Silver Ranch Report

Our Mission: "Empower every learner to thrive."

Our Vision: "Together, our strong relationships build inclusive, collaborative, and innovative environments that create agency and inspire a passion for learning, excellence, and discovery."

Our Values: Excellence, Innovation, Inclusion and Leadership.

Our 4th Grade Team is bringing our school goal of cultivating partnerships with the community to life by connecting students with experts who enrich their learning and inspire career readiness.

In September, students welcomed Dr. Diane Kraft, a Cardiology Specialist at Sanford, who shared her knowledge about the human heart. This experience is tied directly to their unit of study, where students are exploring the question: “What does it mean to have a great heart, both literally and figuratively?”

The team also partnered with members of the BPS Indigenous Education team—Annmarie DeCoteau, Donovan Lambert, Susan Golus, and Tomi Cimarosti—who visited to share their knowledge of the North Dakota Native American Essential Understandings. This learning supported the 4th graders’ inquiry into the question: “How did the way of life of the First Inhabitants of North Dakota impact life today?”

Through these meaningful connections, our 4th graders are seeing how classroom learning is strengthened by voices from our community, preparing them to think deeply, learn authentically, and envision future possibilities.

We are looking forward to Parent-Teacher Conferences on Monday, October 13th and Tuesday, October 14th. Parent-Teacher Conferences offer great opportunities to deepen your working relationship with your child’s teacher. Parent/school partnership is important in the success of all of our students.

If you haven't already done so, please schedule your conferences using this link:

👉 Conference Link

Another way to be informed on your child’s progress is through PowerSchool. If you do not have an online parent access account set up, please contact our office at (701) 323-4250. This resource allows you to check your child’s progress at any time of the year.

Better Together, We are the Stampede!

It’s happening! Silver Ranch will be hosting the Scholastic Book Fair! Come find and purchase some amazing books on MONDAY, OCTOBER 13th and TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14th during Parent-Teacher Conferences and/or during the school day. Click here to learn more.

If you want to do even more to support the Book Fair, we are looking for parent volunteers to help families purchase books at the fair.

Here is the link to sign up.

North Dakota law requires students between the ages of 7 and 16 to attend school regularly. Our district expects students to be present for at least 90% of the school year to support academic success and meet state requirements.

To help families stay informed, BPS schools implemented a three-tier attendance system:

• Tier 1: 91% or higher – Excellent attendance!
• Tier 2: 81–90% – Needs improvement.
• Tier 3: 80% or lower – May require intervention.

We will update you with monthly attendance report cards at the beginning of each month. These can be found in your child's PowerSchool. Instructions for viewing progress reports in PowerSchool can be found HERE. Your child's first attendance report card is now available for you to view.

In every newsletter, we will remind you to take a look at your child(ren) DocumentLOK in PowerSchool to review their monthly attendance progress report. We will also make phone calls to keep you updated on your child’s attendance should we begin to see increased attendance risk. We appreciate your time and attention to these communications.

✅ Understanding Excused Absences

Some absences are excused and do not count against attendance:

• School-sponsored activities
• Medical appointments with a doctor’s note
• Sent home by the school nurse
• Suspensions
• Court appearances with documentation
• Funeral leave with documentation

Other excused absences that do count toward missed days:

• Absences with only parent communication
• Appointments without documentation
• Family vacations
• Other non-approved reasons

⚠️ What Happens If Absenteeism Continues?

Please note that we will make ongoing efforts to keep families informed through monthly attendance reports, outreach calls, and potential meeting to partner in the establishment of an attendance plan for your student. If attendance concerns remain unresolved and parental involvement is lacking, additional interventions may be necessary.

We’re committed to working together with families to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed. If you have questions or need support, please contact the Silver Ranch Elementary School office.

BPS FFB Attendance and Absences Policy

We are excited to introduce our Stampede Behavior Guide handout. Copies will be shared at conferences, and a digital version is available on our Expectations Hub for your convenience.

At Silver Ranch, our beliefs of being Respectful, Responsible, and Safe are the foundation for creating a supportive learning environment. The guide outlines our school life skills and beliefs, explains the benefits of our Ranch Reteach process, and highlights how students can be recognized as a Stampede Standout when they go above and beyond.

Thank you for partnering with us in supporting our students’ growth and success.

As we move into fall, we've reached the time of year we anticipated—darkness during morning arrival. With this seasonal shift, we will continue with our established morning procedures just as we have since the start of the school year.

Although we will temporarily no longer offer morning outdoor recess, we will continue to offer indoor clubs from 7:30-7:47. These clubs will offer engaging, purposeful activities for students while maintaining a safe and supervised environment.

Looking ahead, as our days begin to lengthen and sunrise aligns with arrival time, our goal is to reintroduce morning outdoor recess in a way that supports both safety and student engagement.

Thank you for your continued support as we work to make mornings at Silver Ranch safe, structured, and enriching for all students.

· Thank you to everyone who made it to Stonehome for our first dine to donate event this year! We are waiting on final fundraising numbers, but we saw many familiar faces while enjoying our own dining! Our next Dine to Donate will be November 3rd at Space Aliens!

· Additional thank you to all who have completed the feedback survey regarding meeting dates/times that work for your families schedules along with fundraising ideas. The survey will continue to be open so if you haven’t completed the survey yet or have new ideas since submitting the survey previously, please consider taking a few minutes to let us know your thoughts!

· Our next PAC meeting is Monday, November 3rd at 6:00pm in the Silver Ranch Library. If this date doesn’t work for you, please consider saving the date for our upcoming meeting on Monday December 1st at 6:00pm in the library!

· It is that time of year again for our Annual Calendar Raffle! Tickets and more information will be coming home with students in the next couple of weeks!

· Our 3rd Annual Monster Mash is scheduled for Thursday, October 30th at 6:00pm. Get those costumes ready for a fun family night!

· If you have any questions or comments that can be supported by the PAC, please reach out to us at silverranchpac@gmail.com

We are BETTER TOGETHER!

Each year Bismarck Public Schools asks Parents/Guardians of returning students to verify their student’s information. The information you provide not only helps us comply with federal requirements but also enables us to maintain up-to-date contact information for emergencies and allows our staff to provide appropriate care. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) will use the PowerSchool Parent Portal or PowerSchool Mobile App to access the Annual Student Update forms.

One of the essential forms in the annual student update is Contact review and updates. It is imperative that parents review this information for correctness and completeness. Our mass communication system uses contact information for emails, texts, and phone calls. Custody and living situations are important to review and update so BPS is contacting the correct adults.

The Annual Student Update should only be completed for students that were enrolled with a BPS school last year and returning for this school year. Newly enrolled students that went through Central Registration for this school year do not need to update their information again.

Detailed instructions available at https://tinyurl.com/AnnualUpdateInstructions

How do I get started?

From a computer, Chromebook, smartphone or tablet, visit https://bismarck.ps.state.nd.us and sign in to PowerSchool. If using a smartphone, use the PowerSchool app or if using the website - landscape mode is preferred (rotated screen).

From the Parent Portal:

1. Select the student you wish to update along the top

2. Select the “Forms” link on the left side.

3. If this is your first time using the Forms, please update your notification preferences.

4. Start on “Annual Student Information Update Instructions” by clicking on the form name.

5. Once you have read the directions, click “Submit” at the bottom to begin the registration update.

6. Complete the required questions on each form and click submit. This will navigate you to the next required form.

7. Once you submit the signature form, you are done.

If you are not able to retrieve your login credentials using the “Having trouble signing in?” link on the Sign In page, please contact your school directly for assistance logging in to the Parent Portal.

Scherling Photography will be at Silver Ranch on Tuesday, October 21st to have school picture RETAKES for students who were absent when pictures were taken on September 12th.

The Backpack-for Kids program is designed to help children by assisting them with food over the weekend. Bags are filled with nutritional food items and delivered to the school. If your family qualifies for the free or reduced lunch program and you need additional food for the weekend, please contact our school counselor, Ms. Lardy or call the school office.

October

10/9 - Art Club 2:20-5:00 pm

10/13- Parent Teacher Conferences/Book Fair

10/14 - Parent Teacher Conferences/Book Fair

10/16 & 10/17 - No School - Admin Convention Days

10/21 - Picture Retake Day

10/23 - Art Club 2:20-5:00 pm

10/28 - Assembly 9:45

10/30 - Art Club 2:20-5:00 pm / Monster Mash 6:00 pm

10/31 - No School - Staff Development

November

11/3 - PAC Meeting 6:00 pm

11/3 - Dine to Donate at Space Aliens

11/11 - No School - Veterans Day

11/25 - Grade 1 SIPS - Children's Choir

11/26 - Assembly 9:15

11/27 - No School - Thanksgiving

11/28 - No School - Teacher Conference Day

December

12/1 - PAC Meeting 6:00 pm

12/2 - Grades 2 & 4 Music Programs - 5:45/6:30 pm

12/12 - Grade 2 SIPS - Go to the Ballet

12/22- Grade 5 SIPS - See a Band

12/23 - Assembly 9:45

12/24-12/31 - No School

January

1/1 - No School

1/2 - No School

1/5 - No School -Staff Development

1/12 - Chess Enrichment (during school day)

1/13 - Chess Enrichment (during school day)

1/19 - No School - MLK Jr. Day

1/20 - Chess Club 2:20-4:00 pm

1/22 - Chess Club 2:20-4:00 pm

1/23- Chess Club 2:20-4:00 pm

1/30 - Assembly 9:45

February

2/9 - Chess Club 2:20-4:00 pm

2/10 - Chess Club 2:20-4:00 pm

2/11 - Chess Club 2:20-4:00 pm

2/16 - No School - Presidents' Day

2/17 - No School - Staff Development

2/26 - Grades 1 & 3 Music Programs - 5:45/6:30 pm

2/27 - Assembly 8:45

March

3/11 - Grade 4 SIPS -Hear the Symphony

3/13 - No School - *Storm Make-up

3/16 - No School - Teacher Conference Day

3/27 - Assembly 1:15

April

4/3 - No School - Good Friday

4/6 - No School - *Storm Make Up Day

4/21 - Kindergarten & 5th Grade Music Programs - 5:45/6:30 pm

4/24 - Assembly 10:15

May

5/21 - Clap Out 2:00

Bismarck, ND 58503

Office Hours:

Mon-Thurs: 7:00-3:30

Fri. 7:00-3:00

Email: silverranch_secretary@bismarckschools.org
Website: https://www.bismarckschools.org/silverranch
Location: 4511 Silver Boulevard, Bismarck, ND, USA
Phone: 701-323-4250
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilverRanchElementaryBismarck

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silverranchbismarck/