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Ridgeway RAP February 16, 2024
Phone (573)214-3550 ~ Fax (573)214-3551
Upcoming Events
February 2024
- Monday, February 19: No School, Presidents' Day
- Thursday, February 22: Talent Show 6:00 PM
- Wednesday, February 28: Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences & Book Fair 3:00 - 6:30 PM
- Thursday, February 29: Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences & Book Fair 3:00 - 6:30 PM
Ridgeway Clubs
February 19 - February --23
Before School:
- Wednesday, February 21 - Running Club
- Friday, February 23 - Running Club
After School:
- Monday, February 19 - No Clubs
- Tuesday, February 20 - Missouri Wildlife Club & Spelling Club (Final Club/Celebration)
- Wednesday, February 21 - Math Club, Photography & Yearbook Club
- Thursday, February 22- Choir & Guided Drawing Club (Final Club)
- Friday, February 23 - No Clubs
Principal's Pen
Parent-Teacher-Student Conference Sign Up
Conferences are an amazing time for parents, students and teachers to make connections, discuss learning goals and celebrate the growth and accomplishments of our kiddos. Conferences will be held February 28th and 29th from 3:00-6:30pm. Below you will find a link to a sign up genius where you can sign up for a conference for your child(ren). Please note there is a tab for each teacher along the top of the sign up. Please make an effort to attend your child’s conference in person. If you are absolutely unable to attend in person, please reach out to your child’s teacher to discuss a zoom option.
The book fair will be open for shopping for both Wednesday and Thursday conference nights. Students will get to browse the book fair and create a wish list during their library checkout time that week, but will not be allowed to make purchases during the school day so please do not send money or checks to school with your student.
CLICK HERE to view the conference sign up genius and select a time(s).
Talent Show
Today is the last day to sing up!
If your child would like to share an act lasting no more than 2-minutes, please complete the google form by Friday, February 16. The show begins at 6:00 P.M. in the gym. All Ridgeway families and students are invited to attend! Event organizers are Erica Canlas and Julie Roberts. Please email Julie Roberts (jroberts@cpsk12.org) with questions.
Book Fair
Our Book Fair coincides with Parent-Teacher-Student conferences, so we hope to see you all there!
Wednesday, February 28, 3:00-6:30
Thursday, February 29, 3:00-6:30
Students can preview the selection ahead of time, but sales will only be conducted Wednesday and Thursday after school.
If you want to get a head start on shopping, you can order from our online fair now and at the conclusion of the book fair items will be shipped to our school and sent home with your student.
https://efairs.literati.com/?school=ridgeway-elementary-school-columbia-mo
Unit Notes
Unit A
Unit A families: We are excited for the opportunity to attend a puppet show at Hickman High School on Monday, February 26th. We will leave Ridgeway at 12:50 and walk to Hickman. The puppet show will last around 20 minutes. We will return to Ridgeway around 2pm. A Safety and Security Officer will assist in getting us across Providence safely. This is a student-only field trip and there is not room for additional volunteers. If your child is in EEE and you would prefer them to stay at Ridgeway and attend the field trip, please call the office, otherwise they will go to EEE like normal.
Unit B
Thank you to everyone you made our Valentines party a success! They kids had a great time.
Unit C
Unit C will be going to Engineering Days on Mizzou’s campus on Thursday, March 14 from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. This was NOT on our original field trip form, so there is a 2-page permission slip in your child’s home school folder. Please sign and return by Friday, March 8. Without this permission slip, your child will not be able to attend.
This field trip is during our lunch time, so students will eat before we go and will be given time for a snack when we get back. If you would be interested in accompanying us on the field trip, please email Mrs. Sandstedt at Lsandstedt@cpsk12.org on or before March 1.
Calling All Unit C Students
It's Home School Communicator Basketball Time!
The Home School Communicator basketball league is starting soon, and we are very excited to participate in it again this year. We will only have one basketball team, which means there will only be 12 spots available for basketball players and 15 spots available for cheerleaders. If your child is interested in trying out for the basketball team, the tryouts will take place on February 26th right after school until 4:30 pm. The final team will be announced on February 28th.
If you're interested in volunteering to coach cheerleading this year, please contact Mr. Gray at agray@cpsk12.org as soon as possible. You don't have to be a Unit C parent to volunteer.
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/SUV9M5NszRVTD8Yp8
Ridgeway Care Team Needs
Dear Ridgeway Families,
Please consider joining our CARE TEAM and lending your support and encouragement for Ridgeway families. At times, we have families or staff members that face a long-term illness or other temporary hardship. The Ridgeway Care Team steps in to help. All donations and recipients will remain confidential. Please complete the form below to indicate your willingness to help others or if you currently are experiencing a hardship and need assistance.
Link to sign up for CARE TEAM:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeug6GuxMABUC_UeT9z95VG4K2g_df4buiBh1U1bPJImCKYbA/viewform
PTSA News
Open positions in PTSA
•President: Looking for a way to get more involved in your child’s school experience and meet more parents? Then president is for you! No prior experience being on a board required and you will be very supported every step of the way by an incredible team. If you have any questions about the position or know a parent who would be excellent at this please email brittanyeast23@gmail.com.
•Deputy Treasurer: Interested in getting a firsthand look on how extra funds are used at Ridgeway? Then deputy treasurer is for you! This is a support position to our Treasurer and perfect for getting your feet wet if you’ve been looking for a way to be more involved but worried about time and energy commitment. Please email ridgewayptsa@gmail.com with any questions.
•Yearbook Chair: Looking for more of a liaison position between parents and teachers? Then yearbook chair is for you! We have an excellent team of teachers leading students in both a yearbook and photography club but they could use extra help in making sure yearbooks get put together and finalized. *Must have volunteer clearance to be present on school grounds without supervision. Please email ridgewayptsa@gmail.com if interested.
Specialist News
What has been going on in the Media Center this trimester?
In Media Class, students had some experiences coding physical robots and soon we will also do some coding on Scratch Jr on iPads. They have also worked on research skills using the CPS databases and presenting information in a variety of ways. Some of the presentation tools include Keynote, Clips, and Canva. At the beginning of the trimester, we teamed up with Mrs. Lillig in art and did a big stop motion animation filming project.
Another area of the Media Program is incorporating technology and design thinking in the classroom. Unit B has been learning about forces in class, so they built Lego derby cars and tested them out with and without a brake piece to see the results of friction firsthand. They then got to modify their car to see how far they could make the car travel. This mashup of science and math measurement skills with Legos was a hit! In January, Units A and C participated in breakout box challenges. This is similar to an escape room in that students work in teams to solve puzzles to figure out codes to unlock boxes. The Unit A puzzles all focused on the narrative reading and writing standards they have been learning this trimester. They have also been learning about a variety of fairy tales, so the theme for the breakout box was Little Red Riding Hood. The Unit C breakout box had a theme of the US Constitution and helped build background knowledge for their current Benchmark reading unit. In breakout challenges, students are not only using their knowledge to solve the puzzles, but also building teamwork skills, and critical thinking under the pressure of a time constraint. As an educator, it is fun to do a similar task with our youngest and oldest students and see how much they grow in these areas in their time at Ridgeway! I have much to be proud of!
In addition to Media Specials class, students also visit the Media Center each week to hear books read aloud and checkout library books. Before school, students are welcome to come to the Media Center to read, check out books, work on homework, or try out MakerSpace materials. Most mornings we close our doors by 7:30 because we already have such a big crowd!
Rebecca Munsterman, Media Specialist
Marion Timmerman, Instructional Aide
Tiger Tuesday
FunDay Donations
The FunDay Donations Committee would LOVE your help and input! If ANY of these describe you, please consider lending a hand in soliciting and collecting donations to make FunDay as successful as ever!
- Your employer offers charitable donations
- You own a business whose goods and/or services could be donated for prize packages or silent auctions
- You don’t mind reaching out to organizations near or far via phone, email, or in-person to inquire about FunDay donations
- You don’t have a ton of time for calling or emailing, but you have interesting ideas and are willing to share them!
Please contact RWEFunDay@gmail.com or SamHutmacher@gmail.com to learn more!
Sibling Kindergarten Registration
As we prepare for next year's Kindergarten class, it is time to let the Ridgeway office know if you have a younger sibling of a current or former Ridgeway student entering Kindergarten next year. In order to hold a spot for your child, please let the office know by completing this form https://forms.gle/frfe8dbPjNdfy8Ub8 by Wednesday, February 28, 2023.
Ridgeway Tours for Prospective Families
It is time for prospective parents to visit Ridgeway! Tours begin next week, and the lottery is right around the corner this coming spring. Our Ridgeway families are one of the best ways to get the word out about Ridgeway. The below image is also attached as a PDF. You will notice the image has a QR code that takes you right to information on our website about Ridgeway. Please share the image/PDF with families that have a student entering kindergarten next year!