ThunderRidge Weekly Update

September 25 - Homecoming Carnival - Stone Mountain Elementary - 4:15-5:15pm

September 25 - ThunderRidge Theatre presents The Little Prince - Auditorium - 7:00pm

October 1 - Official Count Day

October 1 - Homecoming Football Game - Canvas Stadium - 7:00pm

October 2 - Field Day! Modified ALL day with PLC

October 3 - Homecoming Dance - TR Commons & Gym - 8:30-10:30pm

October 6 - Orchestra Concert - Auditorium - 7:00pm

October 7 - PSAT/NMSQT Testing - Modified bell schedule

October 7 - Choir Concert - Auditorium - 7:00pm

October 8 - Fall Parent / Teacher Conferences

October 9 - End of 1st Quarter

October 12-16 - Fall Break

October 27 - Trick or Treat Street - 6:00-7:30pm

November 4 - Academic/IB Showcase - more information to come

Monday - Blue Day

Tuesday - Green Day

Wednesday - Blue Day

Thursday - Green Day

Friday - FIELD DAY - Modified ALL Day with PLC. Classes begin at 8:35.

Monday -Blue Day

Tuesday - Green Day

Wednesday - Modified ALL Day

Thursday - Green Day

Friday -Blue Day with PLC

Due to PSAT/NMSQT testing, Wednesday, October 7th will be a modified ALL day for all students.

For those students taking the PSAT/NMSQT, testing will begin at 7:50 and end by 11:15.

A modified ALL day will begin at 11:55 for all grades. (See schedule below.)

Friday, October 9th will be a BLUE day with PLC. Classes will begin at 8:35am.

Please see below for more information on the PSAT/NMSQT test.

Click here for the latest edition of The TR Grizz Weekly!

Check back here each Friday for our athletics newsletter with celebrations, the schedule for the upcoming week, and results from the week prior.

Follow a young prince as he travels from planet to planet, discovering the meaning of friendship, love, and what truly matters. Filled with imagination, humor, and heart, this timeless story reminds us to see the world with wonder. Come dream with us and discover what is truly essential!

September 25th // 7:00pm // Auditorium

Tickets are on sale now

Reserve your seats and join us for an unforgettable night under the stars!

As we move into the fall, we want to highlight a critical date for our district: Thursday, October 1, 2026. Student count day is the official date each fall when Colorado school districts record their enrollment numbers, which the state then uses to calculate per-pupil funding for the year.

The state determines our funding based on three factors around this date: your student's active enrollment, their scheduled instructional time, and their daily attendance. To ensure our funding is accurate, the state evaluates attendance specifically on October 1st and during the standard two-week window encompassing the week before and the week after Count Day.

How you can help support our schools:

• Make Attendance a Priority: Please make every effort to ensure your student is present and engaged in their learning on Thursday, October 1st.

• Keep the Momentum: Consistent attendance throughout the entire two-week window surrounding Count Day is strongly encouraged to ensure accurate state reporting.

• Communicate Absences: We understand illnesses and emergencies happen. If your child is sick, please notify our attendance office right away. Proper documentation allows us to navigate state exceptions if a student must miss the exact count date.

Purchase your Homecoming Bundle here.

The cost for the bundle is $30 which inlcudes admission to all the events for the week (except the football game), including the dance, Kona Ice at the block party, and a Rally Towel at the football game!

Purchase your dance, and single event tickets here.

Dance tickets are $25, and single event tickets are $5.

Homecoming Events Schedule

Friday, 9/25: Carnival

4:15pm – 5:15pm at Stone Mountain Elementary
Theme: Slumber Party

Saturday, 9/26: Pickleball

11:00am - 1:00pm at Southpark Pickleball Complex
Theme: Dress for the wrong occasion

Monday, 9/28: Powderpuff

6:30pm at Canvas Credit Union Stadium

Theme: Country Club vs. Country

Tuesday, 9/29: Block Party

5:30pm in C-Lot
Theme: Dress Your Age

(Frosh = Babies, Sophs = Toddlers, Jrs = Adults, Srs = Senior Citizens)

Wednesday, 9/30: Ruff N' Tuff: Featuring the Broncos Jamboree!
6:30pm in the Big Gym
Theme: Broncos Day

Thursday, 10/1: Football Game & Royalty

Football game at 7:00 PM at Canvas Credit Union Stadium

Royalty announced during halftime

Theme: 'Merica Out

Friday, 10/2: Field Day!
Wear your Field Day Shirts

Saturday, 10/3: Hoco Dance

8:30pm – 10:30pm in the Commons & Gym
Theme: Meet Me in Rio (Featuring poker tables in the Commons and dance in the gym!)

(No heels, please. Wedges are ok.)

• Restaurant: Twisted Sugar
• Code: No code listed

• Restaurant: Chick-fil-A
• Code: TRHOCO

• Restaurant: Chipotle
• Code: L3VF8G4

• Restaurant: Raising Cane's
• Code: RCFUND96

• Restaurant: Buffalo Wild Wings
• Code: No code listed

Field Day is fast approaching and Money Madness is on!

Donate to your student's class and you'll do more than help them win this year’s Field Day; you’re investing in the moments they’ll treasure for years to come. Every dollar raised goes towards funding things like their senior gift, senior BBQ, Last Blast, Prom, and other class events.

Donations are being accepted until 10pm on Thursday, October 1st.

Results will be revealed at Field Day on October 2nd.

Click the appropriate link below to make your donation today!

Class of 2030 Freshmen

Class of 2029 Sophomores

Class of 2028 Juniors

Class of 2027 Seniors

On Wednesday, October 7th, all 11th grade students will be taking the Practice SAT - National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT-NMSQT).

Below are some details regarding the test, test day, and ways to prepare:

- All 11th grade students are automatically enrolled in the test, families do not need to register them.

- The test, intended for 11th graders, will be on Wednesday, October 7th, from 7:50am-10:30am.

- There will be no classes the morning of the test. After testing, there will be a half day with classes for all students. You can find the schedule for the day here.

- The cost of the test is $15 and will be placed on the students' fees in MySchoolBucks.

- If you would like to opt your 11th grade student out of this practice test, please fill out this form.

- If your students would like to prepare for the PSAT-NMSQT, they can go to College Board's website and use their test preparation material or access test prep through another online source such as Khan Academy

- On test day, students should bring: several writing utensils. Optional: Water, snack, & calculator. Students should also bring their school materials for all class periods (1-7) that will take place in the afternoon.

Conferences will be open-house style in the main hallway of ThunderRidge. This is a wonderful opportunity for you 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!

ThunderRidge High School is looking for community members and professionals who are willing to share their knowledge and experience by serving as Senior Project Mentors.

As a mentor, you will guide a student through the learning process, provide feedback and encouragement, and help them develop their skills and knowledge in their chosen area of study. Mentors also help verify the student’s effort and participation in the physical product or fieldwork component of the project.

Because much of the product and fieldwork takes place outside of the classroom, mentors play an important role in helping students stay accountable and documenting their learning. Serving as a mentor does require a time commitment, including regular communication with the student throughout the project.

Interested in becoming a mentor? Start by completing the Mentor Sign-Up Form. After submitting the interest form, you will receive a follow-up email with a district volunteer application. This application must be completed and returned before you can officially serve as a mentor.

Thank you for helping our students explore their interests, develop new skills, and take their learning beyond the classroom!

ThunderRidge High School is looking for community members to serve as judges for our Senior Boards on Friday, April 9, 2027, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Senior Board judges will have the opportunity to listen to and evaluate our seniors as they showcase their learning through their oral presentations, portfolios, and project products. This is a wonderful opportunity to see our students at their very best as they share the knowledge, skills, and personal growth they have developed throughout their Senior Project experience.

No special expertise is required—just a willingness to encourage students and provide thoughtful feedback. Training and lunch will be provided on Senior Board Day.

We invite community members to join us in celebrating our seniors and helping make this culminating experience a meaningful one. Come be part of the day as our seniors prepare for their time to shine!

Interested in volunteering? Sign up here!

Submit your senior photo by October 9th.

Senior ads are due November 9th. These are optional, but are a fun way to celebrate your student.

This past week in the counseling office, TRHS Counselors saw 411 students for academic planning and support, social emotional support, and post secondary planning.

Counselors are wrapping up meetings with their seniors to ensure they are on track for graduation and are solidifying their post secondary plans. If you have not yet met with your counselor, click here to schedule an appointment to get help with college applications, essays, letters of recommendation, identifying career pathways, and much more!

Still trying to figure out if college is for you? Where to go? It’s not too late! Here are two great opportunities to get more information about college:

The Greater Denver College Fair is coming next Saturday, October 3rd from 10am - 12 noon at Mountain Vista High School. Here is the site to register and the most updated list of attending colleges. Students are strongly encouraged to sign up beforehand so that they have a bar code for colleges to scan. Additionally, there will be a breakout sessions on Financial Aid and Scholarships.

Colleges Registered

Sign up for a college rep visit! For any student who would like to meet in a small group with an admissions counselor from various colleges, sign up in Naviance, go to colleges, research colleges, and college visits to sign up. Upcoming visits include reps from: CU Boulder, Montana State, University of Missouri, University of Oregon, University of Denver, Creighton University, Louisiana State University, Texas Tech, University of Alabama, University of Tennessee, Gonzaga, Oregon State, University of San Diego, and many more!

TRHS Career Exploration series continues! This series provides students the chance to hear about careers in a broad variety of industries around our area. On Tuesdays, 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: Mr. Peter McNeilly, our US Attorney for the district of Colorado. Sign up for the presentation on October 8th.

Mindful Minute:

One quick way to calm and center yourself is by using the 5-4-3-2-1 method. This five-step exercise can help students focus on the present and observe the world around them. Have students either think or write down five things they can see, four things they can touch, three things they can hear, two things they can smell and one thing they can taste. This sensory focus reduces anxiety and promotes mindfulness, fostering relaxation and clarity.

For all things Counseling, including information on scholarships, check out the full TRHS Counseling Newsletter!

Our International Baccalaureate programme at ThunderRidge thrives because of the dedicated students, supportive families, and passionate educators who make up our community. While brochures and websites explain our curriculum, nothing conveys the true value of an IB education better than your personal stories.

As we gear up for the fall and winter seasons, when many decisions for next year are being made, we are asking you, our IB community, to help us spread the word about the amazing things happening with IB at TRHS. Freshmen and Sophomores are deciding how to complete their high school academic careers, Ranch View 8th graders are planning for their TRHS experience, and other 8th graders are deciding where to attend next year. This is where you all could help guide members of our community toward an amazing TRHS IB education.

How to Talk About IB: Quick Talking Points

When friends, neighbors, or family members ask what makes our IB programme different, keep these core benefits in mind:

• Holistic Development: IB isn't just about academics; it develops caring, open-minded, and balanced global citizens through the IB Learner Profile.

• Real-World Application: Through Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) and Inquiry-Based Learning, students apply classroom knowledge to real community challenges.

• University Preparedness: IB graduates develop advanced research, time management, and writing skills that give them a distinct advantage in post-secondary education.

• Global Perspective: The curriculum encourages students to think beyond local boundaries and appreciate diverse viewpoints in an interconnected world.

4 Simple Ways to Spread the Word This Week

1. Share on Social Media

   Post a photo or a short note about a recent IB milestone, art exhibition, or science lab to show off the cool things happening at TR. Tag prospective families who might want to learn more.

2. Invite a Family to Our Upcoming Information Night

   Do you know a middle school family or a neighbor exploring high school options? Bring them along to our Academic Showcase on November 4th. Personal invitations are the #1 reason families attend.

3. Pass Along the IB Digital Guide

   Forward our school’s IB website HERE to friends or family members who have students curious about academic enrichment.

4. Start a Conversation

   Mention a recent IB project during casual conversations over the weekend. A simple story about how your student tackled a Theory of Knowledge (TOK) question is a great conversation starter!

The Greater Denver College Fair is coming next Saturday, October 3rd from 10am - 12 noon at Mountain Vista High School! Be sure to register and get the most updated list of attending colleges. Students are strongly encouraged to sign up beforehand so that they have a bar code for colleges to scan.

Additionally, there will be a breakout sessions on Financial Aid and Scholarships.

October 4th at Clement Park

Sign up to volunteer | National Kidney Foundation

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 80129
303.387.2000

Instagram: @thunderridgehs

Facebook: ThunderRidge High School