Friday, September 16, 2016

Challenging Week, But With Celebrations...National Merit Semifinalists!

Hello Cedar Ridge Community!

It's Friday and we are ready for tonight's game at Temple! We are confident we will keep our winning streak rolling!

Despite a very difficult week due to the death of Ms. Rachel Colenda, a Cedar Ridge English-As-A-Second-Language Teacher in a car accident Monday night and the accident that occurred with one of our students who was hit by a car while riding home on his bike Wednesday afternoon, we've all pulled together and supported one another. Our students and staff have responded like champions, which has been inspiring.

Christopher, the student who was hit by a truck while riding his bike, is doing extremely well. His father has kept me updated on his condition and has given me permission to share that Christopher is responding very well. He has no broken bones, which is a miracle. He had significant bruising and 'road rash," but is expected to get out of the hospital in a few days. Christopher's father said the medical staff taking care of him is fantastic. The family is so appreciative of the outpouring of love and support they have received from the Cedar Ridge Community.

The accident has brought up the recurring idea of a school zone in front of Cedar Ridge. Although a school zone may not have prevented the accident, since it probably would not have extended down to the intersection of Double Creek and Gattis, there may be many advantages to having it. When I took over as principal three years ago, we contacted the city to request a school zone and we were told they didn't do that for high schools. Since safety is my first priority for our students, I am still hoping we can make this happen. I saw on KXAN last night they had an article about this very thing, so I'm sharing it for you to read, if you would like.- click on school zone

On a positive note, we were thrilled with the parent and student turn out for the Cedar Ridge Meet the Teacher Night this Tuesday night! We estimated more than double the number of participants than in the past. Thank you so much for coming out and meeting the teachers. I loved getting to meet many of you, too!

Another great thing that happened this week was the announcement of our National Merit Semifinalists. We are so proud of all nineteen Cedar Ridge students who prequalified last spring. Four of our students actually qualified as semifinalists this year. Congratulations to these students and their families! We will be celebrating with a special breakfast in their honor and they will be presented at a home football game, October 14th. We are so proud of you all!!!


From left to right- Sunitha Konatham, Matthew Pabst, Nicolas Escobar, and Arvind Raghavan.
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Friday, September 9, 2016

Meet the Teacher Night Information

Please join us for Meet the Teacher Night, Tuesday, Sept. 13.  We have coordinated with all of our feeder schools, and this was the day that worked, so we apologize in advance for any conflicts you may have.
Our more relaxed “come and go” schedule was such a hit last year that we will be following the same format this year.  
  • 6:00-8:00 – Booster Clubs and School Clubs/Organizations will be set up in the cafeteria.  Some will be selling club items and some will just be sharing information.
  • 6:00-8:00 – Come and go in classrooms – Meet the Teachers
      • You may visit your child’s teachers in whatever order you wish.  There is no set timeframe.
      • Please remember, this is not a time to try and discuss specific issues you or your child are having with a class.  Teachers will have a sign in sheet that will allow you to indicate if you would like to be contacted for an individual conversation in the near future.
  • Grade Level Presentations will be offered at 6:00, 6:40 and 7:10 (same presentation offered at each time) presented by our Counselors, Assistant Principals and IT Specialists.
      • 9th Grade Session – Cafeteria
      • 10th Grade Session – Small Gym
      • 11th Grade Session – Lecture Hall
      • 12th Grade Session /FAFSA Information – C210
      • CRHS Social Media Session – Library Computer Lab
Important – In an effort to support the RRISD initiative to “Go Green” and not use so much paper, we will not be printing student schedules.  Please pull up your child’s schedule in HAC and take a picture of it or print it out.

We look forward to seeing you at Cedar Ridge!

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

An Example of Outstanding Leadership Within Our Cedar Ridge Student Body- Sunitha Konatham


We have many talented and outstanding students on this campus. One great example of this, is Sunitha Konatham, a senior at Cedar Ridge. Sunitha was one of 70 students across the nation selected for an all-expense paid Leadership program with General Tommy Franks, which was held in July in Oklahoma. She also was one of the 12 students who received a scholarship. Below is a picture of the twelve scholarship awardees with General Tommy Franks. Sunitha is multi-talented who serves as a leader in our Health Science Academy and club. She also has sung the National Anthem at several of our athletic events, and is an active member in the Cedar Ridge Choir. Cedar Ridge is so fortunate to have amazing students like Sunitha! I have shared two articles below, that talk about the Leadership event Sunitha attended.




Top High School Students Selected for World-Class Leadership Program with General Tommy Franks
For Immediate Release: June 28, 2016
Top High School Students Selected for World-Class Leadership Program with General Tommy Franks


Students Awarded Scholarships from World-Class Leadership Program

http://www.freestonecountytimesonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16431:students-awarded-scholarships-from-world-class-leadership-program&catid=50:education