Join us in welcoming Dr. Jenny Rodriguez, the newly appointed Superintendent of Ridgefield School District! In this 2-minute video, Dr. Rodriguez shares her vision, goals, and enthusiasm for leading our district to new heights.

With extensive experience in education and a passion for student success, Dr. Rodriguez brings a fresh perspective and innovative ideas to Ridgefield. Get to know our dynamic new leader as she discusses her background, her commitment to building trust and transparency, and plans for the future.

All district and school offices, including the Ridgefield Family Resource Center, will be closed April 1-5 for Spring Break.

If you are in need of other local food resources next week:

• Neighbors Helping Neighbors Food Pantry, located at 21814 NW 11th Avenue in Ridgefield, will be open and giving out food boxes on Tuesday, April 2nd from 9:45am-12:45pm.
  
• Compassion 360, located in the Ridgefield Nazarene Church at 747 Pioneer Street, will be open on Thursday April 4th from 9am to 4pm
  
  

Have a great break, everyone!

On April 23, Ridgefield voters are being asked to decide on a bond proposal that would construct new schools and make revisions to existing classroom spaces and facilities. One of those proposed revisions, part of Proposition 11, would make changes to the band room at Ridgefield High School (these revisions are estimated to cost about $200,000 of the total $120 million from Proposition 11).

In this video, RHS band teacher Emily Brabant explains why the changes are needed for her program to continue to be successful while providing students and staff with a safer, more appropriate learning space. Learn more about the bond proposal at https://www.ridgefieldsd.org/page/bond.

RHS Thespian Troupe 8635 went to the Washington State Thespian Festival at CWU the weekend of March 16th. Seventeen students received yellow ribbons for "Excellent" performances for their Thespys in acting, singing, and technical theatre design. Three students received blue ribbons for "Superior" performances in singing and technical theatre design, and have qualified for nationals in their events. Read more about these students on the RHS website at https://www.ridgefieldsd.org/o/high-school/article/1426589

Furthermore, the group as a whole won “Silver Honor Troupe” for all of their dedication to the school and their community outreach this year. On top of the recognitions, our theatre students took workshops from national theatre professionals ranging from SFX makeup to choreography to set design. It was a great opportunity for them to network with others around the state and share their love of theatre.

RHS theatre and dance teacher and Theatre Arts Director Kaitlyn Etter Burnet also received some very well-deserved recognition at the state thespian festival. After being nominated by several of her students, Kaitlyn was recognized as an inaugural winner of the new “Inspirational Theatre Teacher of the Year Award”!

“There are a million reasons why Etter deserved this award, but if I had to sum it up, I would say this: nobody deserves this more than her,” said Madelyn Ventura, a 10th grader at RHS and one of the students who nominated Kaitlyn for the award. “She never missed a beat as she was juggling the start of her journey in motherhood with her many responsibilities at RHS. Etter is an inspiration to her students by being the kindest, smartest, most determined, and hardest worker we know. If there's anyone I know who I want to be like when I grow up, it's her."

"I can think of no teacher better suited to receive this award,” said RHS teacher Rebecca Frommlet. “Since Kaitlyn arrived at Ridgefield High School, she has been tenacious in her pursuit of growing the theatre program in order to provide more opportunities for students. Her compassion, determination, and patience in wearing the multitude of hats that it takes to run a theatre program is absolutely awe-inspiring. Truly. I am in awe of her, and so grateful to have a colleague who shows every day just how much she cares about her students."

"Anything Goes" is set aboard the ocean liner S. S. American, where nightclub singer Reno Sweeney is enroute from New York to England. Her pal Billy Crocker has stowed away to be near his love, Hope Harcourt, but the problem is Hope is engaged to the wealthy Lord Evelyn Oakleigh.

Joining this love triangle on board the luxury liner are Public Enemy #13, Moonface Martin and his sidekick-in-crime. Erma. With the help of some elaborate disguises, tap-dancing sailors, and good old-fashioned blackmail, Reno and Martin join forces to help Billy in his quest to win Hope’s heart.

PERFORMANCES DATES:

• Saturday, May 4th at 2pm
• Saturday, May 4th at 7pm
• Friday, May 10th at 7pm
• Saturday, May 11th at 2pm
• Saturday, May 11th at 7pm

Tickets will be available soon!

Last week, the ESD 112 hosted its annual Southwest Washington Regional High School Art Show, and seven student artists from Ridgefield High School took home a total of 10 awards! It all, 13 works of art by RHS students were submitted, and winners were announced last week via a virtual presentation.

Visit the RHS website at https://www.ridgefieldsd.org/o/high-school/article/1524514 to read about RHS' award recipients.

To see a complete list of this year's winners, please visit https://www.esd112.org/news/excellence-in-art-announcing-the-2024-southwest-washington-regional-high-school-art-show-winners/

You can also watch the virtual awards presentation on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/0bGs8vnkdRo?si=x_7iEIA1GUxoR251

Congratulations to all of the students whose art was selected, and best of luck to the three RHS students who are headed to the state competition!

Last Friday, students at View Ridge Middle School participated in an engaging and informative "reverse career fair" event! 8th grade students took the lead by setting up stations where they shared insights about a chosen profession with the school's 7th graders. The younger students carried career BINGO cards with them that helped gamify the experience, and then had the opportunity to vote on which career presentations were the "Best Overall," "Most Creative," and Most Impactful." Way to go, Herons!

Not only did our students shine, but we were honored to have several local VIPs in attendance, showing their support for our future leaders. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make the event a fun and inspiring success! Visit our Facebook page to see more photos from the event.

Ridgefield fifth graders will be returning to the Cispus Learning Center for a weeklong Outdoor School experience October 6-10, 2024, and high school students are needed to serve as counselors! For over 50 years, Ridgefield fifth graders have taken part in the annual camp experience, making it one of the longest-running traditions that has built bonds across generations.

If you are interested in being a counselor, complete this Google Form by Friday, April 26th. Teacher recommendations must also be received for consideration as counselor. Responses to skills and reasons for applying to be a counselor are scored items. Counselor weekend is tentatively scheduled for September 21-22, 2024.

If you have questions, please email Amanda Burgess or Tammy Cresap.

On Thursday, 4th graders in Mindy Greaves' class at Union Ridge Elementary School transformed the upstairs of Building B into an exhibition hall showcasing their highly creative and innovative inventions.

After studying the novel "Lunch Money" where a young boy solves a problem by creating an invention, Greaves' students then did background research on famous inventors such as Sarah Breedlove, George Washington Carver, Steve Jobs, Josephine Cochrane, Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. From there, they chose one inventor to become an expert on and after a week's worth of research and writing, they shared their expertise with their peers.

To deepen the students' learning, Greaves had the students come up with a problem they would like to solve and an invention to solve it. They designed an advertisement for their invention by creating either a poster, magazine ad, Google slideshow, or a commercial. Next, they created a prototype or drawing of their invention and memorized a written speech in the style of the "elevator pitches" from Shark Tank.

Students from other grades and family members came to visit and hear the 4th graders' pitches and see their prototypes. It was impressive, to say the least! Well done, Tater Tots! Visit our Facebook page to see more photos.

The following is being shared from the City of Ridgefield's Facebook page:

Both lanes of S Royle Road from about S 8th Way to S 15th Street/S Wells Drive will be CLOSED Monday, April 1-Friday, April 5 (Ridgefield School District Spring Break).

This closure is necessary to complete a large roadway cut on Royle adjacent to the Fieldcrest entrance as part of Royle Road Corridor Phase 2. The complete closure will reduce the overall project duration and result in cost savings to the City of Ridgefield.

• Detour: A detour will be in place on Pioneer Street to S 56th Place, S 6th Way, Timm Road, and S 11th Street/Wells Drive. See Detour Map (PDF): https://ridgefieldwa.us/.../Royle-Road-Detour---April-1-5
• Local access to the Cloverhill neighborhood will be provided at the intersections of S Royle Road/S 10th Way and S 15th Street/S 43rd Ave.
• After April 5, the entrance to the Cloverhill neighborhood at S Fieldcrest Drive will remain closed until the approach to the new S Royle Road alignment can be constructed in the following weeks.

Learn more about Royle Road Corridor improvements: https://ridgefieldroundtable.org/royle-road-corridor

This month, Union Ridge Elementary School Librarian Jubilee Roth hosted a "Potato Book Character Contest," and as you can see, the results were incredible! Union Ridge students and staff were encouraged to decorate a potato designed after a favorite book character, and were able to borrow the corresponding book from the library to include with their final display. The characters could be made out of any materials, as long as they included at least one real potato.

"This is our first time doing this contest in the library, and I will definitely be doing it again every year," said Roth. "It was so much fun! The library is a unique place in schools. It's the only classroom space that serves the entire student body. I get to see everybody and I love that about my job. The kids got to choose their own book character and make it from a potato. They are promoting books and the arts all in one!"

In all, there were 139 entries, and prizes were awarded to the winners from each grade level and to the top entry from staff members. Thank you to the Union Ridge Elementary PTO for providing the student prizes! More photos are posted on our Facebook page, and you can see all of the entries in this Google Drive folder.

On Wednesday, Ridgefield High School’s HOSA Club (also known as Future Health Professionals), DECA Club, and Bloodworks Northwest co-hosted their bi-annual blood donation drive, registering 77 students, staff, and community members and collecting a total of 54 units of blood for donations! Well done on hosting yet another successful, life-saving donation drive, Spuds!

If your student and family are looking for an opportunity to master the state academic standards with more freedom and flexibility than the traditional in-person building hours, Wisdom Ridge may be for you. We are a fully online, parent partner school with local RSD teachers and staff. Our goal is to work with families and develop an individualized and supportive learning opportunity for each of our students. This individual program can include any or all of the following:

• Online classes
• Enrichment/project sessions
• Study sessions and groups
• Partial (.5) or full-time (1.0) enrollment and more

Enrollment at Wisdom Ridge Academy (and all other RSD schools) opens on Monday, April 15th. To enroll on or after the 15th, please visit https://www.ridgefieldsd.org/o/wra/page/enrollment.

Want more information about Wisdom Ridge Academy? Visit https://ridgefieldwa.sites.thrillshare.com/o/wra/page/frequently-asked-questions.

OnPoint Credit Union is now accepting nominations for their Educator of the Year Award. This award celebrates innovative teaching methods that spark enthusiasm and passion in students, parents and their community, and the winners will get their mortgage or rent paid for an entire year!

Educator of the Year Winners

Four educators will each have their mortgage or rent paid for one full year and receive a $2,500 donation to their school for resources and supplies. One educator from each category below will be chosen:

• Grades K-5
• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12
• Gold Star: A new category that recognizes an educator who is a pre-kindergarten teacher, school counselor, substitute teacher, librarian or school administrator.

Educator of the Year Runners-up

Four educators, one from each of the above categories, will receive a $5,000 cash award and a $1,500 donation to their schools for resources and supplies.

Community Builder

Four schools will receive $2,000 for a special project of their choice. A fifth school, selected by community votes, will receive $5,000 for a special project of their choice.

For more information and links to submit your nomination, please visit https://www.onpointcu.com/onpoint-prize/.

We're always in need of substitutes of all kinds! While certificated substitutes need to have a teaching certificate, emergency substitutes only need a bachelor's degree to qualify, and paraprofessional substitutes only need to have a high school diploma!

If you're interested, check out our open positions at https://ridgefieldwa.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx or scan the QR code from the image.

Ridgefield School District strives to recruit and retain the most qualified employees to support our mission of developing well-rounded students with the capacity to succeed in a technologically-driven global society. Here are just some of the positions that are currently open:

• English Language Arts - View Ridge Middle School
  
• Paraprofessional - Class II - 6.75 hrs/day - Early Learning Center
  
• Assistant Track Coach .5 FTE - Ridgefield High School
  
• Student Supervision - 2 hrs/day - Sunset Ridge/View Ridge
  
• Science Teacher - Ridgefield High School
• Substitute Teacher - District-wide
  
• Emergency Substitute Teacher - District-wide
• Paraprofessional Substitute - District-wide

To see a listing of Ridgefield School District's current openings and links to apply, please visit the jobs page on our website here.

ABM Industries is hiring!

Ridgefield Apprentice School Custodian

Position Overview:

• You will receive $16.28 per hour - paid semi-monthly; as well as medical, dental, and vision insurance, Other Union Benefits include vacation and 11 paid holidays after you reach 522 hours worked.
• ABM offers a comprehensive benefits package through the Union - which includes: medical, dental and vision coverage, and in addition a pension plan.
• The pay listed is the hourly range or the hourly rate for this position.
• A specific offer will vary based on the applicant’s experience, skills, abilities, geographic location, and alignment with market data.
• In the school custodian position, you will receive Union benefits, training, and experience to grow, along with apprenticeship bonuses.
• You will be working for ABM to provide top-rated custodial services.

The right person will:

• Join an Apprentice Program - Certified by Washington State.
• Full Insurance Benefits after 1st 30 days.
• Become part of a growing industry with room to advance.
• Enjoy Holidays with your Family - 11 holidays OFF.
• Recognition for Perfect Attendance, Safety, and Excellent Performance.

Job Details:

Schedule: Monday- Friday - (12p - 8:30p or 3p-11:30p)

Pay: Starts at $16.28 with growth opportunities.

The apprenticeship program includes - pay Increases from $18.00 and up per hour! As well as BONUSES - As you complete various levels of the Apprenticeship - you will earn 4 BONUSES ranging from $368 to $455 - totaling $1642 upon completion of the Apprenticeship Program!

All work in Clark County

ABM is an EOE/AA (M/F/Vet/Disability/Gender Identity/Sexual Orientation)

Apply for the Apprentice School Custodian position here

• Spring Break: April 1-5
• Regular Board of Directors Meeting: Tuesday, April 9 at 5 p.m.
• One Hour Late Start (all schools): Wednesday, April 10

Ridgefield School District aspires to be the state's premier district, leveraging strong community partnerships to provide each student personalized learning experiences, opportunities, and skills that ensure success and unlimited possibilities.
Notice of Non-Discrimination

Email: communications@ridgefieldsd.org
Website: www.ridgefieldsd.org
Location: 510 Pioneer Street, Ridgefield, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 619-1301
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RidgefieldSchools
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ridgefieldsd/