School News

The end of the 2020-21 school year means that Ridgefield School District’s fourth grade students will be “moving up” to Sunset Ridge Intermediate School when school resumes in the fall. While these students said goodbye to South Ridge and Union Ridge elementary schools, they left behind a pair of painted rock gardens at the schools, which will serve as lasting reminders of the class of 2029.

To celebrate their “graduation” to Sunset Ridge, District fourth graders painted personalized rocks representing the lasting memories of their time in elementary school and as a visible reminder of the students moving onward and upward in their education.

At South Ridge Elementary School, fourth-grade classes created a rock garden. Students painted rocks with their class color and their first names. Then they gathered outside the classrooms in a sheltered spot to place the rocks in the rainbow-colored Resiliency Garden. Proud of their graduation to a new school, the students smiled brightly as they picked just the right place in the bark dust to nestle their rocks together.

Being able to paint the rocks together in person was especially meaningful to them, as the entire group started the year in remote learning. “The Resiliency Garden was installed with a plaque to recognize the challenges this group overcame this year,” Principal Jill Neyenhouse explained. The colorful rocks will remain at South Ridge to remind future visitors of how resilient young people can be.

Union Ridge Elementary School’s rock “river” has been in place for two years, inspired by the book “Only One You” by Linda Kranz. In the book, a fish learns some wise advice from his parents as he sets out on his own, including “Look for the beauty wherever you are, and keep the memory of it with you,” “Always be on the lookout for a new friend,” and “Find your own way. You don’t have to follow the crowd.”

Teachers read “Only One You” aloud to their students before the fourth graders designed and painted their rocks. “We really wanted to highlight the uniqueness of each student and the impact they’ve had on our Tater Tot family and their community beyond,” said school counselor Niccele Dunn. “We’re hoping the river will remain there and continue to be expanded for many years to come. So if the graduates come back to visit, they’ll be able to see their rocks and remember their time at Union Ridge.”

These fourth-grade students “rocked” their move up to fifth grade, and the personal reminders of their resilience and achievement will stay in place to inspire future elementary school students for years to come.

South Ridge Elementary School teachers Chelsea Tipton and Jennifer Stinson are always seeking new ways to make learning fun and engaging for their students. Their third graders had been learning about force and motion in their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) unit recently when the pair of teachers got an inspiring idea. Instead of relying on textbooks and computers to deliver their lessons, they would host a carnival featuring games that were designed, built, and tested by the students.

The carnival-themed unit was an exciting end-of-year activity for the Ridgefield School District students that allowed them to put the knowledge they gained throughout the year into action. The students researched and designed their own carnival games, incorporating concepts like force (throwing, pushing, spinning, and rolling) to achieve motion for objects (like balls, marshmallows, and beanbags).  Then the students had a week to build their games out of recycled materials from home.

“They really were creative with what they came up with,” Stinson said.  And the games in the classrooms varied widely:  a cardboard golf game with a pool noodle putter, a popsicle stick catapult with tiny pom-pom projectiles, and an air cannon blowing puffs of air at standing cards were among many clever ways students showcased their STEM learning.

Under the bright sun on the last full day of school, the students set up their games near the playground.  A light breeze created a challenge for some of them; ping pong balls, oatmeal canisters, and bottle caps blew off the tables, with children scurrying after them.  But soon the games were all set up, with students shouting and laughing as they threw balls at targets, pitched rings, and bowled at water bottles.  The students won small prizes provided by the teachers to complete the carnival theme.

“The kids absolutely loved this project and said it was one of their favorites,” Tipton said.  “One of my students said that she enjoyed everyone’s games, especially because they were made by kids and weren’t perfect, but they were still super fun.  It’s definitely a project we’ll keep doing in the future!”

This year, a total of $4,362,092 in scholarships was awarded to graduates in Ridgefield High School’s Class of 2021.  The figure, tallied by the school’s High School & Beyond office, comes from awards information reported by RHS’ graduating seniors.

While the majority of the scholarships were awarded by colleges and universities that the seniors plan to attend, many awards came from local organizations whose generous assistance each year help to finance the post-high school endeavors of many RHS graduates.  “Our students are very lucky to have the support of such an amazing community,” said Amy McKenna, High School & Beyond program coordinator.

Highlighted below are the local scholarships awarded to graduates in Ridgefield High School’s Class of 2021.  Congratulations!

Ridgefield Boosters Scholarship

Breanne Freshour

Levi Hipple

Tegan Petersen

Nick Radosevich

Ridgefield Chamber of Commerce Scholarship

Gabriel Berkey

Ridgefield Lions Club Scholarship

Mackenzie Dewey (Super Senior Award)

Levi Hipple (Super Senior Award)

Tegan Petersen (Super Senior Award)

Noah Altman

Sydney Anderson

Breanne Freshour (Don Fergen Vocational Award)

Megan Masters (Starfish Award)

Levi Hipple (Robert Hyatt Spudder Spirit Award)

Ridgefield School District #122 Mary Christian Jones Trust Fund

Levi Hipple

Ben Poppert

Ridgefield Education Association Scholarship

Kohana Fukuchi

Jaynie Murray

Matthew Romero

Megan Whetsell

Ridgefield Public Schools Foundation/Price Foundation Scholarship

Breanne Freshour

The High School & Beyond Plan, which is required for graduation, provides guidance and technical assistance to students and their families throughout high school with extensive focus in the senior year.  With assistance from counselors, students formulate plans that help ensure success after high school.

June 18, 2021

Dear Ridgefield Families,

The end of the school year is always an exciting time.  While the summer break provides students and staff with a lot to look forward to, it’s also the perfect time to take a moment to reflect on the school year.  We’ve been through a lot this year, and I am so grateful and appreciative of the Ridgefield community for coming together in countless ways to support our students and our schools.  Thank you all for helping to demonstrate what it means to be #RidgefieldResilient.

While the school year may be over, that doesn’t mean that our schools are done offering services and learning opportunities to the community.  In addition to our new Summer Learning Academy, there are many enrichment and learning offerings available from our Community Education department this summer.  There is an Adventure Day Camp featuring various exciting weekly themes, QuickStart sports including baseball, basketball, soccer, flag football, and so much more.  If you are interested in these opportunities, I encourage you to act quickly, as space is limited and activities often fill up fast.  To see the full list of available offerings, be sure to visit our Community Education website, or if you’re ready to register for an open class or join a waitlist, visit ridge.revtrak.net/ and click on “Community Education” to get started.

Our Nutrition Services staff will also be providing free meals to any child up to age 18 through the Summer Meals program. Each Monday through Friday from 12:15 to 1 p.m., children or their guardians can get a free Grab-N-Go breakfast and lunch at the Sunset/View Ridge bus drop-off loop at 3215 S. Hillhurst Road. The Summer Meals program starts on Monday, June 21, and lasts until Friday, Aug. 20.  Note that there is no meal service available on Monday, July 5, due to the 4th of July holiday.  Five-day meal packages are also available for pickup each Monday. These meal packages must be ordered in advance and submitted no later than 8 a.m. each Monday using the Meal Package Order Form here.  If you have any questions about the Summer Meals program, please contact Director of Dining Services Mike Lee at (360) 619-1360 or via email at mike.lee@ridgefieldsd.org.

Lastly, the Ridgefield Family Resource Center, or RFRC, is open this summer to support Ridgefield families.  As always, families can also access the resource center’s food pantry and personal hygiene items.  During the spring and summer months, the RFRC will also have an abundance of food to share from the Green Bag Project and other donors, along with some great produce from our local Gleaners Group.  If you need additional resources, please call (360) 619-1412 or email christine.poppert@ridgefieldsd.org to make an appointment.

Thank you for your continued support of our schools. Stay well, have an amazing summer, and remain #RidgefieldResilient.

Sincerely,

Dr. Nathan McCann, Superintendent

When you hear, “let’s read a story!” you might picture snuggling up in a big chair or lying on the carpet with a good book. But at Ridgefield’s South Ridge and Union Ridge elementary schools, students are getting active while reading thanks to StoryWalk. With StoryWalk, a path is lined with laminated pages from a book, so the story unfolds as you walk and read. It’s a fun outdoor activity for library classes at Ridgefield’s elementary schools.

Union Ridge Elementary School librarian Jubilee Roth first heard of the idea from a group of librarians that shares innovative ideas and lessons. As soon as she heard about StoryWalk, she knew it was a good fit for Ridgefield schools. “One of the librarians posted how fun and memorable StoryWalk was for their students,” Roth said. “Since we couldn’t do my annual Book Exchange this year, I really wanted to make the end of the year special.”

Roth bought copies of the book “Chester” by Melanie Watt. Then she disassembled and laminated the pages and set each page on a stake in the ground. Her students were excited about the “new” way to read. The walk took almost twenty minutes to read the book from start to finish. “The kids were loving it—even in the rain!” Roth laughed. “And ‘Chester’ has a surprisingly funny ending, which was exciting on a StoryWalk.”

South Ridge Elementary School librarian Emily Crawford loved the idea too. She used the book “Baghead” by Jarrett Kroscoczka to create their StoryWalk. But instead of going right to the walk, Crawford showed her students a paper bag with eyes, nose, and mouth holes, and asked, “Why would someone wear a bag on their head?” They had many creative answers. Then she told the students to watch for the surprise ending on their StoryWalk, where they learned why the main character wears a bag on his head.

After the walk, students completed a writing exercise where they either wrote an alternate ending of “Baghead” or continued the story by telling what happened next. “The students were very eager to share their versions of the story, which were all very funny and creative,” Crawford said. “Some of them even asked if we are going to do StoryWalks again next year so they could write the stories themselves.”

Inspiring young readers and writers is a welcome result of the StoryWalk activity.  “I told students this was just another way of reading,” Crawford said. “And reading can take on many different forms.”

StoryWalks were originally developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library and have been installed in locations around the world. The StoryWalks here in Ridgefield were a great success, and Roth is already thinking ahead. “I think this may be the start to a new tradition!”

Ridgefield School District’s Food Services will continue to offer free Grab-N-Go student meals through the summer to all children ages 1-18.

From Monday, June 21 through Friday, August 20, children or their guardian can pick up a nutritious lunch and sack breakfast Monday-Friday from 12:15 – 1:00 pm at the Sunset/View Ridge bus drop off loop at 3215 S. Hillhurst Road.  (Please note that no meal service will be available on Monday July 5 due to the 4^th of July holiday).

Five-day meal packages will also be available for pickup on Mondays.  The meals must be ordered in advance each week and submitted online by 8:00 am each Monday using the Summer Weekly Meal Package Request Form.  A link to the form is also available on the district website’s Food Services page at https://www.ridgefieldsd.org/o/district/page/food-services–27.