Welcome to Ridgecrest Elementary School. We are proud of our dynamic and student centered learning community. Our vision is 100% student success believing that all students possess gifts and talents. Four themes that encapsulate our educational philosophy are student scholarship, leadership, creativity and service.

We are proud of and continue to expand the enrichment opportunities at Ridgecrest both inside the classroom and through a multitude of diverse opportunities before, during and after school. Our Student Enrichment Model (SEM) continues to grow and flourish providing students with opportunities to explore their interests. A major initiative at Ridgecrest is to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) learning experiences. STEM activities will be integrated in math and science classes and students are welcome to join one of our many STEM oriented clubs. We also plan to offer students with opportunities to participate in numerous other clubs ranging from Chess, Debate, Leadership, Girlfriends, Spanish, SAVE and the National Honor Society.

Teaching students to practice our school’s core values, such as respect, responsibility, self-motivation, perseverance, teamwork, kindness and community, will continue to be a key emphasis of our visible and award winning character education program. Placing a greater emphasis on service learning projects aligned to the curriculum will continue to be emphasized as a major character-based initiative this school year.

We believe that our parents and friends of Ridgecrest are our partners playing a pivotal role in the Ridgecrest learning community. Parents are welcome and encouraged to participate in our many enrichment programs. The talents, experiences and expertise of our parents greatly enrich the education of our students. We also welcome our community to participate in the many parent oriented organizations such as All Pro Dad, IMOM, SAC and PTA that meet monthly.

For families interested to learn more about Ridgecrest, tour dates are listed on our calendar. Please register for a school tour as we are excited to show you the many wonderful learning experiences at Ridgecrest.

Welcome to the 2020 - 2021 school year! 
Whether you are beginning the year online or face to face, we have been working hard all summer to plan for a safe opening of school and to implement best learning practices for all our scholars near or far.  I want to make this message brief and attach other supportive documents for you to read and be able to refer to after this call.  Please understand that change doesn’t always bring convenience.  We will be assessing processes and making changes as the need arises.  

MyPCS Online Scholars:

• School begins at 8:45. Online students should be logged in and ready to learn.

• Your classroom teacher is the first line of technical support, please reach out to them first and they will refer you to our media specialist for additional support. You may also see the attachment for links to resources for Canvas and trouble shooting technology issues.

Traditional/Face to Face Scholars:

• Should not arrive on campus until 8:15. A breakfast option will be provided to car, bus and walkers, scholars will then proceed directly to class.

• For everyone’s safety, there will be no parents walking to classrooms on the first day of school.    PreK and VPK will sign in their scholars in front of the cafeteria.  Kindergarten will also greet their scholars here for the first three days only. All other families, I do not recommend parking and walking up your scholar.  Please use the car circle. 

• If essential business is needed before 8:30 (registering, turning in paperwork, etc…)is needed in the front office, limited parking is available in the YMCA parking lot next door on the side near the pool and in the rear of the building. A marked path will need to be followed for social distancing. Please adhere to that.  

• The office will be tremendously busy between 7:30-9:30.  Marked spots will be visible for social distancing should you have to wait for assistance.  Please do not bring extra family members, as we have a small office.

• Mandatory masks for staff and students in grades K-5 (PreK and VPK should strongly consider) should be worn as soon as arriving on campus.

Please be sure to review the Ridgecrest Parent Information Flyer or call the front office if you have any questions.

Ms. Graham

Ridgecrest is a 2020-21 Community Eligibility Program site

For MyPCS Families:

MyPCS Online students are eligible to receive

• 5 days’ worth of breakfast and lunch meals
• 5 days’ worth of after-school snacks
• Student does not need to be present for pickup

Ridgecrest will offer pickup every Friday 9:00-9:30 a.m.

Ridgecrest Families,

At this time, class lists are still being finalized and therefore, student assignments and specific supply list will be given the week prior to school opening, possibly sooner.  Many of you are looking to take advantage of the Tax Free holiday this weekend.  Each scholar will need the following general supplies:

K-2:

Crayons/colored pencils
Scissors
Glue/Glue stick
2 Packs of pencils
Box of Kleenex 
Pack of Clorox or disinfectant wipes 
Headphones in ziplock bag (Bluetooth not recommended for in school use)

3-5

Colored pencils, markers
2 packs of pencils
Glue stick
Scissors 
Box of Kleenex
Pack of Clorox or disinfecting wipes 
Headphones in ziplock bag (no microphone, no Bluetooth)

Thank you for your flexibility and patience as we prepare to  open the 2020-2021 year safely on August 24th. 

Need help? Check with your classroom teacher

or our Library Media Technology Specialist, Donna Hall

Ready to get started?

This video will help you get up and running in Canvas: Getting started with MyPCS on Canvas

Accessing your child's Canvas assignments

Canvas has the ability to allow parents and caregivers to support their child's online learning. You can make your own Canvas account and monitor your child's assignments through a "pairing code". This document will help you with that process. If you need assistance with making the pairing code, contact your child's teacher or our Library Media Technology Specialist, Donna Hall.

Visit the PCSB Virtual Parent Academy Power Hours
https://www.pcsb.org/parentacademy

Pinellas County's Office of Strategic Partnerships wants you to know that they are here to support you as you navigate through the tools and resources your child is using to learn while at home. Check out the weekly Power Hour topics. Recordings of past topics and powerpoints are also available. We are here for you!