Ridgeline eNews
April 25, 2024
RIDGELINE CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
Full calendar: http://www.ridgeline.org/calendar
Saturday 4/27 Student Marketplace 10 am- 12:30 pm at Ridgeline
Monday 4/29 Fundraising Committee 9-10:30 am
Tuesday 4/30 Class Placement Input Form due
Wednesday 5/1 Ridgeline Equity Committee 7pm
Friday 5/3 No School - Professional Development
Monday 5/6 Staff Appreciation Week starts
Wednesday 5/8 - Spring Bike, Walk, & Roll to School Day
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
Ridgeline Fundraiser - Student Marketplace this Saturday 4/27 from 10am - 12:30pm
Oregon BottleDrop: Matching Funds - Drop off now through May 4!
Do you have full Blue Bags at home? Turn it in now and then grab a new one because Ridgeline Montessori is registered for BottleDrop’s Earth Week Give matching promotion! We’ll receive a 20% match from BottleDrop Give on funds raised from April 22 – May 4. This matching campaign also benefits from online donations from your BottleDrop Green Bag accounts if you don’t have a blue bag on hand.
As a reminder, fill your Blue Bag with Oregon 10 cent deposit containers. Plastic, aluminum, and glass can go in the same bag. Please keep bags under the 20 lb. weight limit and do not put any trash inside your Blue Bag. When your bag is filled, please return your bag to a local BottleDrop location. You can find one such location at 2105 W. Broadway in Eugene and others by searching your zip code on the location tab of the BottleDrop website. In case you need it, each bag is printed with easy-to-follow instructions. At the bottle drop location, use the QR code printed on the bag to open the drop off door and leave your bag inside.
The Ridgeline office has extra tagged blue bags. Reach out if you need one sent home with your student. We’ll also have 100 tagged bags for pick up at Student Marketplace on Saturday, April 27, so make sure to stop by and check out the amazing goods created by our students, grab something from the continental breakfast, and grab another Blue Bag to fill up and return before Saturday, May 4, 2024. Thank you in advance to those who choose to participate!
Every dollar matters and helps us get closer to our annual fundraising goal. We've raised just under 75% of our fundraising goal for this school year. With just 10 weeks left in the 2023 - 2024 school year, this match is a great way to give participation in the school fundraising effort a boost.
Spring Walk & Roll to School Day!
It's that time again–Walk & Roll to School Day is around the corner on May 8th!
You and your child can join students all over the world in supporting safe and environmentally friendly transportation to schools. Join other Ridgeline families that morning at Tugman Park on Hilyard between 36th and 38th Ave and then you and your child can bike your way to Ridgeline! The walking group will be meeting at Kincaid Park located at 3839 Kincaid Street, and will walk the .6 miles to Ridgeline.
Students will be accompanied by their parents at this event, but volunteers are still needed to help support everyone as we make our way safely to the school. Sign up here to be a Walking or Biking Helper!
Future Meal Program - We Need to Hear From a Few More Families by Monday, April 29
Ridgeline is considering the possibility of providing free breakfast and lunch to all students. To make this a reality, we must meet certain criteria, such as having a specific number of students eligible for free and reduced lunches through Oregon's direct certification process. This includes students participating in programs like the Oregon Health Plan (OHP)/Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), McKinney Vento, or migrant education. To gauge whether we meet these requirements and to understand how much our families value our meal program, we kindly request that all Ridgeline families fill out this brief meal survey. Please complete the following short survey by Monday, April 29, 2024.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteer Thank Yous
A big thanks to Heather Hickcox and Amanda Bedortha for the many hours of volunteer work and coordination you have put into making the Student Marketplace happen! It's going to be a great event!
A special thanks to all the amazing volunteers who joined us for tea last Friday; thank you again for all you do for Ridgeline! And to all the fabulous volunteers who were not able to attend the Volunteer Appreciation Tea: WE APPRECIATE YOU!
Volunteer Opportunities - NEW
Marketplace Volunteers - help needed!
The Student Marketplace event this weekend, Saturday April 27, from 10am - 12:30pm. We need volunteers to help with prep for a couple hours from 3-5 pm the day before and also day-of, at the event. This event is a really fun one! If you are still working toward your 40 hours, this is another great way to get in volunteer time.
Book Doctor
We have several books in the Ridgeline library that have been well loved and are no longer 'gently used'. If you have a love for books, possess the strength of attention to detail, and have some experience with book repair this role is for you! This volunteer job could take place at the school or at home. Please email bethany.dilla@ridgeline.org if you are interested.
May the 4th Be With Us - Help Us Fund a Plaque in Memory of Betsy
After a series of decisive grounds work party victories the team may yet face its greatest challenge: the staff lunch area between the two buildings and creating a beautiful space that will serve as a place where we can memorialize Betsy Brandenfels. Sign up here to join the amazing work crew on Saturday, May 4, from 10am - 2pm at Ridgeline.
It’s also not too late to make a donation, in honor of Betsy. We’d like to collect enough funds to purchase a memorial plaque.
The name of the game at this work party is maintaining flexibility, seeing what needs to be done, completing all of the tasks, having fun, meeting new Ridgeline folks, enjoying the process of making an impact, and beautifying a space that has been neglected for too long.
Here are some of the tasks we will face:
The area was just weeded but it is Spring, so, weeders
Pruners for the bushes
Oregon Grape eliminators
People to dig and rework the round rock edging around the curved bed
Knowledgeable people to fertilize, spread compost, plant bulbs and possibly a big plant or two.
Diggers and retaining wall finishers if need be, this is CRITICAL
Wheelbarrowers and shovelers of dirt and mulch
Several Jedi so none of us actually have to do any real work, LOL!
Snack and beverage providers
It's time to log your volunteer hours!
There are several amazing volunteers, who have not yet logged all their volunteer hours this year (see the colorful graph below). Please take a moment and do that at your earliest convenience. 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!
Volunteer hour reporting is important for us to show support for Ridgeline when applying for grants and for reporting to our sponsoring district. 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. As a reminder, we encourage each family to aim for 40-hours a year. Thank you for giving your time to Ridgeline - it means so much!
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
Countdown to Staff Appreciation Week - May 6 - 10
Please sign up for a volunteer opportunity to honor, feed, and spoil the staff who make Ridgeline magical. Volunteer hours can be logged separately in Track It Forward.
See the flyer below for the special ways Ridgeline families are invited to help celebrate and thank Ridgeline staff for all the ways they invest in our children. We hope everyone finds at least one way to participate in expressing gratitude!
S-N-A-C-K-S Needed
The food pantries in buildings A & B need to be replenished. Please help us restock them with fruit, fruit cups, rice cakes, all-fruit bars, fig bars, z-bars, and high-protein items including string cheese, nuts, yogurts, jerky bites, etc. Thank you so much! We are so grateful for the steady snack donations that help keep Ridgeline students fueled with brain food, ready to continue learning every day.
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.
Kindness Campaign - Concludes May 10
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."
RIDGELINE COMMITTEES & ORGANIZATIONS
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
COMMUNITY NEWS
Oregon Youth Suicide Prevention Resources
The rates of suicide attempts and related deaths among Oregon's youth often increase each spring. There is a call to action from ODE, OHA, and Lines for Life to provide resources and action items to equip trusted adults, with skills to support students who may be at risk for suicidal behaviors and refer those students to qualified mental health providers. See below for resources to review.