Monday, September 16, 2013


Dear Parents and Students,                                                                                                    September 2013    
                                               
Welcome to the 2013-14 school year!  The Shadow Ridge Middle School staff is eager to start the new school year!

We are thrilled to welcome 1,010 students.  Our summer has been a restful, yet busy one.  We have acquired a dozen new teachers to our school, most of them having prior experience within the district or another neighboring district. 

We will continue to implement our mission throughout the school year, “Preparing 21st Century students to be productive and successful.”   This professional action ensures our mission of educating a well-rounded child.  The SRMS staff is prepared and committed to provide academic excellence by building a solid foundation for each student in a safe and clean environment. 

Shadow Ridge Middle School is excited to continue 62+ minute content classes and offer a wide range of elective classes. Bells will be activated at the beginning of the day and the end of the day, with staggered grade level passing periods throughout the day.  Students will also eat with their grade level classmates. 

We received our TCAP scores.  We placed a great deal of emphasis on writing this last year which led to some significant growth.  We will continue to work on writing in all content areas while also focusing on reading and math. I know your support for your child and our school has contributed to our growth.  I am confident that your child will experience a great deal of academic growth this year and perform well throughout the year.  Thank you for your continued support.

One grade level core piloted Standards Based Grading  (SBG) during the 2012-13 school year.  SBG is now being implemented not only at Shadow Ridge, but at all Adams 12 Schools.  Our continued work to improve student achievement goes hand and hand with SBG.  The purpose of SBG is simply to raise student achievement by clearly communicating a student’s progress toward learning outcomes.  Research supports that standards-based grading will help students learn more effectively through specific and timely feedback.  Additional standards based grading information may be found on our district website, www.adams12.org.

Another new area of focus is MAPS (Measures of Academic Progress).  The individualized assessments are given three times a year (fall, winter, and spring).  Staff and students set goals, review growth, and analyze areas of strengths while viewing areas of continued work.  The assessments are taken on the computer and assists with timely feedback. 

Students, we welcome you to another year of middle school.  The staff is committed to your success academically.  Please continue to be prepared as you enter each individual class.  Although we do not have athletics, we do have extra-curricular opportunities that will allow a nice balance for an enjoyable and productive year.  We are encouraging you to participate in a club or intramurals.  Intramurals run throughout the year.  Our district data indicates a positive correlation between academic success and extra-curricular participation, so find an activity you enjoy!

Parents, the teachers and I would like to invite you to attend any of your student’s functions, as well as classes. Your communication and feedback regarding your child’s success is vital.  All staff members have email and voicemail, email is the most efficient source of communication for our staff.  Our goal is to return your call or email within 24-48 hours of receiving it.  We also encourage you to visit our school’s web page, it is a great source for updated information.  Please listen to the weekly auto-dialer messages, we will continue to call on the auto-dialer system for important updates or reminders.  The school newsletter is posted on the school website.  Newsletters will not be mailed or sent home with students.  If you do not have access to the internet, please stop by the office for a hard copy of the newsletter or have your child pick one up.
I am thrilled to be a part of SRMS and developing a well-rounded experience for your child.  Thank you for supporting your child, our staff, and our district!

Sincerely,
Susie Wickham
Principal