News From the Ridge

Office Main Line: (913) 239-7400

Attendance: (913) 239-7405

Nurse: (913) 239-7413

Sunset Ridge Elementary Website

SRE Year at a Glance (Dates Subject to Change)

District Calendar

Nut-Safer Guidelines

SRE Family Handbook

Free and Reduced Meal Program

Durham Bus Transportation

Before and After School Care (YMCA)

SRE Yearbook Photos 24-25

SRE PTO Spirit Wear Order Form

Sunday, November 17

• Chiefs away game 3:25p

Monday, November 18 (Orange Day)

• Fall Book fair begins!

Tuesday, November 19 (Yellow Day)

• 8:00a Strings

Wednesday, November 20 (Green Day)

• 8:00a Choir
• Book Fair Family Bingo Night 5p-7p

Thursday, November 21 (Red Day)

• 8:00a Strings

Friday, November 22 (Orange Day)

Sunday, November 24

• Chiefs Away Game game @ Carolinas 12:00 pm

Monday, November 25- November 29

• Fall Break - NO SCHOOL

More than $427,000 was awarded through the Blue Valley Educational Foundation’s Surprise Squad 2024! These grants provide invaluable support to our dedicated educators, empowering them to continue their important work and enhance the learning experience for our students each year. Sunset Ridge Elementary was awarded 17 grants totaling $17,847.62 for the 2024-2025 school year from Blue Valley Educational Foundation.

Lisa Coble: Big Screen | Bigger Impact $849.50

Julie Ball & Christi Darnell: Classroom Calming Corner Tools $1,489.37

Shelby Roberts: Sensory items refill $522.90

Kelly Batten: Big Screen | Bigger Impact $849.50

Kyley Engle: Keep it Growing $270.00

Alli Lunsford: Hands-on Literacy Learning! $1,246.92

Alyssa Holsworth, Sarah Johnson & Teresa Graves: STEM Project | Chain Reaction Machines $1,446.87

Megan Balman: Feifer Assessment of Mathematics (FAM) $815.00

Amy Mueller: Not All Classrooms Have Walls $622.92

Laura Cordoba Dominguez: Let’s Create and Learn the Spanish Language $1,263.03

Sebastian Garcia: Scooters $1,500.00

Katherine Wagner: Sphero Indi $1,542.28

Claire Walker: Story Champs Language Instruction and Intervention $886.35

Chelsea Smith: ESOL Curriculum Supplemental Resources $819.93

Kysa Lind: Big Screen | Bigger Impact $849.50

Amanda O’Shaughnessy: 2D and 3D Tools of the Trade $1,489.27

Asia Garruss: Fine motor & sensory materials to promote learning & participation in school $1,384.28

When children miss school, it's not just about catching up on homework or getting missed assignments. The classroom experience offers far more than what can be sent home. In-class learning involves hands-on activities, group projects, interactive lessons and discussions that help students engage in learning.

For young learners, these experiences are irreplaceable. Being part of the class helps your child develop social skills, teamwork and problem-solving abilities. Teachers craft lessons that involve direct participation, and when a student is absent, they miss out on these critical elements.

Every day of school provides opportunities for your child to grow, connect and learn. Ensuring they are present as much as possible gives them the best chance to succeed.

BV Unmuted: Attendance (Posted this week: approx. 20 minutes) featuring Stacey Sperry, Cory Cox, and Leah Vomhof with Dr. Merrigan

To promote awareness & appreciation of our BV families, we wanted to share some

December Celebrations & Observances:

• International Day of People with Disabilities - December 3 - a day to celebrate the achievements and contributions of people with disabilities, promote an understanding of disability issues, and mobilize support for the rights, dignity, and wellbeing of people with disabilities.

• Bodhi Day - December 8 - commemorates the day that the historical Buddha experienced enlightenment. Some Buddhist families will practice meditation, study the Dharma, chant Buddist texts (sutras), and share a traditional meal of tea and cake.

• Christmas - December 25 - a Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. Some Christian families will celebrate by attending church services and exchanging gifts.

• Hanukkah - evening of December 25 - evening of January 2 - an eight-day Jewish festival of lights. Some Jewish families will celebrate by lighting a Menorah and eating foods cooked in oil.

• Kwanzaa - December 26 - January 1 - a seven-day African-American holiday celebrating culture, family, and community. For some, celebrations may include song, dance, storytelling, and a large traditional meal.

The Securly Parent Information has a new home. It can now be found on the Technology Page. If you had created a bookmark in your files, please change it.

New URL: https://www.bluevalleyk12.org/Page/34492

Our dedicated students on the Sunset Service Team are doing amazing work this school year! In October, they hosted a Food Drive sponsored by Harvesters collecting non-perishable food items. They were able to collect over 300 items valued at over $500! This will help feed over 1,000 families in the Kansas City area! Thank you to everyone who helped support this cause.

In November, the Sunset Service Team will be building craft and classroom supply kits for students in Western North Carolina who were deeply impacted by Hurricane Helene. Stay tuned for updates on this month's project!

The Fall Book Fair is November 18 - November 21 during school hours!

Family Bingo Night is Wednesday, November 20th from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm.

Here are a few reminders about the upcoming fair:

● Every dollar you spend will benefit our school directly

● You can sign up for Book Fair eWallet, a convenient digital

payment account, so your child can shop the Fair cash-free. Click

on the Book Fair Homepage link below to sign up. E-wallets go

Live October 25th.

● Grandparents, friends, and others can contribute to the eWallet to

help build your home library.

**Sales Tax will be collected with every purchase so make sure your

child has enough to cover the Sales Tax.

● Book Fair Homepage: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/sunsetridgeelementary

● Volunteer Sign Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4AAAAB2DA2F4C34-52223425-fall#/

We can’t wait to see your child at the Fair!

If you have any questions, please contact Emily Ryan at emilyriceku@gmail.com.

The PTO needs your pictures! If you took photos at the Fun Run, Hulaween, Halloween and parties, please upload them to the shared PTO yearbook photo drive linked below!

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1O5mJSGitXwCfu8D0xdgP4pKVEX4lYU0u?usp=sharing

• Nov 15th – PTO General Meeting in the Library

• Nov 18th-21st – Scholastic Book Fair
• Nov 20th – Book Fair Family Night - BINGO
• Dec 11th - Skate City Family Night

Sunset Ridge Elementary PTO - Sunset Ridge PTO (membershiptoolkit.com)

Check out the new and improved SRE PTO website! You can find all kinds of information here – teacher’s favorites, links to the sign-up genius’ for class parties, check request form, board information, up coming events and so much more! A big shout out to Mrs. Tori Reed who has worked to make this more user friendly and have all information in one easy place. Thank you Tori!!

ALL communication from the PTO will go out through membership toolkit. If you have not registered and put your email information in, you will NOT receive communication and updates about activities, classroom parties, etc. There is also an app that comes with registration in Membership toolkit (picture of app below). This is a great way to get ahold of other parents to set up play dates, send birthday invites, etc.! THERE IS NO COST TO SIGN UP!!

Make sure you choose your child’s teacher so that you get classroom specific information.

Sunset Ridge Elementary PTO - Sunset Ridge PTO (membershiptoolkit.com)

Don’t forget to log in to ParentVue and go to Optional Fees to CONFIRM you have purchased your yearbook for the 2024-2025 school year. If you do not complete this in ParentVue, your child will NOT get a yearbook at the end of the year.

PYRBK - PTO Yearbook/FieldTrip/Planner SRE for $60

This is the fee to cover ONLY your child’s 2024-2025 yearbook ($15), their 2024-2025 planner ($4) and their 3 field trips and transportation costs ($41).

Monday, December 2 (Yellow Day)

• Robot Camp 3:45-4:45

Tuesday, December 3 (Green Day)

• 8:00 Strings
• Strings Concert - 7:00p

Wednesday, December 4 (Red Day)

• 8:00 Choir

Thursday, December 5 (Orange Day)

• 8:00 Strings
• SRE Spelling Bee 2:00-3:30

Friday, December 6 (NO SCHOOL)

• Teacher Professional Collaboration Day

We are thankful for the ongoing partnership and support we experience in our school community. Working together we ensure the best possible student experience allowing them to realize personal success. There are times, however, when issues arise which require our continued collaboration to resolve. Families may utilize the matrix linked on the district website to best address questions and concerns that may arise throughout the course of a school year. Finally, all staff and visitors should conduct their business free from intimidation, harassment, or bullying. The district’s Board of Education states expectations regarding civility within Policy 6341. Again, thank you for your partnership in helping to maintain a safe school community environment for all.

We have really started to see an increase in the number of kids who are coming to school exhausted. Our kids are so busy and so are the adults. As a result, many of our students are coming to us not ready to learn. Since our job is to help them to be as successful as they can at school, I wanted to share an article about sleep with you https://health.clevelandclinic.org/recommended-amount-of-sleep-for-children

Enroll in this course: https://bvusd.instructure.com/enroll/73CN87

The Family Resources Canvas Course is now available for Blue Valley families. This course is designed to help families navigate Canvas, whether beginning or looking for a reminder. Additionally, the course includes Canvas guides for Observers (the role assigned to parents).

Did you know that Sunset Ridge has a state-of-the-art broadcast booth and presents a LIVE news show to students every morning? The KSRE broadcast crew would love to feature YOUR student on the morning broadcast.

If your student has a sports accomplishment, stars in a performing arts event, or does something else amazing that they would like to share with the school; please email a short blurb and picture to Mrs. Reed at vjreed@bluevalleyk12.org so it can be broadcast to the school!

If you want to stay informed on Blue Valley and community events and activities, click the link to our Peach Jar page below.

Sunset Ridge Peach Jar Events

Let me know how I can best support you.

Email: mcriley@bluevalleyk12.org
Website: https://www.bluevalleyk12.org/SRE
Location: 14901 England Street, Overland Park, KS, USA
Phone: 913-239-7400
Twitter: @principalRiley