Monday, July 13, 2015

Enrollment & Fee Payment

Enrollment is next Thursday, July 23 from
11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Use our Newest online payment program to make not only your enrollment fees payment, but use it throughout the school year to manage your child's account (lunch).

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Summer Opportunities for Students

Have you started planning for the summer activities for your kiddos? 
Do they enjoy movies?  You may want to consider a Summer Movie Package. @ the B&B Theaters (previously Dickinson Theaters) 

Tickets are sold in sheets of 8, and are only $1 per movie!  Please know that the flyer says $2 a movie, but that is the cost if you buy them at the door.  So they only cost $8.00 per sheet (8 tickets total).   Order forms went home in Friday Folders, or can be picked up in the front office.

Checks can be made payable to “Pleasant Ridge Elementary”, and students will receive their tickets the day of receiving the order. 
 
 


Or maybe your kids are interested in an Engineering Camp.  See the flyer for more info & visit the website @ https://engineeringforkids.com/location/southkc


Monday, April 6, 2015

Field Day - Parent Volunteers Requested

Please let Ms. Chambers know
if you can assist with Field Day. 
 

Student Placement 2015-16

This was information sent in a separate email on March 22, 2015 - information may be sent directly to Mrs. Actkinson @ kactkinsonpr@olatheschools.org
 
 
As we enter this final stretch of the year, our staff has already begun to plan and prepare for the upcoming 2015-16 school year. Each year, I share the following information regarding our class placement process which is very complicated. If you know that your family will not be returning to Pleasant Ridge next year, if you could please contact our front office 780-7590 or send an email to Lisa Howard @ lhowardpr@olatheschools.org or Mrs. Actkinson @ kactkinsonpr@olatheschools.org

As we enter the final stretch of the year, our staff has already begun to plan and prepare for the upcoming 2015-16 school year. Each year, I share the following information regarding our class placement process which is very complicated. The following is a brief summary of this process.

Class placement is an important task, and is something the staff at Pleasant Ridge takes very seriously. In order to create the best learning environment, we take many variables into consideration. Classes need to have an equal distribution of students according the academic ability levels, social/behavioral skills, work habits, and gender. Other variables include instructional/learning styles of students, social dynamics between students, and an equivalent number of students in each class at a grade level.

As a staff, I believe we know our students very well, and do a thorough, informed job of forming the class lists. We understand that we may not always be fully aware of unique family, friendship, or social/emotional factors outside of school that may affect placement. In these cases, we allow parents to bring these situations to our attention via our Student Placement Request form. Our team takes into consideration the information parents share.

We want you to know that it is our goal to provide the kind of learning environment that will help every child have a successful year. Although requests for specific teachers will not be acceptedwe will take into consideration the information about your child you feel the team may not be aware, but must receive this information by April 30 on the Student Placement Request formThis form is attached and also available in the front office.

In addition, for planning and staffing purposes, the new deadline for the Application for Parent-Initiated Elementary Student Transfers is June 4 for the 2015-16 School Year.  This pertains to students who have moved out of our attendance area this school year and are desiring to transfer back into Pleasant Ridge.  This application process, MUST be initiated at the school of residence (not at Pleasant Ridge).  Please let the office know if you have questions.  

Here's to a FABULOUS 4th quarter!
 

April/May Calendars



Tuesday, March 24, 2015

LifeTouch Individual Photos - Arrived

This afternoon you should have received your child’s Spring Individual Photos from Lifetouch.   As you will recall, these individual photos were not “pre-purchased”. With these photos, they take the pictures and then send them home for you to preview so you may determine whether you want to purchase them all, some, or none.

These photos are not your standard school photo shoot, but had the very fun backgrounds/scenery. You will be able to pick and choose what you would like purchase – 1 single sheet, 2 sheets, 3 sheets, or all the sheets. There is an ordering envelope in the packet that you will send back to your classroom teacher, with payment and any photo sheets you are not ordering. If you are choosing not to purchase any of the packet, just simply return the photos in the package back to school as well. There is also an additional card included in your order if you’d like to “re-order” additional copies.

I’ve had a chance to view some of the pictures, and they really turned out VERY Good!  Great Memories!

The Group Class Photos have not arrived yet, and we will send them home as soon as they arrive.

Saturday, March 7, 2015

News Updates 3-7-15

SPRING Photos – This Week
Our Spring Photos are coming up this week - Thursday, March 12.
We will be having 2 different photos taken.
  1. The first photo being taken will be a class group picture. These group pictures MUST be Pre-Ordered & Pre-Paid. On the order form that was sent home, there is a detachable envelop that will have to be returned on the day of the picture - Thursday, March 12.
  2. The second photo will be the spring individual pictures. These pictures are not pre-paid for, but instead, you will receive a copy of the photo that is taken of your students, allowing you to then make the decision as to whether you want to purchase the photos, part of the photo package, or not purchase them at all (which you would then simply return the picture packet to school). Students can make a pose selection, as well as a background selection. On that same form as the Class Group Photo you will find these choices, and you may make your selection then on the detachable form and students can turn this form in to the teacher prior to picture day, or bring it with them the day of pictures.
Again, both the form and envelope should be returned to your child's classroom teacher at any time between now and Thursday, March 12.

 

School Wide District Survey
The School Survey will remain open only one final week, as we desire to seek input from the parents/guardians of the students in our district.  Your input helps us target areas of improvement, while also sharing areas of celebrations! 
The anonymous survey should take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.  You may access the survey here:  Click Here for English
Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback.  We value your input.


ALICE Parent Survey
I wanted to send out the request to complete the parent survey one last time regarding our ALICE program, the district’s enhanced lockdown protocol.
The survey is anonymous. Your privacy is important; your answers will be combined with other participants and reported in summary form. Information reported will not indicate individual participants or schools.
Your input is valuable. Thank you for your time.     https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ALICEParentSurvey2014-15
 


Early Childhood Peer Participation for 2015-16
Attached you will find a flier regarding the process and requirements for the Early Childhood Peer program. 

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Kindness & Compassion Summit

On Friday, February 27, student representatives from grade 4 & 5 from across the Olathe School District were invited to participate in the first Kindness & Compassion SummitJulia and Connor were excellent role models, representing Pleasant Ridge. 



iPads

Students use their iPads during Parent Teacher Conferences to illustrate their strengths, areas for growth, and amazing learning.


 


 

March & April Calendars



Thursday, February 5, 2015

2015-16 Kindergarten Round-Up

All elementary schools in the Olathe School District will hold Kindergarten Round-Up from 1-6 p.m. Thursday, February. 26.
 
Current kindergartners will not have class that day.
 
By Kansas law, children who turn 5 years old on or before Aug. 31, 2015, are eligible to attend kindergarten in the fall.
 
Kindergarten Round-Up offers kindergartners and their parents a peek inside their school and is the official enrollment time for kindergartners. Parents or guardians should bring a certified copy of the child's birth certificate and immunization records. Other basic enrollment information is available in the Students and Families' section of this website. Information about fee-based, full-day kindergarten is available in the Schools and Staff, Academic Programs area of our website.
 
If school is canceled that day because of inclement weather, Kindergarten Round-Up will be rescheduled districtwide and an announcement posted on the district website, Facebook and Channel 18 with the new date/time.
 

February & March Calendars

 
 



Parent Survey


Dear Parents/Guardians:

Each year we seek input from the parents/guardians of the students in our district.  Your input helps us target areas of improvement.  Survey results are analyzed districtwide, results are provided to the Board of Education, and we will receive and analyze the results from our school.  If you have a specific concern, I encourage you to speak directly with someone, such as the person(s) with whom you have the concern, your student’s classroom teacher, or with me. 

The anonymous survey should take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.  You may access the survey by clicking on the link below. 

The survey is intended to allow for one response per household.  If you receive the survey link from multiple schools, you only need to complete one surveyYou may also complete the survey onsite at the upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences on February 11th or 12th.  Computers will be available for accessing the survey at each building.  Additionally, accessing the survey via a QR code will be an option for parents who wish to complete the survey on any Smartphone or other portable device.  Be watching for the QR Code signs posted throughout the building.

Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback.  We value your input.


 

Friday, November 14, 2014

ALICE Iinfo


Police Activity in the Neighborhood


Dear Parents,
We wanted to make you aware of some early morning police activity in the area of our school this morning involving an attempted property burglary at a local drugstore. 

 The District has been in contact with both the Overland Park & Olathe Police Departments. Public Safety officials have indicated that this incident does not pose any threat or challenges to our schools in the area. We provided heightened supervision during student arrival and, as we do everyday, have secured all of the building entrances. 
 
The District will continue to coordinate with Public Safety officials and monitor the situation closely. 
Krystal

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Principal Feedback Survey

Dear Parents,
Just as we ask our students to become Life-Long Learners, I too want to continue to refine my skills professionally.  If you could take approximately 5 minutes to complete a Principal Leadership survey, I would greatly appreciate it.  Please visit the following link to provide me with some valuable feedback. Thank you in advance for your time!
Parent Survey:

Educationally Yours,
Krystal Actkinson

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

iPads

BOND 2013 funded Technology across the district.  
During the 2013-14 School Year, a number of options were explored, while researching what would best meet the needs of our students and staff.  
Last Spring, the team recommended an iPad 2:1 ratio concept, and just last week approximately 180 Student iPads were deployed into the hands of our students.  Here are just a few pics to depict their learning and excitement!
Thank you for supporting our schools with the Bond Passage!!!! 
 






Sunday, September 21, 2014

Elementary Report Card Changes

Changes to Elementary Report Cards
While student report cards are just one way teachers share learning results with parents, they are an important part of the communication between schools and families. After an intensive review, the Olathe Public Schools has unveiled some changes to the elementary school report cards, beginning this 2014-15 school year. District staff studied best practices, conducted focus groups with parents from each elementary school and teachers from across the district, and gathered data from neighboring and benchmarking school districts to determine some changes to the current elementary report cards.

“One of the goals is to have alignment within our system to make sure our report cards are current with best practices and reflect our curriculum,” said Brent Yeager, executive director of general administration for elementary programs. “We want to make sure our report cards are parent friendly, are concise, yet meaningful and can stand the test of time.”

Some of the changes parents will see include:
·         Grades for students in first and second grade will be noted 4,3,2,1. A grade of 4 will mean proficient and a grade of 1 will mean that the student requires support in that area.
·         Students in third through fifth grades will see report cards with A, B, C and PN (Progress Needed).
·         Handwriting will be included as part of the writing section on the report cards for students in third, fourth and fifth grades.

·         A comment section will be included on all elementary report cards for a teacher to provide additional feedback.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Silent Auction - partial list

The PTA Carnival & Silent Auction is this Friday, September 12 from 5:30-8PM.  Below is a partial list of many of the exciting items that will be up for auction Friday Night. 

Thursday, September 4, 2014

A.L.I.C.E. Parent Information Mtg

Parents, please plan to join the PR Site Council partnering with the CTMS Site Councils during an upcoming parent training regarding the A.L.I.C.E. protocol for reacting to an emergency/threat, evaluating what options we have available and then responding deliberately. This meeting will be on Tuesday, September 16 @ CTMS @ 6PM. Additional mtgs are available, and you can refer to the attached flyer.

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Site Council Members Needed

WANTED......Site Council Members for the 2014-15 school year!  Three of our recent council members had students move on to 6th grade, and we are now needing additional parents to join us.  Please consider this opportunity to become more involved with your child's school.

What does Site Council do.....our main purpose is to act as a liaison between our PR school community and the school as we evaluate our school-site performance goals and objectives. Typically, it is being informed of more of the detailed operations of Pleasant Ridge and the School Improvement Process.  In year's past, I have been able to share and gather information regarding our school to assist in the decision making process, such as construction & safety issues.  Our Site Council originally assisted in the development of our now very successful WatchDOGS program, and were instrumental in the transition of our grade 6 students to the Middle School.  Our School Site Councils were also an avenue that the district sought feedback regarding the recent Bond 2013 needs and components, and gained important insight into our patron's priorities.  The PR Site Council has also assisted with school celebrations, and then at other times, I have even used our members to seek input in making decisions that effect our school community.  This year, one of our focuses will be working to inform our community of the A.L.I.C.E. safety protocol.

Our Site Council meets typically between 4-6 times a school year, and our meetings last approximately 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours at the most.  If you would like to know more, please don't hesitate to let me know and I can contact you personally.   You can email me @ kactkinsonpr@olatheschools.org or call @ 780-7590.

I look forward to hearing from you!
Krystal Actkinson, Principal

Updated September and October Calendars

September 2014

October 2014

Monday, September 1, 2014

Order Your PR Spirit Wear

Orders Due Friday, September 12 

Carnival Updates

Silent Auction Theme Baskets  
Items Requested by Grade Level

Carnival Menu & Order Form


Carnival Ticket Order Form