Ridgeview STEM Junior High School
May 13, 2022
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Hello Ridgeview Families,
It is hard to believe we are about to start the last week of school! Students are still responsible for completing assignments up to the last day, please encourage them to finish this last trimester strong! The grades they receive will impact their athletic eligibility for the fall.
Our last day May 20th is a 2 hour EARLY dismissal!!! This means students will be released from school at 12:10 PM. If they are parent pick up a ride should be here by 12:10 PM. Students will go to each class period that day on a shortened schedule. Lunches will be served and students will eat in the classrooms due to lack of space for all 940 students to eat in 2 hours.
Also for your calendars: 7th grade Academic Awards will be May 18th during school. Students will be recognized and given their honor roll and team awards. Honor roll determination is calculated based upon trimester 1 and trimester 2 GPAs. This ceremony will not be open to families, however it will be filmed and the link will be on Youtube for families to watch.
8th grade Academic Awards will be May 19th during school. As above honor roll awards are determined by the first two trimesters. The 8th grade ceremony will be open for families, please continue to check out the newsletter for more details. Ridgeview does not do an 8th grade graduation however this is the closest we have to something like that for families.
Parents please check your emails for the invitation to awards ceremony, this is how you will know if your student is receiving an award. Please bring your identification with you. Just a reminder the awards will be Thursday morning starting around 7:45.
REMINDER:
Parents, our lost and found collection is overflowing with students items. Please remind your student to check the areas if they have lost anything throughout the school year. Items left behind will be donated to the Salvation Army on Monday, May 16th!
Thank you for your continued support of the Pickerington Schools!
Sincerely,
Beth Richardson
Principal
THE EL & DIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT
NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY
The 7th-grade induction to the National Junior Honor Society will be on Wednesday, May 18th at 9:00 at Ridgeview STEM Junior High School. Eligible students who have completed all of their requirements will be notified of acceptance in the Google Classroom by May 11th. Parents are welcome to attend. New members will be assessed a $10 membership fee via Infinite Campus.
LISTEN TO THIS - ORCHESTRA....ORCHESTRA!!
The Pickerington Local School District Orchestra will be performing at Kings Island this Saturday, May 14th and their concert will be at Central High School on Tuesday, May 17th. Come One, Come All to enjoy the magical sound of our students combined instrumental talents.
Thank you!
Paul Trapkus
Orchestra Teacher
Pickerington Local School District
SUMMER BOWLING PROGRAM
Each year we provide our students with the opportunity for some summer recreation that can also give mom and dad a break to boot. Rule 3 provides 2 free games of bowling per day (cost of shoe rental separate) for Pickerington students.
Our summer bowling program lets kids bowl 2 free games every day (except Friday and Saturday) all summer long. All they have to do is pay for shoes each visit. This allows parents a low cost activity to keep kids busy over the summer, while also building interest in the sport of bowling, which has lead to large numbers within the high school bowling programs at both Pickerington Central and Pickerington North.
Flyers are located in the office for students to pickup.
Warmer weather and Dress Code
As the temperatures rise and the warm weather of Spring and Summer approaches it is a great time to remind everyone about what we wear to school. The school dress code outlines the appropriate attire for school. The first point states that clothing should fit appropriately. No sagging pants. No exposure of undergarments. Undergarments must be worn under clothing. Skirts, shorts, dresses must be of reasonable length. When students ask me about their shirts and the length of their shirts, I tell them the bottom hem of their shirt should touch the top of their waistband on their pants. The dress code states on the 3rd point the torso must be appropriately covered. The other main concern is students wearing their shoes. We have many students who take their shoes off and walk around the building, this is a safety concern. Finally sunglasses are not to be worn indoors without a note from a doctor.
Again, students can have the freedom to express themselves through fashion as long as it falls within the dress code guidelines. Thank you for your help in addressing this with your students.
Photos and Videos during school
It has been brought up many times that students are using their cell phones during school hours. I would like to address that students are taking photos and videos in the hallway. This can create a safety concern for many of our students. I also understand that students themselves may not truly understand all of the safety concerns that go along with posting photos of not only themselves but others. As we cannot share out specific information, there is a multitude of reasons for not taking photos of others, from parents/student choice, to safety of minors, and more. Please remind your students that phones should be off and away all day. Taking photos or videos in school is not allowed and we should not be taking photos or videos of others without their consent.
School wide expectations reminders
Cell phones are off and away all day. If you have any questions regarding cell phones please review Board Policy 5136. If you know your student is having issues with staying off their phone during their classes, we suggest leaving them home or turning them into the office at the beginning of the day to not be tempted to use.
One-way hallways have been in place for 6 years at Ridgeview, students need to follow the one-way hallway traffic all day and that includes going to and from lunch. Please remind students this is due to the amount of students in our hallways, and will help keep them safe.
Language there is vocabulary that is not appropriate for school. We continue to remind students that curse words are not appropriate at school and give students other vocabulary to vent their frustration. If it is inappropriate to say, saying that one was just kidding or only a joke does not negate the conversation from being inappropriate.
Lockers students should access their lockers at the beginning of the day, lunchtime, and at the end of the day. Students can carry their book bags from class to class.
Hands to ourselves and our own items: Our hallways do get crowded and sometimes students do accidentally bump into each other. However, we have made announcements that we cannot play around, play fight, play tag, or grab others as it creates a safety concern. We address each of these as they occur, remind them that horsing around or rough house play is not appropriate at school and could escalate into something more so we ask that they do not do that at school. This also goes for our personal items as well and not touching items that do not belong to us.
Lunchroom behavior: It is expected that students remain in their seats unless going to the restroom or throwing food away (both need permission). Students are not supposed to be up, walking around, and going to another table to chat with friends. It is for everyone's safety and security that they must be seated. If they were all up, we would not be able to see what was going on well. Additionally, students are not allowed to throw food (carrots, apples, pears, corn, milk, applesauce, etc). It is also expected that students remain in the lunchroom area; they are not permitted to walk around the building. Students are also not permitted to go to a teacher's classroom to eat unless they have a pass from the teacher each time they want to leave. Finally, students must pick up after themselves. We remind students daily of these expectations. If students choose not to follow our expectations, they will be issued a QST (Quiet Study Time) which must be served on either a Tuesday or a Thursday from 2:15-4:00 PM in Mr. Watts' classroom (room 210). We will contact the parent or guardian if a QST is issued.
COUNSELOR'S CORNER
Counselors do not maintain 24/7 access to their emails. If this is a counseling emergency that cannot wait until the next business day, please reach out to one of these resources:
Crisis Text Line: text "HOME" to 741741
Nationwide Children's Youth Hotline: 1-614-722-1800
Teen Hotline: 1-614-294-3300
Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
Safe Schools Tip Line: Call or text 1-844-723-3764
Suicide Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 1-614-221-5445
Sheriff Department: 1-740-652-7900
**This message and any response to it may constitute public record and thus may be publicly available to anyone who requests it.
ATHLETIC INFORMATION & UPDATES
2022/2023 Ridgeview & Central Tiger Athletics
To Participate / Try-Out:
- Spring 2022 Trimester 3 grades determine ELIGIBILITY for next fall sports: pass 5 classes & 1.75 GPA
- have a current OHSAA physical completed by a doctor on file
- all previous Pay to Participate fees / drug test fees must be paid
- JUNE 5th -- be registered in Final Forms for the 22/23 school year
Rising 8th grade football parents
There will be a parent meeting for the rising 8th graders playing football in the fall.
Monday May 23rd 6:00pm at Central
Ridgeview Tiger Cheer - 2022/2023 School Year
Cheerleading Clinics:
May 15th-16th 5:00-7:00pm at PHSC
Tryouts:
May 17th High School 4-6pm; Junior High 6-8pm
Fittings - (if make the team)
May 18th 3:30pm at PHSC
Squad Selection Meeting May 18th
Volleyball Camp
Parents: We are excited to bring our 2022 Summer Tiger Volleyball Camp again this year!!
Online signup or Mail-in paper copy is sufficient. Sign up at the door is also available the first day of camp. Please links below:
SUMMER JOB LISTINGS
PTO INFORMATION
Roosters fundraiser cards are still available for sale. We are selling to our Ridgeview parents, staff and teachers for $7. Please reach out to Qiana, Catharyne or Kelly as we have a limited amount available - also the cards do not expire until 12/31/2022. (See Flyer Below)
Want to be a part of the Ridgeview PTO Family??
Please feel free to contact President Kelly Martin at kelly.martin_rvjhpto@hotmail.com; Catharyne Henderson at catharyneh@yahoo.com or Qiana Johnson at qsmith6@hotmail.com.
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