Welcome message from Our Principal

On behalf of the students and staff at Ridgewood School, I would like to welcome you to our building website. Below is some information that will give you a better understanding of our school and community.

          Ms. Sheri Coder
          Principal

Ridgewood Mission Statement

At Ridgewood School, students, parents, and staff work in partnership to create a nurturing environment, which promotes the total educational development of each child. This environment is built upon the principles of respect, responsibility, and resourcefulness for ourselves, and for each other.

Adopted October 1995
Re-approved, 1998

Ridgewood Staff Beliefs

About Students, Teaching and Learning:
We believe that each student should be our number one priority. Every student can learn, but not all students can learn the same things, or in the same way or at the same rate. Each child must be respected for his or her unique and individual differences. A classroom should be a place where children are encouraged to take educational risks. We believe that teaching must be exhilarating and approached with enthusiasm.

About School Organization:

We believe effective education occurs when there is balance among parents, students, teacher, administrators, and school board members.

We believe schools should have effective leaders who are knowledgeable about the learning process and active in both the community and school.

About The School’s Relation to the Community:

We believe that parent/teacher communication involves flexible, on-going dialog regarding expectations, strategies, and techniques regarding the child’s education. Our school needs to set an example for society, rather than mirror society. We believe that the school and community should cooperate to share available resources (both physical and human). The school should be an open facility for community and staff use.

About School Climate:

We believe the school climate and environment should be safe, stimulating, nurturing, and harmonious, so that students, teachers, and visitors feel eager and welcome to come to school.

Description of the School

Ridgewood Elementary is a K-4 school whose facilities include 19 classroom spaces (one of which is utilized as a library and computer lab) and a combination gymnasium/lunchroom. In addition, there are four classrooms in two portable, "temporary" units. One Districtwide program, a primary self-contained BD classroom is housed at Ridgewood.

Although enrollment has not increased, we have faced increasing needs for space in recent years. This is due primarily to two factors: 1) Board-supported efforts to maintain low class sizes; and 2) increased numbers of students requiring special program services. Current special programs or staff at Ridgewood include TEC (gifted students), the primary BD program, two special education resource teachers, a speech/language pathologist, two Title I teachers, a kindergarten bilingual class, and TPI/TBE

Ridgewood has maintained a fairly stable enrollment of 372-400 students over the last several years. Although there are no clear treads in the mobility of our student body, there is a fairly constant turnover from year to year as well as during the course of each year. Mobility from 1990-1998 has increased from 17% to over 26% annually. Thus far this school year our enrollment has increased from 370-372. As of mid-March, we had enrolled a total 372 students. This represents a turnover of 22% of our student body.

Other trends in our enrollment include:

• an increase in low income students. In 1994-95, our percentage of low SES students was 21.5%. This year it is 32.6%.

• an increase in our Hispanic enrollment. From 13.3% in 1994-95, Hispanic enrollment has grown to 22.4%.

• Students with limited English proficiency have increased 3.5% during the same time period to a current 9.4% enrollment.

Other Pertinent Information

Looping - This occurs when a teacher keeps his/her students for two years in a row. After the second year, the teacher loops back down to the original grade level to start the loop all over again. Two Hillcrest teachers voluntarily alternate through the loop because they believe it is a way they can better meet the needs of their students. Other teachers have expressed interest in this concept when the appropriate vacancies become available.

School-wide Discipline Plan - The plan incorporates an assignment planner, consequences, and rewards. The key to this program is that it is enforced more consistently throughout the school than what we had been doing previously. Each classroom teacher is still responsible for setting up a plan for his/her classroom, and the school-wide plan should be part of the classroom system.

Volunteer Tutorial Program - In conjunction with volunteers from a local church, Ridgewood has an ongoing tutorial program which takes place within the school day for students needing some extra support. Our elderly community has been invaluable to our school community and we are pleased to see this program grow from year to year.

Character Development - Our students are taught character traits throughout the year, our school pledge is based off of those traits. Each month a new trait is covered, it is our hope to help students make better decisions throughout the normal course of their day by remembering to be responsible, caring, honest, and respectful.

Accomplishments

The following is a partial listing of recent accomplishments and activities at Ridgewood in, or related to, the designated goal areas:

Reading instruction:

• Emphasis on emerging literary learners

• After-school reading program

• Reorganization of the library

• America Reads Tutor Program

• Church Volunteer Tutor Program

• First grade reading replacement program

• Bilingual Classrooms - K- 4th Grade

• Title I Program

• Various Teacher In-services in Reading and instructional strategies

Technology:

• Addition of LCD projector for large screen TV for computer display

• Staff development training for various components of technology

• Breakthrough now used in Kindergarten and 1st grade

• Title I Sunshine Reading program

• MAC Lab housed in the library

Social/Emotional Development:

• Staff development training in ADHD and ADD, Discipline with Dignity

• Social Skills Committee themed curriculum

• Addition of full time Counselor for elementary students

• Implementation of K-4th Grade D.A.R.E. Program

• Use of school planners for all students in all grade levels