2015-16_sept and oct newsletter

Volume 4, Issue 2
October 2015 (FALL ISSUE)
Ridgewood High School
RAM PRIDE News
Website: rhs.pasco.k12.fl.us ~ Follow us on Twitter: @RHS_Principal & @Ridgewood_Rams A Message from the Principal… SAVE THE DATES
Angie Murphy
• October 12-23 – FCAT, EOC, FSA
Retakes
Thank you to all of our families for helping RHS have such a strong start to
the year! We are very impressed with the motivation and initiative the
students are showing in regards to goal setting, academic endeavors,
behavior, and school spirit. We are pleased to announce that we have been
awarded the Five Star School, Golden and Silver School Award for the third
year in a row. This recognition came from the Florida Department of
Education for exemplary community support, volunteer programs and
services.
As we continue to move into fall, standardized tests are beginning to help
students and teachers gauge their strengths and areas in need of
improvement. The PSAT will be offered on 10/28/15 and is a preliminary look
at the SAT for our entire 10th grade. We will also be administering FCAT
Reading Retakes, EOC Retakes, and FSA Retakes in October as well as all
students will be taking quarterly benchmark assessments. These
assessments are crucial to assist us with data to determine how to best
support our goal of ensuring all of our students are college, career, and life
ready.
We are also excited to celebrate Homecoming Week, October 19-23 with
our theme, Passport Around the World! We will be taking a trip around the
world with the culmination of our dance on Friday, Oct. 23. Please make
sure to review the dress up day dress code, dance dress code and behavior
agreement to ensure that everyone will have a fun and spirited week!
Please remember to check our Facebook page, school website, and follow
us on Twitter @ Ridgewood_Rams for the latest information.
• October 12 – Underclassmen Make
Up Pictures
• October 19-23 – Homecoming
Week
• October 23 – Homecoming Dance
• October 23 – Last Day of 1st
Quarter
• October 26 – No School for
Students
• October 26-30 – Red Ribbon Week
• November 2 – Report Cards
CALENDARS
For m or e events infor ma tion,
visit http: //r hs .pasco.k1 2.fl .us
and cl ick on t he following
cal endars
•
•
Testing Preparation and Information
Calendars for Activities, Sports, and
Fundraising
Calling All Volunteers
If you are interested in being a school
volunteer, please complete the on-line
application at
http: //www. pasc o. k1 2.fl .us /com
munication/volunt eer /. We are in
need of volunteers! If your student
has completed community service
hours, please make sure that they
complete and submit the required
information to the volunteer
coordinator Donna Leonard.
RAM P.R.I.D.E.
R AM Athletics August/Sept. Teachers
Fall Sports U pdate
& SRP of the Month
As we have come upon our halfway point of the fall sports
Grade 9: Gina Hlista, English
Grade 10: JD Baker, Medical
Grade 11: Kristen Martanovic, AVID
Grade 12: Jennifer Dusek, Band/Chorus
schedules we would like to congratulate our athletes and
coaches on all their hard work as well as representing
Ridgewood in a positive light. We wish them the best of
luck as they wrap up the second half of their schedules and
start districts!
SRP of the Month:
Elicia Nystrom, Front Desk & Attendance
Congratulations to the Lady Ram Volleyball Team who won
the Fivay Tournament!
RAM P.R.I.D.E.
Students of the Month
Winter T ry Outs
Any student interested in playing a winter sport must have
a valid physical and the proper paperwork turned in to their
coach before they will be allowed to tryout. In addition, any
student who has transferred to Ridgewood and is not a ninth
grader or here by school choice must complete the transfer
paperwork and attend the district transfer hearing before
they will be able to participate in a game. Please contact
our Athletic Director, Derek Delgardo, at
ddelgard@pasco.k12.fl.us, if you have any questions.
In September, we kicked off our Ridgewood Student of the Month
Program. The faculty nominated these individuals to be
recognized for the month of September.
Riane Heyen 9th
Hasan Slivijic 10th
Kyle Blakely 11th
Jordan Skerret 12th
Girls’ Soccer: Oct. 5, Boys’ Soccer: Oct. 12
Girls’ Basketball: Oct. 19, Boys’ Basketball: Oct. 26
Wrestling: Nov. 9, Girl’s Weightlifting: Oct. 19
Athletic Passes
Ridgewood High School is offering the opportunity
to purchase Athletic Passes for students and
families to make it more affordable to attend athletic
events.
Winter Coaching Staff
Varsity Boys’ Basketball: Derek Delgardo
JV Boys’ Basketball: Mel Brockett
Varsity Girls’ Basketball: Jason Jones
JV Girls’ Basketball: TBD
Girls’ Soccer: Michael Morrow
Boys’ Soccer: Stacey Fisher
Girls’ Weightlifting: JD Baker
Wrestling: Chris Palasky
Family Pass (admission for everyone in the
immediate family up to 5 people for all home sports games
excluding playoffs and district competitions) $100
Individual Adult Pass (admission for an
individual for all home sports games excluding playoffs and
district competitions) $50
Ram Rowdies Student Pass
Includes a
t-shirt (admission for an individual for all home sports games
excluding Homecoming Varsity Football game, playoffs, and
district competitions) $40
Administration reserves the right to revoke any pass if an
individual is ejected from a contest or for violating the District
School Board of Pasco County rules for proper sportsmanship
for spectators. No refunds will be issued if your pass is
revoked by Administration.
Purchase your
Athletic Passes…
Purchase your athletic passes from
Athletic Director, Coach Delgardo or
Mrs. Tezber, Athletic Secretary in the
front office or at the gates.
RAM Policy & Procedure Updates
FSA, FCAT, EO C, College
Prep
Students grades 9-10 will take the Florida Standards Assessments
(FSA) in English Language Arts & Writing in March and April. FSA ELA
Grade 10 retakes for the class of 2017 will be in April.
Resources for the End Of Course Exams can be found at the following
website: http://www.pasco.k12.fl.us/cis/eoc_resources/
Algebra 1 Practice: www.algebranation.com
Students in the Class of 2016 must pass the FCAT 2.0 Reading as a
graduation requirement. FCAT Reading Retakes will be offered in
10/12-10/23 and 3/27-4/9.
Testing Dates & Deadlines
Information about registration for important tests is available at the
following websites. Our school testing is #101224.
ACT- http://actstudent.org
SAT- http://www.collegeboard.com
All 10th grade students will take the PSAT on 10/28 as well as AVID 9th
& 11th graders. RHS is paying for any interested 9 th & 11th grader to take
this college readiness assessment. Please sign up with Ms. Iannone in
the front office.
Look forward to upcoming SAT/ACT review courses to be offered on
campus to help prepare our students for success on these tests!
Plan for Your Future
Fall is the time for area colleges and universities to visit our juniors and
seniors may sign up for these visits with Mr. Kelly in RM 105. The
upcoming visits will be communicated to our students through the
scholarship newsletter and the RHS Website.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
The Ridgewood High School faculty knows that parental
involvement is the number one indicator of students’ success in
school. To ensure a successful parent/teacher conference, RHS
asks that the following procedures be followed. Before
scheduling a parent/teacher conference, please contact and
discuss the issue or concern directly with the teacher by email or
telephone. If after this discussion, a face-to-face conference still
needs to occur, contact secretary Mrs. Olen at (727) 774-3935.
All conferences will be held before school from 7:40AM to
8:20AM.
Sign Up for eSembler!
eSembler is a great tool for parents and students to keep track
of attendance, grades, and assignments. In order for that tool to
work properly, parents and students must create an account
every year.
https://grades.pasco.k12.fl.us
Attendance
The attendance policy states that students who have any
of the following conditions, excluding documented medical
and legal excuses, approved school related activities or
absences obtained with prior administrative approval, will
lose the privilege of participating in extracurricular
activities, sports, dances, field trips and the ability to park
on campus until the end of the following grading
period/quarter:
• Five or more unexcused absences or absences for which
the reasons are unknown in any one course within a
calendar month or • Ten or more unexcused absences or
absences for which the reasons are unknown within one
semester**
In addition, 15 unexcused absences in a 90-day period will
result in the school reporting non-attendance to the
Department of Motor Vehicles. This may result in the loss
of a driver’s license or the ability to receive a license.
Reporting an Absence
To receive an excused absence, parent or guardian must
go to the RHS website at rhs.pasco.k12.fl.us to submit an
excused absence form within 72 hours (3 school days) of
the absence (preferred method). As a second option, if you
are unable to complete the approved absence form online,
please send a written note directly to Elicia Nystrom,
Attendance Secretary. Ms. Nystrom’s office is located in
the front office.
Student ID Badges
All students must wear their school-issued ID Badges at all
time in the hallways and commons areas. If students are
non-compliant, this will be viewed as a dress code violation
and their privileges will be limited.
Out of Field Assignments
Individuals who are teaching out-of-field are certified in at
least one area and are qualified to teach but are required to
take additional course work or testing to add a
coverage/endorsement to their certificate. The state also
requires a teacher to take coursework/in-service towards
an English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
endorsement, when the teacher is the primary language
arts provider and/or reading teacher for an ESOL student.
The following teachers have agreed to teach out-of-field
while completing course work/testing: Sean Gallegos
(Technology Education), Chad Krupyak (ESOL), Diana
Krupyak (ESOL), Gina Hlista (ESOL), Leah Mendenhall
(ESOL), Teri Broadbelt (ESE/ESOL), Nick Krouskos (ESE).
RAMS Around Campus
Buy your yearbook, senior & business ads!
On-campus 2016 Rampage Yearbook sale until December 1 - $65 only! Price goes up to $70. Yearbooks are available for sale during
all lunches, as well as in Room 104. See Mrs. Byrd with any questions. Yearbooks are also available for purchase online at
www.yearbookforever.com and on the RHS website. Commemorate your child’s senior year by purchasing a senior advertisement in the
2016 Rampage Yearbook! Senior ad forms are coming to your mailboxes soon and can also be picked up in the front office and in Room
104. Own a business? Want to advertise? Get exposure for your business and help support your community high school by advertising
in The Rampage Yearbook. Contact Ms. Byrd to get more information on ad sizes and prices at mailto:sgill@pasco.k12.fl.us.
Cla ss of 2016 Senior Pictures
Final on campus senior pictures from Lifetouch will be taken from 3PM-8PM in the Media Center on October 12. This is first
come, first serve as no appointment is necessary.
Cla ss of 2016 Senior Fees
Senior Fees for the Class of 2016 will begin at $70. This fee includes payment for the diploma, diploma cover, senior activities,
cap and gown each student will wear during the June Commencement Ceremony. The fee will continue to increase each month
through December. All fees must be paid by December 31, 2015. Cash or checks made payable to Ridgewood High School can
be turned in to Mrs. Wegenaar in the bookkeeper’s office throughout the school year. You may also pay by credit card on the
RHS website.
Homecoming 2015 – October 19-23
Dress Up Day Dress Code: Students should follow the school dress code when dressing up for Homecoming Week. However,
students may wear a hat that goes with the costume, may paint their face, skirts/shorts that are shorter than 4 inches above the
knee with leggings. Students should not wear sexually explicit costumes or clothing that are offensive, derogatory, or identify
students with gangs, antisocial groups, advertise tobacco, alcohol, or drugs. The principal or designee reserves the right to
determine appropriateness of any student dress.
Homecoming Packages go on sale 10/9-10/16 for $35 and 10/19-10/23 for $40 on sale in the
front office, at lunch, and online (by credit card)
What you get: Entry into Powder Puff ($3/$5 if play), Clash of Classes $1, all lunch activities, football game ($5), Homecoming
Dance ($20), t-shirt ($10)!
For Dress Code Information, Behavior Expectations, and Non-RHS Guest Request, please visit the links on our
website: Homecoming-permission-2015 (all students must complete when purchasing tickets); Homecoming GuestAgreement (Non-RHS Guest Form) – Due no the front office no later than 3PM on Thursday, October 22 (no exceptions).
MyFoxPrep Pep Rally
Vote 10/16-10/20 at http://www.fox13news.com/sports/prep so that we
get the Pep Rally for Homecoming!
Show Your RAM Pride,
Get
CONNECTED!
https://www.facebook.com/
`
pages/Ridgewood-HighSchool/368699559924667
@Ridgewood_Rams
@RHS_Principal
RHS Website:
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and check the Ridgewood homepage
regularly to experience the EXCELLENCE happening every day!!!