RIDGECREST ROAR Dec 5, 2021
Good evening Ridgecrest families,
Snow is in the forecast: It looks as though we may have a wet end to our week. The students go outside for recess unless it is raining or snowing hard. Please send them with shoes and outerwear that will keep them warm and dry. Please make sure all clothing, boots, etc. are marked with a name.
Champions Day Care Program: We are pleased to announce that Champions, an after school daycare program, will be using Ridgecrest as a host site in January. Please read the attached letter for more information. Ridgecrest – Champions Introductory Principal Letter (002).docx
Winter Weather 101: Canyons District’s Emergency Closure Guidelines As Utah’s winter season approaches, here’s a reminder of Canyons District’s procedures and guidelines regarding snow closures and delays.
First and foremost, it’s important to know that Canyons District will make every effort to keep schools open and operating as usual. Snow storms can wreak havoc with morning commutes, but weather-related school closures and delays are rare.
In the event, however, the weather is so extreme that road conditions become unsafe, the District will either implement a late start, giving snow plows time to clear the roads, or close schools and pivot to a remote-learning day.
Moving to remote learning, instead of dismissing classes, keeps students, parents and employees safe while maintaining the continuity of instruction and alleviating the need for families to adjust their schedules to accommodate make-up days, which can disrupt holidays and summer plans. Plus, students who complete their studies will still be able to enjoy some “snow day” fun with friends, said School Performance Director Alice Peck. “It will be a blizzard of learning with plenty of time for sledding, snow balls, and hot chocolate.”
Pilot tested last year during a heavy storm on Feb. 17, 2021, the remote-learning approach proved to be an effective way to keep students on track with their learning. Student attendance that day — as measured by students logging on to CSD’s online learning platform, contacting their teachers, or completing required classwork — improved or remained the same at 35 CSD schools. Make-up days, on the other hand, have had historically poor student attendance with absence rates as high as 30 to 50 percent.
How will Canyons decide if conditions call for pivoting to remote instruction, and how will families be notified?
How we decide: School closures are announced when authorized by the Canyons Superintendent of Schools or his designee after consulting with senior staff members and the Transportation Department, which has drivers out on inclement days as early as 4 a.m. to survey road conditions. The National Weather Service and other state, county and city agencies also may be consulted.
How we will notify families: Canyons District will notify families and employees of emergency remote-learning days as early as possible through our Skyward notification system. We also will employ our websites and Facebook and Twitter (@canyonsdistrict) accounts. Parents and employees also should tune into Wasatch Front radio and television stations for information.
Please note that closures are for one day only. No announcement means schools will be open and operating as usual.
How can students and parents prepare for emergency remote-learning days?
- If inclement weather is in the forecast, teachers will work with students to make sure they have the materials and assignments they need to learn from home.
- Elementary students will work independently with a parent or guardian to complete the assignments and learning expectations communicated by their teacher using instructional packets or by logging in to CSD’s Canvas learning portal.
- Middle and high school students will log in to the Canvas dashboard for each of their classes and work their way through their regular course schedules.
- Teachers will be available on remote-learning days via email and connect with students through Canvas and Zoom or Google Meet.
- Extracurricular activities — sporting events and practices, afterschool tutoring and theatrical rehearsals and performances — will be canceled unless road conditions improve enough to be able to safely hold the activity.
- We understand inclement weather can cause power and Internet outages. If you lose power or WiFi access at home, contact your teacher or school to report the outage and continue to work on previously assigned learning activities.
- It’s important, each year, for families to log in to Skyward Family Access to update their contact information and settings. New this year: Parents can sign up to receive text messages in addition to emails and phone calls. For help updating Skyward settings, please call 801-826-5544.
PTA News:
A General PTA Membership meeting is this Friday, December 10th at 8:45am in the media center. We will be electing our nominating committee. Members of the nominating committee may not serve on the PTA board for the upcoming year, but they receive nominations and recruit people to fill the positions for the 2022-2023 Ridgecrest Elementary PTA board. If you have any questions or are interested in being on the nominating committee or joining the board for next school year, please reach out to Carrie Christensen at ridgecrest1pta@gmail.com or 708-308-8283. Thank you!
Zupa’s community night is coming next week on Tuesday, 12/14. Flyer and details will be coming.
DATES FOR YOUR CALENDAR:
December
10 PTA General Membership Meeting 8:45 AM Media Center
13 PTA Board meeting 12:00 PM in the conference room
14 Zupa’s Community Night
17 Holiday Parties
20-Jan 2 Winter Break
January
3rd – Acadience Testing grades K-2
7th – Virtual Learning Day – No In-Person School
10th – Acadience Testing grades 3-5
14th – Teacher Grading Day – No school for students
17th- No school – MLK Jr. Day
Have a wonderful week!
-Julie -Sara
Julie Winfree, Principal Sara Allen, Assistant Principal
801-826-9250 school 801-826-9250 school
Julia.winfree@canyonsdistrict.org Sara.Allen@canyonsdistrict.org
