Ridgeline eNews
April 4, 2024
RIDGELINE CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
Full calendar: http://www.ridgeline.org/calendar
Saturday 4/6 Outdoor Work Party at Ridgeline 10-12 pm
Sunday 4/7 Outdoor Work Party at Ridgeline 12-2 pm
Tuesday 4/9 Fundraising Committee 9-10:30 am
Thursday 4/11 Board Meeting 6-8 pm
Friday 4/12 No School - Professional Development
Sunday 4/14 Mulch to the Moon Outdoor Work Party at Ridgeline 10 am -2 pm
Friday 4/19 Volunteer Appreciation Tea 8:30-9:30 am - Ridgeline Gymnasium
Saturday 4/27 Student Marketplace 10 am -12:30 pm at Ridgeline
Tuesday 4/30 Fundraising Committee 9-10:30 am
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
Class Placement Input Form
Is your student moving levels? Do you believe there is information that would be helpful in considering a new placement for your student? This letter to families outlines the process for student placement at Ridgeline. The Class Placement Input Form will be available from April 4 until midnight on April 30.
Still need volunteer hours? We got you! Sign up to help with school clean up this weekend!
Spring Outdoor work parties will be held this weekend on Saturday, April 6 & Sunday, April 7 to weed, prune, and clean up the Ridgeline property. Click on this link to sign up and help on Saturday, April 6 from 10 am - noon, or on Sunday, April 7 from noon - 2 pm. Snacks will be provided!
You can also sign up to help at the Mulch To the Moon work party next Sunday, April 14, from 10 am - 2 pm. Snacks will be provided! We are going to have an absolute mountain of mulch delivered and hope to mulch all of the Amazon Drive-facing beds on the property so it looks beautiful for the Student Marketplace event. Ridgeline has four wheelbarrows, several shovels, many buckets, some rakes, and a few pairs of gloves. BYO gloves, shovels, and rakes if you have ones that you like and prefer to work with. Our hope is to have enough volunteer help to lay down new mulch throughout the school grounds. Sign up here!
We hope to get 3 great work crews together for each of these dates and accomplish a lot. If you can only come for 1 hour, please still sign up!
Student Marketplace - Last chance: student vendors need to sign up by April 9!
Student Marketplace is a student-inspired arts and crafts fair and will be on Saturday, April 27, from 10 am - 12:30 pm at Ridgeline.
This year, we are asking as many families as possible to bring/supply their own tables and chairs, making the overall set-up and tear down more efficient. Ridgeline does have 26 tables to loan and we encourage students who need to borrow a school table, to sign up and share this display space with a friend. Students and families can now submit proposals here. Please sign up to participate in the Student Marketplace by April 9. All proposals will be considered approved UNLESS you hear otherwise from me within 2 business days.
This event started as a handful of students selling magic sand on the playground to add whatever they could to help purchase our school and has grown exponentially every year since. In 2023, we had 109 student vendors selling handmade crafts and raised over $2,200 in one day. We are hoping to have even more engagement with our community and our student vendors this year since we have moved this to a spring event. All donations go to the school wide fundraising effort.
PAC Assembly Update
The Principal's Advisory Committee (PAC) led an all-school assembly on Friday, March 22. The Kindness Campaign assembly commenced with announcements celebrating student achievements in writing and reading competitions, followed by recognition of the school's success in the Oregon Battle of the Books tournament.
The highlight of the assembly was the launch of the Kindness Campaign by the PAC, emphasizing the importance of small acts of kindness and fostering a supportive community. Students were encouraged to participate by writing positive messages on paper slips, which would be compiled into a giant school-wide kindness chain. Teachers were also invited to participate in creating a teacher chain of kindness. The assembly concluded with the promise of celebrating all acts of kindness and spreading joy through a school-wide karaoke session.
Minute to Win It games added a fun element to the assembly, reinforcing the spirit of camaraderie and positivity. The PAC Assembly was a fun way to wrap up before Spring Break. It was fun to see all the smiling faces.
Kindness Campaign - happening now!
Families can assist students by noting acts of kindness performed at home. Have your student share their acts of care and kindness with you and then write them on the provided strips of paper (check your students backpack by Friday). Your student should bring their completed links back to the classroom each Monday, now through May 6th. Every link will contribute to the classroom ’s kindness campaign chain. Each classroom aims to create a paper chain long enough to encircle the gym.
Examples of acts of kindness include:
"I smiled and said good morning to our neighbor Mrs. Jones" and “I helped mom unload the groceries."
Save the date: Volunteer Appreciation Tea - Friday, April 19
To express our gratitude and say thank you, we are hosting a Volunteer Appreciation Tea on Friday, April 19 from 8:30am - 9:30am in the Ridgeline gymnasium. No RSVP is needed - we hope you can pop by for a few minutes, have some tea and enjoy tasty treats. We can't wait to celebrate YOU! Since August 2023, we've had 171 different parents and family members volunteer their time, bring in donations, and invest in Ridgeline students directly.
Ridgeline would not be the amazing community it is without your help. There are a myriad of ways that you have poured into helping Ridgeline be successful and continue to grow. Don’t forget to log your volunteer hours in Track it Forward so that we can honor all the work that you do! We really appreciate our incredible volunteers!
Ridgeline Board of Directors - Seeking Board Members
Hello! Do you want to give back to your community? Are you energized to work on a variety of diverse projects? Do you enjoy working collaboratively within a group? If so, consider joining the Ridgeline Montessori Board of Directors! We are a diverse group of thoughtful, inquisitive community members who enjoy serving the Ridgeline community. Prior experience is not important. If you'd like to learn more, please read this letter from the Board.
We will have several openings on the Board going into next school year. I would like to personally invite interested community members to join our meetings (virtually or in person), or to meet one-on-one. I can share information about Board responsibilities and insight about how we support the public Montessori education that allows our children to thrive. If you are curious about Board work, please get in touch via email at april-kay.williams@ridgeline.org
Warmly,
April-Kay Williams, Board President, parent, Ridgeline Equity Committee member
Ridgeline Staff Appreciation Week
Planning is underway for ways to honor our incredible Ridgeline staff in May during Staff Appreciation Week! If you would like to help plan activities during the week, please email Ruth at ruthetabak@gmail.com. Look for more information about volunteer opportunities to make the week special for our staff in the coming weeks!
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteer Thank Yous
This week we want to say thank you to the wonderful parent volunteers who have been assisting with our early readers. Thank you for taking time to come into the classroom or read with students one-on-one in the hallways. Your dedication and investment means so much!
Volunteer Opportunities - NEW
Marketplace Volunteers - help needed!
The Student Marketplace is Saturday, April 27 and it's a really fun one! We will need volunteers to help with day-before prep on Friday, April 26. We also need volunteer help at at the Marketplace event. If you are still working toward your 40 hours, this is a great way to get in volunteer time.
Book Cover Laminator
We are seeking 1-2 additional volunteers to come to the school to laminate special projects for the library and classrooms, as well as book covers. Laminated items can be taken home to be cut and finished. Sign up in Track It Forward and then email bethany.dilla@ridgeline.org to coordinate a brief lamination training.
Don’t Forget to Log Your Volunteer Hours!
Volunteer hour reporting is important for us to show support for Ridgeline when applying for grants and for reporting to our sponsoring district. It will also help us prepare for Volunteer Appreciation Week in a couple of weeks! Right now is the perfect time to check your calendar and jog your memory and log past hours. Don’t worry too much, estimates and bulk logging are fine.
If you know that you volunteered in the classroom but aren’t sure which days, simply log: classroom volunteer, 15 hours. It is easy to add your name to Track it Forward, just click on the link and follow the instructions. It is even available as an app if it is easier for you to use your phone!
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/user
-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!
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.
CONTINUING NEWS
Lost & Found - Last Chance!
S-N-A-C-K-S!
RIDGELINE COMMITTEES & ORGANIZATIONS
Ridgeline Board
The Ridgeline Board will have a regular meeting on April 11th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm over Zoom and in person in the library. Action items on the agenda include: COLA 2024-25 and Repeal Policy GAB-- 4.9. Information and Discussion items on the agenda include Recruitment and Board Roles for 2024-25, Project Management Update, COLA 2024-25, Budget Priorities 2024-25, Budget Committee Members, and Policy GAB--4.9. 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, April 9th and here is the Zoom link to join.
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
Spring Creek Events and Summer Camps
Singing Creek Educational Center offers hands-on educational history programs for kids and families. There are several local upcoming events featured in their current newsletter here.
Singing Creek is also offering multiple summer camps for your family to choose from. They have been doing children’s history based summer camps since 2008! Each camp will feature crafts, games, stories, outside exploration, walking field trips in the park, cooking, and more! Campers will enjoy visits from special guests who teach them, trade with them, and share stories. Times are Monday - Friday 9am to 3pm. Children ages 6-10 are welcome. Children bring their own lunches and water bottles each day.
Parenting Healthy Preteens
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Resources
Join us for Collaborative Problem Solving Parenting Classes
We’re hosting a new series of Spring class events, and we’d love to see you there. We are excited to provide classes that have a specific focus for Spanish language speakers, parents or caregivers who are working with DHS and parents of children that have autism or IDD.
Register soon because space is limited.
We hope you’re able to join us!