A frequent point of conversation among teachers, students, and parents has been that of whether cameras should be turned on or not during Zoom classes. Most who have weighed in, including a number of parents, are strongly supportive student cameras being turned on in Zoom sessions. I think it is everyone's desire to see more faces on the screen. For a variety of reasons, including limitations on home wi-fi systems and a variety of home circumstances that may be visible behind a student on video, up to this point we have not required students to turn on cameras. We would like to ask for your assistance in encouraging your children to turn their cameras on, especially in interactive pieces of lessons. Perhaps most significantly, we see it as of value for students to see each other in real-time during this period when many of them feel quite isolated. Any support you can lend to this is greatly appreciated.

Linked here is a slide show announcing our pumpkin decorating contest winners and their artwork: Pumpkin Contest Winners.

A bit of a trend in assignment submission has been observed by View Ridge Staff that we thought worth sharing with parents. Some students have figured out that they can submit "work" in Google Classroom, but the platform does not detect that nothing has been actually done on what they submitted. They may simply turn in a blank assignment, but it appears as completed to the teacher and parent until they inspect further. Teachers have shared conversations they have had with parents who believe their student is all caught up, only to learn that the assignments "turned-in" are incomplete. If you encounter these kinds of discrepancies, we encourage you to ask your student(s) to give visible verification of the work being turned in.

Our leadership class as well as student leaders from Sunset Ridge Intermediate School have been planning a joint Veterans Day virtual assembly for November 9 during Success Time. This will be a combination of live and pre-recorded material that will help students learn the history of Veterans Day and better understand the invaluable contributions of our citizens who have served in the armed forces. We encourage parents, if possible, to take a look into this event as your students view it. More information to come.

In recent weeks, as well as this coming week, the topics below have been covered in Success Time. For more information on social emotional learning at View Ridge, we encourage you to visit counselor Jenny Berry's website. It can be highly reinforcing to students' learning on these topics when parents engage in conversations with them in the home setting in addition to what we do in school. Here you can find a running log of Success Time lessons and materials. There are also links to mental health support resources in the community. I especially encourage you to check out the Virtual Counseling Center to see an innovative approach to prompting student access to our counselor during remote learning.

Success Time Lessons 10/26-11/5

Aggression (see counselor website for link to lesson)

7th Grade Unit 1, Lesson 4: Identifying Roadblocks

In this week’s lesson, your child will identify and distinguish between internal and external obstacles (or “roadblocks”) that can get in their way when working toward goals.

Question

Tell your child about a roadblock you encountered when you were working toward a goal, and if you had control over the roadblock.

7th Grade Unit 1, Lesson 5: Overcoming Roadblocks 1

In this week’s lesson, your child will learn how to use If–Then plans to overcome roadblocks. If–Then Plans help your child anticipate potential roadblocks and come up with plans for addressing them.

Question

Ask your child to explain to you what an If–Then Plan is. Work together to make a plan for how your child can respond positively to a difficult situation they might encounter at home.

8th Grade Unit 1, Lesson 4: Harnessing My Strengths

In this week’s lesson, your child will choose something they’d like to get better at and think about how they could apply their unique strengths to do that.

Question

Help your child make a list of strengths they have. Ask your child about how they could use these to get better at a new skill.

8th Grade Unit 1, Lesson 5: Pursuing My Interests

In this week's lesson, your child will identify and respond to positive and negative influences that may affect them while pursuing a goal.

Question

Tell your child about something positive or negative that influenced you as you were working toward a goal. For example, a friend who helped you find a job or learn a new skill. Ask your child about positive and negative factors that may influence them

Website: https://www.ridgefieldsd.org/o/middle-school
Location: 3215 S Hillhurst Rd, Ridgefield, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 619-1400