.

Volunteers

If you are wishing to volunteer at any point during the school year (field trips, special events, field day, etc.) a current BCI background check is required. Please call the office for more information.

Ohio Governor's Imagination Library

Do you have a child under 5 at home? Do you know a family that has children under 5?

The Imagination Library, offered through the Ohio Governor's Office, Marion Public Library, and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library provides a FREE book for any child under 5 that is signed up, each month!

If you are interested in signing up, please use the QR code below or download the sign up form. This program is free for all who participate!

"The single most important factor influencing a child's early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school."