ThunderRidge Weekly Update

Grizzly Families,

This week we celebrated National School Counseling week. ThunderRidge has an amazing team of Counselors, and I want to thank each one of them for all that they do for our students, every day!

Just a reminder that there is no school for students next Friday, February 14th. We will have Parent/Teacher Conferences on Thursday evening from 4:00pm-6:30pm. This is our final round of conferences for the school year, so I encourage you to take advantange of this opportunity to meet your students' teachers, have conversations about their progress, and address any concerns you may have. Please limit each conference to 5 minutes per teacher, so they have a chance to connect with as many families as possible. If you need additional time, or cannot meet with a teacher during conferences, please email them directly to set up a time to speak with them.

Senior parents - our Senior Parent Information Night will begin at 5:30pm Thursday night in the auditorium. If you are attending Parent/Teacher conferences, please plan to attend them prior to the senior meeting as conferences will be over by the time the senior meeting concludes.

Have a great weekend,

Sean Patterson

Principal, ThunderRidge High School

February 12: School Accountability Committee (SAC) Meeting - 4:30pm-6:30pm - Post Grad Room (see agenda on the TRHS Website.)

February 13: Parent/Teacher Conferences - 4:00pm - 6:30pm

February 13: Senior Parent Information Night - 5:30pm - Auditorium

February 14: Professional Development Day - NO STUDENTS

February 17: Presidents' Day - NO SCHOOL

February 20: Grizzly Path - Find your calling: Post High School Info Night - 5:30pm - 7:30pm

March 3-11: Grizzly Gives Week

March 11: Grizzly Gives Assembly

March 11: Instrumental Concert

March 12-13: Choir Concert

March 14: End of 3rd Quarter

March 17-21: 🌷 SPRING BREAK 🌷

Monday - Blue Day

Tuesday - Green Day

Wednesday - Blue Day

Thursday - Green Day

Friday - Professional Development Day - NO STUDENTS

Monday - Presidents' Day - NO SCHOOL

Tuesday - Green Day

Wednesday - Blue Day

Thursday - Green Day

Friday - Blue Day - NO PLC - Classes will begin at 7:40am.

To register for the Boys Swim and Dive Co-op, go to the Highlands Ranch High School website. https://highlandsranch-ar.rschooltoday.com

Monday, February 17th

3pm-5pm in the Main Gym

Tuesday, February 18th

7pm-9pm in the Main Gym

Meet the new TRHS Head Volleyball Coach, Jordan Eatwell, and see what's in store for off-season and next year.

Player Meeting: Weds. Feb 12th, 3:30pm - Library

Parent Meeting Weds. Feb 12th, 5:30pm - Library

Congratulations to Annabeth Town for breaking the school record in the 500m and earning All American Honors, to Katelin Fawcett for winning Continental League Swimmer of the Year, and Coach Baily Williamson for earning 2025 Coach of the year!

Click the image below to keep up with all ThunderRidge Athletics information.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook @ThunderRidge Athletics.

This is our final round of Parent/Teacher Conferences for the 24-25 school year. Conferences will be open-house style in the main hallway of ThunderRidge. Take advantage of this opportunity to meet with your child's teachers.

Please limit each conference to 5 minutes, so you can see as many teachers as possible. Thank you for your continued support of your children and TRHS!

Sophomore and Junior Families: Join us for Grizzly Path!

What you can expect:

- Convention style evening with over 30 booths and several informational breakout sessions

- Options for college, Career Tech Ed, military, and workforce

- Over 20 college booths, breakout sessions on preparing for college, college application, paying for college, and college essay writing

- CTE breakout sessions include working in a CTE field (presented by our very own Oscar Chaparro), and CTE in community college

- Careers in the military (presented by ThunderRidge Dean, Bobby Florio)

- Gap year options

- We will also have translators in Spanish available for our Spanish speaking families

Share some delicious cheesecake with your Valentine! (Or you can always treat yourself....😉!)

We are by selling Vollmer's 4" individual cheesecakes* for $6 each, and 10" New York cheesecakes for $30! Order yours today!

*4" cheesecakes available in New York, Strawberry, and White Chocolate Raspberry!

Cheesecakes can be picked up in D205.

ThunderRidge High School is issuing a call for judges to assess seniors regarding their Oral Presentation, Portfolio Presentation, and Product Review of their Senior Project on Friday, April 11, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

The Senior Board will listen and evaluate students presenting their Senior Projects. This will be a positive and fun learning experience where you will see our students at their very best. All community members are invited to assist in this project as the seniors prepare for their time to shine.

Training and lunch will be provided on Senior Board Day.

Senior Boards Volunteer Sign-Up

The table below highlights where students should be in the Senior Project process. If they are struggling or confused about any of these components, please have them reach out to their English or Advisement teachers. To manage their time, Seniors should aim to have their fieldwork hours completed by the time they return from Spring Break.

For more information, and to sign up as a performer, click here. Last day to sign up is March 5th.

For more information, and to sign up as a speaker, click here. Last day to sign up is March 7th.

Senior parents - save the date! Please plan to attend the Senior Parent Information Meeting on February 13th at 5:30pm during Parent/Teacher Conferences. We'll discuss your student's second semester focus, as well as logistics and important dates leading up to graduation.

Below is the schedule for 2025 Spring Testing that will take place April 14th - 18th.

This past week in the Counseling Office, TRHS counselors saw 306 students for help with academic planning and support, social emotional concerns, and post secondary planning. Counselors have been working individually with students to identify areas of growth and struggle, as well as to determine the second semester needs of our students as a whole. Attendance continues to be an area of focus, as regular attendance leads to better student outcomes and more opportunity.

‘Tis the season for Junior meetings!

In the spring, counselors meet with each of their juniors individually to begin to solidify their post secondary plans. Whether students are interested in college, the military, trade school, or going straight into the workforce, TRHS counselors have many tools to help students match their talents and interests to possible career and educational paths. Click here to schedule an appointment with your counselor!

TRHS Career Exploration series continues!

This series provides students the chance to hear about careers in a broad variety of industries around our area. Every Tuesday we host a different career speaker who shares with us about their job, their career journey, the skills and interests needed, and much more. Click here to sign up!

Feb. 11th, 10:20am-10:55am: Alyssa Marino - Music Therapist

Feb. 18th, 10:20am-10:55am: Renee Pawloski - Interior Design/Color Analyst for Color Savvy Studio

Feb. 25th, 10:20am-10:55am: Jill Roberts - Physical Therapist

Peer Counseling applications are now available!

Current sophomores (Class of 2027) can apply to become a peer counselor and make a positive difference in their school, one student at a time. Applications are due March 7th. Check out the Peer Counseling website for all the details, or talk with your counselor.

Mindful Minute: Stress management for teens

Last week we highlighted some of the most common stressors teens face today. Because stress has a negative impact on both our physical and mental health, it’s important that teens have healthy coping skills. According to this article, the best ways for teens to manage stress are:

Keeping a journal

Getting plenty of exercise

Eating healthy, regular meals

Making sure you get enough sleep

Meditating

Downloading an app that provides relaxation exercises (such as deep breathing or visualization) or tips for practicing mindfulness

Limiting excess caffeine in soft drinks or coffee

Reaching out to friends or family members who help you cope in a positive way

Making time to do fun things

Learning to recognize and prepare for stressful periods by doing all of the above

For all things Counseling, including college information and scholarships,

check out the full Counseling Newsletter!

This week in the IB World, we wanted to take a moment to highlight one of our AMAZING CAS projects that is underway. The CAS Project is a collaborative, sustained initiative that is part of the Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS) component of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. It requires students to work with others to plan, execute, and reflect on a project that addresses one or more of the CAS strands. The goal is to develop skills like collaboration, initiative, and leadership, while engaging in meaningful service experiences that align with IB's mission of creating globally aware, well-rounded learners.

One of our standout projects this year is being led by Seniors Bella Craner and Katelin Fawcett to construct more inclusive playground equipment here in our community. We would highly suggest that you go and check out their websites HERE and HERE. IB's focus on service within the community is one of the things that sets it apart, and we want to foster this mentality of charitable giving by celebrating Katelin and Bella's hard work!! -Mr. Risner

Freshmen learned about the brain’s ability to build habits through the creation of new neurological pathways. Students reflected on habits they want to develop and stop in their school, social, and home lives. -Mr. Cohen

This week, sophomores were introduced to what was required for the final report which is due on April 1st. They will have access to computers in the following weeks to complete their reports. There are examples of each type of report on Canvas if they are looking for resources to help them complete the report. - Mrs. Brant

Juniors got to test their budgeting skills as they completed the “Money Matters” program hosted by Canvas Bank. Students picked a profession, the type of lifestyle they wanted, and then balanced their finances. A huge thanks to Canvas Bank and their volunteers for offering this awesome opportunity for our Juniors. - Mr. Bidinger

Seniors will complete their Senior Project conference with Advisement teachers. During this conference, students will review their Google Drive Folder settings, resumé, Mentor Agreement Forms, and Fieldwork Dialectical Journal progress. In order to manage their time, Seniors should aim to have their Senior Project hours completed when they return from Spring Break. - Ms. Vande Vusse

Ranch View Middle School is excited to kick off planning our Career Day for Friday, February 28, from 7:30 to 11:00 a.m. We’re seeking community members who can inspire our students and spark their interest in future career possibilities. We are looking to showcase a wide variety of careers to give students exposure to as many paths as possible.

Please consider helping us out by:
Hosting a booth in the gym

• Share your career
• Engage with students one-on-one and with small groups
• Talk about the education needed, career pathways, internships, experience needed, and more
• Consider an interactive display, swag, etc.

Speaking as a keynote

• Share your career
• 4-6 twenty-five minute presentations to a group of ~150 students
• Talk about the education needed, career pathways, internships, experience needed, and more

As a small token of our gratitude, we will be providing lunch for all speakers.

Please complete the following Google form to register as a presenter. Thank you in advance for supporting our students!

If you have any questions, please contact one of the RVMS counselors:

Daniel Grant @ dgrant1@dcsdk12.org
Noelle Myers @ knmyers@dcsdk12.org
Kate Fink @ krfink@dcsdk12.org
Jenn Glowicki @ jglowicki@dcsdk12.org

Learn More & Apply Now!

Career Week for GIRLs - Five Days Can Change a Life

Dates: June 2-6, June 9-13 or June 23-27

For one week, participants will travel to five different companies to learn the myriad of careers that lie within transportation and construction. The young women will come to each location at 8:30am and stay until 3:30pm. The host will provide lunch. There is space for 12 young women each week. Once we reach that number of qualified participants, the program will close.

Complete your application today! To apply, fill out this form by March 31, 2025.

To Qualify:

Candidate must be female // Age 13 - 23 // Be accepted based upon application // Have transportation to and from host companies // Parental release and consent form signed

At the end of the week, girls are asked to write a short essay and are entered into an essay contest to win a cash prize.

Sign up here We are in need of 15 outgoing and energetic high school volunteers for our annual family dance "Around the World" at Eldorado Elementary on Friday, Feb. 28th. Volunteers will be on site from 5:30pm -8:30pm and help with various activities such as setup/clean up, games, greeting families, Panther Mascot etc. Please email Sarah Demers at secretary.pto.eldorado@gmail.com with any questions.

We are looking for 2 volunteers to help with childcare during each PTO/SAC meeting for the 2024-2025 school year at Eldorado Elementary. Meetings run from 6:00-8:30pm. Volunteers arrive 10-15 minutes early (5:45pm) to get set up (you will have access to PE equipment). Please sign up for any/all slots that you are available to help!

Please bring any volunteer forms needing to be completed and we will get those filled out at the end of the night. Please email Sarah Demers at secretary.pto.eldorado@gmail.com with any questions.

Sign up here

Students receive a Pass (P) or Fail (F) grade for Advisement based on 30% completion of work AND 70% attendance.

This class is a Pass (P) or Fail (F) class based on 70% attendance.

This class is a Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) grade based on 70% attendance.

Principal: Sean Patterson

Mission Statement:

Empowering Grizzlies through curiosity, compassion, courage, community and service.

Website: trhs.dcsdk12.org

Location: 1991 West Wildcat Reserve Parkway, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
Phone: 303.387.2000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TRHSGrizzlies?mibextid+LQQJ4d
X (formerly Twitter): @TRidgeGrizzlies