Park Ridge ES: Parent Newsletter
Week 26: February 17th-20th
There will be no school on Monday, February 16th in observance of President’s Day.
If you have not yet heard the exciting news, Mr. Eppenstein has been named the new Assistant Principal at Anthony Burns Elementary School for the 2026–2027 school year!
While we will certainly miss him at Park Ridge, we are so excited for him as he begins this new chapter in his leadership journey. Mr. E has been a dedicated and positive presence in our building, always putting students first and supporting both staff and families with care. The best part? He will continue to work with our current Patriots next year as they transition to Anthony Burns! We know our students will be thrilled to see a familiar face, and we are grateful they will continue to benefit from his leadership and support.
Please join us in congratulating Mr. E on this well-deserved opportunity. We are proud of him and wish him continued success in his new role! Congratulations, Mr. E!
With so many new technologies and learning methods introduced every day, parental involvement in their child’s learning is more important than ever. To support this, our school division has partnered with Lightspeed Systems® to give parents visibility of their child’s internet usage while on school-issued devices, at home and after-school hours.
Lightspeed Parent Portal gives parents access to:
A Weekly Student Online Activity Report. This report summarizes the student’s web browsing activity for the week. A copy of this report is sent to the parents’ email weekly.
A full web-based Lightspeed Parent Portal, which delivers more detailed visibility of the student’s online activity at home.
Please this information packer for more information and to register for this service.
Our school is getting ready to kick off our Kids Heart Challenge (KHC)! Get a Jump Start and Join TODAY to earn your colorful wristband – Complete Finn’s Mission to Learn how to help save a life!
Join our school team on the FREE & fun “AHA Schools” App or at www.heart.org/Schools and complete Finn’s Mission to learn Hands-Only CPR. We're going to make a huge impact together, Heart Heroes!
Our annual DARE Basketball Game (Educators vs. Law Enforcement) will take place on March 19, 2026, at Brooke Point High School. Students will not be playing this year, but we’re excited to share that Mr. Roble, 4th Grade Teacher is the chosen one and will be representing Park Ridge in the game! Thank you, Mr. Roble! We’ll have the banners ready and the cheers loud....get ready to be supported by our kiddos and staff! We hope that families will be able to come out and help cheer on Mr. Roble!
Our basket theme this year is Family Game Night! We will be collecting board games, card games, or any items that help make a fun game night over the next few weeks. If you’re able, please feel free to drop off a game to add to our basket. All donations are needed by March 12th. Thank you so much for your support.
Park Ridge Elementary School will be hosting Career Day on Thursday, March 26, 2026, and we are looking for volunteers to help make this event a success! Whether you are a nurse, business owner, mechanic, member of the military, or work in any other field, we would love for you to join us for the morning and talk with our students about your career. We believe it is never too early to introduce students to the wide variety of career paths available to them, and firsthand experiences can make a lasting impact.
Presentations will be approximately 25 minutes long, and you will present to students ranging from kindergarten through 5th grade. Presenters are encouraged to include (but are not limited to):
Related school subjects
Education or training required
Personal skills needed in your field
A typical day on the job
Child-friendly games, visuals, or hands-on activities
This is a wonderful opportunity to get involved at PRES and inspire our students as they begin to dream about their futures. If you are not interested but know someone who might be, please feel free to share this information or provide us with their contact details.
Thank you in advance for your time and support. We truly appreciate your willingness to participate in this rewarding experience. To sign up to participate in the event, please complete the form, Park Ridge Elementary School Career Day 2026.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact the counseling team at 540-658-6320 or email donovanrl@staffordschools.net.
Join the PRES Spirit Council in collecting pop tabs to help support the Ronald McDonald House - Greater Washington, DC.
Their Mission:
Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Greater Washington, DC (RMHCDC) provides essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families, and promote healing when children need healthcare. Collection jars will be in classrooms beginning next week!
