ThunderRidge Weekly Update

Happy chilly Friday to you!

What a busy week at TR! In addition to our normal sports and activities, we welcomed the Class of 2030 as they filled out their course requests for next year. Thanks to all who had a hand in making that happen. If you are a current TR parent who attended, you’re welcome to send any kudos or suggestions for the team my way at ejwalhof@dcadk12.org.

Just a reminder that registration and class selection for all students will close on January 30th. If you have any questions or concerns about your student’s schedule, please reach out to your student’s counselor.

I was so impressed by the counselors, administrators, and peer counselors who met individually with incoming students and parents at our registration workshop last night in the library. Pictured here are our peer counselors who were beyond polite and wonderful.

Congratulations to our Unified Basketball team as they won another State Championship yesterday! It was a joy to welcome them back from the tournament with a parade through the school led by our marching band.

May you stay safe and warm this weekend.

January 30 - Registration for the 26-27 school year closes

February 12 - Parent/Teacher Conferences - more information below

February 12 - Senior Parent Information Night - more information to come

February 13 - Professional Development Day - NO STUDENTS

February 16 - Presidents' Day - NO SCHOOL

February 19 - Grizzly Path Junior Information Night - more information to come

March 2-6 - Grizzly Gives Week

Monday - Blue Day

Tuesday - Green Day

Wednesday - Blue Day

Thursday - Green Day

Friday - All Day with PLC

*TR has PLCs every Friday morning during regular five-day school weeks.

On PLC days, classes begin at 8:25am. If your student need to arrive before that time,

they may wait in the Library or Commons until class begins.

Breakfast will be available in the cafeteria.

Registration for spring sports opens February 1st. End date varies by sport.

At ThunderRidge High School, our athletics program is committed to providing a positive, safe, and growth-focused experience for every student-athlete. Your feedback is an important part of that commitment.

An anonymous survey will be sent via email to all fall sports parents and student-athletes to provide an opportunity to share honest input about the fall sports experience at ThunderRidge. We look forward to celebrating what is working well, as well as identifing areas where we can continue to improve. Responses will be reviewed thoughtfully and used to guide future decisions, support coaches, and enhance the overall athletic experience for our students.

We appreciate your time and partnership as we work together to uphold the values of sportsmanship, leadership, and excellence in ThunderRidge Athletics.

Our final round of Parent Teacher Conferences for the 25-26 school year will be held on Thursday, February 12th from 4:00-6:30 pm. Conferences will be open-house style in the main hallway of ThunderRidge. Take advantage of this opportunity to meet with your child's teachers. Please limit each conference to 5 minutes, so you can see as many teachers as possible. Thank you for your continued support of your children and TRHS!

Dear TRHS Families and Students,

You have one week left to preorder your Grizzly Gives bundles and Bundt cakes! The bundles will include your Grizzly Gives t-shirt and wristband. The t-shirts will be worn by the entire student body on March 10th, 2026 at our final Grizzly Gives assembly. The wristband will act as a ticket into all of the events during Grizzly Gives Week. This will include our newest event: Trivia Night, as well as Dodgeball, 3x3 Basketball Game, Bingo Night, Mr/Ms Grizz and Sadie's Dance. If a student does not have a band, they will have to pay $5 to get into each event, the Sadies Dance will be higher. In order to participate in Dodgeball, 3x3 Basketball and Trivia night, you will enter as a team. Every person on your team must have a wristband to participate, or pay $5 each. You can purchase your bundle for $30, using the link below.

The link attached below will take you to My School Bucks where you can purchase your wristband and t-shirt bundle. Each bundle is $30. Your support is greatly appreciated! We can't wait to work with all of you to raise money for this amazing family!

Additionally, we have decided to continue our Valentine’s Day Bundt cake fundraiser! We will be selling miniature Bundt cakes for $7.00 each. These cakes will be delivered to students during seminar on Thursday February 12th, 2026. We are offering chocolate chip, gluten free chocolate chip, red velvet, and confetti cake.

If you have any questions, please reach out to our Student Government sponsor, Thomas Sullivan tmsullivan@dcsdk12.org.

Purchase your bundle below!

https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/prdembd?ref=ZZHVZS5TX305OUU_ZZ69JRL0827G9XN

Bundt Cake Orders!

https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/prdembd?ref=ZZHVZS5TX305OUU_ZZ65S1C9C23SOTF

Paige Fisher

TRHS Student Government

Below is the schedule for 2026 Spring Testing that will take place April 10th-17th.

ThunderRidge students have the opportunity to apply for Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs offered at other district campuses for the 2026/2027 school year. These programs allow students to gain hands on experience, industry skills, and career exploration while earning high school credit.

For a full list of available programs please click here.

Application Process & Important Dates

Step 1 Submit CTE Permission Slip - Required
Students must submit the signed CTE Program Agreement form to the ThunderRidge Counseling Office no later than Friday, January 23, 2026. This step is required before any further applications can be processed.

Step 2 Counselor Registration
After the form is received, counselors will register students for their intended pathway.
Please note: registration does NOT guarantee acceptance into the program.

Step 3 Complete Program Applications (Required)
All programs require an additional online application.

• Legacy Campus programs: apply at legacycampus.org
• School specific programs: apply at https://postsecondary.dcsdk12.org/registration

All application components must be submitted by Tuesday, February 17, 2026.

Step 4 Acceptance Notification
Students will be notified of acceptance or denial by Friday, March 13, 2026.

Additional Important Information for Families

• Programs are hosted outside of ThunderRidge High School and acceptance is competitive.

• Transportation is the family's responsibility in most cases (transportation can be arranged to Legacy Campus).

• Some programs may have additional costs (materials, equipment, fees, or tuition).

• Students are responsible for maintaining communication with program staff and meeting all deadlines.

If your student is interested in career focused learning, college preparation, and real world skills, we strongly encourage you to begin the process soon by submitting the CTE permission slip.

If you have questions or would like help choosing a pathway, please contact the counseling office.

Do you know someone who is interested in attending ThunderRidge High School for the 2026-2027 school year? The second round of open enrollment for DCSD opened January 22nd. Visit the DCSD website to apply. Please reach out to Tiffany Klenke, Registrar, at tklenke@dcsdk12.org with any questions.

Senior parents - save the date! Please plan to attend the Senior Parent Information Meeting on February 12th at 5:30pm during Parent/Teacher Conferences. We'll discuss your student's second semester focus, as well as logistics and important dates leading up to graduation. Herff Jones will be on site for cap and gown and other graduation memorabilia orders. Stop by and see them!

The deadline to order your seniors' cap and gown is May 1st, but any orders placed after April 1st will incur an extra shipping fee. Order online at urherffjones.com. For detailed ordering instructions, click here.

This past week in the Counseling office, TRHS Counselors saw 203 students to assist with academic planning, social emotional support, and post secondary planning. Our team was so happy to welcome our future Grizzlies, the class of 2030, from Ranch View on Wednesday to help them with course selection for their freshman year.

Sophomores can now apply to be a TRHS Peer Counselor!

Do you want to make a positive impact on your school? Become a Peer Counselor! Applications are now available on the counseling page on the TRHS website, or check out the flyers around school and click on the QR code to apply!

TRHS Career Exploration series is back this semester!

This series provides students the chance to hear about careers in a broad variety of industries around our area. Every Tuesday we host a different career speaker who shares with us about their job, their career journey, the skills and interests needed, and much more.

Upcoming speakers include:

January 27 - Music: Sponsorship Sales in Music Industry

AEG Presents is a global leader in live music and entertainment, helping artists grow their careers while creating unforgettable concerts and festivals. They work behind the scenes on major events like Coachella and promote tours for some of the biggest names in music, connecting artists with fans around the world. Careers at AEG Presents combine creativity, business, and event production for students interested in music, entertainment, and live events.

Girls Who Code is now accepting applications for our free, virtual 2026 Pathways summer program!

Pathways is a summer program for high school girls, including rising 9th graders, graduating seniors, and returning participants. Students will explore technology, build purpose-driven tech-for-good projects, and connect with a supportive global community—no coding experience required.

Across seven flexible weeks this summer, students learn at their own pace through engaging video tutorials, hands-on projects, and Tech Spotlights featuring women professionals in the field. They also gain mentorship through Partner Events, connect with peers on Girls Who Code’s Discord community, and earn certificates for every course they complete.

MLK once stated: “Life’s most persistent question is: What are you doing for others?” Giving back helps students build empathy, purpose, and connection. Serving others strengthens social skills, boosts confidence, and reinforces the impact of individual actions. It also supports emotional well-being, encourages gratitude, and helps students explore interests, values, and potential career paths while positively contributing to their community. It’s one of the reasons why community service is a graduation requirement. Helping others and giving back does not have to be a grand gesture. A kind word, smile, helpful hand goes a long way in spreading love in our community.

Don’t miss the latest episode of the DCSD Notebook podcast featuring our very own Brad and Annabeth Johnson! We are so proud to have them representing ThunderRidge! Click here to listen!

Students worked on identifying essential skills from the TRHS and IB framework that are relevant to their final product. - Mr. Carroll

Juniors are taking a deeper dive into the different pathways after high school. This week’s focus was on Career Technical Education options. Next week we will have an admissions rep. from the University of Wyoming talking about the college pathway. - Mr. Bidinger

Students reviewed what they needed to complete for their upcoming Senior Project Conference. They also filled out the Senior Project Boards survey to request any needs they may have for their presentation.- Ms. Vande Vusse

Are you interested in mentoring a younger child and being their Reading Buddy?

Teen volunteers (ages 13-18) who love to read and enjoy working with children may apply to be Big Buddies in our Reading Buddies program. Each selected big buddy will be trained and paired with a child (grades 1-3) to help them become a stronger reader.

Apply here. The application deadline is January 31st, 2026.

Do you LOVE Math? Are you interested in mentoring a younger child and being their Math Buddy?

Teen volunteers (ages 13-18) who love Math and enjoy working with children may apply to be Big Buddies in our Math Buddies program. Each selected big buddy will be trained and paired with a child (grades 1-3) to help them build stronger math skills.

Apply here. The application deadline is January 31, 2026.

Eldorado Elementary

• Eldorado Elementary is in need of 16 outgoing, energetic high school volunteers for our annual Family Dance at Eldorado Elementary on Friday, February 27. Volunteers arrive by 5:30pm and leave by 8:30pm. Volunteers will help with various activities (set up/clean up, games, greeting families, Panther costume) and other help as needed.

  Family Dance Volunteer Sign Up: https://bit.ly/eefamilydance

• Eldorado Elementary is looking for student volunteers to help us with childcare during each PTO/SAC meeting for the 2025-2026 school year. We need 2 volunteers per meeting. Please sign up here for the slots that you are available to help!

Trailblazer Elementary

• Trailblazer Elementary School will host their annual Cookies and Canvas event on Friday, January 30, and we would love to have help from the amazing ThunderRidge volunteers! Please look at the sign up genius and tell your friends! This is a fun way to earn community service hours.

• We are looking for 2 volunteers to help us with childcare during each PTO meeting for the 2025 - 2026 school year at Trailblazer Elementary. Meetings run from 4:00 - 5:00pm. We are asking that volunteers arrive 10-15 minutes early (3:45pm) to get set up. Please sign up here for the slots that you are available to help!

Please bring any volunteer forms needing to be completed and we will get those filled out at the end of the night. Please email Samantha Marino at trailblazerptosecretary@gmail.com with any questions. Thank you!

ThunderRidge is proud to offer a wide variety of clubs and activities! Click the bar above for a full list including meeting times, days and locations.

Principal: Liz Walhof

Mission Statement:

Empowering Grizzlies through curiosity, compassion, courage, community and service.

trhs.dcsdk12.org

1991 West Wildcat Reserve Parkway, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
303.387.2000

Facebook: ThunderRidge High School
X (formerly Twitter): @TRidgeGrizzlies