Dear Ridgecrest Families:

It is hard to believe this will be our final newsletter for the 2017-18 school year!  We have had a tremendous school year and have so much to celebrate!  Our students have grown tremendously, and we are so very proud of them! 

We are already preparing for the 2018-19 school year. It is always difficult to say good-bye to those who will be leaving our team to pursue other opportunities.  This year the following staff will be leaving Ridgecrest: Autumn McCartan (counselor), Yolanda Sommers (RN), Alisha Balzaretti (Kindergarten), Stacy Tuttle (Kindergarten), Katie Holdener (1^st Grade), Sora Kim (1^st Grade), Karen Dahl (3^rd Grade), Vicky Hopp (Support Center), Stephanie Morton (PE), Hannah Davidson (Music), and Lori Tierney (Psychologist). 

We are excited to announce some new additions to our staff beginning in the fall:

· Mr. John Huson will be our assistant principal next year.  He will be half-time here at Ridgecrest and half-time at Wildwood.  John comes to us from Hunt Elementary.

· Mrs. Danetta Nelson will be returning to Ridgecrest as our counselor. Danetta is coming to us from Sunrise.

· Miss Katherine Enyeart will be replacing Vicky Hopp in our Support Center.  Katherine comes to us from Brouillet Elementary

· Mrs. Mariah Neighbors will be joining our kindergarten team.  Mariah comes to us from Carson Elementary.

· Mrs. Michelle Foss will also be joining our kindergarten team.  Michelle has been serving as a long-term substitute for Mrs. Kim this year. 

· Mrs. Lizanne Herrera will be one of our third-grade teachers.  Lizzy is also returning to Ridgecrest and comes to us from Pope and Woodland.

· Mrs. Lauri Cotton will be one of our fourth-grade teachers.  Lauri is returning to Ridgecrest and most recently comes to us from Carson Elementary.

· Mr. Jeff Oden will be also joining the fourth-grade team.  Jeff is coming to us from Zeiger Elementary.

· Mrs. Tristen McNabb and Ms. Tami Anderson will be our intermediate PE teachers.

Here’s how next year’s teams are shaping up:

Emails will be sent home to families notifying you of class placement the evening of August 28^th.  This information will also be updated in Schoology.  Our Back to School Night will be August 30^th from 4-6 pm.  Students will be able to meet their teachers and bring in their school supplies.  Parents of kindergarten students will be able to schedule time to bring their student in during the first three days of school for kindergarten assessment on Back-to-School Night.  The first day of school for grades 1-6 will be September 5; the first day of kindergarten will be September 10.

It has been my honor to serve as principal here at Ridgecrest this year. I am looking forward to kicking off the 2018-19 school year with you in the fall.  I will be working most of June and July, so don’t hesitate to reach out to me by email. Have a terrific summer!

In service,

Michelle Fox

Principal