Green Ridge R-8 School District

🏫 COMMUNITY FACILITIES INPUT MEETING 🏫

Help Shape the Future of Our School Facilities

📅 March 12, 2026
🕠 5:30 PM
📍 School Cafeteria

Our schools are a source of pride for our community — and your voice matters.

We are inviting parents, staff, students, alumni, and community members to participate in a collaborative meeting focused on developing a prioritized list of facility improvements and maintenance needs.

The goal is to identify projects that:
• Enhance student learning environments
• Improve safety and infrastructure
• Strengthen community pride
• Protect our long-term investment

The evening will include:
✔ Brief facility overview
✔ Small group brainstorming sessions
✔ Opportunity to prioritize improvements
✔ Open and respectful discussion

This is an input-gathering meeting — no decisions will be made that evening.

Your ideas and perspective will help guide the next steps in planning for our school’s future.

We hope you will join us on March 12th at 5:30 PM in the cafeteria.

Congratulations to my 8th grade science class and their performance at the Kaysinger Conference Science Fair today at SFCC. A number of our students brought home bronze, silver and gold medals (results are listed below). Even better, collectively, we earned the Best Middle School Overall distinction bringing home the Conference trophy for the Junior Division. I'm really proud of every one of my students - whether they won a medal or not. They have all worked hard on their projects the last couple months and many stepped WAY out of their comfort zones presenting to college students today. We may have some future researchers in our midst!
- Mrs. D. -

Behavioral Sciences:
Paisley Rogers, 1st

Chemistry/Biochemistry:
Hayden Minson, 2nd

Ecology:
Gage Piscopo & Oliver Crystal, 1st

Medicine & Health:
Ivas Lemanski, Artum Verbovshchuk & Max Knoernschild, 1st
Alyona Kariaka: 3rd

Microbiology:
Matvii Nochka, Jackson Davenport & Ayden Patterson, 1st

Physics & Engineering:
Michael Close & Faith Hayburn, 1st
Avery Box, Juan Alvarez & Madi Merriott, 2nd

Ms. Kratzer’s second graders took advantage of the warm weather and headed outside for spelling practice! ☀️✏️ We grabbed some chalk and wrote our spelling words on the sidewalk. A little sunshine, a little fresh air, and a lot of learning! 🌈📚

Hands-On Science in Mrs. Piscopo’s Class! 🎢

Mrs. Piscopo’s class wrapped up their science unit on motion by designing and building marble run rollercoaster tracks. Students worked with a partner to plan, design, and test their creations, putting their ideas into action.

There was lots of creativity, problem-solving, and excitement as they watched their marbles race through the tracks. The students had a blast working together and seeing their designs come to life!
#GreenRidge #HandsOnLearning #ScienceInAction

Then and Now in First Grade! 🧈

Today, our first graders stepped back in time during Social Studies as we learned about how things were done long ago compared to today. To bring history to life, students made butter the old-fashioned way—by shaking it themselves!

After lots of shaking and teamwork, we ended up with real butter… and of course, we had to taste it too! 😄 It was a fun and hands-on way to learn how people used to make everyday foods before modern machines.

Learning about the past is always better when you can experience it!
#GreenRidge #ThenAndNow #HandsOnLearning

💜💛 Staff Spotlight – Welcome Danielle Young! 💛💜

Please help us welcome Danielle Young as the new School Nurse at Green Ridge! 🩺🐯

Danielle is a 2006 graduate of Green Ridge School and is excited to return to the place where she grew up. Over the past 15 years, she has worked in the dental field as a certified dental assistant and office manager, bringing a wealth of healthcare experience with her.

🌟 What she’s most excited about:
Getting to know all of the students and being back at Green Ridge!

🐎 Fun fact:
In her spare time, Danielle enjoys raising and showing her performance Quarter Horses.

❤️ Something she’d like the community to know:
She’s excited to be back in the school and community that she grew up in and looks forward to serving the students and families of Green Ridge.

Welcome back to Green Ridge, Danielle! 💜💛

#WelcomeToGreenRidge #TigerPride #SchoolNurse #TigerNation #NewStaffSpotlight

We don't have many incoming kindergarten students on our list. Please fill out the following survey if you have an incoming kindergartner.
https://forms.gle/Nvet217tLt1vj8Gx5

🎓 Senior Spotlight! 🎓

Twice a week, we’re celebrating amazing seniors from the Class of 2026! 🌟 Today, we’re featuring Gage Howe—check out their journey, achievements, and future plans!

Show them some love and drop a comment to cheer them on! 🎉👏

#SeniorSpotlight #ClassOf2026

🚌🎉 Happy Birthday to Donna Harbison! 🎉🚌

Join us in celebrating Donna today! 🎂
As one of our dedicated bus drivers, she safely transports our students each day with care and a friendly smile. 💜💛

Drop a 🎈 or 🚌 in the comments to wish her the happiest of birthdays!

#HappyBirthday #SchoolFamily #WeAppreciateYou

Dear Parents of current 7th-8th graders, Exciting news! I'm leading a student and parent educational tour to Washington, D.C. on August 1st-4th, 2027. Join us on: Thursday, March 12th - 6:00pm in the school cafeteria for a brief informational meeting. Each traveler is eligible for an Early Bird Scholarship of $500! Please RSVP by clicking here: https://rsvp.worldclassrooms.com/inperson/48061322633?rsvp_id=48061322633 For additional meeting details, itinerary, scholarship info, and more, click here! I'm so thrilled about this opportunity for our students!! Don’t miss out, Mr. Rick Rollins

Green Ridge Music Dept took 19 events to District Solo & Ensemble @SFCC today. Students practiced hard and their efforts paid off. The ratings are as follows: 2 Satisfactory (III) 10 Outstanding (II Silver) 6 Exemplary (I Gold) Students receiving an Exemplary rating will continue to put in the time on their music and head to State May 1st at MU. Those students are Evee Porter(10), Flute Solo Miles Porter(10), Bari Sax Solo Callie Knoernschild(12), French Horn Solo Sage Barnett(9), Tuba Solo Evee Porter(10), Vocal Solo Heath Snethen(11), Vocal Solo Great day of music for today's musicians. Congratulations Tigers!

💙🎉 Happy Birthday to Mrs. Brock! 🎉💙

Please help us celebrate Mrs. Brock today! 🎂
As a SPED teacher, her compassion, patience, and dedication make a meaningful difference in the lives of her students every single day. 💜💛

Drop a 🎈 or 🎉 in the comments to wish her the happiest of birthdays!

#HappyBirthday #WeAppreciateYou #BestTeachers #SPEDStrong

🏀🎉 Happy Birthday to Mr. Cannon! 🎉🏀

Help us celebrate Mr. Cannon today! 🎂
As our Athletic Director and PE teacher, his leadership, energy, and commitment to our students inspire teamwork, sportsmanship, and healthy habits every day. 💜💛

Drop a 🎈 or 🏀 in the comments to wish him the happiest of birthdays!

#HappyBirthday #SchoolFamily #WeAppreciateYou #GoTeam

Mrs. Thompson’s 5th-grade math class has been working on comparing, adding, and subtracting decimals. To end the unit, they celebrated by getting “Starbucks” and completing a menu worksheet using the Starbucks menu

🎓 Senior Spotlight! 🎓

Twice a week, we’re celebrating amazing seniors from the Class of 2026! 🌟 Today, we’re featuring Keyten Hardin—check out their journey, achievements, and future plans!

Show them some love and drop a comment to cheer them on! 🎉👏

#SeniorSpotlight #ClassOf2026

📊🎉 Happy Birthday to Mrs. Anderson! 🎉📊

Join us in celebrating Mrs. Anderson today! 🎂
As our business teacher, she equips students with real-world skills, leadership, and confidence that prepare them for success beyond the classroom. 💜💛

Drop a 🎈 or 🎉 in the comments to wish her the happiest of birthdays!

#HappyBirthday #WeAppreciateYou #BestTeachers #FutureLeaders

🍎 Teacher of the Year Nominations Are Now Open! 🍎 Do you know a teacher who goes above and beyond for their students? Now is your chance to recognize them! Teacher of the Year nominations are now open through Inter-State Studio. Check out the information in the picture below for details on how to submit your nomination. Let’s take a moment to celebrate the amazing educators who make a difference in the lives of our students every day! 📚✨

Rylee gave the devotion, Kaelyn brought the cinnamon rolls and we all enjoyed a game of Ninja at FCA this morning.

No power, no problem. Just means its a great day for reading by flashlight under the desk or in your favorite comfy chair by the window. Maybe we could go on a Kindergarten "bear hunt" to practice our call & response and rhythm or play a game of memory with vocabulary. We are truly blessed with GR8 teachers capable of turning ruined lesson plans into unforgetable memories.

🎓 Senior Spotlight! 🎓

Twice a week, we’re celebrating amazing seniors from the Class of 2026! 🌟 Today, we’re featuring Kiley Gilbertson—check out their journey, achievements, and future plans!

Show them some love and drop a comment to cheer them on! 🎉👏

#SeniorSpotlight #ClassOf2026