Greetings, Pioneer Students, Families, Community!

Welcome to East Ridge Middle School!

As we begin another school year, I am honored to continue serving the students, families, staff, and community of East Ridge Middle School. At ERMS, we are committed to ensuring that every student experiences a safe, supportive, and academically challenging environment where they can learn, grow, and thrive.

Our wonderfully diverse school is built on the four pillars of engaging, relating, motivating, and serving every child in the school building. These pillars guide our work each day and serve as the foundation for the relationships, learning experiences, and opportunities we provide for our students.

Our work at East Ridge Middle School is centered on three key school goals: ensuring high-quality Tier I instruction for every student, building strong relationships through a positive school culture, and improving student attendance while reducing chronic absenteeism. I am proud of the tremendous progress our students and staff have made in each of these areas.

Academically, we have strengthened instructional practices across the building and implemented new curriculum resources to ensure students have access to rigorous, engaging learning experiences. These efforts have contributed to academic growth across multiple content areas and have helped us continue moving student achievement forward.

Equally important has been our commitment to creating a positive and connected school culture. Through initiatives such as our House System, students and staff have built stronger relationships, developed a greater sense of belonging, and strengthened the community that makes East Ridge Middle School such a special place. We know that students learn best when they feel connected, supported, and valued.

Attendance remains another critical focus. We are proud to have increased our daily attendance rates while reducing chronic absenteeism from 23% to 11%. This significant improvement reflects the hard work of our students, families, teachers, counselors, support staff, and community partners. While we celebrate this progress, we know our work is not finished. Every day in school matters, and we will continue working together to ensure students are present, engaged, and ready to learn.

Although we have made tremendous strides, our journey continues. We remain committed to refining instruction, strengthening relationships, supporting student well-being, and ensuring every child has the opportunity to succeed. Our mission is not simply to improve outcomes but to prepare students to become responsible citizens through their intellectual, character, and social development.

At East Ridge Middle School, we will continue to model the Pioneer Way by being Respectful, Responsible, Resilient, and Ready. Together, we will build upon our successes and continue creating opportunities for every student to reach their full potential.

Thank you for your partnership and support. I look forward to another outstanding year at East Ridge Middle School.

Remember that EVERY day is a GREAT day EAST of the RIDGE!

Sincerely,

Dr. Joe G. Gerez

Principal