Cedar Ridge Elementary
Welcome to Cedar Ridge Elementary School, Union’s 10th elementary school, serving more than 550 students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Cedar Ridge opened in August of 1995 and was named after the area in which the school was built. The school is located in the southern portion of the district and lies within the Tulsa city limits.
Cedar Ridge is a boundary school which neighbors with Broken Arrow, Bixby and Jenks. Housing additions which serve Cedar Ridge include Cedar Ridge Park, Cedar Ridge Heights, Cedar Ridge North, Cedar Ridge Village, Millicent Crossing, Saddle Ridge, Shadow Ridge, South Towne Square, Woodbine, and Woodland Glen.
Cedar Ridge is proud to have students, parents and teachers striving toward good character, a lifetime of learning and reaching for success.
Cedar Ridge Elementary School
9817 S. Mingo Road
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74133-5123
Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
School Hours - Monday-Thursday: 8:55 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. / Friday: 9:20 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
New School Hours for 2010-2011
Main Phone: (918) 357-4331
Fax: (918) 357-8600
Principal Ellen Crager
Resources
Cedar Ridge is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. High standards for quality education are assured by membership in NCA. This accreditation is based on the school’s continued commitment to excellence and quality educational curriculum.
Highly Qualified Teaching Staff
Cedar Ridge is proud that all of our teachers have qualified for status as Highly Qualified Teachers as required by the State of Oklahoma and U.S. Department of Education. We currently have three teachers who are Nationally Board Certified. The NBC Teachers at Cedar Ridge are:
- Kari Eddy Fourth Grade Teacher
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Betsy Glad Third Grade Teacher
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Sarah Barker Fifth Grade Teacher
Presidential Award for Excellence
During the 2006-07 school year, Betsy Glad, a third grade teacher, received the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. She received this award during a week long all expense paid trip to Washington D.C. While there, she along with 93 recipients from across the nation met with U.S. Senators, Congressmen, U.S. Department of Education Representatives, and President and Mrs. Bush. Glad was also named the Union Public Schools Teacher of the Year in 2008.
Programs
Looping
The primary team at Cedar Ridge provides an opportunity for the students in first grade to loop with their teacher and classmates to second grade the following year. Looping is a program in which a class of students and their teacher spend two consecutive years together. This allows teachers to spend less time practicing procedures and getting acquainted with the students at the beginning of the second year which allows more time to be spent on learning. It also helps students feel more comfortable and less stress over the summer because they are already familiar with their classmates and teacher. Parents and the classroom teachers can build a strong partnership through the consistent communication and expectations created over the two-year period.
Junior Achievement and Exchange City
Fifth grade students at Cedar Ridge participate in Exchange City, which is part of the Junior Achievement program. Exchange City offers our students an opportunity to have first-hand experience with financial literacy, entrepreneurship citizenship, interdisciplinary learning and application skills. Cedar Ridge also participates in the “JA in a Day” program which exposes the students in first through fifth grades to ways that they can impact their world as individuals, workers and consumers. This curriculum is taught by volunteers who are trained by Junior Achievement.
Steps to Respect
This program focuses on discouraging bullying. Steps to Respect takes a whole-school approach to bullying, bringing all staff, students and families into the solution. This school-wide approach sends a message to students that adults take bullying seriously and that it is safe to come forward when there is a problem. It helps create a climate of trust and safety for the students and gives them clear steps to take if they find themselves or witness someone else in a bullying situation.
Character Counts
This is a program fully integrated into the fabric of our school. While there is no specific curriculum that is assigned for the teaching of character, many activities are used to demonstrate each of the traits. Some activities are school-wide, such as assemblies, character quotes of the day and award presentations for showing good character. Others activities take place in the context of classroom such as discussions regarding current events or storybook characters and the life lessons demonstrated throughout history.
A faculty steering committee helps coordinate the integration of character education into our school’s environment. Students demonstrating these traits throughout the day can be awarded a coupon as a means of immediate recognition. Our students take great pride in bringing their coupons to the office so they can be put into a school wide drawing each Friday.
Student Organizations
Students are offered many group and individual opportunities to become involved in our school and community. Student groups include Student Council, safety patrol, chess club, primary math masters, Polar Bear Club and intramural sports.
Students also have the opportunity to apply for positions on the KCRE Broadcasting Team. These students learn to run video equipment, write script for the broadcast, provide announcements as KCRE Anchors, and interview various people for special reports for the morning program.
Cedar Ridge Honor Choir is another activity that is open to fifth grade students. This group performs for school assemblies, at some community events and at PTA Spirit Nights.
Parental Involvement
Cedar Ridge has been recognized by the National PTA Council with the Parental Involvement School of Excellence award. This award is given because of the number of hours Cedar Ridge parents and grandparents volunteer and the quality of services they provide to the school. This award also recognizes the communication and support between the school and our PTA and parents.
Reflections is a PTA-sponsored activity that allows students to showcase their talents through student writings and fine art projects. During the 2006-07 school year four Cedar Ridge students were State winners and one student went on to be a National winner. Her video highlighting her favorite place, the kitchen, was enjoyed by all students and staff.
Principal Biography
Ellen Crager is married with two children and two grandchildren. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Southern Nazarene University; a master’s of religious education from the Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City and holds a master's of education degree from Northeastern State University. She taught first and second grade in New Castle, Pa., and Muskogee. She also began her administrative career in Muskogee. She was a principal with Muskogee Public Schools for 11 years prior to coming to Union Public Schools. She came to Union in 1999 and has been a principal at Briarglen Elementary and Cedar Ridge Elementary.
Helpline - Student Assistance Programs
A crisis helpline is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, to any patron of the district who wants to report a crisis situation or to ask for information. Leave a message and your call will be returned promptly.
461-HELP - Union Safe Line
You may also call
1-877-SAFE-CALL, ext OK!
(1-877-723-3225, ext 651)
SAFE-CALL is a toll-free confidential hotline for students, parents, teachers, neighbors and anyone concerned about the safety of their local school.
Call us when you know of any activity threatening your school.