This week's Ridgeway activities include:
A "Pop-Up" Garden Club for 2nd and 3rd graders on Tuesday after school
A Young Arts performance of Billy Goats Gruff and Other Tales by the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia for our Kindergarten and 1st grade students on Wednesday
Many thanks to RPAC for supporting this engaging and educational experience for our students!
Click on this link or use the QR code to purchase your ticket today: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094DAEAC22A4FDC16-62191573-2026.
https://www.ridgewayschool.org/page/summer-kids-club
Ridgeway's Parent, Student, Teacher Goal Setting Meetings scheduled for tomorrow evening will be rescheduled for Monday, March 23rd. The meetings will be held at the same time as originally scheduled. If families are not able to make the March 23rd meetings at the designated times you can look to schedule meetings at the open times on Thursday, March 19th, or look to see if other times are available on the 23rd. Please see the parent email with the conference scheduling link. .
Ridgeway Community School hosted a Southeast Minnesota Youth Archery Tournament on February 27–28, welcoming 77 archers from 12 schools in grades 4–11. 🏹
Congratulations to our top shooters!
🥇 Hailey West, 11th grade, Rushford-Peterson – 270 (Overall Champion & Top Girls’ Shooter)
🥇 Rhett Ringler, 5th grade, Ridgeway – 262
Great shooting by all participants, and thank you to the schools, families, and volunteers who made the event a success!
We would like to thank Mr. Larson from Ridgeway for coordinating the event, and Mr. Henry and Mr. Roden from Bluffview Montessori School for assisting with scoring and entering results. We also appreciate Mr. Pug Groth and Mr. Dave Hackbarth for their help with scoring, setup, and cleanup.
A special thank you to the Bluff Country Chapter of the MN Deer Hunters Association and Pheasants Forever for their continued support of our archery program and the equipment that makes events like this possible.
This month, the Little Jays will be celebrating National Nutrition Month with a colorful morning snack featuring a variety of fruits and vegetables. Along with our usual favorites—the climbing wall and bounce house—we’ll have plenty of balls for big, active play, creative play centers to explore, and a craft table for our Little Jay visitors to enjoy.
During story time, we’ll read the classic children’s book Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban. In this charming story, a fussy badger named Frances insists on eating only bread and jam—until she discovers that having the same meal every day isn’t quite as fun as she thought!
Little Jays Playgroups are FREE and open to all community members, thanks to the generous support of our parent organization, RPAC. The playgroups are designed for children ages 2–6, and siblings up to age 8 are welcome to join the fun.
These playgroups are a wonderful opportunity for families looking for a school home to check out all that Ridgeway Community School has to offer.
We hope you’ll join us for a morning of play, stories, and smiles!
The gymnasium was transformed into a bustling colonial town, featuring student-run shops and trades like blacksmiths, silversmiths, coopers, carpenters, apothecaries, tailors, cobblers, farmers, and more. Visitors also enjoyed colonial games, crafts, a farm display with goats and chickens, and sampling colonial-inspired foods and drinks prepared by the students.
A big thank you to 4th and 5th grade teachers Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Krings for organizing this engaging learning experience, and to our Ridgeway staff and families for their help with costumes, displays, and preparations for the event!
Join us at Ridgeway Community School on Thursday, March 5th from 6:30–7:30 p.m. to discover what makes our school such a special place to learn and grow!
Families will have the opportunity to:
✨ Explore our FREE public Kindergarten–5th grade academic and enrichment programs
🏫 Tour the school and classrooms
🤝 Meet staff and learn more about our supportive school community
Plus, don’t miss a highlight of the evening — our 4th and 5th grade students will bring history to life with a Colonial American Fair reenactment! 🇺🇸 Step back in time and experience hands-on learning in action.
Whether you’re exploring school options or simply want to learn more, we’d love to welcome you. Bring a friend and join us for a fun and informative evening! Colonial-era refreshments will be provided.
The winners of the second day of Ridgeway Community School’s annual February 500 Card Party Tournament held on Sunday, February 15th, were as follows:
Women’s winners: 1st Place -Mary Wenzel (4060); 2nd Place – Ursula Hogenson (3530); and 3rd place – Pam Rupprecht (3270);
Men’s Winners: 1st Place – Roger Stiever (4190); 2nd Place – David Golish (3890); George Wenzel (3790).
The three Sunday tournaments conclude on Sunday, February 22nd, and new players are welcome to join this fun community event. Card playing begins at 1:00 p.m. each day and continues until 8 rounds of play are completed. A lunch of sandwiches, chips, pickles, and dessert is served after play is over. Door prizes and prizes for high-scoring men and women are given out each week, and tournament prizes will also be awarded at the end of the play on February 22nd. A minimum $5 suggested donation per player is required to play. Proceeds from the event go to support student field trips, special events, and activities.
You do not need to come with a partner to participate. Ridgeway Community School is located 2 miles east of the intersection of Interstate 90 and MN Hwy 76 on Winona County Rd. 12. For more information, contact the school at 507-454-9566 or office@ridgewayschool.org.
Even without the snowy weather, we had a fantastic turnout and an even better time together. Families enjoyed tasty snacks, hands-on STEM and craft activities, and teamed up for our always-popular Yeti Hunt. Students also put their skills to the test on the climbing wall and showed off their moves on the basketball court.
New this year? 🚜 Outdoor riding toys! Thanks to the unseasonably warm weather, students cruised around on pedal tractors and tricycles — and they loved every minute of it.
Thanks to RPAC, and the the Pleasant Busy Bees 4-H Club for collaborating to sponsor this special community event. Thanks as well to everyone who joined us to make the day so special. We are grateful for our amazing Ridgeway community! 💙
Students wrapped up their fitness unit with an action-packed obstacle course—hopping, jumping, crawling, and climbing their way around the gym. All that hard work is building strength and skills as they gear up for their upcoming Winter Olympic competitions! ❄️🔥 Go Bluejays Go!!
The winners of the first day of Ridgeway Community School’s annual February 500 Card Party Tournament held on Sunday, February 8th, were as follows:
Women’s winners: 1st Place - Sharon Schossow, 4250; 2nd Place - Pam Larson (3050); and 3rd place - Kelly Wenzel (2850);
Men’s Winners: 1st Place - Dave Golish, 4190; 2nd Place - Dan Michaelis, 3630; Wesley Fort - 3500.
The tournament continues on Sunday, February 15th and 22nd, and new players are welcome to join in this fun community event. Card playing begins at 1:00 p.m. each day and continues until 8 rounds of play are completed. Lunch will be served after play is over. Door prizes and prizes for high-scoring men and women will be given out each week, and tournament prizes will also be awarded. There is a minimum $5 suggested donation per player to play. Proceeds from the event go to support student field trips, special events, and activities.
You do not need to come with a partner to participate. Ridgeway Community School is located 2 miles east of the intersection of Interstate 90 and MN Hwy 76 on Winona County Rd. 12. For more information, contact the school at 507-454-9566 or office@ridgewayschool.org.
February 8th Winners Pictured Left to Right: Sharon Schossow, Dave Golish, Pam Larson, Dan Michaelis, Kelly Wenzel, and Wesley Fort.
#RidgewayCommunitySchool #RidgewayBluejays #500CardGame
🏅 Olympic Celebration
We’ll kick things off Monday during P.E. classes as students take part in Winter Olympic–inspired activities planned by Mr. Larson.
👕 National Flannel Day – Tuesday
Break out your flannel! Students and staff are encouraged to wear their favorite flannel shirts to school.
💌 Valentine’s Parties – Friday
Classroom Valentine’s parties will be held from 1:00–2:00 p.m.
❄️ Winter Family Fun Day – Saturday, February 14
Join us from 1:00–3:00 p.m. for this free, family-friendly community event celebrating winter togetherness. Friends and family are welcome! Information about the school's FREE Kindergarten to 5th Grade education programs and building tours will be available at this event. Please let us know you’re coming by completing this form:
https://forms.gle/BsLDzzUU86ChMoK97
🃏 500 Card Party – Sunday
Our second of three 500 Card Parties will take place at 1:00 p.m. Thanks to the 40 participants who joined us for the first event on February 8!
We look forward to seeing Ridgeway families and friends throughout the week.
Over the next two weeks, Ridgeway students will continue the fun by competing in a variety of modified Olympic sports during daily physical education classes—keeping everyone active, learning, and smiling this winter.
Ridgeway relies on donated cross-country ski equipment to keep our students skiing. If your family has youth to small-adult Nordic skis, boots, or poles you’re no longer using, we would greatly appreciate your donation to help replace well-loved equipment and keep this program going!
Mark your calendar for our next Little Jays Playgroup which will be combined with our annual Winter Family Fun Day on Saturday, February 14th from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. We hope to get outside for some snow play at the event, but will have a variety of indoor craft, STEM, creative and large motor play activities for ages 2 to 11 years old.
Our 4th and 5th-graders just completed a 3-week archery unit in PE, and weekly practices are in full swing for Ridgeway and Winona Middle School archery clubs. On Saturdays, the range is open for alumni and current students looking for extra practice. We’re excited to welcome Bluffview Montessori for our annual Archery Tournament on February 28! Ridgeway alumni, or others with National Archery in the Schools Program experience who are interested in competing, can contact the school for registration details.
