It was the opening act to Thanksgiving at Ridgedale Elementary School on Thursday morning.
That is, the Ridgedale family got together for its monthly “Morning Meeting” for November, and students got to invite moms and dads and other caregivers, too, for a celebration before holiday break.
Classes in the county dismiss two hours early for next week’s week-long vacation from school.
Meanwhile, Ridgedale’s gatherings are a staple at the school on Goshen Road which houses more than 500 students in pre-kindergarten through 5th grade.
So are the other meetings where the above-mentioned caregivers get to accompany their kids to school – to witness first-hand how everyone works through remedial Chinese and other classroom stops on the schedule, along with all the fun extracurriculars, such as band.
With the exception of the pre-kindergarteners, students gather in the school gym for a rundown of where everyone has been so far, Principal Sheri Petitte said.
Students having birthdays that month are called out by name. New students coming in get a public welcome, also.
The class that has read the most books for the month, or has shown marked improvement in math, get a loud round of applause, in the Ridgedale way, she notes.
“It’s a little slice-of-life celebration for our kiddos and our community,” the principal said.
Academics isn’t the only activity noted, she said.
Her school is also heavy on physical fitness, and to date, Ridgedale students have logged 973 miles on area rail trails – which, Petitte said, is the equivalent of a motorcar trip to Disney World in Florida, with some other jaunts around Orlando tossed in.
Of course, she said, no Ridgedale monthly is complete without the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Joke of the day.
Here’s the November entry.
What do you need to make Thanksgiving S’more’s?
Chocolate bars, marshmallows and … wait for it … PilGrahams.
“OK, that is terrible,” the principal said.
