Ridgefield School District

April 29, 2020\r\n

Dear Ridgefield Families,

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As we see signs of light at the end of the tunnel, I am reminded of the special community we have here in Ridgefield.  Whether through direct communication with families or during our weekly principal meetings, I hear story after story about the great work our teaching staff is doing in challenging conditions.  Similarly, teachers and administrators are sharing success stories of their own, highlighting examples of outstanding student work products.  I am deeply indebted to everyone for their efforts; thank you!   

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Though this has been a difficult time, I remain comforted by the fact that we will all come together again.  That is why we must continue to ensure that our children remain actively engaged in the instruction our teachers are providing throughout these final seven weeks.  This will ensure that our students are well-prepared for the start of the 2020-2021 school year.  

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Last night, the District honored our April employee and students of the month recipients remotely.  While it is not nearly the same as celebrating in person, we treasured the opportunity to celebrate outstanding contributions to our schools.  Please join me in congratulating our employee of the month, Kody Eastham (Maintenance department) and the following students of the month:

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• Meghan Miller (Early Learning Center) \r\n
• Jaden Mitchell (South Ridge) \r\n
• Amelia Meade (Union Ridge) \r\n
• Kylee Clarke-Henderson (Sunset Ridge)\r\n
• Nolan Meek (View Ridge) \r\n
• Zackery Wells (Ridgefield High School)\r\n

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Last week our ThoughtExchange focused on the challenges you are experiencing with the District’s “Continuity of Learning” Plan.  As we have come to expect, participation was phenomenal.  We had 329 participants, 283 unique Thoughts with 4491 ratings.  Attached is the Word Cloud.  Please know that we will be using your feedback to help fine-tune our plan moving forward.

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A couple of pieces of feedback we received that we are taking action on immediately include connectivity and a need for additional instructional devices.  

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The District has received its order of hotspots. Once our tech departments make the appropriate adjustments to them, we will be placing the hotspots throughout the district to assist with connectivity issues experienced by some of our students.

The District will once again distribute Chromebooks, only this time it’s on a check-out (loaner) basis. Parents/Guardians or students over the age of 18 will be required to sign the Ridgefield Chromebook Checkout agreement (click here ). You may use the Chromebook during the entirety of the school closure. You will then return the Chromebook to the district office no later than 4:00 PM on Friday, June 19th, 2020. The distribution will take place at the Ridgefield Administrative & Civic Center (RACC, 510 Pioneer St.) on Friday, May 1st. Distribution will be as follows:\r\n

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9:00 am - 11:00 am                Grades 9-12

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11:00 am - 1:00 pm                Grades 5-8\r\n

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1:00 pm - 3:00pm                   Grades K-4\r\n

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As always, stay well and remain #RidgefieldResilient.  

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Sincerely,

Dr. Nathan McCann

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Superintendent\r\n