RES Rocket Weekly
Summer Update - August 18th
Message from Mrs. Batelka
Our Ridge School Staff hopes this Rocket Weekly finds everyone well rested and ready to begin a new school year.
We are gearing up for what will be a highly successful school year, but cannot be fully successful without your collaboration and partnership. Expect to hear from the school often to ensure you are fully informed.
There are some exciting changes to share with you as we begin looking forward to a fantastic new school year.
We will continue to work as a school team to increase achievement for all students this year and increase our level of communication with parents taking an active role. Please continue to be our partner as we strive to be the best.
Working collectively and collaboratively, our students will soar to great heights!
New Staff - Welcome to our Ridge Elementary School Family!
There have been staffing changes for the upcoming year, including grade level teaching assignments. We hope you will join us in welcoming our new staff members for the upcoming school year!
- In Kindergarten, Ms. Erdman will be working with Mrs. Miller and the Kindergarten Team, replacing Mrs. Leopold who was granted a Leave of Absence for this upcoming school year. She is excited about this change in grade and is looking forward to assisting our students develop their foundational reading, writing, and mathematical skills.
- Ms. Rye is joining our Ridge Family as our new 1st Grade Teacher, replacing Mrs. Sohn, who will now be our Primary Special Education Teacher. Ms. Rye was a long-term substitute at Green Holly Elementary School last year and we're excited to have her join our school family!
- In first grade, Ms. Meyer will be teaming with Ms. Rye. Ms. Meyer has been our primary special education teacher for several years and I'm excited about her to transition to 1st grade as she has much to offer to our primary students and families.
- Mrs. Sayers is joining our Ridge Family as 2nd grade teacher, replacing Ms. Warren who will be teaching at Dynard Elementary School. Mrs. Sayers comes to us from Fairlead Academy and brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the academic and social/emotional needs of students from elementary through high school!
- Mrs. Pierce is joining our Ridge Family as a 3rd grade teacher, replacing Ms. Ferko who retired at the end of the school year. Mrs. Pierces comes to us from the state of Wyoming, which she taught 6th grade English Language Arts, and brings knowledge and experience in working with students in the development of their reading and writing. She is excited to work with Mrs. Reynolds as we bring "departmentalization" to 3rd grade for the upcoming school year!
- Ms. Shively is joining our Ridge Family as a 5th grade teacher, replacing Mrs. Vanderwest (Masimore) who will now be teaming up with Mrs. Sohn as our Intermediate Special Education Teacher due to Mrs. Grayson's retirement at the end of last school year. Ms. Shively comes to us from Berry Elementary School, in Charles County, where she was also a 5th grade teacher.
Attendance
We recognize the link between consistent attendance and student achievement. Our overall attendance rate has increased and we need your continued help to have your child(ren) in school, on time, every day.
Missing instruction for even one day of school cannot be easily made up. The School Improvement Team has continued its recommendation that we review our attendance data and work with families in a supportive role.
Important Attendance Definitions to be aware of:
- Chronic Absenteeism: Chronically absent means a student is absent 10 percent or more school days during the school year and has been in membership at least ten days. For a student attending Ridge for one full calendar year, a student with 18 or more absences is considered Chronically Absent, regardless for any reason (e.g., illness, the need to care for a family member, vacation).
- Truant: A student is consider a truant student if he/she is unlawfully absent from school for more than 8 days in any marking period, or 15 days in a semester, or 20 days in a school year.
- Habitually Truant: A student is considered habitually truant if he/she meets all of the following criteria: is in Kindergarten through 12th grade, has been enrolled in school for 91 or more days, and is unlawfully absent for 20% or more of the days enrolled.
We recognize and appreciate your efforts in planning appointments around the school day and ensuring students are in school all day.
All absences must be reported. There are a number of ways to notify the school of an absence: the Ridge Elementary School Website Report a Student Absence tab, send a note or email to the teacher, or call the school office (301) 872-0200.
Please reference the SMCPS 2019-2020 Calendar (link below) and our school website for scheduled days off as you plan appointments and vacations.
Breakfast Program
Ridge Elementary will continue to participate in a school-wide breakfast program. This program offers breakfast, free of charge to each student every day.
We know that students perform better academically and behaviorally when they are not hungry. Students will be offered, but are not obligated to take breakfast.
Breakfast will conclude by 9:20 a.m. each day so that the instructional day may begin. Students who arrive after 9:20a.m. will not be able to get a breakfast.
Additional information about the breakfast program may be obtained by calling the Department of Food Services at 301-475-4256 Option 5.
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and Positive Behavior Initiative System (PBIS)
Ridge Elementary School is transitioning to MTSS this school. As we continue to enhance the levels of supports for all students, MTSS provides a larger umbrella of supports, which also includes PBIS.
Our continued school goal is to provide consistent behavioral expectations in all environments and follow three school commitments: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Ready. With consistent expectations, students need only focus on increasing their capacity for learning.
Responsive Classroom Initiative and Conscious Disclipline
We will continue with the implementation of Responsive Classroom, an evidence-based approach to elementary and middle school teaching that focuses on the strong link between academic success and social-emotional learning (SEL).
Last school year, we began implementing “Growth Mindset” practices to complement Responsive Classroom to assist our students with developing a growth mindset to see their qualities as things that can be developed through their dedication and effort.
This school year we will begin implementing components of Conscious Discipline, as we assist all students develop the ability to self-regulate their emotions and responses to situations. Conscious Discipline is a comprehensive classroom management framework and a social-emotional curriculum. it is based on current brain research, child development information, and developmentally appropriate practices. It is a way of our organizing our school and classrooms around the concept of a School Family. Each member of our school family - both adult and child - work together to successfully manage life tasks such as learning, forming relationships, communicating effectively being sensitive to others' needs and getting along with others. Please click here for an overview.
Ridge Elementary School is committed to helping our students relish challenges and value the learning process.
Upcoming Events
Thursday, August 22nd
5:00pm School Improvement Team (SIT) Meeting
Families are invited and encouraged to attend our SIT Meeting. Mrs. Batelka will provide a general overview of our data and the draft SIT Plan. Parent participation and input is both greatly appreciated and sought as we all work together to ensure our students (your children) have a productive and safe learning experience at Ridge Elementary School!
More information will be coming home once school begins with details about the School Improvement Team.
Thursday, August 29th
Please click here for Ridge Elementary School's School Supply List. Families may bring in supplies during Open House.
Our Ridge Staff would like to invite you to our Open House, Thursday, between 3:00 – 4:00 p.m., where you can come to school and meet your child’s teachers for the 2019-2020 school year.
You may also set up your child’s account in the cafeteria for meal service.
SAVE THE DATE: Family Movie Night!!!
Volunteering Updates and News
Next Meeting - September 10th at 4:15pm
FOR meets monthly on the 2nd Tuesday of the month with alternating times of 4:15pm and 5:30pm to accommodate the availability of parents and families.
SAVE THE DATE: Our "2019-2020 Kick-Off Meeting" will be on 9/10/2019 at 4:15pm - Popsicles on the Playground! Children will be supervised on the playground as the adults meet in the Media Center to discuss upcoming activities and committee groups for this school year. We're looking forward to seeing our families come together in support of our students and staff!
As many families may not be able to attend evening meetings, other options are available to support and participate in activities FOR the Kids. Meeting notes will be posted below for families unable to attend meetings and notifications of volunteer opportunities will be shared via our Rocket Weekly for Families and ClassDojo.
Previous Meetings:
At Ridge Elementary School, we are continually striving to build opportunities for our families and community members to volunteer to support both students and staff. We understand, and believe, that the success of our students comes from the partnership we have between homes and school. Only working together, collaboratively and collectively, will our students SOAR to Great Heights!
As we encourage and foster opportunities for volunteers, we also need to ensure the safety and security of all of our students and your children. All volunteers (e.g..: field trips and assistance with small groups) must be a registered SMCPS Volunteer.
Please click here to begin the SMCPS Volunteer Registration Process if you're not a registered volunteer.
RES Spirit Webstore is OPEN!
Offering several different items to show your RES Pride all year!
Orders may be made at any time and most items come in a variety of color combinations.
If a paper copy is needed to place an order please contact the RES Main Office and one will be sent home.
Please click here to access the site.
RES Twitter
Please follow us: @res_smcps. We will be using Twitter for updates and reminders as well as a means of showcasing for everyone all of our Ridge Pride!