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. 

7:25am Student supervision begins under the covered play area

7:30am Breakfast opens in the cafeteria

7:35am Students enter school at the first bell

7:45am Classes begin, after this time students must get late passes from the office

2:20pm Dismissal

The school office hours are from 7:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For the safety of our students, all volunteers must be approved by the district before they are allowed to volunteer. The first step in this process is to review the volunteer training information found here.

Next, please complete a volunteer application here in  the Raptor system. This process will include an Oregon criminal records check. You'll receive a confirmation email as soon as the application has been approved. This process can take up to 10 business days to complete. Please plan ahead since the district is not able to accommodate rush requests in anticipation of upcoming volunteer events.

Once approved, you can create a user profile in Raptor which will allow you to view and sign up for volunteer opportunities at the school or district site(s) that you requested. You'll also be able to communicate directly with school and district volunteer coordinators. 

All volunteers and visitors wishing to enter a BSD school beyond the main office while school is in session must present a government-issued identification (ID) with photo and birth date (such as driver’s license, state ID card, passport, etc.). The office staff will scan your ID and print an official name badge for you to wear while you are in the school.

Volunteers should not bring younger siblings and babies to school when they are scheduled to volunteer. It is a safety issue and may be disruptive in the classroom. 

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. 

Regular school attendance is critical to your child’s learning. Classes begin promptly at 7:45am and students should arrive at school in time to walk to their classroom, hang up coats and backpacks, and be in their seats ready to learn by 7:45am.  Students arriving after that time must check in at the office to obtain a late slip. All absences and late arrivals are documented on the report card, and parents will be contacted regarding chronic absences or late arrivals.

Family vacations during the school year are discouraged as it interrupts children's learning. Beginning with the 24-25 school year, absences for vacations and travel will be considered unexcused absences. 

If a student needs to leave school prior to regular dismissal time, parents must pick students up in the office and sign them out.

Label Personal Belongings
Please label your child’s coats, sweatshirts, lunch bags, and water bottles with first and last name. Many student belongings end up the Lost & Found each year, and the majority of items are unlabeled. The Lost & Found is located at the south end of Blue Hall, near the exit to the covered play area. Students and parents are encouraged to check this location frequently for lost items.

Animals at School
Animals are not allowed on school property, including fields and playground areas, at any time. Exceptions for accredited guide dogs and certified therapy dogs require prior permission from the principal.

Birthday Celebrations
Birthdays are a special time for children and families, but are best celebrated at home.We do not allow food, flowers, balloons, goody bags, etc. at school in celebration of a birthday. Please check with your child’s teacher ahead of time to see how they might honor birthdays, for example, by bringing a favorite book to share with the class.

Party invitations may not be handed out at school, as this distracts from the learning environment and may exclude some students. We encourage families to utilize the family directory to invite friends to parties.

School Parties
School parties are limited by our Beaverton School District Board Policy to three per year and are not tied to specific holidays (in order to include all children). Classroom volunteers host these parties in the fall, winter and spring.  The assigned room parent will contact you about parent participation.  

Dress and Grooming
Dress and grooming are primary responsibilities of students and parents/guardians. However, students may be directed to change dress or grooming if it: interferes with the learning process or school climate, is unclean, or threatens the health or safety of the student or others. For these reasons, clothing, jewelry, or wording/graphics on clothing that is sexually suggestive, drug or alcohol-related, depicts violence, insulting, gang membership related, or ridicules a particular person or group may be prohibited. 

Personal Possessions at SchoolThe school or district are not responsible for personal possessions lost or stolen at school. Personal possessions can be a distraction from the educational process and are therefore not appropriate for school.  For these reasons, students should not bring cell phones, electronic devices, expensive  jewelry, sports equipment or other valuables to school.

Cell Phones: If a student brings a cell phone to school it must be off and away all day in their bag. Ridgewood is not responsible for lost or stolen cell phones, electronic devices, or watches. If a cell phone is not off and away during the school day, it will be taken away. Parents will be required to pick them up. 

Electronic Devices: These should always stay at home. 

Smart Watches: If a student has one and wears it, it should only be allowed to work like a digital watch (to tell the time), all features should be disabled. Students should not interact with their Smart Watches. If a Smart Watch is a distraction to a student or class, they will be taken away. Parents will be required to pick them up. 

Bicycles & Scooters
If your child rides a bike or scooter to school, please provide a helmet (required by Oregon law). Bicycles and scooters must be placed in the bike rack in front of the school.  Students are to "walk" their bicycles and scooters while they are on school grounds Skateboards should be stored in the main office prior to the start of school and retrieved at dismissal.

Each year our PTC publishes a school directory with addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of all students (unless a family has opted out of publication). One copy is given to each Ridgewood family. If you wish to opt out of the directory please notify the front office within the first two weeks of school.

ParentVue is an online portal and application that makes student information available to parents. Here parents can view attendance, grades and student emergency information. Each year parents are asked to verify enrollment through the portal within the first two weeks of school, notifying us of any demographic changes. 

Our newsletter, The Roadrunner Report, is published at the end of each month. It contains updates on events and activities and other important information for parents. Please take a few minutes each month to read these messages. If you are not receiving the newsletter via email, please contact our office so that we can troubleshoot that with you.

All district and school messaging is done through the Parent Square app. Parents can customize the notifications they receive from BSD, the Ridgewood office, and their child’s teacher. Email inquiries can be sent to RDGWD-Communications@beaverton.k12.or.us

Ridgewood conducts periodic lockout and secure drills throughout the year.The purpose of these drills is to make students and staff aware of what to do during a potential emergency situation. Before and during these drills students are reassured that there is no actual emergency but only a practice event.

Per state law, fire drills are held monthly, along with periodic earthquake drills.  Prior to the first drill, students are instructed on procedures and evacuation expectations. 
 

Arrival Procedures
Adult supervision of students begins at 7:25am at the undercover play area. Please do not drop off children before this time.

If you drive your student to school, please follow these procedures in our drop off area:

• We encourage arriving by 7:25am in order to get students unloaded and ready to enter the building at 7:30. Students may wait under the covered play area until the bell rings..
• Traffic flows from the north to south and is one way during arrival and dismissal.
• Pull forward as far as possible along the front curb.
• Seat students on the passenger side of the vehicle and say your goodbyes before you get here. Have them exit the vehicle on the curbside as quickly as possible. 
• Please move on as quickly as possible so that all students can arrive safely and on time.

SCC students will unload and enter the building into the middle doors that lead to the main office.

If you need to visit the school, please enter through the front door into the main office. Volunteers or visitors must sign in and obtain the appropriate badge before leaving the office.

Dismissal Procedures
If your child’s after school transportation plan changes, please email or call the office so that we can notify the teacher. Please email changes to RDGWD-communications@beaverton.k12.or.us or call the front office at 503-356-2440 by 1:00pm at the latest.

• Drivers should pull forward along the curb and continue along the front of the school, as safety dictates, until they reach the designated pick up zone.
• Staff will direct students to the front 3-5 vehicles, allowing others to pull up and load. Students should enter the vehicle on the passenger side.
• Once students have loaded the car, drivers are to pull out into the driving lane allowing the next car to pull forward. 
• Parents who walk or park to pick up their children are asked to wait outside at the south end of the school under the covered play area.
• Students may not be on the back blacktop or playground during dismissal as this is where the buses load.
• Please park only in designated parking spaces and do not leave your unattended car along the curb during dismissal.
   

Bus Routes
Bus Routes are created centrally by our Transportation Department. Parent will receive email notification the week before school starts of their bus stop locations and times. 

Bus Stops
Students riding the school bus should arrive at the bus stop approximately five minutes before the bus. Parent supervision is advised.The school bus driver is responsible for the safety of children on the bus. Children are expected to remain seated and follow the bus driver's instructions at all times.  

Change of Transportation Plan
Please contact the school office if your child will be going home a different way or will be picked up by someone other than the usual pickup person. Also please let us know if your child will be riding a different bus with a friend, or getting off at a different stop. In order to communicate the large daily volume of transportation changes, please contact the office no later than 1:00pm.
 

For the 2024-2025 school year, all BSD students will be eligible to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch at school daily. Families do not have to apply, and there are no income requirements. Student meals include an entree, sides and a milk. Students must take the entire meal to be eligible for the no-cost option; students who only opt for milk do not qualify for free milk. This is a federal requirement meant to encourage students to eat a well-balanced, school-made meal. The district will continue to charge for à la carte items such as milk, second entrees and snack items.

Students may bring meals and snacks from home. However, due to allergies and special diets, students are not allowed to share food with others at school. We encourage families who are sending meals from home to have their child practice opening packages and containers ahead of time.

Please consider sending a refillable water bottle with your child (please label the bottle with your student's name). Water bottle filling stations are available in each hall.
 

Medication
If your child needs to take medication during the school day, a parent must bring the medication to the school office and sign a Medication Authorization form. Both prescription and over the counter medications must be in the original container, unexpired, and with the prescription label included if applicable.  Children may not bring medication to school themselves. Over the counter medications, including Tylenol and cough drops, are included in this policy. The school is not able to provide any medication other than what parents supply.

School Nurse
The school does not have a nurse on site throughout the day, but receives weekly visits from the school nurse or health assistant assigned to Ridgewood. If you would like to contact the nurse, please call the front office and we can get a message to the nurse. Main office (and other staff) are trained in first aid and medication administration.

Student Illness or Accident
When a student becomes ill or hurt at school, every effort is made to contact the parents, guardians, or designated emergency contacts. It is critical that you keep the office updated with any changes to your phone numbers, email, and emergency contacts.

Please consult the BSD Too Sick For School policy when determining whether or not your child should go to school.