Park Ridge ES: Parent Newsletter

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Back-to-School Night last week! It was wonderful to see so many families in our classrooms, meeting teachers, and learning more about the exciting year ahead. Your presence and support play a key role in your child’s education and help strengthen our school community.

During the evening, families had the opportunity to learn about classroom routines, instructional plans, and ways to support learning at home. We hope you found the information helpful and informative, and that it gave you a clear picture of what your child will be learning this year.

We are grateful for your partnership and the positive energy you bring to our school. When families and staff work together, it creates a strong foundation for student success. As the year progresses, we encourage you to stay connected, ask questions, and continue to engage with teachers and school staff.

September 23rd- Rosh Hashanah (No School)

September 30th- Fall Picture Day

October 2nd- Yom Kippur (No School)

October 3rd- Professional Development Day (No School for Students)

October 9th- End of 1st Nine Weeks

October 10th- Staff Work Day (No School for Students)

October 13th- Parent -Teacher Conferences (No School)

October 20th- Diwali (No School)

October 24th- Trunk-or-Treat

October 27th-31st- Read-A-Thon Fundraiser

October 31- Surprise Assembly

Just a reminder, Fall Picture Day is on Tuesday, September 30th.

We’re excited to share that Park Ridge is partnering with Operation Warm this year. Operation Warm is a program that provides free winter coats to children in need. If your elementary-aged child or younger is in need of a coat due to financial hardship, please complete the Operation Warm Google Form. If you have children in other SCPS schools, please reach out to those schools directly so they can submit a request on your behalf.

This form is due by Friday, October 3rd, and please remember to fill out a separate form for each child.

We’re excited to announce that Student Council Association (SCA) will be starting back up soon! Our student leaders will have the opportunity to engage in various activities, plan events, and make a positive impact within our school community. Stay tuned for more details on how students can get involved and what exciting plans we have in store for this year. We look forward to another great year with our SCA!

As we prepare for our Veterans Day celebration, we are looking for a guest speaker to join us in honoring the service and sacrifices of our nation’s veterans. If you are a veteran, or know a veteran in our school community who would be interested in speaking with our students during our Veterans Day program, we would love to hear from you!

Please contact Jalita Johnson (johnsonjj@staffordschools.net) by 10/17 if you are willing to participate or would like to recommend someone.

Thank you for helping us make this day meaningful for our students and community.

We would love to honor your service to our country in our 2025 Veterans Day Celebration. Our Veterans Day Celebration will be held on Friday, November 7, 2025. We invite you to arrive by 8:45 AM for refreshments with our assembly beginning at 9:15 AM. If you are a Veteran or active member of our armed services and would like to participate in our Veterans Day Celebration, please complete this form with your name, branch, and rank. We would love it if you could dress in your uniform if possible. In addition to completing this form, please send a picture through email to be included in our Veteran’s Day slideshow. Submit your picture to donovanrl@staffordschools.net

Sign Up to Participate

Please submit information no later than Friday, October 31, 2025.

STEAM Night at Park Ridge will be held on Thursday, November 20th from 6:00–7:30 PM. Last year, this event was a great success, and we are hoping to make it even better this year! To make that happen, we will need your help. If you are interested in volunteering or hosting a station, please let us know. Your participation is what makes this event special for our students. Whether you can attend, volunteer, or donate materials, your support is greatly appreciated and we’d love to have you involved! If you are interested in hosting, please RSVP here.

For questions or accommodations, please contact Jalita Johnson, Assistant Principal at johnsonjj@staffordschools.net/540-658-6320.