Originally delivered on 11/12/2023 3:13 pm

SUBJECT: RH Pony Post: Week of November 12th

A Note from Our Principal

What I am thankful for! 

Thank You Parents!

I want to take the time to thank you parents for allowing me and our staff to serve you and your families!!! You could have chosen any school for your child/children to attend, but because you chose Ridglea Hills, we are grateful and are doing our best to love, respect, and encourage them to reach their fullest potential!


As promised, since our Mustang community met their goal for Live Thankfully, I will be eating real crickets this week before Thanksgiving Break! I love our students and staff so much, so I am keeping my commitment! It will be live so all students and staff can witness this craziness!!! 

Enjoy your families and love ones during this upcoming Thanksgiving holiday!!!


Love, 

Mrs. Cotton

Live Thankfully Wrap Up

Thank you to everyone that brought food items, bought wristbands, and purchased shirts for Live Thankfully! Our campus was able to donate 5,203 food items and $1618 to help feed families in our communities! Way to go, Mustangs!! Mrs. Cotton will be eating those crickets this week, as promised, since we met our goal! 

Winter Wear Store is Now Open!
All these styles, and more!

Stock up on long sleeves, jackets, and sweaters for the colder weather! All winter wear purchases benefit 5th Grade Fundraising.

The store will stay open until November 19th.

Winter Wear Store
Book Fair Week is Here!

The Book Fair has arrived! The kids (and teachers ) have previewed the fair and made their wish lists, and it is time to SHOP!

Gift cards are available to be purchased online. You can continue to shop online until Friday, November 17th. Every purchase made, in person or online, benefits our school!

It has been so much fun to watch the kids preview the Book Fair and find all their favorite things. This was made possible by the volunteers who have so generously donated their time to make Ridglea Hills such a special place for ALL Mustangs! There are still a few volunteer opportunities available in Sign Up Genius if you would like to join in the fun (and get that 10% volunteer discount!).

We hope to see you there!

Book Fair Volunteers
Online Book Fair
United Way Out of Dress Code Fundraiser

Ridglea Hills is doing a fundraiser to help support United Way this week! 

Out of Dress Code - November 14-17 - Only $10!

All proceeds go to United Way.

Bracelets will be on sale Monday, November 13 before and after school (front foyer and back by the library)

Cash or check accepted. (Checks made out to United Way)

Ridglea Hills Angel Tree

The Holidays are almost here! So that people can take advantage of Thanksgiving break and Black Friday sales, we want to have all angels adopted before the break. 

We will be outside the front doors in the morning and afternoon Wednesday, Thursday, Friday this week so that people can sign up to adopt RHE angels. 

This year, we have two ways to help out our fellow Ridglea Hills families: You can adopt a child or donate a Walmart gift card or both!

We have a Sign Up Genius for those that aren't able to come in person but would still like to adopt a kiddo. We have divided each child's wants/needs into three categories. You can choose either clothing needs, toys, or both. Please stick to the $30 limit for toys. All items will need to be returned by December 5th. 

In addition to clothing and toys, we'd also like to provide a $25 Wal-Mart gift card to each family so they can purchase wrapping paper or food for holiday meals. If you would like to donate a gift card, you can drop them off during sign ups or during collections on December 5th. 

You can also Venmo @Erin-Willbanks (2 L's, last four of phone 5202) with any amount you are able to donate, and Erin will purchase cards accordingly. Please make sure to mark any Venmo with "RHE Angel Tree."

Contact Erin Willbanks, Student Aid Chair, ewill1013@gmail.com or  940-390-5202 or Tracie Harris, RHE School Counselor, tracie.harris@fwisd.org or 817-815-1715 with any questions. 

Small Group Counseling with Mrs. Harris

If you would like to refer your child for a targeted small counseling group at school, please see information below.


https://forms.gle/eVtY39TtcbvkS3aPA

Early Dismissals are going Electronic!

“The process” itself hasn’t changed - we are just helping to expedite the process. The early dismissal sign-out is in the office and will still be used as needed. We have created a google doc that parents may complete in advance for early dismissals. This is an effort to alleviate parents having to reach out to teachers directly during instruction time and eliminate a long wait for your student to come up to the office, especially when time is critical. We will call the student(s) a few minutes before the requested dismissal time and have them wait for pick up. If the students have not been picked up within 5 minutes of the requested dismissal time, we will return them to class. The form is available below, or on the PTA website - rhpta.com

Here are answers to a few FAQs:

Q: Who can submit the early dismissal request form?
A: Only contacts listed in FOCUS can request an early dismissal.

Q: Are IDs required?
A: Yes. Authorized contacts MUST present a valid, government issued ID before the student will be released.

Q: What’s the earliest I can request an early dismissal?
A: Electronic requests can be made as early as parents would like for the same day. Students will be marked absent if they are not in class at 10am.

Q: What’s the latest time for early dismissals?
A: 2pm for Pre-K, 2:45 K -5 


If there are any other questions, please contact the main office (817) 815-1700.

Early Dismissal Request Form
Celebrate your child's birthday in style!

Mustang Stampede is back and ready to thrill your kids with a surprise appearance on their birthday or any special occasion!

 Your $30 donation (which goes to support the 5th grade field trip) includes 12 mustang signs and a Ridglea Hills sign. Happy Birthday signs can be included as well! Just let us know!

Reservations must be made at least a week in advance.

Reserve your special day now! What a fun way to support your 5th grade families and show the neighborhood your RH spirit!

We are now taking reservations for the month of November and December

Please email rhstampede@gmail.com to make your reservation. Include the date and address. You will receive an email reply to confirm your reservation (we have 2 sets of signs, so we can make 2 reservations per day). After your reservation is confirmed, you can pay via Venmo, via Membership Toolkit or cash or check. Information will be sent to you regarding payment.

Save the Date

Mark these upcoming dates on your calendar! 

Nov. 13-17: Book Fair

Nov. 14: PTA General Meeting (6:15pm); 3rd Grade Music Program (6:30)

Nov. 17: Career Day

Nov. 20 - 24: Thanksgiving Break 

Nov. 29: PTA Meeting (12pm)

Get Involved
Membership Has Its Privileges

Want to know when events are happening and get live updates to calendar changes? Want to stay informed on class activities? Need to connect with another parent? Membership Toolkit is the program the PTA uses to keep you informed and connected! Download the Membership Toolkit app or go to the website and sign up today! 

It's free and you will have access to the calendar of events, family directory (you choose what information you share and you must be a parent or staff member to have access to this feature) and more! Additional features like volunteer sign-ups are coming soon! 

Already on Membership Toolkit? Log in and update your family's information! NEW this year - from the mobile app, you can sync the calendar to your phone! 

Calling all volunteers!

Want to be more involved at RHE??? Volunteering is a great and easy way to support our children and school. 

Please use the link or QR code below to submit your volunteer interests. You may also fill out the volunteer form and return to your teacher or email VP of Volunteers, Megan Powers, at meganpowers84@yahoo.com

Fort Worth ISD requires an online background check process for all school volunteers. Background checks must be completed every year for volunteers; they do not carry over to the next school year. For those with students in multiple schools, one background check is sufficient, as it covers all of Fort Worth ISD. To complete your mandatory application and background check to volunteer through Fort Worth ISD, please visit:  https://www.fwisd.org/volunteer.

Stay in the know!
  • If you're not signed up to receive our weekly Pony Post, email rheponypost@gmail.com with your child's name, grade and teacher and we'll get you signed up!  



  • Get involved by joining the PTA! We have many jobs, large and small, and all make a huge difference in helping to show our Mustang Pride! 


  • General information regarding Ridglea Hills Elementary School is available online at our PTA-sponsored website – www.rhpta.com. Please get familiar with this website and bookmark it on your browser.


  • For specific questions regarding school-administered matters not addressed on www.rhpta.com, including but not limited to academic affairs, school registration, testing, campus security, school programs, Fort Worth ISD policies and procedures, etc., please contact the school office at 817-815-1700.


  • For non-PTA-related posts (i.e., selling uniforms, looking for a carpool group to join, etc.), please head over to the Ridglea Hills Elementary Parents Facebook group.


  • Other helpful Ridglea Hills Elementary School-related Facebook pages include the following:

    • Ridglea Hills Elementary

    • Ridglea Hills Elementary School’s Counselor

    • Ridglea Hills Mustang Muscle (for those RHE dads interested in getting involved with school service projects)

    • RHE Run Club

 

The Pony Post has a new email this year! Sign up to receive the weekly e-newsletter by emailing Kelly Wooley at  RHEPonyPost@gmail.com

Pony Post News!! We have a new online submission form. Visit 

https://bit.ly/RHEPonyPost and fill out the online form with the information you want included in the post by Friday at noon. There's even an option to upload images, word documents and PDFs! 



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