Today I decided to turn on my Pandora channels while working on today’s newsletter and the first song was Reminiscing (Little River Band). What a great way to end the week- with a song that relaxes your mind and takes you back in time.
Course, right after that was Duran Duran- Hungry Like the Wolf, talk about reminiscing all over again- back to maybe the greatest decade ever- the 80’s! If you’re singing one of those songs in your head right now, we could probably hang out!
Now back to the present… what a great week here at Ridgeline High School! Athletics and Activities are in full swing. Our teams are competing at a high level and it’s so fun to watch them excel in their sports. Check out the info for our latest activity coming this winter—our first Dance Team! I feel like this is going to be a really cool addition to our school spirit and events!
It’s going to be a wild night at the football game tonight as the Ridgeline Regiment will be featured at half-time. This performance team has high expectations for their competitions coming up—you’ll want to be able to say you saw them live! And if you want to experience and remember what pure joy looks like and sounds like, come and see the mini cheerleaders from grades k-5 clapping and jumping and kicking. Half time will be a lot of fun tonight!
Homecoming is coming up quickly so please check out the detailed info below. ALL are welcome and encouraged to attend the dance on October 8! Dances are an important social activity and if your child doesn’t plan on attending, have a chat with them to remind them it’s about more than dancing--It’s about belonging to a community. Spirit week activities are being finalized and dress up days are advertised here. We will be having an all-school spirit assembly on the afternoon of Oct. 7!
Hope to see many of you at our annual BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT meet/greet/social event this coming Thursday! Most teachers will be available that evening, those that can not attend will let you know in advance. Administrators and counselors will also be on hand that evening, please stop by and say hello!
This is a true Open House format with no scheduled program, so you can come and go anytime in that two hour window. It will be outside on the South lawn again so park at the stadium or the Southeast corner lot. The school will be open for seating and dining or just to tour the building.
So- the booster club, specifically the senior grad night boosters, have talked me into selling reserved parking spots for Seniors (12th graders, not those over 50 :)) I 100% endorse this idea! I think it’s a great way for seniors to build their own community identity by parking together and having a spot to count on. My conservative side wanted to keep it fairly simple and clean and that’s what they’re doing, get your name or nickname painted on your parking stall. I have designated 250 spots for them to choose from. EVERY driver needs to be aware as it may impact where they currently park on a regular basis. We won’t sell all of those spots as we don’t quite have 250 senior drivers, but if you see a name painted on the ground, consider that a reserved spot. No name means it is open to anyone, just like now. See the MAP below. More to come on this!
I’ll see you next week, make it a great weekend! --Mr. Hardt
Juniors!
Coming soon!
PSAT registration for October 12th test at RHS
11th graders only. Opens September 26th. Limited availability.
Please read below to see if your junior needs this test or not.
Times are changin’
Does the PSAT matter anymore?
PSAT is an acronym that refers to the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Qualifying Test and is a product offered by the College Board. The test’s purpose is two-fold when taken by high school juniors in the fall of the year:
To offer a practice opportunity for those who plan to take the actual SAT (typically during the latter half of the junior year), and
To serve as the qualifying test for National Merit Finalist status (a designation attached to a college scholarship and national academic recognition).
For more than a decade, increasing numbers of colleges and universities have been re-evaluating their use of standardized test scores in the admissions process. Like so many aspects of our shared experience, COVID significantly impacted standardized testing. Most colleges and universities across the country that relied on standardized tests in the admissions process elected to suspend or eliminate their use, shifting to test-optional policies. As a result, standardized test scores may not always be necessary for college admissions, and we encourage students and their parents/guardians to become intimately familiar with the testing policies of each school to which a student plans to apply.
Reflecting on the current standardized testing environment, the need for the PSAT may not be as crucial as it once was. What’s more, there are no-cost, pressure-free methods to prepare students for the SAT via Khan Academy. Thus, those for whom the PSAT is most appropriate are:
Juniors who wish to qualify for National Merit Finalist status as seniors, and
Juniors who are certain they plan to take the SAT during the latter part of the year and wish to have a more intensive practice experience.
If you wish to register your student for the test, please watch this space for registration information in the coming days and weeks. And, if you have questions, please speak to Mrs. McMurtrey (11th grade counselor) or Mr. Spraggins (College and Career Counselor).
Principles of Biomedical Science (PBS)
Principles of Biomedical Science (PBS) students have been busy working as forensic scientists to solve the mystery of Anna Garcia.
Students first documented the scene and created scaled drawings showing the location of each piece of evidence. Next, students analyzed the hair and fingerprints found at the scene. As they continue to unravel the mystery students will study blood spatter patterns and analyze DNA. Can they figure out what happened to Anna?
Please join DECA and FBLA for the first combined meeting of the Ridgeline Business Club
Please join DECA and FBLA for the first combined meeting of the Ridgeline Business Club on Tuesday, September 27th in E204 during both lunches. You may attend during your regular lunch time. Can’t wait to see current members and welcome new interested students to the Ridgeline Business Club! If you think you might be an entrepreneur, or work in the business world someday then this club is for YOU! There will be food!
Hey Falcons who’s ready to hit the dance floor?! Ridgeline is hosting its first ever homecoming dance Saturday, October 8th from 8:00pm to 11:00pm in the Ridgeline field house. The dance is semi-formal so get out your suits, dresses and dance shoes and get ready to cut up the floor. Tickets are $5 and will go on sale at the business office beginning Monday, September 26th.
It is officially fall, and that means college and university admission counselors are scheduling High School Visits and hitting the road! High school visits consist of informational presentations and a Q&A session to answer questions interested students may have. Ridgeline High School will begin its high school visit season next week with The University of Idaho. Admission Counselor, Becky Byers, will be at RHS on Thursday, September 29, during 3rd period. Juniors and seniors are invited to complete the registration Mr. Spraggins sent out to attend the visit. Registration and signed passes will be required to attend. Please direct any questions you or your student may have to Mr. Spraggins.
Greetings, Falcon Family! My name is Brian Spraggins, and I am the new college and career counselor here at Ridgeline High School. I'm taking this opportunity to briefly introduce myself and describe the role I will play with you and your students.
My Background
I come to Ridgeline having worked in various educational settings. The lion's share of that work involved varying college admission and access roles, which is a reality grounded in my authentic desire to help students maximize their individual potential and find post-secondary pathways that match their interests. Briefly, I worked as an associate dean of admission at Gonzaga University, an associate director of undergraduate studies at Eastern Washington University, and the director of recruitment and admission at Spokane Community College. Subsequent to those roles, I joined the school counseling ranks, with stints at Lewis & Clark High School and Gonzaga Prep before accepting my dream job here at Ridgeline High School, serving in the community my family and I call home!
My Role
Regardless of the educational level, college admission and access has been a consistent theme of all the work in which I have been professionally involved. I do recognize, however, that formal college education is not the only pathway that exists for students or, in certain circumstances, even the best and most appropriate one. Thus, my role here--and the one about which I am incredibly enthusiastic--is to help your student connect his/her Why with the talents, skills, and interests that are uniquely his/hers and translate those things into meaningful post-secondary pathways. To that end, I eagerly anticipate putting my knowledge and experience to work here at Ridgeline to help every student in our community chart the next steps in their educational journeys (whether those journeys involve formal college education, education in specific trades, the honor of military service, or merging into the world of work).
Functionally speaking, your student’s counselor of record (Mrs. Twining, Mrs. McMurtrey, Mrs. Fuller, or Ms. Plaster) will be the one to whom s/he goes for just about all his/her Counseling and Student Services needs. My role is to work with each of my counseling colleagues, supporting their efforts to support your student as it relates to the post-secondary realm.
I look forward to becoming familiar with you and your students in the weeks, months, and years ahead! As you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out! In the meantime, be well, and Talons Up! –Brian Spraggins
Senior Parking Spots- available 9/26
Senior Parking Spots:
🟢$50 for a reserved parking spot during the school day
🟢choose your top 3 spots at checkout, first come first serve
🟢Names have to be approved by administration
🟢painting will be completed by parents.
Link will be live at 5pm on Monday 9/26 for purchase
Contact Christy Phillips with questions 509-290-2550
Make sure to follow @rhs_grad_night_2023!
Free & Reduced Meal Application
Free and Reduced meal application regular free and reduced-price meal program.
Want to add money to your student's meal plan? It's easy! Click the link below!
Digital Job Boards
Just a reminder to keep checking the Digital Jobs Board on our Ridgeline Web Site under Counseling and Careers for job openings and internships. New postings have been added this week! Job boards are linked in our Instagram Bio, too!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I8aJ7YAR0qw956RC22XqTnPpCYCwbBG5ad_8ygqE2Z0/edit
Do you own a business that is hiring? We would love to add your job posting to our CVSD Digital Jobs Board, all of our CVSD students have access to this! Please email the information to Kelli Demarest at kdemarest@cvsd.org and due to district email issues, please also email kdemarest@cvsd356.org!
Thank you!
