Spring 2015 Dear Parents and Prospective Runners~ I am excited to announce that my husband, Matthew Riippa, and I (Katrina Riippa) will be coaching Hazel Wolf’s track team this spring! Mr. Riippa is a P.E. and Health teacher at Denny International Middle School and has coached middle school and high school basketball throughout his teaching career. I, myself, have coached track (as well as basketball and cheerleading) for two years and have a personal interest in running, having completed 11 full marathons and 25 half marathons in my lifetime. I have taught middle school for 11 years and Mr. Riippa is in his 8th year of teaching middle school students. Practice Schedule: Practices will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Greenlake Soccer Field from 3:30 to 4:30. The first practice will take place on Thursday, March 19th. Parents should plan on picking up their runners at the parking lot on the east side of the lake by Evans Pool. Meet/Competition Schedule: Meets will be held on Saturdays from April 4th through May 16th. Exact dates, times, and locations will be forthcoming. Grades and Conduct It is district policy that participants in school athletics maintain a 2.0 GPA. At Hazel Wolf athletes are required to maintain a C- or higher in all classes. Students need to have weekly grade checks filled out by each of their teachers. Grade checks are due to Ms. Hunstiger by Wednesday at 4:30. If runners’ grades fall below a 2.0 or have a C- in any class they will need to attend homework club or get extra help at the end of the day or during study halls. Student athletes are representatives of their school in the larger community. Your behavior at practices and at meets should reflect the Wolf Pact (Focus on Learning New Skills, Respect Ourselves and Others, Take Care of Our School—including its reputation!, Solve Problems, and Persevere). We will demonstrate a commitment to our sport, and display positive sportsmanship on all occasions. On the off-chance of suspensions or other discipline action, students will be ineligible to compete. If you have any questions please feel free to call me at school, or email me at: [email protected]. Mr. Riippa’s email address is: [email protected]. We are looking forward to this opportunity to coach track for Hazel Wolf! Sincerely, Katrina Riippa