Ridgeview has recently implemented a new way for parents, students, and staff to receive news about campus. The SMORES Newsletter is written and ran by Christina Puentes, Ridgeview Activities Secretary, and Deb Whitbey, Activities Director. With only 17 editions, the newsletter has highlighted various events and news throughout campus since the beginning of the school year.
The newsletter was created to help inform parents about various on going events happening here at Ridgeview. Previously the newsletter was written monthly by Ridgeview’s Principal, Roger Sanchez, but was changed after seeing how successful the SMORES newsletter were at other schools. While the principal isn’t the writer of the newsletter, he still implements his weekly message to reach out to parents, staff, and students.
Whitebey states, “Our administration brought it to my attention because another school in the district was using it already. Ms. Christina (activities office) and myself went to a training for it and started it right after.” When asked about why the newsletter was created in the first place, Whitbey replied, “We want to make sure that we get all information out to parents in as many ways as possible. This was another way that we can communicate with them.”
The main focus of this Newsletter is to reach out to students and announce important upcoming events. Senior, Anacelia Villareal, states, “I think this new Newsletter serves as a great reminder for me each week so I can be up to date with events.” The newsletter most notably highlights upcoming events for seniors dedicating a section for important senior events. Villareal also states, “I wasn’t aware of the newsletter until recently, as I felt they weren’t advertising it as much. I would definitely recommend more students to read the newsletter as it helps me stay up to date with events.”
Parents, Students, and Staff all receive the newsletter through the emails the school has on file. Alongside email, the newsletter is also available to view on the school’s website. When asked what she hopes students and parents to get out of the Newsletter, Whitebey replied, “We would like for academic, athletic, club, and general information to go out so parents can see what we are doing each week on campus and invite them to join when it is appropriate for them to do so.”
