ThunderRidge Weekly Update

Grizzly Families,

Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving break!

Travel safely and enjoy your time with family and friends.

Sean Patterson

Principal, ThunderRidge High School

🍗 November 20-24 - THANKSGIVING BREAK

✏️December 9 - ACT Testing

🎵 December 11, 12 - Instrumental, Choir Concerts

🎵 December 15 - Christmas Music Collage

📃 December 15 - Senior Ads Due

✏️ December 18 - 21 - Fall Final Exams - see schedule below

✏️ December 21 - End of 2nd Quarter/1st Semester

⛔ December 22 - Grading Day (No students)

❄️ December 25 - January 5 - WINTER BREAK

⛔ January 8 - Teacher Work Day - NO STUDENTS

✏️ January 9 - Second Semester Starts

Monday - Blue Day

Tuesday - Green Day

Wednesday - Blue Day

Thursday - Green Day

Friday - ALL Day

Due to the new common bell schedule, our staff will have PLCs every Friday morning if it is a regular 5-day week.

On PLC days, classes will begin at 8:25am and students will follow an 'ALL' day class schedule. If your student needs to arrive at school prior to 8:25am, they may go to the Library or Commons until class starts. Breakfast will be available in the cafeteria.

Click the image to keep up with all ThunderRidge Athletics information!

We are thrilled to announce that our own CTE Welding teacher, Oscar Chaparro, received the American Welding Society Section Educator Award for Colorado! This award recognizes individuals who have made notable contributions to the welding industry. Mr. Chaparro has demonstrated dedication, expertise, and the advancement of welding as both an art and a science. Congratulations, Mr. Chaparro! We are so grateful to have you here at ThunderRidge!

Finals are approaching and StuGov needs your help! We would like to provide students with a quick grab-and-go snack each day of finals week: fruit snacks, granola bars, cookies, etc.

If you are able to provide a snack donation, please drop it off at the security desk in the Main Entrance. Please put 'StuGov' on the snack.

We will have a table set up in the main hallway for kids to stop by during Access to grab a snack before finals start each day.

We really appreciate your support and couldn't do this without the community's help.

Finals start December 18, so we can accept any donation prior to that day.

Senior Ads for the yearbook are due December 15th.

Click here for more information.

We are now accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school year. Visit the DCSD website to apply.

Please reach out to Tiffany Klenke, Registrar, at tklenke@dcsdk12.org with any questions.

We are so excited to offer Thanksgiving and Winter Holiday Boxes again this year! Find all the details on how to sign up for a box or how you can donate or get involved by using the links below.

This past week, TRHS Counselors saw 317 students for academic planning/support, social emotional support, and post secondary planning. Counselors continue to assist 9th through 11th graders with course planning for next year in seminar, advisement and individually. Please ensure you have entered courses for next year into your academic plan, as registration is approaching.

Mindful Minute:

Practicing gratitude can have significant benefits for mental and emotional well-being. It can improve mood, reduce stress, enhance resilience, and foster a more optimistic outlook on life. When we regularly acknowledge and express gratitude for the people, experiences, and things in our lives, it can lead to greater happiness and satisfaction. There are various ways to cultivate gratitude, from simple practices like keeping a gratitude journal where you write down things you're thankful for, to actively expressing appreciation to others, or even just taking a moment each day to reflect on the positives in your life. Take a moment to think of three things you’re grateful for today or this week. People: Family, friends, teachers, mentors, etc. Experiences: Moments that brought you joy, learning, or growth. Personal qualities: Qualities about yourself that you appreciate. Reflect on how you feel after focusing on gratitude. Consider incorporating gratitude practices into your daily routines.

Attention Class of 2025 Students and Parents,

School staff are working to teach students about mental health and how to seek help if they are worried about themselves or a friend. Douglas County Middle and High Schools are using a program called SOS Signs of Suicide. The program teaches students about this difficult topic and encourages them to seek help.

On December 5th or December 12th, junior seminars will watch age-appropriate video clips and participate in a guided discussion about depression, suicide, and what to do if they are concerned about a friend. Following the video, students will complete a brief depression screening tool. This tool cannot provide a diagnosis of depression, but does indicate whether a young person should be referred for evaluation by a mental health professional.

At the end of class, students will complete an exit slip which asks whether they would like to talk to an adult about any concerns. Trained mental health school staff will conduct brief meetings with any student asking to talk.

We encourage you to visit www.sossignsofsuicide.org/parent for information on warning signs for youth suicide, useful resources, and some of the key messages students will learn.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s participation in this program, please contact your student’s counselor. If you would like to opt your student out of this program, please click here.

Sincerely,

TRHS Counseling Department

Senior Photos are due now. Photo upload is still available - school code 7751.

Senior Ads are due December 15th.

Click here for more information.

Caps & gowns and graduation memorabilia can now be ordered from Herff Jones!

Please visit the Herff Jones website here to place an order for caps & gowns and graduation memorabilia. You can stop by the main office to pick up an information packet if you would like more details. Order your cap and gown by December 17th to receive early bird pricing.

This week in IB, the seniors have been working hard on getting their CAS Projects approved so they can begin work giving back to the community around them. CAS Projects act as the IBDP seniors' Senior Projects, and are very similar in nature. Where they differ is that CAS Projects have to involve service in some capacity, as well as collaboration. These students will be putting in a lot of work over the next few months and then present their CAS Projects at Senior Boards next April. Some really cool CAS Projects to keep your eyes on next April are a Fight Against Fast Fashion night through Douglas County Libraries, a charity gala to raise funds for an orphanage in Cusco, Peru, and International Week at ThunderRidge High School put on by our IB students!

Freshmen learned strategies for prioritizing time. They discussed example schedules and how to categorize activities into obligations, aspirations, and negotiations. Freshmen will be registering for classes over the next two weeks.

Sophomores started meeting with their Advisement teacher for conference/grade #2. Students will need to have the following items completed in their handbook to receive full credit: 1. Research 2. Product & Report type 3. Success Criteria 4. Timeline Conferences will continue through 12/12.

Juniors continued their post secondary journey. They continued learning about effective resume writing and strategies for life after high school. They also were given time to put in their course requests for next school year. We encourage all families to look over the course requests, and make sure they are all set for their senior year.

This week in Advisement, Seniors set up and discussed the Dialectical Journal for the Senior Project. Following the Google Meet, students were given work time to revise their Letters of Intent. Revised letters should be resubmitted by Friday, November 17th.

Pizza Hut

Tuesday, November 21

(Fundraiser code: NM)

Sign up here to help with our annual Pajama Prowl schoolwide sleepover on December 1st. Student volunteers will NOT be spending the night. They will help with games and activities throughout the evening from 5:15pm - 9:45pm. A free pizza dinner will be provided.

Bring volunteer forms with you to be completed at the end of the evening.

ThunderRidge is proud to offer a wide variety of clubs and activities!

Click the bar above for a full list including times, days and locations.

Shop for your customizeable TR gear anytime at the TRHS Online Apparel Store.

Principal Sean Patterson

Mission Statement:

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

#AlwaysAGrizzly

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
Twitter: @TRidgeGrizzlies

Support our school by shopping at American Furniture Warehouse!

Mention ThunderRidge at check-out and a percentage of your purchase will be donated back to the school!

Purchases count any time of the year.