Co-Presidents Welcome By Gena Margason & Julia Prosser Hello Ridgecrest Community-

We have enormous momentum coming into Spring 2017 with the recent passing of the School Bond at 74% and exciting upcoming events at Ridgecrest – the Read-a-Thon, Science Night, and School Musical – just to name a few.

The PTA Family Bingo Night had a huge turnout, and was a ton of fun. It could not have been done without Melissa Gates and her crew! The Watch D.O.G.S. (Dad's of Great Students) Pizza Night was a success. Thank you to Josh Krawczyk, Troy Prince, and James Jakobsen for organizing the D.O.G.S. for 2017! If you are interested in hearing more about Watch D.O.G.S., there is information in the front office and on our website.

The success of our PTA is dependent upon participation and feedback from our members, Ridgecrest Staff, and families. We invite you to come to our next General PTA meeting on Tuesday, March 14th at 7:00 pm in the school library. Free childcare is available in the gym with fun activities planned for the kids. You do not have to be a PTA member to come to the meeting, all are welcome. At the meeting, we will be asking for volunteers to be on the nominating committee for the 2017-2018 board. If you cannot make it to the meeting, and would like to throw your name in for a position on next school year’s board, email us at: rcelempta@gmail.com. We will also get updates from the Treasurer and Fundraising chairs as well as committee updates on upcoming events.

Finally, it’s time for Golden Acorn (PTA Volunteer) and Golden Apple (Ridgecrest Teacher) Nominations to come rolling in. Look for a Teacher and Volunteer Nomination form to be coming home soon. Please fill them out and send them back with your students. This is our way of recognizing the amazing talent and efforts around us of both PTA volunteers and Ridgecrest Teachers.

In This Issue

A Ridgecrest PTA Newsletter Solid Foundations for a Strong Community

2016-2017 | Issue 5 March

Check out what’s happening at:

www.ridgecrestpta.org

You are invited to attend the General PTA meeting

on Tuesday, March 14th at 7 pm in the Library!

PTA Meeting & Kids Game Night, Skate Night & The Works, School Bond Update, Read-a-thon ......................................................................... 2 Golden Acorn/Golden Apple, Watch D.O.G.S., Bingo Night ............................. 3 Resilience Movie, Shoreline STEM Festival ............................................................... 4 Taste of Ridgecrest, Wanted: Harry Potter Books, Spring Musical ...................... 5 Brown Bear Car Wash, PTA Board, Calendar of Events ....................................... 6

2

YOU’RE INVITED TO A PTA MEETING!

Free entertainment for the kids: Card Games, Board Games, & Hula-Hoops!

Ridgecrest PTA is hosting a kid’s game night, so parents can attend the meeting and meet

other parents! You do not have to be a member, and it is all free!!!

A KIDS

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2017 7-8PM Meeting in the Library, Games in the Cafeteria-Gym!

Questions? rcelempta@gmail.com See you there!!!

During March, Ridgecrest PTA is collecting new socks of all sizes for The Works. There will be a collection box located by the Ridgecrest totem pole and a box at Skate Night. Thanks!

When: March 9th from 6 to 8 p.m. Where: Lynnwood Bowl n Skate Cost: $6.50 for admission and skate rental

(inline skates are an additional $3) A fun family-friendly event open to all Ridgecrest families; however, there are no drop-offs allowed.

Keep reading and tracking your minutes! Read-a-thon

continues until March 3rd!

3

Watch D.O.G.S. The annual Watch D.O.G.S. pizza night took place on February 15th. Around 23 dads came with their kids to hear about the program, enjoy pizza, and volunteer for duty! Special thanks to TopDogs: Troy Prince, Josh Krawczyk , and James Jakobsen for heading this year's recruits. All fathers and father-figures can still a sign up to volunteer for a day or two. We would love to have you, and most important, the kids love to SEE you! Contact: rcwdogs@gmail.com

BINGO Night BINGO Night was held on February 9th. It was a fun-filled event with loads of fun for Ridgecrest families. A huge thanks to Melissa Gates and her team for putting on such a wonderful night!

4

Resilience: The Biology of Stress & The Science of Hope RESILIENCE: THE BIOLOGY OF STRESS & THE SCIENCE OF HOPE will be screened on Sunday, March 12, 2017, at 4 p.m., at the Shoreline Center Auditorium, 18560 1st Ave NE, Shoreline, Washington 98155 followed by a post-film panel discussion.

James Redford, son of Robert Redford and director of the award-winning documentary, “Resilience”, helps us to see that there many families in diverse Communities who are unaware of adverse childhood experiences and the cycles kids are trapped in. The good news is that outside efforts of teachers, therapists and social workers can help to break the cycle. Whether you’re a parent, teacher or neighbor, you are the external structure that helps create a positive, caring and nurturing environment.

Note: One of my hopes is that every young adult will be well-equipped for the potential stresses of new relationships and environments. We all either know or will soon come across others who have experienced significant trauma; perhaps we can all be slightly better equipped for both handling ourselves and dealing with personal & professional relationships by learning from Resilience.

Tickets

Tickets $5 per adult; students free; Childcare available by reservation.

Advance tickets and childcare can be purchased at http://shorelinecommunitymovie.bpt.me

Save the Date: Shoreline STEM Festival Do you love science and art? It’s time to start getting ready for the Shoreline STEM Festival, which will take place on May 20, 2017 at Shoreline Community College, with a K-12 student science fair, hands-on STEM fun, robotics demonstrations, and STEM Career expo! Now is the time to start a project for the science fair with three categories to choose from: Science Investigation, Engineering Design and Invention and Computer Science Design and Invention. Need help deciding on a project? You’ll find guidelines and links to resources on our website. Also, if you need a mentor to assist you, please contact us and we can put you in touch with a STEM professional. All entries will require a project proposal and you can turn yours in now until April 14. Registration and entrance to the festival are all completely FREE! Young artists: design our festival t-shirt! It’s not too late, the deadline for design submissions is April 2, 2017. Parents: we need volunteers to make the festival happen! Sign up on our website or email us to find out how you can help.

"True resilience is not a matter of character or moral fiber," Redford said. "It's about finding the

right ingredients to be successful in life." Watch the trailer at http://bit.ly/2d6BrQ2

Details for everything can be found at: shorelinestem.org or email us at shorelinestemfestival@gmail.com

5

Save the Date: Spring Musical

Calling All Volunteers! It’s time to start organizing June’s Taste of Ridgecrest. If you have some time,

thoughts, or suggestions, contact Chair, Samantha Arango. She can be reached at 425-246-8890 and samarango@gmail.com.

Remember, many hands make light work. Thanks!

6

Brown Bear Car Wash Tickets The 6th Graders are currently selling Brown Bear Car Wash Tickets that are good at locations all around King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties. Prices are $7 each or 5 tickets for $30. Contact Sanju Chettiar at sanjivani77in@yahoo.com to purchases tickets. Forms are also available in the Ridgecrest office.

2016-2017 Ridgecrest PTA Board Click on the Board member name to send an email.

Co-Presidents Gena Margason & Julia Prosser Secretary Renee Calm Treasurer Elaine Johnson Co-VP, Fundraising Susana Guzman & Joanna McMahon Co-VP, Programs Amy Walgamott & Samantha Krawczyk

Calendar of Events

Ri

dgec

rest

Ele

men

tary

Sch

ool

1651

6 10

th A

venu

e N

orth

east

Sh

orel

ine,

WA

981

55

Prin

cipa

l: D

r. Su

e M

cPea

k

Don’t forget to change your clocks on March 12th!

Popcorn Day is March 31st!

March 6 ................................................................................................................. No School: Staff Work Day 7-10 ......................................................Early Dismissal: Parent/Teacher Conferences (11:15 a.m.) 9 ............................................................................................................................ Skate Night (6 p.m.) 14 ......................................................................................................... PTA General Meeting (7 p.m.) 31 ...................................................................................................................................... Popcorn Day

April 3 ................................................................................................................. No School: Staff Work Day 6-7 ........................................................................................................ Spring Musical: Annie (7 p.m.) 17-21 .............................................................................................................. No School: Spring Break 28 ...................................................................................................................................... Popcorn Day