Ridgeline eNews
September 14, 2023
RIDGELINE CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Thursday 9/14 Board Meeting 6:00-8:00 pm
Monday 9/18 Site Council Retreat 5:00-6:30 pm
Tuesday 9/19 Ridgeline 101 New Family Orientation 6:00-7:30 pm
Friday 9/22 Picture Day
Monday 9/25 Site Council Meeting 6:00-7:30 pm
Wednesday 10/4 Walk & Bike to School Day 8:00 am
We encourage you to regularly check the full calendar as some dates may change. Please note that Ridgeline’s calendar differs from 4J elementary calendars. 4J schools will be on an early release schedule on Wednesday while Ridgeline will maintain our early release day on Fridays, amongst other differences.
NEW NEWS
Board Meeting TONIGHT
The Ridgeline Board will have a regular meeting this evening, Thursday, September 14th from 6:00 to 8:00pm over Zoom and in person in the library. Information and Discussion items on the agenda include Vector Training - Child Abuse: Mandatory Reporting, Shared Language: Mandatory Reporter, and Fundraising Committee Board Representative.
The agenda will be finalized and posted here by Tuesday September 12. Click here to access the Zoom link.
Meeting ID: 845 4226 3211
Passcode: 709037
You can always reach the board by email at 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."
New Families
Welcome! You are invited to join us for the new family orientation: Ridgeline 101 on Tuesday, September 19, from 6:00-7:30 pm. This is the perfect opportunity to learn the ins and outs of being a Ridgeline parent and have your questions answered. Limited childcare is available for toilet-trained children. You can sign up here. We know that these first few weeks, as you learn about our community, it can be overwhelming. Please do not hesitate to contact anyone in the front office with questions at 541-681-9662.
Walk and Bike to School Day
Save the date: Wednesday, October 4 is national walk, roll, or bike to school day. We welcome everyone to participate in this fun community event!
Ridgeline Gear - Order Now!
This year Ridgeline is offering t-shirts for $14, long-sleeve shirts for $18, and pull-over hoodie sweatshirts for $36. Click here to place your order here.
Ridgeline would like every student to be able to have a t-shirt if they would like one. If your family qualifies for free or reduced lunches or is facing financial hardship, your student is eligible for a FREE school t-shirt. Click here and then click on the T-Shirt for All eligibility link.
Please call the office if you have any questions.
Picture Day
New Leif Photography will be coming to Ridgeline on Friday, September 22nd for Picture Day in the gym. Picture Day flyers have been sent home. Photos may also be ordered online at https://newleifphoto.inter-state.com/. Ridgeline's order code is 78059XB. Families can order 2 weeks past picture day with the flier code.
After pictures come back, parents/guardians will get a second chance form to order with a code designated for their student so they can go online and order. Paper order forms are also available in the office for anyone who wants one. Picture Retake day is October 27th.
Monthly Donor Campaign - Don't Miss Out On The Match!
Monthly Donor Match has started and will run through October 6th. Thank you to our 10 new monthly donors and our 1 increased donor! Thanks to your generosity you have earned Ridgeline $936 in matching funds! Remember each and every gift moves us closer to our $98,000 goal!
Sign up here as a new monthly donor or email giving@ridgeline.org to increase your current monthly donation and Ridgeline will receive a $50 match AND a dollar for dollar match!
CONTINUING NEWS
Facebook parent/guardian group is up and running!
Please use this link to ask to join. Please take a minute to answer the questions and read over the rules of the group and we’ll get you in as soon as possible. This is a peer run community group for the parents and guardians of Ridgeline Montessori. This group's purpose is to provide connections, share information, ask questions, and facilitate conversations. This group is not managed by Ridgeline staff nor does it include members of Ridgeline staff (exception would be if a staff member is also a parent).
Drop Off & Pick Up Reminders
Now that you have all experienced drop off and pick up, you can see that we are moving a lot of people through a limited space in a short period of time! It takes all of us working together following pre-established procedures to ensure both a safe and efficient experience for everyone.
Reminders -
Adults please say goodbye to your student at the “Hug & Release” sign at the corner of the fence at the sidewalk.
Drivers please PULL ALL THE WAY FORWARD in the drop off line. DO NOT drop off students in front of Building B.
3:05pm is the time the pick up drive thru opens. DO NOT enter the entrance before 3:05pm (except for early appointment pick up). This is a fire lane.
Watch for students crossing both at the crosswalk at the corner of Building B AND across West Amazon. We are still in need of many more crossing guards! Sign up today!
Student Profile
Friday we sent home each student’s profile from Synergy. If you have not done so already, please read the Reference Guide and make any updates to your student’s profile with a RED pen. Note: addresses can only be changed in Synergy with two proofs of address. If you need to update your address, contact Cynthia to make arrangements.
Please return student profiles with clearly marked changes to your classroom teacher by tomorrow, Friday, September 15th. Please sign, date, and return the Student Profiles even if there are no changes. It is very important that we have accurate contact information for your student so we can reach you during the school day.
Absence Notification
If your child must miss school please contact the office and let us know by 8:30 am. You may either call us at 541-681-9662 or email attendance@ridgeline.org. Remember to give us a reason for the absence so we can code it correctly (ie. sick, parent request, medical appointment, injury, bereavement, etc.). If you do not contact us your child will be marked “ABS” and you will receive an attendance phone call and email and the absence will not be excused.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
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 after the six week normalization period is over in mid October.
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
Read a Thon Committee - Want to encourage our students to have fun reading, as well as raise funds for our school? Help plan and implement an engaging and fun Read a Thon, happening this fall: November 4 - December 2.
Email giving@ridgeline.org if any of the following interests you: helping plan fun incentives, creating and distributing flyers, bingo cards and pledge sheets, and/or helping with the book swap to culminate the month-long event.
Bike & Walk to School Day - We need 4 volunteers to lead the bike to school event, 6 volunteers to lead the walk to school event, and 2 to host a welcome to school table. Green badge volunteers, those who have completed the background check process and the code of conduct form, may sign up in Track It Forward to be a lead volunteer on Wednesday, October 4. If you do not want to lead this event, but would like to participate with your student, you are welcome to do so.
Still Needed
Crossing guards - We still need crossing guards to help guide Ridgeline students as they cross West Amazon to access the Amazon trail and the bridge across the creek. Volunteers are needed daily from 8-8:30 am and from 3-3:20 pm. Safety vests and stop signs are provided. Crossing guards need to have a background check within the last 5 years. Sign up for any number of mornings and/or afternoons on Track it Forward.
Movers - Additional volunteers are still needed to move Middle School items from the storage area (red cohort bathroom) to the mezzanine. This involves carrying items up two sets of stairs. Please contact the Ridgeline office to volunteer.
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!
RIDGELINE COMMITTEES & ORGANIZATIONS
The Ridgeline Community Organization (RCO)
The Ridgeline Community Organization (RCO) is the school’s parent organization. All parents/guardians of Ridgeline students are automatically members. The RCO also has a Leadership Team, which meets to plan fun activities for our community. This group focuses on community, service, and fun.
Any member of the community is welcome to join these meetings. Meeting information will be posted to the Ridgeline calendar. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to RCO@ridgeline.org. We are actively looking for family volunteers to help in leadership roles with the RCO. If you are interested in helping or want to know more about the RCO please email ridgelineoffice@ridgeline.org.
The RCO would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who attended the Back to School Picnic on Tuesday, September 12. It was great to connect with all of the returning students and their families and to welcome all of the new students and their families. We look forward to hosting more community building events like this throughout the school year.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Parent Education Classes
Oregon parents, grandparents, foster parents, and caregivers are invited to the Fall Session of Collaborative Problem Solving Parenting Classes. Sign up on this page for classes offered through Riverview Center for Growth.
LTD Bus Passes
Passes that were issued last year do not expire until September 30th and there will also be a grace period after that time. Passes will automatically be renewed for the 2023-2024 school year. If you have a student who was not issued a pass last year, and you would like them to have one, please contact Cynthia.
Carpool Needed
Help for 2 kids on Fridays after school. I’m done with work at 1:20 pm, just can’t get there for pick up. I can come pick them up about 1:45 or they could be brought to Autzen, or the Harlow area about 1:25-1:30. Drop off location is somewhat flexible. Please contact Megan Ary at lmsary@gmail.com or text (541) 953-2893.
Seeking another family in North (or West) Eugene to carpool with. We live in the Bethel neighborhood, near Barger and Highway 99. I have a Ridgeline student in the fourth grade and would love to find a nice family with whom to share the chauffeuring duties. Please email achaudoir44@gmail.com to discuss possibilities.
Acorn Circle
We are proud to present a series of free events for kids (and teachers) using the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde curriculum at local libraries! Please join us in October - November at these libraries: Cottage Grove, Creswell, and Springfield for fun and educational learning about Indigenous culture. Kids will take home a special project they made during the lesson, which includes a storybook reading.
No RSVP is required, but please mark your calendars and tell your friends!
Complete details and times can be found here and on each library's event calendar.
ALSO Join us for a free cultural presentation at each library with a Kalapuya Native American, Deitrich Peters, who will be talking about his culture and playing the flute. These free presentations are made possible by a grant from the Woodard Family Foundation, the City of Cottage Grove, and participating libraries.