Ridgeline eNews
December 14, 2023
RIDGELINE CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
Full calendar: http://www.ridgeline.org/calendar
Thursday 12/14 Board Meeting 6pm
Monday 12/18 Winter Break Starts
Tuesday 1/2 No School - Planning Day
Wednesday 1/3 School Resumes
Wednesday 1/3 Equity Committee Meeting 6pm
Monday 1/15 No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
We want to thank you for sharing your amazing students with us each school day. It’s truly a joy to watch them learn and grow. On behalf of the Ridgeline staff and teachers, we wish everyone a safe and restful Winter Break. We look forward to seeing your students when they return on Wednesday, January 3, refreshed and eager to continue learning!
NEW NEWS
Lost & Found
The Lost & Found bins are overflowing! Please plan to stop by the front lobby to comb through the piles by December 15, at 1:30pm. Remaining items will be donated on Wednesday January 3. Thank you for understanding!
Ridgeline Student Talent Show
We are so happy to announce that the Ridgeline Student Talent Show is returning to its live performance format in the Ridgeline Gym on Thursday, February 1st, at 5:30pm. There is no school on February 1 or 2. This week, talent show organizers, Sarah & Chauncey Mauney, visited students in their classrooms to promote the talent show and answer students’ questions.
A few important details:
In order to allow space and time for all participants, we request that students keep their acts to a maximum of 3 minutes long. Thank you for understanding.
Students may sign up to be in up to two acts (i.e. one solo & one group piece)
We are unable to support live acts that include aerial rigging, pets, or students from other schools. Please submit these talents through videos. More info to come.
We are hoping to have the Middle School Cookie Crew selling cookies at intermission. These sales go to support their end of year trip.
There will be several volunteers needed to make this event happen. Stay tuned and check Track It Forward in January, to get involved!
Families, please talk with your student(s) about participating and discuss what they might want to do over the break. Then, help your student sign up here. Submissions due by 5:00pm, on Monday, January 8th.
Any questions? Email sarahrosemauney@gmail.com OR alexanderdmauney@gmail.com. We can’t wait to share the many talents of these incredible students with all of you!
Joy of Sharing Update!
Joy of Sharing is our annual community-driven effort to foster caring and generosity within our own community. Thank you to the 26 families who contributed, helping us exceed our $2,500 goal. This year, we raised a total of $2,705! Together, we made the Joy of Sharing a reality. Your support has contributed to the warmth and well-being of nearly 20 Ridgeline families, ensuring they experience the joy of the season despite any challenges they may be facing.
Winter Break Talk
Families can play a crucial role in supporting their children during a school break to ensure a smoother transition back into school. As we navigate the next two weeks, parents can contribute significantly to their child's academic well-being. Here are some suggestions:
1. Maintain a Routine: While it's tempting to let routines relax during breaks, maintaining consistency can be helpful. Encourage children to wake up and go to bed at regular times and schedule predictable meals and activities.
2. Reading Time: Encourage daily reading. Whether reading together as a family, listening to audiobooks, or independent reading, keeping the literacy skills active can be beneficial.
3. Explore Educational Outings: Plan educational outings to museums, science centers, walking your neighborhood, or nature reserves. These experiences can spark curiosity and provide additional learning opportunities.
4. Strike a balance: Encourage a mix of activities that include physical play, creativity, and learning.
5. Talk About School: Engage in conversations about school. Ask about their favorite subjects, friends, and any concerns they might have. This keeps the lines of communication open.
6. Set Goals: Think learning and reading goals!
7. Encourage Independence: Foster independence by involving your child in planning and organizing their time. This can help them develop essential skills for managing responsibilities. This time with family allows children to demonstrate the practical life skills they have built this school year.
Remember, the key is to strike a balance between relaxation and engagement. The goal is not to replicate a school environment during the break but to keep the brain active and curious.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteer Thank Yous
Volunteering
Volunteers are an integral part of the Ridgeline Community. Families pledge to complete 40 hours of volunteer time per school year. There are a myriad of volunteer opportunities throughout the year. Volunteers serve on committees, make materials at home, do grounds work, act as crossing guards, help in classrooms, chaperone field trips and much more. Teachers will reach out to families in their classroom communications once the six week normalization period is over in mid October. To help us get to know you better and your areas of interest, please fill out the Volunteer Interest form here.
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To fully participate in most volunteer opportunities, volunteers are background checked. In addition to the background check, volunteers need to complete the volunteer code of conduct. After that, they will be issued a green badge with their name on it and notified that they are ready to go! Visit our website for more information on volunteering.
New Volunteer Opportunities - Volunteers Needed!
In January, we will have additional volunteer opportunities connected to the all-school Talent Show, the Direct Donation Drive, and the Art Show. All volunteer opportunities will be promoted in future eNewsletters and posted in Track It Forward.
Still Needed - Donations for the Wellness Center
The Wellness Center will gladly accept two gently used backpacks. They also need 12 clean, plastic milk or water jugs with handles and lids. Please drop off jugs at the front office anytime. If you have a spare backpack, please let the office know. We are hoping to collect all items by mid-January. Thank you!
Track it Forward
Ridgeline uses Track it Forward for volunteer sign-ups and to log your volunteer hours. If you are new to Ridgeline or have not yet created an account, please do so! Last year we had a lot of folks forget to log their hours. Volunteer hour reporting is important for us to show support for Ridgeline when applying for grants and for reporting to our sponsoring district.
If you are a first-time Track It Forward user and have not set up an account you will need to create an account first. If you already have an account, skip to step two.
1. Go to https://www.trackitforward.com/site/ridgeline-montessori
-Select sign in
-Create your account
2. Go to the app store on your device and search for Track It Forward
-Download the app
-Log In
You are all set!
CONTINUING NEWS
The Importance of Attendance
Attendance rates at Ridgeline and throughout the state of Oregon have plummeted in recent years. Regular attendance has a direct impact on student’s academic success as they move throughout their school careers. Not only do absent students miss out on academic lessons, but they also miss out on opportunities to build social foundations with their peers. One of Ridgeline’s goals is to improve our attendance rate, which dropped to an alarming 69% by the end of last school year. Compare that to 92% in the 2018-2019 school year- we have quite a recovery to make!
Regular attenders are those students who attend school 90% of the time or more. How many days is that you might ask? In Oregon, there are 168 days of school for the 2023-2024 school year. We have one of the lowest number of school days in the country. If a student has a 90% attendance rate, they will have missed 16.8 days of school that year. That is a lot of days! Most of our students are missing many more days of school.
Please read this entire communication carefully, as some attendance procedures have changed.
Anytime your child will not arrive at school by tardy time (after 8:30 am), contact us by emailing attendance@ridgeline.org or calling 541-681-9662. Absences not acknowledged or without a reason given are coded as unexcused. Excused absences are limited to sick, medical/dental, injury, weather, bereavement, family emergency, religious, and, on a limited basis, planned absences. All other reasons are unexcused. Please know that if your student is absent five consecutive days due to mental health or illness in combination with an attendance rate below 80%, we may request a doctor’s note to excuse any further illness or mental health absences.
There are 197 non school days per year. We highly encourage families to plan trips during non school days. If you must travel while school is in session, please fill out the Planned Absence form at least two days in advance (longer is preferable). If your student has a 90% attendance rate or higher, up to five days per semester, may be excused. Students with a lower than 90% attendance rate will not qualify for excused planned absence days. You will receive an email indicating whether your planned absence request is approved if you fill it out on time. Planned absent forms not filled out at least 48 hours before the trip will result in unexcused absences.
Does it matter if the absences are excused or unexcused? Yes. The compulsory school attendance laws state that students who are five years of age and are enrolled in a public school are legally required to attend on a regular basis while enrolled. If a student who is five years of age reaches a minimum of 8 unexcused half-day absences in any four-week period, they are determined to be truant. However, before we get to that point, expect that you will have received a lot of communication and support from us. We hope to work with you so that we never reach that point.
New Lunch Menu on Wednesdays
We are excited to share some news from the Ridgeline meal program! As part of our commitment to providing diverse and enriching experiences for our students, we are expanding our weekly menu to include some items inspired by ethnic foods for hot lunches. We want to offer our students a chance to explore different flavors and ingredients.
4J's Spencer Butte kitchen offers a Wednesday option that features Hispanic foods. Starting in the second week of January, we will be ordering that option on Wednesdays for our lunch program. Introducing diverse foods opens up opportunities for meaningful discussions with your children. Engaging your students in conversations about the ingredients, cooking techniques, and the cultural history behind these dishes can spark their curiosity and encourage them to think of food more creatively. We look forward to hearing about the conversations and discoveries that unfold around our expanded menu. Bon appétit!
As a reminder, you can view the school lunch menu here. Then, select "Spencer Butte Middle School" on the right of the page, then below that, there is the option of "monthly" or "weekly". Select weekly, then our meals are posted below the first option.
Food Pantry - Time to Restock
Our snack pantry is getting low! Please help us restock our school’s snack supply with any of the following non-perishable items…
- Bars: That’s It bars (low allergens), Kind bars/nut bars, Z Bars, chewy bars
- Crackers/popcorn: goldfish, Smart Pop, Pirates Booty, pretzels (with or without peanut butter)
- Protein: meat sticks, Zee Zees roasted chickpeas
- Fruits/Veggies: craisins, low-sugar fruit cups, applesauce
We don’t want any perishable items to go to waste during the break, but we also need snacks for when classes resume.Thank you for helping provide Ridgeline students with the brain-fuel they need. We appreciate your generosity immensely!
Ridgeline shirts - Orders for this year's design will close January 21st
Ridgeline continues to offer t-shirts for $14, long-sleeve shirts for $18, and pull-over hoodie sweatshirts for $36. Orders can be submitted through mid January and will be filled in batches. Click here to place your order and kindly allow 2-3 weeks for it to be ready.
Have you filled your Blue Bag? Pick up another!
The Ridgeline office will be keeping tagged blue bags on hand throughout the school year. Please reach out to giving@ridgeline.org with questions or to inquire about picking up additional bags. Every dollar matters and helps us get closer to our annual fundraising goal. We appreciate you!
Fundraising Committee - Soliciting Art for Spring Silent Auction
RIDGELINE COMMITTEES & ORGANIZATIONS
Board Meeting
The Ridgeline Board will have a regular meeting on December 14th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm over Zoom and in person in the library. Action items on the agenda include: Officer Elections: Board Chair, Officer Elections: Vice President, Adopt 2023-2024 Ridgeline Board of Directors Annual Goals, Oregon School Board Association 2023 Policy Updates for Adoption BD/BDA (G1) Public Charter School Board Meetings, BDC Executive Sessions, Family Leave, Family Medical Leave, Oregon Family Medical Leave (OFLA). Information and Discussion items on the agenda include Student Investment Account Annual Report 2022-23, Ridgeline’s 2022-23 Municipal Audit, 2022-23 Municipal Audit Board Letter, Board Chair Position / Project Management Summary, Shared Language and Conflict Avoidance agenda items, and Wrap-up / Reflections / Questions. All are welcome to join the regular board meeting and there is time at the beginning of our agenda to make a public comment.
The agenda will be finalized and posted here by Tuesday December 12th the Zoom link to join is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88176985729?pwd=UDFvdGk0blZhZzVVbHR0RzlHWmFlUT09 Meeting ID: 881 7698 5729 Passcode: 766547.
You can always reach the board by email (board@ridgeline.org). Members of the public may also provide comments to the board in written form by emailing board@ridgeline.org prior to the meeting. The board will read (not aloud), review, and take into consideration all comments. In order to be fully considered at this meeting, comments must be received by noon on the day of the meeting. Please clearly label the email subject line as: "Public Comment."
COMMUNITY NEWS
Winter Weather: Snow Day Information - Check Ridgeline’s website
In case you missed it last week, please visit Ridgeline’s website here, for information on our Inclement Weather Policy, located on the bottom of the home web page.
Note:Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School may be in session on a day when 4J happens to be already out of session. In this case, Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School will make the announcement on our website, http://www.ridgeline.org.
Ridgeline Family - Carpool Request
Hello, my name is Mikaila Waters and my son is a 3rd grader in Room 3. I am reaching out to see if we could potentially find a carpool situation for my son Zaayden for after school. I am a student at LCC and next term my class schedule goes past 3pm. My dad does not have transportation to pick up Zaayden. He has a spot at Boys & Girls club, so if someone could help get him there it would be much appreciated! Please reach out via email at themcguires20@gmail.com, if you are available to help or just have questions. Thank you!
Books - Please Claim
Do any of the books below belong to you? If so, please email ridgelineoffice@ridgeline.org and schedule a time to pick them up. Thanks!
Winter Break Resources
Winter Break is right around the corner. Be sure to check out all of the 2023 Winter Holiday Resources, shared and compiled by 4J.