August 4, 2010

Dear Students, Parents and Guardians:

Summer has flown by again this year and in less than a month we will be starting the 2010-2011 school year.  I hope the summer has gone well, and I am looking forward to working with all of you during the upcoming year.

The basic program at Dakota Ridge will remain essentially the same as we start the school year.  Our biggest change this year regards a program we began last spring: the SUN (Students with Unique Needs) Program at Dakota Ridge.  Over the summer we continued to develop and implement the program, a process that will continue into the 2010-2011 school year.  Our SUN program will service 7th - 12th grade students who have very unique educational needs and require an extremely individualized approach to their education.  Like the regular programming at Dakota Ridge, the SUN program can only be accessed with a Special Education referral.

There are always questions as the school year comes closer, and I will attempt to answer some of the most common questions:                                                                                   
-The school day begins at 9:10am when students are dropped off at school and ends when we begin to load buses between 3:30 – 3:45pm.
- Students will get their class schedules on the first day of school (Tuesday, September 7th).
- Checks for school lunches can be made out to “ISD 196.”  New free and reduced lunch applications are available from Lori in the front office.
- Basic school supplies:  folders (5 or 6); pens and pencils; notebooks (4 or 5); box of Kleenex for the classroom; colored pencils or pens (elementary students).
- Cell phones are not to be used during classes (this includes answering or making phone calls, texting, etc.). 
- School district dress code rules apply at Dakota Ridge. 
- Although we try not to suspend students from school, it is an option that is sometimes used.

As always, if you have any concerns give us a call.  It is very important to us to have an open and productive working relationship with families.  When we communicate we are a much more effective team.  And when we are an effective team, we do our best work to help our students.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Stephanee Sadek
Special Education Coordinator, Dakota Ridge