Important Dates: August 20 - September 14
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MONDAY, AUGUST 20:
First Day of School, Grades 1 - 8; We Care and Early Bird Begin for Grades 1 - 8; Soccer season (Grades 5 - 8) begins
TUESDAY, AUGUST 21:
Toddler Program and Children's House Parent Orientation, 7pm
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22 - FRIDAY, AUGUST 24:
Orientation for Toddler Program and Children's House: NEW Students
MONDAY, AUGUST 27 - FRIDAY, AUGUST 31:
Orientation for Toddler Program and Children's House: ALL Students
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3:
NO SCHOOL, Labor Day
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4:
Regular schedule begins for Toddler and Children's House students; Soccer Game, 4:30 @Force Northfield
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
: Ice Cream Social, 6 - 7:30pm
MONDAY, SEPT 10 AND TUESDAY, SEPT 11:
NO SCHOOL, Rosh Hashanah
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12:
Soccer Game, 4:15pm @Beaumont
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13:
Soccer Game, 4:15 @Andrews Osborne
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14:
Montessori Morning for Toddlers and Children's House, 9 - 10:30am
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A Note from Mike Griffith
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Dear Ratner Families,
We are so excited for your children and the return to school!! Their energy and joy for learning is so infectious. We have had an excellent first week with staff. There is some work still to do in making sure we are ready for opening day, but all faculty and staff are working hard to complete the necessary preparation. We have continued to work closely with our consultants. Robyn Brieman, Montessori consultant, and Paul Pendelton, Leadership consultant, did a magnificent job in their work both with the staff and the leadership team this past week. I am grateful to our dedicated faculty and staff for putting in the time and effort to ensure a wonderful beginning of the school year
It was great to see so many of you at the MPP Picnic and Back to School Bash gatherings this week! These events were extremely well attended, with approximately 100 at the picnic, and 165 at the bash. The excitement for the coming year was evident. It was wonderful to see many returning students reaching out to welcome new friends -- a fine example of one of Ratner's core values of being a welcoming and caring place!
There have been a few staffing shifts as the summer has closed. Based on the increased enrollment, we have hired Kristen Minnich to expand the Children's House (3-6 year olds). Kristen comes to us with 6 years experience and a Montessori certification in Early Childhood. Kristen will be working with Jennifer Price-Davis as a team this year. Linda "Mishy" Shapero and Aria Spraggins will be working together as a team. Additionally, we have been able to hire a teacher to replace Rachel Gluck. Joanne Ketcham, an experienced teacher, will be joining us as a new Elementary I teacher along with Hannah Irvine. Joanne has very broad teaching experience and also holds a K-12 Reading Endorsement, which is very important in supporting our young readers.
We have yet to complete the Finance/Business Operations hire. As we work through the process, you may be contacted by Ms. Dona Stevens and/or Ms. Debby Hoffman, both of whom are helping us to manage our needs at this time. If there is something that you need, do not hesitate to contact me directly, and we will work to have your needs met.
We hope that our teachers' thorough preparations for the year will be evident as you talk to your children about their school experiences in the coming weeks and months. We look forward to seeing all of you here as well.
We are all looking forward to a wonderful start to the year.
Best,
Mike
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The first day of school for students in grades 1 through 8 is MONDAY! We can't wait to see all of you!
Toddler and Children's House students will begin orientation next week - please refer to the email you received for your child's schedule. Please email Becca Ucker if you have questions about orientation:
bucker@theratnerschool.org
Please note that the school day begins at 8:30am
for ALL STUDENTS,
including
Toddler and Children's House students.
The front doors will open at 8:15 a.m., and teachers will be ready to receive students at that time.
The school day ends at 3:30pm.
For students in the Toddler Program and Children's House, the school day ends depending on your child’s specific program: 11:30 a.m. or 3:30 p.m.
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Early Bird/Morning Movement/Drop Off Information
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Grades 1-8 Early Bird/Morning Movement
For before school care, we offer "Morning Movement" free of charge, beginning at 7:30 a.m., till classrooms open at 8:15 a.m. School officially begins at 8:30 a.m. this year. For Morning Movement, students must be dropped off in the upper parking lot and enter through the back Gym door (NOT gym pod/breezeway). They can participate in physical activity led by the PE staff, or they may sit in the bleacher area and socialize, read, etc.
Toddler/Children's House Early Bird Drop Off
This program will begin on Tuesday, September 4, and specific information will be shared in the coming weeks. When bringing children to this program, please park in the upper lot and walk your child(ren) into the building through the Library doors all the way to the designated classroom.
Bus Drop Off
Bus riders will be dropped off in the upper lot and should enter the building through the Library doors and proceed to their classroom.
Regular Drop Off (see additional note below)
Students should arrive at school between 8:15 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. through the Main Lobby doors. Students should leave time to put their things away and be in class by 8:30 a.m.
Late Drop Off
Any student arriving after 8:30 a.m. must enter through the Main Lobby doors and stop at the Front Office for a pass before going to class.
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Regular Morning Drop Off Driveway/Parking Lot Protocol
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Drop off begins at 8:15 a.m. Ratner staff will be present outside the front doors and in the lobby to greet students.
IF YOU PLAN TO USE THE DROP-OFF LINE:
Please pull up next to the sidewalk in front of the building, behind the line of cars that will form there. Children should exit the car onto the sidewalk side, NOT the driveway side. Once you have dropped off your child, proceed along the driveway. You can either turn around in the small front lot to exit onto Shaker, or continue through the upper parking lot to exit onto Belgrave to Brainard. PARENTS MAY NOT LEAVE THEIR VEHICLE IN THE DROP-OFF LINE. If you need to walk in or walk to the door with your child, please park in one of the parking lots.
IF YOU PLAN TO PARK AND WALK IN:
The small front lot fills up quickly, but there is always plenty of space in the large upper parking lot. DO NOT PARK ALONG THE DRIVEWAY OR ON THE GRASS. Ratner staff will be present outside to help direct you to the upper lot if you need to find parking.
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You may notice a reserved space in the front parking lot. This parking space is offered as an auction item each year during our Kaleidoscope Gala - save the date for this year's Gala on Saturday, May 4th, 2019 and this spot could be yours next year!
Please observe the sign and leave the space open for this year's winning bidders!
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Raptors Soccer Registration is Open!
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Students entering Grades 5 - 8 are invited to join the Ratner Raptors soccer team!
Practices begin on the first day of school: Monday, August 20, 2018, and finishes the week of October 22. All scheduled practices and games can be found on our
website calendar
. Please use the link below to register.
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27575 Shaker Boulevard
Pepper Pike, Ohio 44124
216 464 0033
www.theratnerschool.org
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