
Rocket Wrap Up
March Newsletter
March has arrived!
March is here and with it comes the realization that we are nearing the home stretch of our academic year and there is a different buzz in the air. As excited as we are for the end of the year celebrations that will soon be upon us, we are also excited to continue to see the hard work of each student and staff in 3rd round diagnostics, state testing, and progress monitoring assessments. We also begin some behind the scenes planning for next year (revising supply lists, summer programming, class lists, etc.). All of this continues to remind me how important attendance and presence each day is for all of us. Being here and actively participating in the learning and other activities really does help each us improve personally and academically.
Our staff is continuing to focus on the four pillars of learning, safety, partnerships, and fiscal responsibility. A few of the ways we continue to do this are:
- Learning--Throughout this month we have staff working to attend specialized trainings to further improve our practices to meet the needs of each individual learner. This includes students that are experiencing learning struggles in the classroom. Additionally, two of our staff, Mrs. Cook and Mrs. Hitchings, will be presenting at the annual Title I conference about the amazing work that they are doing with the Launching Learners program. When not presenting, they will be gathering even more valuable information to share with staff back at Ridgedale.
- Safety--We were excited to be notified that we have received another safety grant to further improve the safety and security of our facilities. Our new security cameras will be installed shortly, which will also provide updates with our entry system for staff and visitors.
- Community Partnerships--We have been so blessed with partnerships this year and are looking forward to continuing this work in the future. One that will definitely be helpful for the remainder of the year is a partnership with Trio Talent Search out of MTC. They will be assisting our staff in planning and facilitating our Career Day as it makes its return this year.
- Fiscal Responsibility-- We have been continuing to review available grant funds already awarded to the district, and other opportunities that we have not yet received, to ensure for a fiscally responsible mindset. This has allowed us to use as much possible from available grant funds without using funds from the general fund (which is primarily funded through tax dollars), allowing for our general fund dollars to be stretched even further. These grant funds have helped purchased resources for students and staff and professional development for staff.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me, or your child's teacher, if you have any questions or concerns. We appreciate having the opportunity to educate your student, as well as to work with you to help ensure this is a safe and secure place for them to be each day.
Yours in Education,
Jess Parthemore, Ed.S.
Principal
Ridgedale Elementary
Spring Fling Glow Party
Night at the Library!
Internet Safety
To help families with internet safety, please keep the following things in mind (Information from www.safesearchkids.com):
- Have an open conversation with your kids about safe browsing and computer use. Explain why online safety is important. Teach them that with the freedom to explore the internet comes responsibility.
- Do not replace parental or teacher supervision of computer use at home or at school solely with safe search engines or filters. No filtering tool is perfect, especially outside of a software application. More information on this later.
- A good rule of thumb is to not allow internet use when a child is home alone without proper supervision, even with safe search engines or filtering tools.
- Keep computers and devices in an open area (outside of bedrooms, closed offices, etc.)
- Do not allow internet use after you've gone to bed at night.
Tips for Directly Made for Kids (from www.safesearchkids.com)
- Do not give out personal information online without parent permission.
- Never agree to meet someone you have met online. If you do not know someone in real life, tell a trusted adult if anyone is asking to meet online.
- Talk to a trusted adult about pictures you may want to post online.
- Do not respond to messages you receive that are mean or speaking meanly about others. Tell a trusted adult about these messages.
- Do not give out passwords to anyone (friends, those you meet online, etc.)
- Check with a trusted adult before downloading or installing software.
- Always be kind to others online. Do not do anything that may hurt others, including joining in conversations discussing other people's problems.
- Be careful about discussing details about your own personal problems with friends online. It is better to speak to them in person. Tell a trusted adult if you are struggling with someone.
- These tips apply to texting on phones, as well.
Tips for Trusted Adults (from www.safesearchkids.com)
- Set up parental controls on phones
- Block apps from accessing the internet--this must be done each time a child uses the device, but may be beneficial in keeping some children off of social media sites or others that you do not want them to have free access to yet.
- Restrict access to websites--this can be done through parental controls and filters on personal devices. The district already has a filtering system. Again no filter is perfect. If you would like additional, more restricted controls, for school devices, please contact the office and this can be arranged.
- Monitor your child's activity--nothing replaces supervision! Check frequently the history on chromebooks or any devices that your child is using. Know any passwords or pin codes to access the devices your children are using. If you need to know the information for school devices, please reach out and we will share that information with you!
Clothing Closet Donations Needed!
If you are interested and able, we would appreciate any of the following to help re-stock the closet:
- Girls Leggings/Pants (sizes 5 -16)
- Boys Pants (sizes 4 - 8, sweatpants work best)
- New Boys Underwear (sizes 7 - 20)
- Some items for our older students (adult small or medium)
Second Step
Classrooms have moved in to Unit 3 which focuses on developing Empathy and Kindness. More information about what this looks like at each grade is below.
Rocket Carnival!
Kindergarten Registration & Expo
Preschool Registration for 2023/2024
PTO News
Did you know that our PTO has a Facebook page? Be sure to follow "Ridgedale Elementary PTO" for updates on upcoming events and for more ways to get involved!
Counselor Corner
We have made it to March! As a reminder, I will continue to share tips for parents to help teach responsibility for their child's learning and behavior. We have to teach our children what it means to be responsible and how to go about doing this. Being responsible is not something they can learn on their own. As adults, we need to model the behaviors we want our children to learn.
March is all about problem-solving, so here's what you can do:
Teach Children the Problem-Solving Process
a. Decide what is the problem
b. Generate several possible solutions
c. Evaluate the solution
d. Decide on a solution
e. Develop a plan to make the solution work
2023/2024 & 2024/2025 School Calendars
Afternoon Dismissal
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
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.
Attendance Information
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
This will be an excused absence.
Medical Appointment
This will be an excused absence.
Vacation/Planned Absence
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
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."
School/Home Connection Corner
2022/2023 School Year Calendar
Breakfast/Lunch Menus
Upcoming Events
March 6th - No School/Conferences, iReady Spring Diagnostic Begins
March 8th - Flower Sale Starts
March 17th - End of 3rd Quarter
March 18th - Spring Fling Glow Party @ 4:00 - 6:00 PM
March 22nd - Flower Sale Orders Due
March 30th - 2/3 Spring Program @ 6:30 PM
April 3 - 6 - Book Fair
April 4th - Kindergarten Expo @ 4:00 - 7:00 PM, Family Night @ Book Fair @ 4:00 - 6:00 PM, Reading Celebration Night @ 4:00 - 7:00 PM
April 6th - 3rd - 5th Author Visit @ The Palace (Margaret Peterson Haddix!)
April 7th & 10th - No School/Spring Break
April 13th - Mobile Dentist
April 18th - Grades 3 - 5 ELA State Test Day 1
April 19th - Grades 3 - 5 ELA State Test Day 2
April 25th - Grade 5 Science State Test Day 1
April 26th - Grade 5 Science State Test Day 2
May 2nd - Grades 3 - 5 Math State Test Day 1
May 3rd - Grades 3 - 5 Math State Test Day 2
May 10th - 4th Grade Field Trip to Ohio Statehouse
May 11th - Field Day (Grades 3 - 5)
May 12th - Field Day (Grades K - 2), Ridgedale on Display
May 15th - 5th Grade Field Trip to COSI
May 16th - Flower Sale Delivery @ 4:00 - 6:00 PM
May 17th - End of Year Program @ 8:15 AM
May 18th - Last Day of Preschool
May 21st - Graduation
May 24th - Last Day of School, End of Year Awards
May 25th - Teacher Work Day
Ridgedale Elementary School
Principal
jparthemore@ridgedaleschools.org
Website: ridgedaleschools.org
Location: 3103 Hillman-Ford Road, Morral, Ohio
Phone: 740-382-6065
Facebook: facebook.com/ridgedale
Twitter: @Ridgedale_Pride