Ridgeline eNews
February 8, 2024
RIDGELINE CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
Full calendar: http://www.ridgeline.org/calendar
Thursday 2/8 Board Meeting 6-8pm
Saturday 2/10 Memorial Service for Betsy Brandenfels 2pm at First Christian Church
Thursday 2/15 Middle School Information Session 6-7pm
Monday 2/19 Potential School Day - President’s Day (will confirm February 9)
Saturday 2/24 Children's Choir Pre-Concert Rehearsal at 1:30pm & Concert at 2:30pm at Hult Center for Rachel/Emily/Emmanuel’s classes
Saturday 2/24 OBOB In-School Battles at Ridgeline 10am - 12pm
Sunday 2/25 OBOB In-School Battles at Ridgeline 10am - 12pm
Sunday 2/25 Lottery Application Deadline at 11:59pm
Friday 3/1 Direct Donation Drive (DDD) begins
Wednesday 3/6 Equity Committee 7pm
Friday 3/8 Art Show & Silent Auction 6-8pm, Ridgeline Gym
Saturday 3/9 OBOB Regionals at Siuslaw Middle School at 9am
Be sure to check the full calendar at https://www.ridgeline.org as some dates may change. Please note that Ridgeline’s calendar differs slightly from 4J elementary and middle school calendars.
NEW NEWS
Middle School Information Session - Thursday, 2/15 from 6-7pm
A virtual Middle School Information Session is scheduled for Thursday, February 15th, from 6:00-7:00 pm. This session is targeted for families of 5th and 6th graders who would like to know more about Ridgeline’s middle school program. Participants will be able to hear from each teacher about their programs and then time will be provided for questions and answers. The webinar format has been chosen so that we can record the session and make it available on our website for those who can not make the February date, while still protecting the anonymity of the participants. Registration is now open: click on this link to register for the webinar.
Hazardous Weather Makeup Days - February 19, Potential School Day
Hello Ridgeline Community,
We hope your families and homes are recovering well from our recent "ice event"! The inclement weather caused inconvenience and infrastructure damage for many of us. As you know, three days of school closure resulted in lost instructional and social time for our kids. In order to both make up for this lost instructional time and to maintain necessary planning and professional days for teachers, we need to add a day back into our school year.
At the beginning of the school year, all Ridgeline families received a copy of the 2023-2024 school calendar outlining semesters, important dates, and school closure days. Some of the No School days included on the calendar are marked as possible Hazardous Weather Makeup Days.
The next available No School/Hazardous Weather Makeup Day is February 19th, 2024 (President's Day). At the Board of Directors’ next regular meeting on February 8, the board will hear a recommendation in favor of changing the calendar to include President's day as a school day. For families, this means that Feb. 19 may be added back to the calendar, and a final decision will be communicated to our community on Feb. 9.
For your reference, the following are the remaining Hazardous Weather Makeup Days for this school year:
February 19th, Presidents Day
April 1st
April 12th
May 3rd
June 14th
June 17th-21st
Children's Concert - February 24, at 2:30pm
The Eugene Concert Choir presents All Americas for Kids on Saturday, February 24 at 2:30pm. This special opportunity will take place at the Hult Center, in Silva Concert Hall. Participating students are required to attend the Children's Choir pre-concert rehearsal at 1:30pm. The concert will begin at 2:30pm. Families can purchase additional tickets in advance at the Hult Center Box Office or at EugeneConcertChoir.org. Below is a sample letter that went home with all of the lower elementary students.
4J Safe Routes to School - Please Take this Survey
As part of the 4J Safe Routes to School program we ask that you take a few minutes to fill out our Parent/Guardian survey for Ridgeline Montessori, regardless of how your student(s) get to school to inform our efforts to help students use active and shared transportation for their school commute. This link is specific for your school. If you have more than one student at this school please fill out one for the older student only. If you have students at more than one school please fill out one for each school you receive a link for. Thank you for your time.
Como parte del programa 4J Rutas Seguras a la Escuela (Safe Routes to School) le pedimos que usted se tome unos minutos para completar nuestra encuesta de Padres/Tutores de Ridgeline Montessori, independientemente de cómo su(s) estudiante(s) llega(n) a la escuela para informar nuestros esfuerzos para ayudar a los estudiantes a usar transporte activo y compartido para su viaje regular escolar. Este enlace es específico para su escuela. Si usted tiene más de un estudiante en esta escuela por favor complete solo una para el estudiante mayor. Si tiene estudiantes en más de una escuela, complete uno por cada escuela para el que reciba un enlace. Gracias por su tiempo.
Memorial Service for Betsy Brandenfels
Our community lost an honored member this month when Betsy Brandenfels passed away. Many of us--staff, students, and families--are mourning the loss of a dear friend, teacher, and community member. The Ridgeline community has been invited to attend her memorial service on Saturday, February 10, at 2pm, at First Christian Church, located at 1166 Oak Street, Eugene.
After Spring Break, a group of parent volunteers is planning to commemorate Betsy by adding flowering plants to Ridgeline’s campus. If you would like to participate in or contribute to this special project, please contact parent and Site Council member Danielle Wade at dlwade027@gmail.com.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteer Thank Yous
Thank you to our book lamination volunteers: Marie Slatton-Valle, Jennifer Little, and Shikha DeFazio. We appreciate your continued help, getting new books covered and ready for long-term use!
Encore applause goes to the 2024 Talent Show Organizers, Sarah & Chauncey Mauney. Thank you again for all the hard work you put into an amazing night for Ridgeline students and their families.
Below are a few photos, highlighting different acts from last week's show. Picture credit goes to: Garret & Angela Zallen.
New Volunteer Opportunities - sign-up now!
The DDD is the Direct Donation Drive. It’s the name given to Ridgeline’s annual campaign where we simply ask for donations. During this 10-day fundraising window, we host an Art Show and a Silent Auction in the Ridgeline gymnasium. Please save the date and plan on coming to see your student's art on display! Admission is free.
To make this incredible event possible, we do need A LOT of volunteer help. Sign-ups are now live! We will need A LOT of help with event prep, starting next week, which includes taking home crayons to melt into molds, matting art, and mounting art. We also need significant volunteer help with event set up, which includes setting up the art displays for the event on Thursday, March 7. And you guessed it, we will also need volunteers to help with clean-up after the event.
If you are limited on time and still want to contribute, please consider signing up to bring 1-2 dozen store-bought cookies for the refreshments table. Use this link in Track It Forward to see the full list of volunteer jobs under Events, and thank you in advance for helping. Many hands make light work!
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. To help us get to know you better and your areas of interest, please fill out the Volunteer Interest form here.
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.
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
Talent Show - Link to Video Submissions Below!
Ridgeline students have many talents! If you haven't had a chance to watch the pre-recorded acts, it's not too late. To check out the talent-filled video submissions click this YouTube link here. You can also access the video submissions on Ridgeline’s homepage. This link will be available to view through February 14. We don’t want you to miss the opportunity to see these incredible acts!
Tier III Services
Paula Cortez will be Ridgeline’s temporary Tier III Coordinator through the end of this school year. We want to express our gratitude for her willingness to take on this responsibility and her dedication to supporting our students. Paula collaborated closely with Betsy to deliver intervention services for Ridgeline students and has a strong understanding of Ridgeline’s Tier III program. Her caring relationship with our students brings an extra layer of support to our school community, especially at this time. In addition to her work at Ridgeline, Paula has previous experience in Title I schools, where she offered tiered intervention services for students. We are confident in Paula's abilities to make a positive impact. We appreciate your partnership and support for Paula during this transition period. She is dedicated to providing intervention for all students receiving Tier III services, and we are also actively seeking a part-time instructional assistant to join the Tier III team.
Employment Opportunities
Please help us spread the word. Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School seeks a floating assistant and part-time tier III instructional assistant to join our passionate and experienced staff. Please see our website for application details.
OBOB Update & Volunteers Needed Feb 24 & 25
Ridgeline’s 3-5 grade OBOB teams will be competing in the in-school battles on Saturday, February 24, and Sunday, February 25, from 10am-12pm. The battles are game show quiz-like competitions and they will be held in the Ridgeline Gymnasium. Everyone is welcome to be a spectator! We still need a parent volunteer to serve as the Moderator, or question-asker, for the battles. If you are interested or have questions about this role, please contact OBOB Coordinator, Amie Chaudoir at 541-393-7054 or at achaudoir44@gmail.com.
The winner of the 3-5 grade in-school battles will go on to participate in the Regional Battles on March 9, at Thurston High School in Springfield. Ridgeline’s one 6-8 grade OBOB team will also be going to the Regional battle on March 9, at the Siuslaw Middle School in Florence. OBOB students greatly appreciate your support.
GO RIDGELINE!
2024 - 2025 Lottery Enrollment - Sibling Priority for Current Ridgeline Families
Siblings of students who are currently enrolled and will remain enrolled in Ridgeline in the coming year receive enrollment priority. If space is unavailable, students with sibling-level priority will be the first group selected by an equitable lottery process for placement on the waiting list.
In order to qualify for sibling preference, you MUST complete the Online Enrollment Application for any incoming sibling by February 25, 11:59 pm.
RIDGELINE COMMITTEES & ORGANIZATIONS
Ridgeline Board - February 8
The Ridgeline Board will have a regular meeting tonight, February 8th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm over Zoom and in person in the library. Action items on the agenda include: Hazardous Makeup Day February 19th. Information items on the agenda include: 4J Annual Review and Program Management Update. Discussion items on the agenda include: Annual Work Calendar Approval and Public Comment Committee Scope Confirmation. 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 February 6th the Zoom link to join is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88176985729?pwd=UDFvdGk0blZhZzVVbHR0RzlHWmFlUT09 Meeting ID: 881 7698 5729 Passcode: 766547.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Reminder: Weigh in on Proposed Two-Year Calendar
4J has proposed a calendar for the next two school years: 2024–25 and 2025–26. Traditionally, the school board has approved a one-year calendar in the spring for the following school year. However, our district believes moving to a two-year calendar, with earlier notice of no-school days, will provide greater stability for families and staff. To review the draft calendar and provide your comments, click below.
Tsunami Books - Book Signing and Presentation on February 17, at 2pm
I’m Jack Cooper, author of Silly Lily’s Rhyming Adventures in Nature, a child’s playful journey through the natural world around her. I’d like to invite the Ridgeline community of readers and future readers to attend our slide presentation and book signing at Tsunami Books on Saturday, February 17, at 2pm. For details on the presentation, click on tsunamibooks.com and search for events in February. For more information on the book, please visit the website www.sillylilysadventures.com. There are free classroom-ready downloadables and sample pages.
Library Card Fundraiser - February 24, 3-5pm at Tsunami Books
Ophelia’s Place - Spring Activities
Ophelia's Place is excited to share about their upcoming spring activities. Attached is a PDF with information. Please feel free to share within the community.
Positive Community Kitchen - A Cookoff for a Cause
The Positive Community Kitchen (PCK) is a youth-led organization that delivers free, organic meals to community members who are experiencing a health crisis. Our dual mission is a teaching kitchen that runs Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday weekly and allows youth and adults in our community to learn how to prepare, cook, and package these healthy meals. These are then delivered to families around the Eugene/Springfield area for free.
Every year, the PCK Youth Leadership Committee plans a teen-led fundraiser in the spring. This year they are gearing up for the 2nd Annual After School Snacks: A Cookoff for a Cause. They are looking for 6 youth & 6 adult chefs to compete at this fundraiser. Since this is all about the youth and supporting their community need, they are also going to have a youth art silent auction, youth band, youth caterers, and more.
The Positive Community Kitchen runs all year long and is always in need of volunteers. If you know of anyone who is undergoing a health crisis and could use the PCK services, please don't hesitate to reach out to Toni Bendix, Volunteer Coordinator, at 541-249-4942 ex:103 or via the Text line at 541-302-3776.
Positive Community Kitchen - learn more about our mission
Sign up to Compete! - for youth (12+) or adults to sign up to compete
Signup to Volunteer at the Event! - any youth between 12-22 years of age can sign up to volunteer at the event.
Pavilanis School of Music
Do you have a child interested in taking music lessons? How about youth bucket drumming? They have that too! Please see the flyer for more information and be sure to check out their website here.
Global Recycling Day- The Art of Bricolage
From February 23 though March 22, Maude Kerns Art Center will be hosting a show of art made from recycled materials by 9 different artists called “The Art of Bricolage”. In honor of Global Recycling Day on March 18, 2024, this will be a wonderful opportunity for students to see and get inspired by artwork made from used goods and discards.
Below is an e-poster that explains the whole project, including access to a Guide to Used Goods in our area. There will also be a display at the show with discount coupons and materials from many of the Secondhand Outlets.
Please consider bringing your students to see this fun and inspiring exhibit.
Contact Rogene Manas with any questions.
Websites: www.rogenemanas.com
www.artfulpaperclay./com
Author of: Artful Paper Clay: Techniques for Adding Dimension to Your Art
Facebook: Rogene Manas Artist
Instagram: rogenemanas
Pinterest: Rogene Manas