Rocket Wrap Up

Dear Families,

What a great start to the school year we have had! There are amazing things happening in classrooms and throughout the building - I cannot wait to see what we will be able to accomplish this year!

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--Our special education staff along with some of their typical classroom colleagues met with Sonya Kunkel to continue to train and learn best practices for co-teaching. Teams have started incorporating strategies and techniques within the classroom to help ALL learners. Additionally, 13 staff members have completed LETRS training to become certified by the International Dyslexia Association for best practices within literacy. This was part of our efforts to ensure our staff is prepared with the best possible research and information related to the science of reading.
• Safety--Our access control and security camera project has almost concluded. The new access controls help with making sure we can appropriately open and close the building for events during and after school, while we have worked to make sure that doors stay locked when needed (especially when students and staff are present). We also have an increased number of security cameras to decrease blocked or inaccessible areas under the previous camera locations. We continue to review and work to ensure that we are using our safety grant money to the fullest to protect our students and staff.
• Community Partnerships--We continue to partner with local organizations to assist with providing opportunities and resources for our students. A few to mention are Modern Woodmen (provided donations through their service projects of art kits for students to use during recess), Grand Prairie Township (used funds available through their American Rescue Act grant to provide new playground equipment and upgrades), and PTO (provided donations and support for summer learning incentives, teachers in the classroom, field trips, and more!).
• Fiscal Responsibility--With the acceptance of the Better Connections grant, we were able to hire Miss Trissa Schimpf as our Home to School Liaison. She will be working with our families to help with attendance, community partnerships, and much more!

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

POWER Hours is before- and after-school enrichment for students in grades 3-8.

Enrollment is open right now, but closes on October 13th. If you would like to enroll your student, you can contact mweston@ridgedaleschools.org for paperwork or find the enrollment form on Ridgedale's app or website! We can't wait to start the Program on October 16th, we have so many fun things planned for the year!

Hello Ridgedale Families!

My name is Trissa Schimpf and I am so excited to be the Home to School Liaison. Within this position I will be making connections between the school and home. I will be another resource you and your family can count on and communicate with. As part of this role I will be focusing on attendance and how we can get our students excited to come to school. School is such an important job for kids and it is important for them to see that their school and their families are working together. I am available to discuss any concerns or obstacles that your child and/ or family may face when it comes to the school day and year from start to finish. I look forward to hearing from you and keeping the line of communication open.

Email: tschimpf@ridgedaleschools.org

October is National Bullying Prevention Month! This important topic will be the focus of our classroom guidance lessons as well! It is important that students and families have a better understanding of the true meaning of bullying. The following contains clickable links that will take you to stopbullying.gov for further information.

What Is Bullying?

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems.

In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:

• An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.
• Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.

Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.

• Types of Bullying
• Where and When Bullying Happens
• Frequency of Bullying

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Immunization Deadline October 15 th

Friendly reminder that all immunizations must be up-to-date, “in progress”, or exempt

by October 15 th for your child to remain in school. Please check with your physician and/or

email amosher@ridgedaleschools.org to ensure your child is meeting these requirements.

Healthy Lunches

Healthy school lunches are an important part of your student’s day. They are learning so

much in the classrooms and need good healthy foods to fuel that brain power! One tip to

incorporate healthy options is to have your student help prepare and pack their lunch the night before.

Many of your students are packers at least one day a week, please see information

below on healthy eating and some ideas for packed lunches with good nutritional value. Having the right “fuel” can make a big difference in your child’s day and how they learn.

https://myplate-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/2022-01/SSwMP%20Mini-

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!

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.

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.

If you child is sick, please call the office or send an email to Ms. Outcalt (routcalt@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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

October 2nd - Conferences/No School

October 3 - 6th - Book Fair

October 4th - Conferences/Family Night @ Book Fair, 4:00 - 6:30 PM

October 9th - YMCA After Care Begins

October 10th - PTO Meeting @ 6:30 in The Zone

October 16th - POWERHours Begins, 1st & 2nd Grade to Palace Theatre

October 19th - End of 1st Quarter, Triple P Parenting @ 5:30 - 7:30 PM

October 20th - No School

October 24th - 3rd Grade OST ELA Test 1

October 25th - 3rd Grade OST ELA Test 2, Boo at the Dale, 5:00 - 6:30 PM

October 27th - PBIS Reward

October 30th - Board of Education Meeting @ 6:30 PM

October 30th - November 3rd - Safety City for Mrs. Curren and Mrs. Hitchings's Classes

November 2nd - Picture Re-Takes

November 3rd - Fundraiser Kick Off

November 6th - 10th - Safety City for Mrs. Keller's Class

November 10th - Veteran's Day Program @ 8:30 AM

November 15th - Night at the Library, 5:30 - 7:30 PM

November 16th - Grades 3 - 5 to Palace Theatre

November 17th - Fundraiser Ends, PBIS Reward

November 20th - Board of Education Meeting @ 6:30 PM

November 21st - Group Picture Day

November 22nd - November 24th - No School/Thanksgiving Break

December 12th - Holiday Program (Grades K/1) @ 6:30, Holiday Hoopla 5:00 - 6:30 PM,

December 13th - Fundraiser Delivery, 3:00 - 5:00 PM

December 15th - PBIS Reward

December 20th - January 2nd - No School/Winter Break

December 20th - January 2nd - No School

January 8th - 4H Speaking to Grades 3 - 5

January 10th - WinterFest, 4:00 - 6:00 PM

January 12th - End of 2nd Quarter, Yearbook Sale Begins

January 15th - No School/MLK Day

January 26th - PBIS Reward, Yearbook Sale Ends

January 31st - Literacy Night, 6:00 - 7:00 PM

February 8th - Kindergarten & 1st to Palace Theatre

February 10th - Family dance, 5:00 - 7:00 PM

February 16th - No School/PD

February 19th - No School/President's Day

February 22nd - Spring Picture Day

February 23rd - PBIS Reward

February 26th - Night at the Library, 5:30 - 7:00 PM

March 1st - Musical, Let's Read 20 Day

March 2nd - Musical

March 3rd - Musical

March 4th - No School/Conferences

March 6th - Conferences, 4:00 - 6:30 PM

March 20th - Literacy Night

March 22nd - PBIS Reward

March 28th - April 1st - No School/Spring Break

April 2nd - April 5th - Book Fair

April 3rd - Kindergarten Expo, 4:00 - 6:30 PM, Family Night @ Book Fair, 4:00 - 6:30 PM

April 8th - No School/PD

April 12th - Mobile Dentist

April 16th - Grades 3 - 5, ELA OST Part 1

April 17th - Grades 3 - 5, ELA OST Part 2

April 23rd - Grade 5 Science OST Part 1

April 24th - Grade 5 Science OST Part 2

April 26th - PBIS Reward

April 30th - Grades 3 - 5 Math OST Part 1

May 1st - Grades 3 - 5 Math OST Part 2

May 6th - Night at the Library, 5:30 - 7:00 PM

May 9th - Grades 3 - 5 Field Day

May 10th - Grades K - 1 Field Day

May 13th - Grades 2 & 3 Market Day

May 15th - iReady Reward, PBIS Reward

May 16th - Last Day of Preschool

May 19th - HS Graduation

May 24th - Last Day of School, End of Year Awards Assemblies

Jessica Parthemore, Ed.S.

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