Dear Parents,

 

On behalf of the Pleasant Ridge Union School District, welcome to the new school year.  I hope that all of you have had a wonderful and relaxing summer.  I know that your child’s education is of the utmost importance to you, I thank you for entrusting Pleasant Ridge Union School District to develop the intelligence of each child that attends our school district for their continual growth.  It is our goal to make this school year the very best yet for all children, and I believe that by working collaboratively, we can accomplish this goal. 

 

The first and most critical factor to every child’s success is daily attendance.  It is imperative that every day school is in session children must be in attendance for the entire school day.  Research has shown that children who miss school regularly do not do as well as students who commit to attend school every day.  This is even for students who diligently make up the work that they missed.  The key is the instruction that our teachers are committed to daily.  If you find that your child will miss a number of days this school year, please contact their teacher to set up a plan to ensure they receive the necessary information and instruction for the missed work. 

 

The second way we can collaboratively ensure every child is successful is for you to have frequent conversations with your child daily about their school day and their academic development.  As a staff we have these conversations daily with all students and we would like for you to commit to doing the same.  Do not wait for progress reports to tell the story, encourage your children to tell the “story” daily.   If you have concerns with their ability to clearly inform you about school, please reach out to your child’s teacher to get that information.  For the older students in our schools we have purchased day planners so your children can record all-important items.  Have them open up their day planners and explain what was expected for that school day and in the future. 

Finally, we are always continually trying to find solutions to reach all children academically and behaviorally.  Many times through out the school year we have students who choose to disrupt their own instruction as well as other students.  Each school has adopted and committed to the six pillars of character education.  Students will be instructed monthly on a different character trait.  We are asking that you reinforce those character traits at home as well.  You will receive information about the different traits during the school year.

 

This year promises to be full of successes but we will need the dedication and determination of our staff and families working together.  We are thankful for the support you have given over the years and look forward in growing our relationship for student success.

 

Please make note that the first day of school for students is August 15th, it will be an early release day for all students.  If you have any questions about the school calendar, please contact your child’s school office.

 

We wish tremendous success for your child this year!

Rusty S. Clark 
Superintendent