Ridgeview STEM Junior High School
February 12, 2021
From Mrs. Richardson
Hello Ridgeview families,
Just a reminder, there will be no school on Monday, February 15 due to President's Day.
SCHEDULING INFORMATION for 2021-2022 School Year
The month of February and March begin our journey into looking into the courses our students will take next school year. In the upcoming weeks, students will be presented with information regarding scheduling courses. On March 1st, there will be a live stream parent meeting and Q&A session with JH counselors and administrators to go over scheduling information for current 6th and 7th graders.
- Families with 6th grade students going to 7th grade can join the meeting at 6:30 p.m.
- Families of 7th graders going into 8th grade can join at 7:30 p.m.
- If for some reason you are unable to hop on to watch the meeting, it will be recorded for families to be able to access at a later time.
For our 8th grade students going on to High School, information will be presented in the upcoming weeks as well.
Please continue to monitor future communications for more details and links regarding scheduling.
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES-MARCH 4 and MARCH 9
Spring conferences are coming up! If you are interested in a conference with your student's team or any teacher, please reach out to them through email. You can also call the office and a message will be given to them to call you back. All conferences are virtual or over the phone; no in person conferences will occur. As we found in the fall, you may need to use your student's google email address to log into the google meet. This is because of the security parameters we have with our google meets. If you have a Gmail account or a google verified email, you should be able to log in to the virtual meets with no issue. You can always call into the google meet as well, however when using your phone you would not be able to see the faces of those on the call. Conferences will be March 4th and 9th starting at 3:40 and end at 7:00.
Chromebook Acting Up? Try This!
PTO Fundraiser
Signs of Suicide (SOS) Program for 8th Graders
8th grade students will be learning about signs of suicide from New Horizons Suicide Prevention Program. This will take place through their Science classes.
- Cohort A-Tuesday, February 22
- Cohort B-Thursday, February 25
https://www.newhorizonsmentalhealth.org/copy-of-recovery
If you have any questions about the program, please reach out to our 8th grade School Counselor, Mrs. Smoot.
Spring Sports
Softball Tryouts - Monday, February 22
Boys Track Conditioning - Monday, March 1
**must be registered in Final Forms and have a current OHSAA physical on file with the athletic office**
Parents, you are able to sign up for ALL SEASON's sports online. This will enable you to start receiving communications from the coach/program when anything is going on. Winter sports are starting some open gym workouts at this time.If you sign up now, you will receive all the necessary instructions for registration / physicals / communication from the coach prior to the start of the season. Visit Pickeringtontigers.net and click on "Final Forms" to register your athlete today. Also remember your athlete needs a current OHSAA physical on file. All athletic announcements and updates can be found at the website as well.
Black History Month
As part of our celebration for BHM we announce a "did you know..." and trivia question each day. Mrs. Richardson is tweeting out her BHM announcements, but for those who do not have a Twitter or if your student is in the opposite cohort, here are the facts that were shared this week.
Black History Month Playlist #1
Did You Know:
The National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, located in Wilberforce Ohio, includes the final draft of Alex Haley’s Roots among their collection of works from the Black Arts Movement.
The Greenwood District in Tulsa OK from 1906 to June 1st 1921, one of the most commercially successful and affluent majority African-American communities in the United States was also known as “Black Wall Street.” The district was destroyed in what is known as the the Tulsa Race Riot on June 1st.
Buffalo soldiers were African American soldiers who mainly served on the Western frontier following the American Civil War. Their main tasks were to help control the Native Americans of the Plains, capture cattle rustlers and thieves and protect settlers, stagecoaches, wagon trains and railroad crews along the Western front.
Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson was the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. from MIT in Theoretical Physics and the second to earn a doctorate in Physics in general. Her main contributions to science revolved around advancements in telecommunications that helped lead to the direct development of technologies like the portable fax machine, touch-tone phones and fiber optic cables and many more.
Trivia:
Can you name the first African American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Lead Actress? She is also from Northeast Ohio. (Halle Berry) Who was named National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017? (Amanda Gorman) Name the 2012 Pickerington Central graduate who has gone on to play in the NBA. (Caris Levert)
From the Nurse
- If your child is absent from school for reasons due to Covid-19, please be sure to call the School Nurse as soon as possible. This is very important when recording absences and tracking Covid-19 cases in the school building.
GUIDANCE IF YOUR CHILD HAS COVID-19 SYMPTOMS:
What's Going on in PAW Time?
In February, PAW Time classes will work through a choice board that highlights and celebrates Black History Month as well as teaches our students about Implict Bias. Students will utilize these videos that aired on WOSU that explains what Implicit Bias is and how we can adjust and adapt to overcome the individual Bias that we all have.
Implicit Bias: Peanut Butter, Jelly and Racism; Implicit Bias: Make Friends to Tackle Bias
We Want Your Artwork for the Yearbook! Deadline to Order Online is March 8, 2021
- Calling all Artists! We need your artwork for the yearbook. Draw something that shows what Ridgeview means to you. Turn it in to Mrs. Chumley or Mrs. K. The winner gets a free yearbook!!
- We would love to have art from our VLA students too. Please email artwork to marianne_krebs@plsd.us or erniellen_chumley@plsd.us.
- To order your Ridgeview Yearbook please go to Yearbookordercenter.com and use the School Code 13607.
Odds and Ends
Monday, February 15-NO SCHOOL-President's Day
March 4 and March 9-Parent-Teacher Conferences 3:40-7:15
Friday, February 26-VIRTUAL DAY FOR ALL STUDENTS as staff members are scheduled to receive vaccines.
- Students should leave airpods/beats or other bluetooth devices such as those at home.
- Students should carry a spare mask in their bag. We have extras if the mask gets soiled as well.
- Students are reminded to turn cell phones off during the day and keep them in a safe place if they need to bring them to school. The district policy for K-8th grade is to have them off during school hours. We appreciate your support in this. If you need to reach your student, please contact the main office and we will have them come down to the office to call you.
- Students should bring a refillable water bottle to school as our water fountain mouth pieces have been turned off. We have bottle filling stations that they may use throughout the day. Students may also purchase a bottle of water through our vending machines for $1.25.
- Please see the bottom of the newsletter for links to: Free Meals on Virtual Days, Weekly Classroom Information, Parent Hub, Technology Troubleshooting, Virtual Attendance.
Sign Up for Meals on Virtual Days
The deadline is every Monday by 10am. FREE for ALL students
An important reminder: Please sign up weekly as this helps control food waste and monitor inventory levels.
The ODE Child Nutrition Department announced that all meals are free through June 2021! If you would like to receive breakfast and lunch for the days your student is virtual, please click on the correct link below to sign up. Remember that you need to do this every week.
Ridgeview Values
Ridgeview STEM Junior High School
Email: beth_richardson@plsd.us
Website: pickerington.k12.oh.us
Location: 130 Hill Road South, Pickerington, OH, USA
Phone: 614-548-1700
Facebook: facebook.com/RidgeviewStem
Twitter: @RSJHSPrincipal