RIDGECREST ROAR November 5, 2023
Good evening Ridgecrest families,
Thank you very much for helping to make Halloween an extra special day for our children by lining our parade route and helping every child to feel special in their costume. I love this community tradition!
This past week, we kicked off our school-wide Million Minutes Reading Challenge! This challenge began November 1st and will run through May 17th…or until we meet our school goal of 1 million minutes of reading. To reach our goal, we’re asking every child in the school to read at home for at least 20 minutes, five days a week. Please see more information about this below.
School Information
DLI – Lottery Applications Due 11/21. Ridgecrest has a fantastic Chinese Dual Language program, as many of you know. We take applications for entrance into this program for students who will be in first grade, next school year, during October and November. Please help us to spread the word. The application deadline is quickly approaching. To apply for the lottery, click this link.
Million Minutes Reading Initiative –
Last week, teachers sent home your child’s first monthly reading calendar along with grade-level specific directions. Your child’s monthly reading calendar is due back to your child’s teacher on the first school day of the next month. The November reading calendar is due December 1st, for example. In general, students in grades 1-5 are asked to read independently, while an adult may choose to read aloud to kindergarten students. K-1 teachers will likely be sending home reading materials that students should be able to read independently, and teachers at other grade levels will be teaching students how to self-select books they can read independently. At home reading of online Chinese texts for our DLI students also counts in this challenge.
It can be helpful to develop a consistent family routine for daily at home reading. Some families post the monthly reading log for each child on a family bulletin board or on the refrigerator. It can be helpful to set a timer for 20 minutes and have everyone in the family engage in independent reading at the same time. Before or after dinner, or just before bedtime can be productive times for a consistent at home reading routine. Please help your child total and record their weekly/monthly minutes read on the reading log.
As a school, we’ll be tracking and reporting the monthly total minutes read. Classes and individual students will have opportunities to earn rewards and treats as monthly minute goals are met. As always, thanks so much for your continued support as we read to the Million Minutes goal!
Ridgecrest Veterans Day Assembly- Ridgecrest is proud to honor those in our community who have served in the Armed Forces. We would like to invite students to submit Honor Wall forms for their loved ones that have served (living or deceased), and invite them to join us for a reception and assembly to honor them for their service. The reception will be on November 10th at 8:45 with an assembly to follow at 9:15. Information was sent home las Friday or please see the attached flier and form. Submit your Honor Wall forms for display and RSVPs for the Assembly by Nov 8th.
Lost and Found – We have an extraordinary number of coats and jackets in our lost and found. We have asked students to come find their missing items for the past week. We are extending our donation of lost and found items for one more week in the hope that you or your child will come look through it. We hate donating items we know are needed.
From the PTA:
Hello PTA families! The final spirit wear order went out last week. So, if you placed an order and did not receive it please email me at ridgecrest1pta@gmail.com
Food Drive- Our annual food drive will begin Monday morning, November 6th, and run through Friday the 10th. Our competition this year will be Hamburgers versus Hot Dogs! Children vote by placing their donated food into the corresponding large boxes in the main hallway.
*Please send unopened, non-perishable, non-expired food item donations with your children. All food collected will be donated to families in need within our Ridgecrest and Brighton High School communities.
Community Night- Mark your calendars! Our next community night will be Wednesday, November 15th Tokyo Teriyaki. This is a great night to grab dinner and support our school.
PTA Meeting- The next PTA board meeting will be on Monday November 13th at noon in the library. Anyone is welcome to come to the meeting. We hope to see you there!
Thanks,
Suzy Doom
PTA President
DATES FOR YOUR CALENDAR:
November
5-10 Food Drive
10 Veteran’s Day Assembly
12-17 College and Career Week
13 PTA Meeting
15 Community Night – Tokyo Teriyaki
21 Day of Play
22-24 Thanksgiving Break
-Sara
