Coming soon!

In September of 1958, Ridgewood Elementary School first opened.  Ridgewood was the fourth elementary school to open in the Beaverton area north of Walker Road and Canyon Road.  The beginning enrollment was two hundred students in grades one through seven, with eighth grade added the following year.

The Parent Teacher Association of Ridgewood was organized September 30, 1958.  Mrs. A. J. Martin was elected the first president, who fostered the strong tradition of parent involvement in the school with the first Principal, Donald Shick.

In 1962, the seventh and eighth grade classes were moved to the new Cedar Park Intermediate School.  In 1963, Ridgewood became an elementary school with classes for grades one through six, and in 1984 kindergarten was added.

In 1992-93, the students selected a roadrunner as the mascot for Ridgewood.  This cartoon character was drawn by 4th grade student, Brian Moss.  As a symbol, "Ridgie" promotes the strong tradition of good citizenship at Ridgewood, where students, parents, and teachers show care and respect for all members of the school community.

At the beginning of the school year 1994-95, Ridgewood moved its sixth grade class to Cedar Park and Meadow Park Middle Schools as the Beaverton District implemented the middle school concept.  

Ridgewood families, in 1996, conceived a Ridgewood Spanish Partial Immersion program.  It was a school-based program.  Parents from the Ridgewood attendance area and staff worked together to create a partial language immersion program.  The program was implemented in the fall of 1998 in one grade level class.  Within five years, the program grew to include grades one through five.  There was only one immersion class offered at each grade level.  In 2007, the Immersion program ended and was replaced with the a Spanish Language class serving all students at Ridgewood.

During the 2007 - 2008 school year the Ridgewood Staff conducted a feasibility study and decided to begin the Candidate Phase of the International Baccalaureate Programme. Beginning in September of 2008, Ridgewood began the candidate phase that continued through the fall of 2010.  In 2011, Ridgewood was authorized as an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.  

Ridgewood has a very strong PTC, which meets the second Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. in the Library. Details about the PTC are available on their website. 

Coming soon

Volunteers at Ridgewood support our students in classrooms and a large variety of school activities. There is opportunity to serve in classrooms during the school day, on planning committees, at evening and weekend events and through take home projects. Ridgewood has a rich tradition of parents, grandparents and community members all contributing to the success of our students. 

All volunteers must be registered in the online Volunteer Management System. Once you are registered, you will have access to volunteer shifts and opportunities in our school. Each year, volunteers must update their profile information to include their students grade and teacher. More details on the program can be found on the BSD website.

Criminal Records Background Checks: Any person who wishes to volunteer in the Beaverton School District will be required to undergo an Oregon criminal records background check prior to volunteering, and then every two years thereafter. They must also complete the volunteer application. Results from background checks are confidential. School staff and school volunteer coordinators have access to the database of cleared volunteer names only. Volunteer applicants should plan for up to two weeks for the background check to clear the system. 

Volunteers helping with one-on-one student activities: School staff must be present in the area at all times, managing the overall activity. Volunteers participating in one-on-one activities such as mock interviews, in-school mentoring, veterans’ or senior citizen history gathering events will be required to complete a volunteer application and background check.

Sight & Sound Rule: The safety of students is paramount. Volunteers shall operate under the direction of a staff member and shall be within sight or sound of a staff member while working with students. This applies to parents as well as non-parent volunteers. Volunteers must never be asked to supervise or manage a classroom. 

Identification While Volunteering: In an effort to increase safety and security, all volunteers are required to wear a school-approved nametag at all times when in the building. Volunteers not wearing proper identification should be directed to the school office. 

Sign In and Sign Out of Location: For safety and liability consideration, volunteers are expected to sign in and out of the building using the Volunteer Management System. It allows staff to track who is in the building and who participated in specific activities. There is a computer to log into the Volunteer Management System in the school office. Volunteer hours and activities are reported to the Beaverton School Board annually as part of the Strategic Plan. 

Siblings: Volunteers should not bring younger siblings and babies to school when they are scheduled to volunteer. It is a safety issue. It is distracting in the classroom and other areas and causes disruption when there are additional children in a classroom or other learning space. 

Confidentiality: Volunteers must protect teachers’ and students’ right to privacy. A volunteer may not disclose sensitive school or personal matters which have come to their attention. They should discuss student concerns only with the teacher, staff member or the principal with whom they are volunteering. Volunteers may not post pictures to social media without explicit parent permission. 

Professionalism: Although the job is voluntary, the commitment is professional. Volunteers are there to complete a specific task or assignment. Volunteers are expected to support and maintain an environment conducive to student success. Volunteers should become familiar with and follow all school and classroom policies and practices, including building evacuation, fire drills, etc. Except in cases of emergency or to provide medical aid, volunteers should not touch students. 

Dependability and Punctuality: Students, teachers and staff members rely on the services performed by volunteers. Volunteers should contact the school if they are unable to volunteer on their scheduled day. 

Child Abuse: Volunteers should report suspected incidents of child abuse. This can include physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect. See the school counselor or principal immediately to make a report. 

Our PTC volunteer coordinators coordinate all of the projects and shifts, and can answer specific questions on roles and projects. Questions can be directed to Volunteer Coordinator (volunteering@ridgewoodptc.org).