View Ridge Back To School Letter
2021-22 School Year
August 17, 2021
Summer Greetings View Ridge Families:
I hope you have enjoyed these months with your students, taking a break from the challenges of school during a pandemic. It is now August, which means we are once again gearing up for another school year to begin August 31. We are excited to see our students once again and continue preparing them for future academic and personal success.
While the school year approaching will not bring us back fully to the conditions we knew before masks, constant hand washing, and distancing were a part of everyday life, I am optimistic those days are in sight if we can continue to be persistent in our safety practices. This excites me, and I assure you we remain vigilant in mitigating risks posed by a still-present virus. We will be following state guidelines, and are committed to your students experiencing the benefits of in-person learning in a safe environment. These guidelines include students and staff wearing masks while indoors and continuing with social distancing efforts.
This year staff at View Ridge will focus on continuing to fulfill our mission of preparing all students for high school and beyond. To do this, we will be prioritizing, as we always have, on building and sustaining positive connections with our students, and supporting them to high levels of achievement on the most essential academic skills. As we recognize that the past year posed many barriers to learning and significant social and emotional difficulties, meeting students' needs where they are at will be our starting point. No one can better help us do that than you, parents who know their kids best. Please do not hesitate to fill us in on particular needs, circumstances, or struggles our return to school may pose for your kids.
Through all that has gone on in the past year and a half, Ridgefield has continued to welcome many new homes and families, and our student enrollment reflects this. As a 7th and 8th grade middle school we project to exceed 600 students this school year. We are adding a modular classroom and several teachers to our staff to accommodate this growth. It is great to work in a place like Ridgefield, which has built a reputation as a place that values and supports strong schools, meaning we attract top quality teachers to add to our staff as we grow.
As summer winds down, I encourage you to make the most of your family time, and take advantage of these days with your kids. For my family, it has been great to get out and do some things we’ve been closed off from for a while, and I hope you are able to as well. I make one request, however, and that is to help transition your students back into a school mindset. Students greatly benefit from maintaining engagement in some academic activity (reading, writing, problem solving, practicing your musical instrument, etc.) in the weeks preceding the start of the school year. If you can ease them back into an academic mindset, transitioning back to school will be much smoother. Re-establishing bed times and good eating habits are also a good idea.
Below I am sharing additional items to inform you on things to consider as you prepare your students to come back to school. Particularly, see the important dates at the end of this newsletter, and note that our Back to School Night is Thursday, August 26. More details about that are shared below. We cannot wait to our students and get started once again!
Sincerely,
Tony Smith
Principal
Back to School Night
- Pick up student schedules
- Tour the campus and meet teachers in their classrooms
- Pay fees
- Sign up for our parent organization "The Ridge" and purchase school spirit wear
- Get an ice cream snack (students only--outside only)
We encourage families to attend in the following time windows if possible, but understand if family schedules do not provide that flexibility. If you have multiple students (including Sunset Ridge families who have Back to School Night at the same time), attending at the same time is completely fine. We would love to see you come by, but it is certainly not a required event, and you can attend to all the essentials through Skyward if needed.
- 7th graders: 4:30-5:30
- 8th graders: 5:30-6:30
Masks will be required by all students and families who attend this event.
Student Schedules
7th Graders and New Students
Fall Athletics
Student Transportation, Drop-off, and Pick-up
If you plan to transport your own child(ren) to school, please be mindful of the correct parking lot and location to do this. Drop-off and pick-up are in the north parking lot in front of the main entrance to the building (on the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex side). Staff will be on hand to help direct traffic in the first several days to ensure a safe and orderly procedure. Please be patient and attentive to signs and directions as you proceed through the process. School doors open at 7:45am. More information on these procedures may be shared prior to the beginning of school.
Student Handbook and Dress Code
I am sharing here our student handbook for the 2021-22 school year. As you consider clothing purchases in your family, please consider the language pasted here from that document:
Students at View Ridge are expected to dress appropriately for school. Inappropriate dress or appearance, which causes a disruption of the educational process, interferes with work, or is dangerous to student health or safety, is not permitted. Dress codes are in effect during dress-up (“spirit”) days unless explicitly communicated otherwise.
Guidelines:
No clothing with inappropriate or questionable logos or messages, including clothing communicating or depicting inappropriate topics, including, but not limited to, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, vulgarities, sexual references, gang affiliation or suggestive depictions and weapons, are not to be worn
Clothing must cover from the top of the chest (at the top of the armpit) to mid-thigh (the point at which one’s fingertips extend to when held at one’s sides) in non-see-through materials. Shoulder straps attached to upper garment are required
No hats, hoods, visors, or other head covering indoors (unless medically necessary or culturally/religiously appropriate)
No sunglasses (unless medically necessary) inside the school
Pajamas are not to be worn
Appropriate PE attire and footwear will be required
When in doubt if an item is appropriate for school, ask an administrator or teacher. Students inappropriately dressed will be asked to change or call home for a change of clothes. Special circumstances may merit exceptions to these guidelines, and should be shared with the principal for approval.
VRMS Office Opens
Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021, 08:00 AM
View Ridge Middle School, South Hillhurst Road, Ridgefield, WA, USA
Football and Golf Practices Begin (check with coach for times--ignore time below)
Tuesday, Aug 17, 2021, 12:00 AM
View Ridge Middle School, South Hillhurst Road, Ridgefield, WA, USA
Back to School Night
Thursday, Aug 26, 2021, 04:30 PM
View Ridge Middle School, South Hillhurst Road, Ridgefield, WA, USA
First Day of School
Tuesday, Aug 31, 2021, 08:00 AM
View Ridge Middle School, South Hillhurst Road, Ridgefield, WA, USA
Labor Day (NO SCHOOL)
Monday, Sep 6, 2021, 12:00 AM
Home
About Us
Website: https://www.ridgefieldsd.org/o/middle-school
Location: 3215 S Hillhurst Rd, Ridgefield, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 619-1400