Greetings, everyone!!

I want to begin this month’s newsletter with some words of appreciation. Thank you to our wonderful faculty/staff, students, and PTO for the recognition of our School Board and for me and Miss Jefferson over the past two months! They provided some gifts and desserts for our Board members at a Dessert Reception; they supplied ice cream sundaes on Valentine’s Day; and they made a phenomenal video tribute to the East Ridge Administration. It is an unbelievable honor to serve here with such a wonderful group of people!!

The 8th graders are in the middle of a BUSY, BUSY semester!! They have completed the Writing Assessment, the NAEP Test, another CRA test, their third Think Link test, and registered for high school!!! Whew! They have done all that just since Christmas, in addition to completing all their homework and class work! Our students were randomly selected to participate in the NAEP Test that measures our students’ performance against students across the country. We are very proud of our 8th grade class and we hope all of the efforts of our faculty will have them ready for the new challenges they will face in high school.

All of the students have taken another CRA test, their third Think Link Assessment, and all are feverishly preparing for the TCAP test coming in April. Please take time to discuss with your child the importance of always doing his/her best in every assignment or task. This will encourage healthy habits for success now and in their future.

Please make an appointment to come in to meet with your child’s teachers for Parent-Teacher Conferences on March 5th from 3:15-6:15 p.m. Another date to remember is March 19th when the Hamblen County School System welcomes noted speaker, Reggie Dabbs, to the West High Auditorium as part of our anti-bullying campaign. He will be speaking to our student body on March 20th, but the evening of the 19th is Family Night.

Also, the School Board has approved the calendar for the 2013- 2014 school year. It is printed in this newspaper for your convenience. Please make note of important dates from the calendar. It is important for your child to attend school EVERY DAY!! You can find the calendar and other exciting information on our school website, as well.

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to call us in the main office or send an email.

It is wonderful to be your principal at The Ridge!

Danny Templin