Dear Ridgecrest Families:
I hope you all have enjoyed the warm weather and beautiful Pacific Northwest summer. Here at Ridgecrest, we are excited for the start of school. I consider myself fortunate to enter my fourth year as principal at Ridgecrest and I consider you, your student(s), and family as part of our Ridgecrest family. It is by working together and supporting one another that we can help our Raiders grow and experience their full potential, socially, emotionally, academically, and physically.
As we begin the school year, I wanted to update you on important back-to-school information.
School Hours and School Opening Information:
1. School hours have changed! Starting and ending times will be 5 minutes LATER than last year. The warning bell will ring at 8:55 am Tuesday through Thursday and the tardy bell will ring at 9:00 am; breakfast will be served at 8:40 am. On late-arrival Mondays, the warning bell will ring at 9:55 am and the tardy bell will ring at 10:00 am; breakfast will be served at 9:40 am.
2. When will we be notified who my child’s teacher will be? You will be receiving an email notifying you of your child’s teacher on Wednesday, August 28. If you have not received that email by the end of the day on Thursday, you can call the school office on Friday, August 30th at 253-841-8753 to check on your child’s class placement.
3. What school supplies are needed for my student? The school supply list is attached. It is also posted to the Ridgecrest Elementary Facebook page and school website. We encourage all families to like our Facebook page to be updated on events and happenings https://www.facebook.com/RidgecrestElem/. If your family needs help with school supplies, please email our school counselor, Mrs. Danetta Nelson, at NelsonDK@puyallup.k12.wa.us.
4. Back to School Night is Tuesday, September 3rd from 4-6 pm. Parents and guardians will drop off students on the playground where they will be supervised for 20 minutes during the presentation by Dr. Fox and Mr. Huson in the gym. This informative session will provide important updates for all parents. There will be two 25-minute meet and greet sessions in classrooms following the general session. Please see the attached flyer for more information. Please do not drop off students on the playground until 3:50 pm.
5. The first day of school for students in grades 1-6 is Wednesday, September 4 following a regular bell schedule. The warning bell rings at 8:55 am and the tardy bell rings at 9:00 am.
6. All families need to update student enrollment online by going to https://homeaccess.puyallup.k12.wa.us/HomeAccess/Account/LogOn?ReturnUrl=%2fHomeAccess. We ask this is done no later than September 30th. Although we will have a kiosk set up for this during Back to School Night, we encourage you to do this now so that we can update our records.
Safety, Security, and Drop-off/Pick-up Procedures:
7. Parents dropping students off or picking students up from school, we ask that you use the student drop-off and pick-up zone located in the school parking lot. Please refrain from dropping students off or picking students up on Tatoosh and 130th. These locations are potentially dangerous for our students, as we do not have crossing guards here and it is not considered a safe walking path.
8. All visitors must sign into the office and wear a visitor badge, including visits to the playground. This is for the safety of all students and staff. If you are walking your student and dropping off on the playground, we ask that you say good-bye when you reach the playground and have your student go directly to his/her/their line. In addition to being part of school district policy, this allows our students to settle quickly into a strong routine and causes less emotional upset.
9. All visitors must enter through the main entrance at the front of the school and use the doorbell. This year we will be asking ALL volunteers and visitors to state their name, show their ID to the camera, and state the purpose of their visit each time. This will help us ensure a greater level of safety for our students and staff.
10. If you drive your student to school, remember to pull all the way up to the end of the drop-off/pick-up zone. This allows more students to be dropped off at one time, helping to expedite the process. Please do not drop off students before 8:35 am T-F and 9:35 am on Monday, as we will not have any supervision on the playground.
Kindergarten Family Connections Meetings and First Day of School:
11. Kindergarten Assessment will occur September 4-6. If you have a kindergartener, you can sign up for a time to bring your kindergartener for the Family Connection Meeting at our Back-to-School Night. If you cannot attend Back-to-School Night, you can call the office to schedule your child for kindergarten assessment.
12. Kindergarten Playdate is Monday, August 26th from 5 to 6 pm. This will be a great time for your kindergarten student to play with and meet other kindergarteners, meet the Principal, Dr. Fox, Assistant Principal, Mr. Huson; and all three kindergarten teachers, Mrs. Butzner, Mrs. Jeffreys, and Mrs. Hendricks; and enjoy a cool treat.
13. The first day of Kindergarten is Monday, September 9. Mondays are late arrivals, so school will start at 10:00 am that day. Families are welcome to sign in the office and walk their kindergartener to class on the first three days of school, but after September 12, we ask that you use the student drop-off loop or park your car and walk students to the playground gate to say good-bye. This helps with a smooth transition to school and class.
General Information:
14. Before and After-School Childcare is available through Right at School. You can visit their website or stop by their table at our Back-to-School Night. https://www.puyallup.k12.wa.us/departments/childcare_options_for_puyallup_families/
15. Bus assignment and stop information is now available on the Infofinder website http://www.infofinderi.com/ifi/?cid=PSD2PH9DQFZB.
16. Quest busing information is now available. To find out your child’s Quest drop off and pick up times, go to https://www.puyallup.k12.wa.us/UserFiles/Servers/Server_141067/Image/Quest%20Transportation/Quest%20Schedule%202019-2020%20(WEB).pdf.
17. Free or Reduced Lunch Applications are On-line. Your family may qualify for our breakfast program and/or free or reduced lunch. Because we are a Title I school, part of our school funding is based on the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. It only takes a few minutes to apply and find out. To apply, please go to https://secure.ezmealapp.com/ApplicationScreen.aspx.
18. School breakfast and lunch prices and student accounts. You can deposit money in your child’s lunch at EZ Pay account by going to https://www.ezschoolpay.com/Login.aspx. Regular lunch prices are $3.45, breakfast is $2.55, and a carton of milk is $0.65.
19. 5th and 6th grade students wishing to participate in band or orchestra for the first time, please see attached flyer for information about the program.
20. Students enrolling into sixth grade, who are 11 years of age or older, are required by Washington State Law to show proof of a Tdap vaccination. See attached flyer for more information.
21. We welcome and love our volunteers! Teachers will have volunteer sign-ups available during Back-to-School Night. All volunteers need to complete a volunteer application and background check. You can do so by going to https://www.helpcounterweb.com/welcome/apply.php?district=puyallup. Applications need to be renewed every two years.
We are looking forward to an incredible year ahead. We consider you part of our Ridgecrest Crew and family. We are stronger together.
Go Raiders!
Dr. Michelle Fox
Ridgecrest Principal