August 4, 2020
Ridgecrest Raider Families,
(A video of this message can be viewed at https://youtu.be/kQHwlLCMdMU.)
On behalf of our entire Ridgecrest Crew, I want to say “hello” and extend our hand of solidarity and support during the continued school closure. After viewing the results of the PSD survey, it was clearly evident that the majority of our families desired their students to be face-to-face with teachers this fall. This was also true of our staff and crew members. We were all looking forward to seeing your smiling faces in September. Unfortunately, that day will need to be delayed a bit longer. We must consider the health and safety of our students and staff based on current guidance from our state and public health officials—for now, we will begin school in a full-time Continuous (Distance) Learning model.
Your students have been assigned to a classroom teacher and you will be notified of that placement the through an email sent out on August 26. After that, your child’s teacher will be reaching out to you with details about launching the school year. Our school office will open Friday, August 21 from 9:00 am-3:00 pm. If you were not able to pick up your child’s yearbook or photos, you can stop in to do that when the offices open.
Each K-12 student in our district will receive a laptop prior to the start of school. We are still working out a lot of details around school opening. Look forward to more communication about student device distribution and our Back-to-School Event scheduled for Tuesday, September 2nd.
Many of our families have expressed a desire to purchase spirit gear prior to the start of school. In response to this, we have opened an online store with Winning Seasons. Currently, we are only providing the “Stronger Together” gear in gray or black. “Stronger Together” facemasks are also available for purchase in black. Traditional Raider gear may be available later in the year. We felt the “Stronger Together” theme would help show our solidarity and support during these challenging times. The online store will only be open until August 13 so that orders will be available by the start of school. Feel free to send the link to anyone you feel would like to purchase the attire and facemasks. Anyone purchasing the attire will have to come to the school to pick it up in early September. Here is the link: https://winningseasons.net/team-sales/ridgecrest/.
The district has set up a place where you can go and get the latest updates on school reopening: https://www.puyallup.k12.wa.us/district/reopening_schools/latest_updates.
If you have not registered your child yet, you can do that online at: https://www.puyallup.k12.wa.us/news/what_s_new/new_student_registration
Also, if you are in need of any practical assistance during this time, you can go to: https://www.puyallup.k12.wa.us/news/what_s_new/c_o_v_i_d-19_community_resources
For more information about Right at School childcare: https://rightatschool.com/
Finally, to be updated on the latest announcements regarding school reopening, please visit the district website at https://www.puyallup.k12.wa.us/district/reopening_schools.
School supply lists were provided on the Ridgecrest PTA page; however, we ask families to refrain from making a lot of unnecessary purchases. Teachers will be reaching out with a list of items your child will need for remote learning at the end of the month. If your child is in need of school supplies, please reach out to our counselor, Danetta Nelson, at nelsondk@puyallup.k12.wa.us. We have a lot of donated supplies who need to find homes! Just let her know what you need!
Finally, on behalf of myself and the whole Raider Crew, we want you to know we care deeply about you and your family. We are here to support you fully, not only during this school closure, but throughout the entire year. We pledge to give your child our very best to ensure they continue to grow and thrive this school year.
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RidgecrestElem. Please don’t hesitate to reply to this school messenger and I will return your message as soon as I can. Take care. Stay healthy. And give your Raider a big hug, high-five, or fist-bump from us!
In service,
Michelle
Michelle Fox, Ridgecrest Principal, Ed.D.