Sandy Ridge Elementary

Good afternoon, Bulldog families. Thanks to our PTO for the fun Tie-Dye Party this afternoon. The students really enjoyed it. Tomorrow at Sandy Ridge will be the annual Bluegrass Show. Doors open at 5:00 and the show starts at 6:00. Next week is our Spring Break. Staff has an optional workday on Friday, March 21st. Students will be out all week and return on Monday, March 24th. I hope you all enjoy your week and get some much needed rest. I announced student birthdays that will take place over break today, but I missed a staff birthday. Happy Birthday to Ms. Tessa on Tuesday, March 18. Enjoy your day! Have a good evening, Bulldogs!

Good evening, This is Mrs. Cox, Principal of Sandy Ridge Elementary School. Today, we held an assembly to celebrate Read Across America Week, where we were excited to welcome our guest speaker, Sammy the Comic Book Man. He generously provided students with comic books. Unfortunately, it has come to our attention that at least one of the comic books contains content that is not appropriate for our students. We ask that you review the comic book your child received today. If you find the material inappropriate, please bring it to the school, and we will dispose of it and provide your child with an alternative, age-appropriate reading material. We sincerely apologize for this oversight. We have a long history of hosting this assembly, and this is the first time an issue like this has occurred. We have already contacted Sammy, and he has expressed his regret. He purchases his comic books in bulk, which appears to have been an unfortunate mistake by the company from which he sources the books. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We are taking steps to ensure that this does not happen again in the future. Thank you for your understanding and support. Sincerely, Mrs. Cox Principal, Sandy Ridge Elementary School

Bulldog families, be sure to check out Fox 8 News at 4:40 PM today to see our students from Sandy Ridge Elementary. Chad Tucker visited us this morning, read to all of the students and took a quick video to post on his news broadcast. So, you are in the presence of celebrities now! Tomorrow is our last day of Read Across America Week, which has been so fun! For the last day, wear green or dress for a fancy restaurant as we have green eggs and ham and/or book tasting parties in our classrooms. We will also have a visit from Sammie the Comic Book Man. See you tomorrow for the fun!

Weather Announcement: Friday, February 21st, 2025 Stokes County Schools will operate on a 2 hour delay.

🚨 Important Announcement: School Closure 🚨 Weather Announcement - February 20th, 2025 Due to the unexpected snow, Stokes County Schools will close today. We will not run buses today. Secondary parents: If your children were already on buses, their school will contact you to let you know at which elementary school they are located. Elementary school will start dismissal at 9:15. Please be safe traveling to pick up your child. We will supervise your child until you arrive. If you cannot pick up your child by 11:00 am, please contact your child’s school to make further arrangements. I apologize for the late notice and the inconvenience. Please be safe.

Parents, This is Mrs. Cox. Please pick up your child at the front of the school . Do not use the car rider line. We will stay with all students until they are picked up. If you see that you cannot get someone here by 11:00 AM, please call the school and let us know, Be safe. Thank you.

Weather Announcement: February 20th, 2025 Due to unforecasted burst of snow, some of the secondary roads are impacted. There will be a 3 hour delay for Middle and High Schools. If your student is on a bus they will continue to the school. Elementary schools o a normal schedule.

Weather Announcement: Wednesday, February 19, 2025 Stokes County Schools will be closed for students. Optional teacher workday . Staff: Option A

Good evening, Bulldog families. This message is to let you know we are postponing our Title I Math Night to Tuesday, February 18 due to our inclement weather days this week. We did not want anyone to miss out on the opportunity to join us for Math Night because they did not have the opportunity to RSVP. Please inform your child's teacher by this Friday if your family plans to attend so we will be sure to have plenty of pizza and math supplies for all in attendance on Tuesday night. Thank you for your understanding and have a good evening.

Winter Weather Update: Wednesday, February 12th, 2025 Due to power outages and trees falling across the county, Stokes County Schools will be closed for students and operate on an optional teacher workday. Staff will report on a 3 hour delay.

Weather Announcement: Due to the latest forecast, Stokes County Schools will have a remote learning day on Tuesday, February 11, 2025.

Good evening, Bulldog families. I have two announcements for tomorrow. First, if your child rides Bus 64 in the mornings, he or she will be picked up by Bus 60 or Bus 86. Please have your child ready a little early as the route will be different. This is just a one-day change. Second, tomorrow is our Class Picture Day. We are sending home another copy of the order form today in case you still need to order a photo. The cost is $10. Thank you and have a good evening.

PowerSchool Cybersecurity Update: We are writing to update you regarding the recent cybersecurity incident involving PowerSchool, the software vendor that provides our Student Information System (SIS). PowerSchool initiated the process of notifying individuals whose information was determined to be involved. As previously mentioned, PowerSchool has engaged Experian, a trusted credit reporting agency, to provide complimentary identity protection and credit monitoring services to current and former students and educators that had information exfiltrated from PowerSchool SIS. PowerSchool is doing this regardless of whether an individual’s Social Security Number was exfiltrated. In the coming weeks, Experian (on behalf of PowerSchool) will be distributing direct email notifications to involved individuals (or their parent/guardian, as applicable) for whom PowerSchool has sufficient contact information. Additionally, PowerSchool has worked with Experian to set up a dedicated, toll-free call center to answer any questions associated with these offerings and the incident. All the information regarding the activation of and access to these services will be included in the email sent to you by Experian. Whether or not you receive an email, you may also visit PowerSchool’s website to learn how to activate the offering from Experian, linked here: http://www.powerschool.com/security/sis-incident/notice-of-united-states-data-breach/. Protecting our students and teachers remains our top priority. Thank you again for all of your support and understanding during this time.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) informed the Stokes County Schools of unauthorized access to student and staff data contained in PowerSchool, the student information system (SIS) used by most school districts in North Carolina. This incident impacts school systems across North Carolina, the nation, and the world. We are working closely with NCDPI and PowerSchool to determine the specific nature of the data involved. If PowerSchool determines that personal data has been compromised, it will contact the affected individuals directly and provide specific details and guidance. PowerSchool reports that the incident is contained, that they have taken steps to secure the data, and that there is no indication potentially compromised information has been shared or made public to additional parties. Federal law enforcement, NCDPI, and PowerSchool are monitoring the situation closely. PowerSchool has assured us that its systems are operational and that it has implemented additional security measures to prevent future incidents. It is important to note that this incident occurred at the PowerSchool company level, and neither the Stokes County Schools nor NCDPI data systems are involved. NCDPI has stated publicly that neither it nor any North Carolina school district could have prevented this incident. Protecting personally identifiable information of our students, families, and staff is critically important, and we take this matter very seriously. We will share updates as additional information becomes available from NCDPI and PowerSchool. We are committed to providing clear information about the steps being taken to address and mitigate any potential impact. Our priority is to keep our community informed and supported throughout this process. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate through this situation alongside other North Carolina school districts and school districts worldwide.

Project Child Find is a North Carolina initiative designed to locate, identify, and evaluate children from birth to age 21 who may have disabilities and need special education services. It helps families and educators connect with resources, assessments, and early interventions to support children's educational needs. Services are free and available through local school districts and community agencies. Parents, guardians, and concerned individuals can refer a child for evaluation if developmental delays or learning difficulties are observed. This information is also available on the district website. https://www.stokes.k12.nc.us/ Click menu, then under departments click exceptional children

Good evening, Bulldog families. This is just to let you know that Tuesday will be the 100th day of the 24-25 school year. I am inviting all students to celebrate by coming dressed as if they were 100 years old or wear 100 items like 100 bracelets, necklaces, or bows in your hair, wear 100 items on your shirt, anything that would be a fun way to celebrate being in school 100 days. Your teacher may have some other ideas also. Thank you and have a good rest of the evening. I will see you tomorrow.

The Stokes County Schools Board of Education approved the 2025-2026 traditional calendar and the Stokes Early College High School calendar.

Good evening, Bulldog families. This message is to let you know that the class group pictures, originally scheduled for tomorrow, have been postponed to February 5th. Thank you and we look forward to seeing your children on regular schedule tomorrow.

Stokes County Schools will be on a regular schedule with limited bus routes on Thursday, January 16, 2025. Several roads that we did not allow buses to travel have improved. Each day, schools will call the families who live on the roads that our buses will not travel the following day. Please be safe and allow for extra travel time to school. Remember that we will not count any student late to school as tardy for the remainder of this week.

Revised school 24-25 school calendars for traditional and Stokes Early College High School. The calendars will also be available on the district website. https://www.stokes.k12.nc.us/o/scs/page/calendars Updated: There has been a change to the Stokes Early College High School calendar has been updated (2:30pm)