Ridgewood Public School

Ridgewood Public School
P.O. Box 89, Coboconk O N K0M1K0
Phone (705) 454 -3351
**Follow us on twitter @Ridgewood PS.
March, 2015
You can also follow us on our Facebook page as well.
www .TLDSB.on. ca/ schools/Ridgew oodPS
Trustee – John Byrne
“Come Learn With Us”
“Come Achieve With Us”
Fairness – is solving problems so that everyone wins and that you don’t prejudge.
Kawartha Lakes Snowmobile Club supports Ridgewood Public School’s Breakfast Club Program
On Saturday, February 14, 2015 the Kawartha Lakes Snowmobile Club hosted a Family Fun Run in which money
raised was donated to local school breakfast club programs. Ridgewood is very appreciative and proud to have been
chosen along with Fenelon Township Public School and Langton Public School. Kathy Crego was present on behalf of
Ridgewood to receive a check in the amount of $1000.00. Thank you so much to all who participated in the Fun Run
and for your generous donation to our students. A beautiful day was had by all.
Kathy Crego, Ridgewood PS, Liz Phillips, Kawartha Lakes Snowmobile Club, Heather Cockburn, Fenelon Twp. PS
Ridgewood Public Speaking
We had our school speech competition on February 25th. Students competed in two divisions; junior and
intermediate. We had a total of 17 students who presented their speeches. We would like to thank all the people
who came to support our students. Also we wish to thank our judges. The finalists for the junior division: 1 st Eldon
Earle, 2nd Miah Earle and 3rd Mary Gilbert and in the intermediate division: 1st Lauryn Wilson, 2nd Tabitha Lothian,
and 3rd Jack Bryant. These students will be competing at the legion in Coboconk on March 3. Good luck!
Battle of the Books
First Round Junior Semi-Finals-Thursday, February 26th
The Eagle Eyes – Ella Ireland, Lauren Atkinson, Catherine Roskammer and Amelia Austin won a hard-fought battle
against their opponents, The Tie Die Tigers – Emma Wood, Abbey Powell, Makenna Blochlinger and Jamie Bryant in
a very close first round of the Battle of the Books competition.
Second Round Junior Semi-Finals-Friday, February 27th
The Book Nerds-Caley Tufts, Reagan Merklinger and Kyrsten Dove came out the winners against the Pink PandasMiah Earle, Avery Earle, Sienna Wilkens and Annie Lightfoot in the second round of the Junior Battle of the Books
competition.
All teams demonstrated enthusiasm, team work, good sportsmanship and a strong passion for reading.
Next week, the Intermediate Battles begin and the Junior Battles continue for the opportunity to compete at the
Board level competition at Dr. George Hall in April. Good Luck to all teams!
Loonie Auction, Dessert & Tea - Wednesday, April 1st @ 6pm
Our intermediate division will be hosting our Loonie Auction Dessert & Tea once again this year to help fundraise
toward their overnight year end trip to Sudbury. It will be held here at Ridgewood on Wednesday evening at 6pm in
the gym. Tickets will cost $8.00 each. Tons of great items and donations from local families and business as well
as themed baskets(eg Movie Night, Beach Day etc.) to be bid on for a buck and won! Please support us while
enjoying a night of fun and some tasty dessert treats. Hope to see you there!!! 
If you would like to donate something to this auction we would gladly accept it at the office or call the school to
arrange a pick up. Thank you! 
NO THROWING SNOW! Injury can happen so easily and is not always the intent but the best prevention for
careless mistakes and to protect all students is that ALL SNOW AND ICE STAY ON THE GROUND.
Kindergarten Registration (calling all children turning 4 in 2015)
Ridgewood Public School’s Kindergarten Registration was from January 26th to February 6th, 2015.
To be eligible to attend Junior Kindergarten, a student must be four years old by December 31, 2015. Students
who did not attend Junior Kindergarten but want to attend Senior Kindergarten should also register(age 5 by
Dec.31/15). It is never too late to register however it is important to register early as this affects staffing and
class size for next year. Please tell your friends and neighbors that registration is open and encourage them to
register immediately. Parents should bring child’s proof of age(Birth Certificate), the child’s immunization record,
the name and phone number of the family doctor, residence road name and 911 address.
Save the Date
Family Fun Night scheduled for Thurs May 21, 2015 – 5:30pm – 8pm
Ridgewood Parent Council will be looking for volunteers to help supervise the activities for Family Fun Night.
We will have an assortment of Bouncy Castles and games that require supervision to ensure safety and fun for all.
We are hoping to get volunteers to fill 30 minute time slots over the course of the event. A sign up letter will be
sent home in April to sign up but please save the date in the meantime. Thank you so much.
School Connects / Safe Arrival
 It is important that Parents notify the school of all absences by phoning and leaving a message with the
school Secretary or on the 454-3364 safe arrival line (24 hrs) or by sending a note to the office prior to the
absence date. If you receive a call from our new School Connects Attendance System, pressing 2 confirms
your child’s absence and should prevent any more calls regarding that day’s absence or call the school
immediately if you have any concerns. A call for each student with an unexplained absence will be made even if
in the same household. We need to know all students are safe.
 Also remember to check in at the office upon entering the school to sign in. If you are dropping off items for
your child, we will have your child slip down at a convenient time so as to create minimal disruption to your
child’s class.
 Parents who are picking up students after school are asked to do so through the office, so students are
signed out and we are aware of who is not riding the bus. Students should not be picked up in the parking lot
for safety reasons.
 A note is always required when a student has “other than normal” plans. Whether it be a different bus stop
(only on the same bus), walking into Coboconk after school, riding their bike (a helmet always required), being
picked up from school etc. A phone call is acceptable when necessary however a note is preferred. The closer
it is to 3:30, the busier the office is, and the more difficult it is to relay the information on time to students.
 Please remember that siblings are not permitted to stay to watch team practices unless accompanied by a
parent/adult – coaches must concentrate on the team and should not be expected to supervise other students.
MEDICATION
The school will not administer medication unless it is a prescription authorized by a doctor. The school will provide
a form that must be completed prior to administering the meds. Medication should be in its original container.
*Criminal Reference Checks
Criminal Reference checks must be renewed every other year and a Declaration is required for the year in
between. If you are unsure if we have an up to date check on file, please feel free to contact Kathy or Susan in
the office and they will gladly look it up for you.
All checks must be done directly through the OPP office and it requires the individual to attend in person. There
is a letter you are required to take with you from our office confirming your volunteer status to allow this service
at no charge. We can send it home with your child if you call and give us your full name and birth date.
BRRR its cold outside!
Please continue to guide your child(ren) in wearing appropriate clothing for our Canadian winters. We do continue
to go out for recesses and some gym classes throughout the winter season! Snowpants, boots, hats and mitts make
for a much more enjoyable recess for the students. (If it is a particularly bitter day, we normally make our outdoor
time shorter, but we still do go out).
We also do our best to keep the inside of the school as clean as possible for our students and the community. At
this time of year we expect our students to wear outdoor footwear outside and indoor shoes inside to assist with
this. Dry socks, mitts, a change of clothes in their backpacks are always a good idea for backup in case of
emergency. Thanks for your help!
School Bus Cancellations-Late busses
In the event of school bus service cancellation, the following notifications are sent out and parents can access any
of these for the information. Every attempt will be made to have the decision made by 6:15 a.m.
BOB FM - 91.9 FM
Country 105 - 105.1 FM
www.tldsb.on.ca website
****Staff & parents can subscribe to receive late, delayed and cancelled school bus information.
Go to mybustoschool.ca Delays and Cancellations to register!
Intermediate Boys’ Basketball
The intermediate boys' basketball team has started practicing and all the boys are working hard to ensure the
team can be the best they can be! We will be having some exhibition games leading up to the Zone Tournament,
which will be held here at Ridgewood in early April.
REGAL Fundraising
Book 2 for 2015 – Something Special for Everyone! is available! View the catalogue on-line or request a
catalogue from the office. Order Regal on-line with delivery direct to your door. Orders MUST be placed online
at www.rps.shopregal.ca to benefit Ridgewood Public School. Orders are shipped within 7-10 days. Orders this
campaign must be placed by March 31st, 2015.
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Our school has launched a new electronic flyer communication tool called
“Peachjar.” To view school-approved eflyers, simply click the Peachjar
button on the school’s website homepage.
Also, you have the option to have these eflyers delivered right to your
inbox! Please visit Peachjar.com to register. This system is used exclusively for distribution of school-approved
flyers. Your email address will never be shared or used for any other purpose.
At present, our newsletter, calendar, lunch and milk order forms, Health Unit Notices (Dental Screening, Measles
notices etc), Learning and other opportunities for our students are posted.
Community Organizations and Peachjar
Peachjar is free for schools and parent groups because community organizations pay a small service fee to
distribute their eflyers through Peachjar. They upload their eflyers in the same way schools do, but their eflyer is
first routed to the district office for approval. Therefore, only approved eflyers are distributed to our parents.
All community organizations that want to distribute flyers must use Peachjar according to our district's contract.
Please register at www.peachjar.com.