Pacific Ridge Principal's Update
Week of Monday, January 4th - Friday, January 8th, 2021
PTO Meeting THIS WEEK
Please join us!
Date? Tuesday, January 5th
Time? 6:00-7:00PM
Where? Zoom Link HERE
Happy New Year 2021!
Getting to know our Pacific Ridge Elementary Staff
If your child went to Seaside Heights, you most likely know a majority of the staff from there and if your child attended Gearhart Elementary you most likely know a majority of those staff members...and if you've got a kindergartener or are new to our district we're ALL new to you!
In a typical year, we'd be walking the halls and interacting at different events. Due to the "virtual" format of instruction we've not been able to do this. Therefore, we wanted to take a moment to share with you our "new" teacher teams and some fun facts about them as well!. Each week our newsletter will have information about a grade level team.
This week we will start with our newly formed preschool: Pacific Ridge Beginning School
Preschool
Pacific Ridge Beginning School
Our preschool is brand new this year and currently we have one classroom and one teacher. Our program serves 3 and 4 year old children. We hope/plan to expand to two classrooms and two teachers once we can open up to onsite instruction.
Where did you go to school? Lewis-Clark State College for my undergraduate and Lesley University for my graduate program.
How long have you been teaching and what grade levels? This is my 23rd year of teaching. I have taught everything from Pre-K to Middle School!
What's your favorite subject to teach? I don't know if I have a favorite subject to teach. I love it all! Language arts, math, social studies, the arts. How do you choose just one? I suppose if I had to choose one, I do love teaching beginning writers.
What was your favorite subject when you were in school? In high school I learned to love Social Studies, but I always loved math.
Favorite hobby? I love learning new things, so choosing one hobby is hard. I don't necessarily always like doing the same thing, but trying new things could maybe be my hobby. I love activities that involve the arts and using my creative brain.
Favorite color? I never know how to answer this question. I really love color, and it's hard to choose just one. I really love yellow and red. I also love rainbows.
Favorite book? When I was the age of a beginning schooler, my favorite book was Jane Yolen's Invitation to the Butterfly Ball. It is a counting book with a repeating pattern and magical watercolor illustrations. I could recite every word and asked my mom to read it to me over and over again.
As a child who was your favorite teacher and why? Mrs. Kelly, my fifth grade teacher, was my favorite teacher ever. She brought in sheep brains and a cow lung for us to investigate, she read aloud The Bridge to Terabithia and she cried, and she invited us to a pool party at her house at the end of the school year. She spent time getting to know us personally, and she let us see her as a real person too. It was a special year that I will never forget.
***Next week we will share fun facts about our 5 Kindergarten teachers!
Food Drive Success!!!
Together we made a difference!
THANK YOU to everyone who participated in our Food Drive on Thursday, December 17th. In under two hours we were able to bring in over 2000 food items to donate to our local food bank.
CONGRATULATIONS to Kindergarten for winning the class parties by bringing in the most items! We will be organizing a pick up day of a fun craft for each kindergarten student to complete with your classmates during an upcoming Zoom class!
Consejo Hispano Parent Meeting
Save the date!
Topic: Preguntas y Respuestas : con Mr. Catt and Guadalupe
Time: 5:00pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71555880962?pwd=blJxY2xyRnFMTTNyNnhGZnQ3WExFZz09
Calendar Reminders
Upcoming Important Dates:
Upcoming PTO Virtual Fundraiser
Panda Express Fundraiser
Please click here to help our PTO raise funds by taking a break from cooking & ordering lunch or dinner from Panda Express.
Thank you in advance for supporting our students!
Comprehensive Distance Learning Family Survey & Virtual Parent Chat
Thank you for your feedback!
Pacific Ridge Families,
We know that this has been and continues to be an incredibly stressful and challenging school year for everyone. It is our strong desire to learn, grow and provide the best possible learning experience for your child and family.
Warm regards,
Mrs. Wozniak, principal
Transportation Planning for Hybrid onsite instruction
Arrival and Dismissal
Even if you plan to drop off and pick up your child daily, we need this form completed so that we can take your child off of that bus route. This will make room for another child to ride the bus. We are restricted to a small amount of students who can ride the bus at one time.
Thank you!
Tips for Improving your INternet
Tips from Mrs. Whisler
Tips to Improve Your Internet Service
With so many of us depending on the internet (wifi, hotspots and phone data) for work, school, and connecting with family and friends it is good to do a check-up on how well our home network is set up. Here are some excellent articles that list many free and low cost ways to get the best possible download speeds and use of the bandwidth we have to work with, especially with multiple users, and devices that may be taking up internet bandwidth when you are unaware.
11 Ways to Make Your Wifi Faster
Another idea is to use the scan tool at the far end of this article to figure out where your home has the best download speed. My office had 3Mbps but my living room near my modem had 15Mbps!!!! I found my provider in the list and walked around testing inside my house and out. Ideas for apartments are also listed.
My advice is to search your home for your old ethernet cable and hardwire your most important user directly to your modem. That’s right, skip the wifi! Ethernet cables are available in short and long (50 feet!) lengths and start at about $6.00. If you aren’t sure what the ends look like give a search on Amazon or Best Buy for an example.
Finally, I plan to move my internet equipment out of the corner of my room. Since it is sending the signal in a circle pattern a huge percent of mine is going right out the walls and the roof. Luckily I have a password on my wifi and my hotspot so no one can use that signal without my permission and slow me down. Also, I am more aware that easy to use products like bluetooth doorbells/security, bluetooth light controls or printers, etc are all constantly searching and using my wifi. Removing or turning off unnecessary devices until I need them might help too.
If you are paying for the internet then it really ought to work. Checking with your ISP (internet service provider) is always a good idea and they can help you with tips that can help you help yourself!
Good Luck,
Mrs. Whisler
Pacific Ridge Elementary School
Email: jwozniak@seasidek12.org
Website: https://pre.seaside.k12.or.us/
Location: 2000 Spruce Drive, Seaside, OR, USA
Phone: 503-738-5161
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pacific-Ridge-Elementary-School-104961557933403