|
Dear Park Ridge Community,
As the calendar has turned to August, we wanted to send some important information regarding the construction project taking place in the gym area. Although very excited, we know there will be disruptions in the upcoming school year caused by the project, but we look forward to its completion and the improved spaces when finished. We thank all our students, parents, teachers, coaches, and staff in advance for their cooperation moving forward. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Health / PE – Health Classes will not be impacted by the project as all classes will continue to meet in room 15 as they have in the past. Physical Education classes will be impacted in a variety of ways.
1. PE classes will NOT change clothing during the 2023-2024 school year.
2. The Boys locker room will be demolished, and construction will take place throughout the school year building brand new Boys and Girls locker rooms.
3. The Girls locker room will be subdivided by a construction wall. Males will enter via the main gym entrance, while Females will enter via the gym hallway entrance. There will be no internal access to the other locker-room.
4. All students attending PE will drop off their backpacks in the appropriate locker room and they will be locked up during the class period. At the end of the period, students will have enough time to pick up their backpacks and get to their next class.
5. PE activities will still take place both indoors and outside and will be of the lower cardiovascular impact variety to avoid heavy sweating, etc.
6. Accessibility to outside facilities will be clearly marked and will avoid construction areas for safety purposes.
7. All students are asked to wear comfortable clothing that will allow for physical activity. This includes shorts, t-shirts, sweatpants, sweatshirt, sneakers. Students cannot take PE in flip-flops, crocs, high heel shoes, etc. An unprepared grade will be given to a student who is not dressed to participate.
8. All class activities and grading rubric will be discussed in greater detail the first few days of classes by the PE Department.
9. Should you have further questions, please feel free to contact the PE Department via email or extensions:
a. Chris Brown – ChrisBrown@parkridge.k12.nj.us
b. Danielle Centurione – DanielleCenturione@parkridge.k12.nj.us
c. Ryan Dennis - RyanDennis@parkridge.k12.nj.us
d. Dylan Evans - DylanEvans@parkridge.k12.nj.us
e. Gabrielle Visaggio - GabriellaVisaggio@parkridge.k12.nj.us
After school activities / Athletics – Although construction is scheduled to end approximately 3pm each day – this will still cause a disruption to normal operating procedures regarding after school activities / athletics.
1. Entry into the Main / Mini gym will occur at the vestibule between the two gyms near the BOE parking lot or the A-wing staircase near the locker room.
a. Staff members will continue to use ID cards to enter the building during school hours. No hard keys will be used.
b. Students, parents, opposing teams / fans will also use the vestibule entrance after school hours.
2. The Girls locker room will be subdivided by a construction wall. Males will enter via the main gym entrance, while Females will enter via the gym hallway entrance. There will be no internal access to the other locker-room.
3. Locker rooms will only be used to change if a student athlete cannot go home at the end of the school day prior to practice / game. There will be no overnight storage of equipment as there is not enough space to do so with PE usage during the day.
4. Coaches will be monitoring the number of students going into the locker rooms to avoid overcrowding – we ask all student athletes to change quickly and move along so we can get all students through the locker area. Student athletes may leave their bags in the locker rooms but must take them home at the end of practice / game daily.
5. Students will then go to their assigned practice areas for the day. Students must follow specific construction routes to our facilities. We ask that all student athletes / teams be respectful of the residents living on these construction routes. Coaches will help facilitate this process – but we are also asking students to meet at practice sites whenever possible to avoid using the locker-rooms / parking near gym.
6. For large equipment (Helmet / pad sports / bat bags, etc – we will utilize outdoor storage containers if a student chooses to do so. Otherwise, they must take their equipment home.
7. Due to space / safety limitations and scope of the construction project – our teams will only use the half locker room spaces prior and after games in the fall as a meeting space during the 2023-24 school year. Visiting teams will also be unable to use this space. We are working on alternate indoor / outdoor spaces for these scenarios.
8. If a student athlete has an away game – transportation will still dismiss from the back of the HS gym as in the past – but there may be deviations due to construction and we will alert all teams of these changes as they arise.
9. Athletic Training Room – has been moved from its previous location due to the construction and is now housed in the main gym. With the location in the gym, we are asking that all student athletes follow the protocols listed by our ATC - Jaime DeBenedictus. Space is truly at a premium and she will do her best to move students in and out of her office.
10. Weight Room – is now mobile and equipment is housed down by the snack shack area. This will still allow for teams to utilize equipment, train, rehab, etc.
11. Parking – will be extremely limited around the gym area due to construction staging, vehicles, etc. We ask that you carpool, walk, park offsite, or park in spots you can find on campus. All traffic laws will still be in effect in the area surrounding the gym – please be sure to follow them.
Athletic Training Room (ATR) Protocols
1. Coaches are responsible for holding onto their medical kits the entire season.
a. Notify Athletic Trainer when supplies are low and bring your kit in for replenishment.
b. DO NOT KEEP ANY MEDICATIONS IN MED KITS
2. Coaches will fill up water coolers and ice chests to limit traffic in the Athletic Training room.
a. Each team will have labelled equipment for their team ONLY
b. No jugs / ice chests should be left outside the ATR or Gym.
c. Equipment must be returned how you found it or kept in the coaches’ possession.
d. There will be NO filling of personal water bottles in the ATR.
3. Only 3 people in the Athletic Training room at a time.
a. All students who need taping will form a line along the gym wall and must remove cleats before entering the gym.
b. Rehab and evaluations will require an appointment with ATC
4. Students must respect the activity going on in the gym when seeing the Athletic Trainer.
5. Please lock the door to the ATR when AT is not present.
Thanks again for your help and support during the construction process and we will keep you posted with progress throughout the year. Be sure to follow on twitter @PRowlsathletics
Chris Brown
Park Ridge Athletic Director
| 
