Families,
Wow, we had a busy week! Our 6th and 7th graders started the week with learning about registration for next school year. Our 8th graders learned a bit more about upcoming career field trips we are having as well as their high school registration. More information in a separate message to 8th grade families will be coming. Then we ended the week with a Pep Assembly and a huge, all school, rock, paper, scissors game! Our ASB students did an amazing job with coordinating this game and did a great job leading our students at the assembly.
Next week, we turn the page and focus on spring conferences. Please note that there is no school on Thursday and Friday. See below for more info on conferences.
Lastly, we start our last season of sports next week as well. So many great things are going on!
Have a great weekend and we hope to see many of you at conferences next week!
Shaun Takenouchi |
- 3/18: Conferences (4 - 7:30pm)
- 3/19: Conferences (7am - 3pm)
- 3/19 - 3/20: Non Student Days
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Each week we will feature staff members at Ridgetop so that families get to know OUR Raider family better. |
What is your role at Ridgetop? - I am Ridgetop’s Student Support Monitor. I work in the Reset Room, a supportive space for students who need a break from the classroom setting. In the Reset Room, we discuss challenges, work on strategies to overcome obstacles, and practice making positive choices, all with the goal of helping students build the skills and habits they need to succeed and feel confident in the learning environment.
What is your favorite TV show/movie and why? - My favorite TV show is Lost. I love how it portrayed complicated yet ordinary characters, each with their own backgrounds, struggles, and strengths, without ever depicting any as inherently good or bad. The series showed how our circumstances shape who we become while reminding us that we are not bound by them. It touched on universal themes such as community, identity, and belief, ultimately exploring what it means to be human.
Do you have a favorite childhood memory? - Some of my favorite childhood memories are family gatherings at my grandmother’s house and our neighborhood summer barbecues!
What was your favorite subject when you were a student? - My favorite subject as a student was science. I loved any class that ended in “-ology!”
Tell us how you either LEARN, LEAD, or GROW in your life, in your personal life or as an educator. - Whether it’s unpacking puzzling situations, exploring fun new subjects, or reflecting on my own mistakes, I am dedicated to being a lifelong learner. Everything from discovery and development to entertainment and adventure can be found if you begin with a little curiosity! |
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What is your role at Ridgetop? - I am lucky enough to be a paraeducator at Ridgetop where my grandson is an eighth grader. The photo is of him and me at Roof off the Ridge last year💕
What is your favorite TV show/movie and why? - I can't say that I have a favorite, but one TV series I enjoyed was Big LIttle Lies which was based on the novel by the same name by one of my favorite authors, Liane Moriarty.
Do you have a favorite childhood memory? - Many, but one of my favorites is making homemade ice cream on hot summer days under the shade trees at my grandparents' farm in rural Indiana. In fact, I loved everything about the farm including fishing in the pond, picking fruit in the orchards, feeding the pigs, jam sandwiches, and the fireflies at night!
What was your favorite subject when you were a student? - Definitely a toss-up between History and Geography. I believe they both contributed to my love of travel, especially to Spain, where my daughter and her family live.
Tell us how you either LEARN, LEAD, or GROW in your life, in your personal life or as an educator. - I grow by having an open mind. |
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We will be holding Spring Conferences on March 18th from 4 - 7:30pm and March 19th from 7am - 3pm.
On March 18th, we will continue our traditional arena style conferences where teachers will be located in the cafeteria and upper gym. You will be able to go around and meet with teachers for brief conversations about your student's progress.
On March 19th, we are going to try something a little different for us. We will be doing scheduled conferences. This is where you will be able to schedule a 10 min conference with your student's teachers and the conference will be in their classroom. This is similar to what families do in the elementary school. If you are wanting to schedule conferences for this date, please use the link below. We are utilizing a program called PTCFast for signups. Below is a quick intro video on how to sign up for scheduled conferences. |
Spring Conferences are coming up on March 19, and our PTSA is organizing a staff lunch to support all of our Raider staff during a long day of conferences. The taco bar is covered, but we still need several donations of sides, drinks, and desserts to make the meal complete.
If you’re able to help, please sign up here: tinyurl.com/springconferences26. Thank you for helping us show appreciation to the staff who support our students every day.
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Kona Ice will be here during lunches on Tuesday, March 24 and Wednesday, March 25. Preorders are now live! Students may also pay at the truck. If you have any questions, please contact the ASB Bookkeeper, Kenzee Lauth, via email KenzeeL@ckschools.org or phone 360-662-2900 ext. 2923. |
Our Spring athletic season begins on Monday, March 16. Spring Sports Interest Meetings for students will take place on Wednesday, March 11 during Advocacy. Our Spring Season includes:
🏃🏃🏾♀️🏃🏼♂️Cross Country / XC (Non-Cut Sport) - Open to all students
- Practices start March 16
🏈 Football (Non-Cut Sport) - Open to all 7th and 8th grade students (not 6th graders)
- Practices start March 16
🏐 Volleyball (Cut Sport) - Open to all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls
- Tryouts start March 16
Registration & Clearance on Final Forms Is Required Before Participation: Students must be registered and cleared in Final Forms before trying out or practicing. According to WIAA and CKSD rules, this includes students having a current physical that is valid throughout the entire season and physicals being less than two years old. Physicals should be uploaded to Final Forms or dropped off at the school front office.
Spring Sport Interest Meetings this Week! Our three spring sports will be hosting interest meetings this Wednesday, March 11. Cross Country: Coach Steffen will be here during all three lunches on Wednesday to answer any questions athletes may have. Football: Coach Kahler will host an interest meeting in the cafeteria during advocacy on Wednesday. Volleyball: Coach Gina will host an interest meeting in the lower gym during advocacy on Wednesday. |
**Olympic College is hosting the event below.
We are excited to bring this free event to life again this year and hope your 5th-8th grade students can join us on Saturday, March 21st. Registration is available at this link and closes the evening on March 15th. There is a flyer attached that you can print, post, and share! We have a concurrent parent/guardian workshop this year: Strength Based Parenting and Future Planning Description: This 3-hour interactive workshop helps parents and caregivers feel confident supporting their youth’s future planning — whether that path includes college, trades, workforce, or other post-secondary options. Participants will complete a Strength-Based Parenting assessment (book included), starting with their own strengths, then learn how to recognize and grow their child’s strengths to build hope and resilience. Together, we’ll explore how to plan with your child instead of for them, approaching next steps as a human journey shaped by identity, curiosity, and growth. You’ll leave with practical tools to encourage motivation, direction, and confidence at home.
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With the increase in our student population and through parent feedback, we have been working on our morning drop off procedure to help with the safety of our students and families. There are a couple of things that we are seeing that we would like to fix.
- Dropping off on Hillsboro Dr.: We have a decent amount of families that are stopping on Hillsboro Dr and dropping off their students. While we understand that this can be convenient, it is definitely not safe. Hillsboro Dr is not a drop off area and we have to stop using this as such. Please either use our parking lot or Silver Ridge Elementary as places to drop your students off for school in the morning.
- Dropping off in the Parking Lot: The easiest way for me to explain this process was to create this video for families to see. Please take a minute to watch this to help with our parking lot process for dropping off.
My hope is that by working on both of these things, our drop off process will become better. We are also in the process of looking into crossing guards to help with both of these areas.
Thank you in advance for your help with both of these issues. |
This year, every month we are going to have a specific character focus that we are working on as a school. Each week, we will be focusing on different aspects of being a professional student.
For the month of March, we are focusing on Integrity. We are working on helping students understand what it means to do the right thing, even when it is hard. |
Here is a link to our sporting events for the coming week. |
Ridgetop is in need of adult mentors. All it takes is 1 hour per week to make a difference in a student's life. The goal of the mentoring program is to develop positive relationships between schools and students, parents, and community. All mentors receive training on how to support students with goal setting, and peer relationships.
Mentoring takes place on school property. Mentors may play board games, draw, practice flashcards, read, discuss grades and study habits, or just spend time talking. If this sounds like something you can do, please get in contact with our building coordinator Jeff Kahler@ jeffreyk@ckschools.org. Adult mentors make a huge difference in a youth's life. |
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