Families,
What a great, short week! It was so fun to see so many parents joining us for lunch on Wednesday. Thank you to our PTSA for sponsoring this and for hosting this event. As someone who is huge on family, I personally love that we do this and hope we continue to do them for as long as I am here. I also have to say, it was fun to see our students getting into the Valentine's Day spirit as they were bringing in all kinds of things for their friends. Love it!
I hope you all have a great, long weekend. February is flying by! See you all on Tuesday.
Shaun Takenouchi
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2/16: President's Day (No School)
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2/20: PBIS Open Gym
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2/20: Student Council Meeting (Advocacy)
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Each week we will feature staff members at Ridgetop so that families get to know OUR Raider family better. |
What is your role at Ridgetop?
- Librarian
What do you love most about working at Ridgetop?
- Books!!! The students here love to read and I get to hang out with students and talk about books all day long.
What is your favorite snack food and why?
- Sourpatch Kids. I take them on every hike that I go on. Sourpatch is actually my trail name.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
- Does space count? I would love to travel into space and stay at the space station. BUT, if I have to stay on earth, I would go to Antarctica. I think it would be the most unique place to see--- I love marine life, especially whales. Plus, I think the geography and history of the place is astounding.
Tell us how you either LEARN, LEAD, or GROW in your life, in your personal life or as an educator.
- I challenge myself to learn everyday, whether it is with a book, a podcast, or simply talking to students and asking questions. I believe that asking questions is sacred and shows growth and leadership by realizing that there is always something new to learn to make yourself a better human.
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What is your role at Ridgetop?
- I teach 7th Grade Science & Medical Detectives, where I turn chaos into curiosity, questions into investigations, and sarcasm—calibrated to middle school levels—into a highly effective instructional strategy.
What do you love most about working at Ridgetop?
- What I love most about Ridgetop is the people. Our staff truly feels like family, which makes even the busiest days meaningful. I get to teach science to curious, energetic 7th graders in the very same classroom where I once sat as a middle school student—proof that sometimes you really do come full circle (just with better classroom management skills).
What is your favorite snack food and why?
- Fresh-popped popcorn is my go-to—classic movie butter as the base, then customized to fit the mood. Garlic salt, ranch, taco seasoning, cinnamon sugar, chocolate… It's basically the lab experiment of snack foods.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
- I’d travel to Iceland. It’s where the science I teach comes alive—active volcanoes, geothermal pools, and the chance to dive between two tectonic plates and literally touch two continents at once. Adventure and earth science in real time.
Tell us how you either LEARN, LEAD, or GROW in your life, in your personal life or as an educator.
- I’m a lifelong learner at heart—always seeking new knowledge, experiences, and growth. Whether it’s staying current in science, traveling to immerse myself in new cultures, or stepping outside my comfort zone, I believe curiosity keeps us growing. I strive to model that mindset for my children and my students, because there’s always more of this world—and beyond—to discover.
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What is your role at Ridgetop?
- Science Teacher
What do you love most about working at Ridgetop?
- My favorite thing about working at the Ridge is the students... they bring lots of energy, fun surprises, and their own individuality, which makes every day exciting and full of new things to learn.
What is your favorite snack food and why?
- My favorite snack food is Sour Patch Kids because I have been told I am like one... sour on the outside, but sweet on the inside ;)
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
- If I could travel anywhere in the world, I would go to Ancient Egypt... I’ve been obsessed since I was a kid with its myths, architecture, and the mysteries surrounding its gods, pharaohs, and burial rituals.
Tell us how you either LEARN, LEAD, or GROW in your life, in your personal life or as an educator.
- I LEARN by constantly seeking new knowledge and experiences, especially in science
so I can bring curiosity and excitement into my classroom. I LEAD by creating a supportive environment where students feel safe asking questions, making mistakes, and discovering their strengths. I GROW by reflecting on my teaching, trying new strategies, and learning from both my successes and challenges.
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This coming week, our students are going to take part in the Climate Survey. This survey is very important to us as it gives us valuable feedback on how students are feeling about Ridgetop. We get really good info from this survey so that we can see how we are doing and how we can continue to improve to support our students. |
Along with the climate survey for students, there is also one for families. Here is the link to it. Again, we would love to get as many families as possible filling this out, as it really gives us good information on how we can continue to support families throughout the year. The survey closes on Feb. 27th. Thank you in advance for taking the time to fill this out. |
Hey 7th and 8th graders - Can you write, read, speak, and listen in a language other than English? If so, you could qualify to earn high school credit for your language other than English, and you can qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy on your diploma! See your counselor about taking the World Language Proficiency Test on April 1! Registration closes on March 11. |
Click the student’s name (only if there’s multiple students)
On the left side, click Student Reports.
Click on 25-26 S1 Report Card
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With the increase in our student population and through parent feedback, we have been working on our morning drop off procedure to help with the safety of our students and families. There are a couple of things that we are seeing that we would like to fix.
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Dropping off on Hillsboro Dr.: We have a decent amount of families that are stopping on Hillsboro Dr and dropping off their students. While we understand that this can be convenient, it is definitely not safe. Hillsboro Dr is not a drop off area and we have to stop using this as such. Please either use our parking lot or Silver Ridge Elementary as places to drop your students off for school in the morning.
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Dropping off in the Parking Lot: The easiest way for me to explain this process was to create this video for families to see. Please take a min. to watch this to help with our parking lot process for dropping off.
My hope is that by working on both of these things, our drop off process will become better. We are also in the process of looking into crossing guards to help with both of these areas.
Thank you in advance for your help with both of these issues.
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Families, we wanted to share this virtual opportunity from our Student Assistance Professional.
I wanted to share an exciting opportunity coming up on March 12th from 6:00–8:00 PM: Hidden in Plain Sight. This is a virtual event designed for parents, caregivers, and other adults to learn about current trends, how to spot common warning signs, and how to start important conversations with youth.
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This year, every month we are going to have a specific character focus that we are working on as a school. Each week, we will be focusing on different aspects of being a professional student.
For the month of February, we are focusing on Kindness. We are working helping students understand that everyday, students have the opportunity to make a big difference by doing the small things well. Kindness is something that doesn't take a lot of work or money, and just a little of it can go a long way!
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Here is a link to our sporting events for the coming week. |
Ridgetop is in need of adult mentors. All it takes is 1 hour per week to make a difference in a student's life. The goal of the mentoring program is to develop positive relationships between schools and students, parents, and community. All mentors receive training on how to support students with goal setting, and peer relationships.
Mentoring takes place on school property. Mentors may play board games, draw, practice flashcards, read, discuss grades and study habits, or just spend time talking. If this sounds like something you can do, please get in contact with our building coordinator Jeff Kahler@ jeffreyk@ckschools.org. Adult mentors make a huge difference in a youth's life.
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