The Explorer
News from Lake Ridge March Edition

HOME OF THE EXPLORERS
Greetings, Lake Ridge family!
Welcome March! Was it in like a lion or lamb? It's hard to believe tha we are nearing the end of our third quarter. We are ready for spring and beautiful weather here at Lake Ridge.
Checkpoints started today for grades 2-5. Spring break is March 17-21. We are quickly approaching our busiest season of the year with TCAPs. The TCAP testing information is below. Please make every effort to have your child here on time and present for each testing day.
As always, know that I am here for you. If you have any questions, concerns, or kind thoughts, please feel free to share those with me!
Warmest regards,
Tiffany Hibbitts
Attendance Matters
School attendance is a crucial factor in a student's academic success and overall development. Regular attendance ensures that students are consistently exposed to educational material, allowing them to build a strong foundation of knowledge and skills. Studies show that students who attend school regularly are more likely to achieve higher grades and have better social skills, as they engage more with peers and teachers. Chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10% or more of the school year, can significantly hinder academic progress. Additionally, consistent attendance helps develop important life skills such as responsibility, time management, and perseverance.
We were so excited to celebrate attendance during the month of January! Congratulations to third grade for winning the attendance challenge!
Our March Madness Attendance challenge is now underway and each grade level is competing for the best attendance this month.
Week 1 leaders:
Multiage- Conner and Williams with 99%
Kindegarten - Teilhet with 100%
First Grade - Hamm with 100%
Second Grade - Shirk with 98%
Third Grade - Becker with 98%
Fourth Grade - Counts & Berry with 98%
Fifth Grade - Sherwin with 99%
TCAP Dates
Third through fifth grade parents, please mark your calendars with the following TCAP dates. It is imperative that students be present during the testing window.
Tuesday, April 15th -ELA Subpart 1
Wednesday, April 16th-ELA Subpart 2-3
Thursday, April 17th- ELA Subpart 4
Monday, April 21st- Make up day ELA
Tuesday, April 22nd-Math Subpart 1
Wednesday, April 23rd-Math Subparts 2-3
Thursday, April 24th-Science Subpart 1
Friday, April 25th -Science Subpart 2 (5th grade only)
April 28th -Make up day
Testing will begin promptly at 8:30 am each day.
Save the Dates
March
7 - Spring Pictures
6-12 - Checkpoints
17-21 - Spring Break
26- Report Cards
27-28 - Explorer Expedition
April
1 - PTA 2nd Grade Performance @ 6:00
4 - Snow make-up day - School IN session
8 - Rejoice in the Arts
16 - Mid-Terms
Safety Updates
Arrival:
Doors open at 7:45am each morning. Please do not drop your students off before then.
Dismissal Tags:
To continue enhancing safety measures at Lake Ridge, a dismissal tag is required for all car riders and walkers. If you do not have a dismissal tag, please let your child's teacher know and we can send one home for you. Additionally, if you arrive without a tag, please park and go to the front office to pick up your child. Thank you for your support in making safety a top priority at Lake Ridge!
Walkers:
Please do not park in the teacher side lot for "walker" line. Only use the front parking lot for pick up from walker line. This creates a very dangerous situation with oncoming traffic and walker line traffic trying to go around in the carline in the left lane. This also has created more traffic for our children who are walking the neighborhood to navigate through while crossing that parking lot crosswalk on their own.
Please do not bring pets to the walker dismissal line.
Parking:
Please do not block the neighborhood driveways for dismissal or arrival. We want to be respectful of our neighbors.
THANK YOU for understanding and helping us ensure student safety!!
Educare
We have a few afternoon spots available in Educare:
Kindergarten: 1 spot available
First Grade: 5 spots available
Fifth Grade: 5 spots available
Please contact Adrienne Meade for further information at 423-610-6041.
Yearbook
Fifth Grade Sneak at ITMS
PTA Updates
Online spiritwear shopping is now available: https://lakeridge.givebacks.com/store?limit=21&live=true
PTA Contacts:
JCS School Calendar
Lake Ridge Elementary School
Website: https://www.jcschools.org/6/home
Location: 1001 Lake Ridge Square, Johnson City, TN, USA
Phone: 423-610-6030
Twitter: @LakeRidge_JCS