The Cutten School District
Due to California’s ongoing budget crisis, the Cutten School District has endured nearly $500,000 in budget cuts during the last two years. The district comprises two schools, Cutten Elementary and Ridgewood Elementary. They are public schools located in the Cutten area just outside of Eureka, California. The schools serve 560 children. Both Cutten and Ridgewood Elementary schools are California Distinguished Schools. You can learn more by visiting the district website here.
Cutten Elementary School was built in 1951. The school has 12 regular classrooms, a library, a computer lab, a multipurpose room, a student support resource room, a tutoring center, a music room, and an after-school program room. One portable classroom was purchased during the 2005-06 school year to meet the needs of increased student enrollment. Another portable was added in 2007 to house our speech/language and Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program.
Ridgewood Elementary School was built in 1957. The school has 12 regular classrooms, a library, a multipurpose room (the commons, where assemblies take place two days a week), a student support resource room (the Learning Lane), and a breakfast room, which is also available for small group instruction and is leased to a private business to provide quality after-school daycare.
Connections That Make Our District Unique
The Cutten • Ridgewood Student Foundation is motivated to succeed at supporting our school district financially because we recognize the strength of the quality of our educational programs. That strength is due in large part to the great quality of educators we have at Cutten and Ridgewood, and the connections they make with the most important beneficiaries of that - our students. It is our hope that over time we can illustrate some of those connections through videos, pictures and stories on our website.
Ridgewood Kindergartners Learn More About Mr. Pontoni, District Superintendent and Cutten Principal
This past November Mr. Ron Pontoni and four Ridgewood kindergartners enjoyed a break from their normal routines. Pontoni met with and was interviewed by the kindergartners about the two different hats he wears in the district as both principal of Cutten Elementary School and superintendent of the Cutten-Ridgewood School District. This was a unique opportunity for four students beginning their educational journey within Cutten-Ridgewood to meet with the man who sets of the helm of their last stop on the journey before advancing to middle school.
The interview session began, of course, with apple juice and graham crackers - a delight for all involved. Then the real serious business began. As viewers will see in the video clip, Mr. Pontoni takes a minute to clarify the difference between being a principal, explaining that his job at Cutten is much like Mrs. Osborne's is at Ridgewood, and being the superintendent which encompasses different kinds of duties that involve the entire school district. Then Pontoni begins to field questions from the students, beginning with an engaging pupil from Mrs. Fran Moriarity's kindergarten class.
In the time span of 45 minutes the students learned about Pontoni's likes and dislikes regarding food, books, leisure time, and working in a school. Asked at one point what he likes most about his job, Pontoni responded, "I like to make people happy. And, I like it when I have the opportunity to meet again with students who have grown and moved on from Cutten and they tell me how their time with us made a difference in their life."
