Thursday, 3/9 - Board Meeting

Friday, 3/10 - Direct Donation Drive Kick Off!

Sunday, 3/12 - Daylight Savings Time Ends

Wednesday, 3/15 - RCO Meeting (Zoom)

Sunday, 3/19 - Direct Donation Drive Finale!

There was a misprint earlier in the year, March 17th is a regular school day at Ridgeline.

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.

There has been an increased demand for snacks from the school pantry and your donations are needed to keep up with the daily needs of our students. We rely on the school pantry to provide snacks and supplement student’s lunches and we so appreciate you helping us keep up with their appetites.

The most helpful donations are:

• Granola bars and Z bars

• Cuties

• Individually wrapped snacks

• Applesauce or fruit cups

And remember, if you are able, send your child with a snack that they will enjoy and a full lunch box! We want to make sure that the pantry is always available for our students who are lacking access to consistent snacks and meals during the school day.

Please help us spread the word! Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School seeks a temporary kindergarten classroom assistant to join our passionate and experienced staff. The assistant is an integral part of the classroom’s instructional team.

This position is full-time (7 hours per day) for our established kindergarten classroom. The position begins as early as March 20 and no later than April 3, through the end of the school year. Please see our website for application details.

Have you taken some great photos of moving water? May we use them for an upcoming fundraising campaign?

If you have one (or more) photos that you'd be willing to share with our community, please email Amy with the Subject: water photo.

Photos will be used in community emails, so super high resolution is not necessary. No pictures with people in them or copyright infringements, please!

Ridgeline currently has openings on its substitute list! When a classroom staff member is out, a substitute steps into the role of the classroom assistant.

Substitutes may be booked ahead of time for a staff member’s planned absence or will be texted first thing in the morning for same day needs.

For more information check out employment opportunities on our website.

If you are interested in getting on our sub list, please send a resume and three references with their contact information to careers@ridgeline.org.

If you have questions about subbing, contact Cynthia in the office.

Head over to the Volunteer Page of our website and review the Code of Conduct and

fill out a background check form if you have not done so in the last five years.

JUST A FEW MORE CROSSING GUARDS NEEDED AT PICK UP AND DROP OFF!

• Crossing guards on Monday and Friday mornings from 8-8:30 am.
  This is a simple way to fulfill your volunteer hours and is one of our largest, ongoing volunteer needs!

You will help guide Ridgeline students to safely cross between building B and the sidewalk, and cross West Amazon to and from the Amazon trail.

Safety vests and stop signs provided. Sign-up for any slot that fits your schedule!

Directions for how to log your hours on Track it Forward are found at the bottom of this page.

If you have magazines gathering dust, our art classes could use them for a collage project. Please send any magazines that contain appropriate content to the Ridgeline office.

The Ridgeline Board will have a regular meeting on March 9th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm over Zoom and in person in the library. Action item on the agenda includes: Identification of Board Representatives to the 2023-24 Budget Committee. Information and Discussion items on the agenda include Statement of Economic Interest, Shared Language: Acronyms in 3-Year Projection Narrative, Budget Priorities 2023-24, 3-Year Projections, Salary Schedule 2022-23, Priorities Goals for Budget Committee, and Conflict Avoidance Conversation: Money and School Finances. The agenda will be finalized and posted here by Tuesday March 7th the Zoom link to join is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84542263211?pwd=ank5a0V4d05Zeno5dDRxV2lpYmQyUT09, Meeting ID: 845 4226 3211

Passcode: 709037. Board meetings are open to the public, except when an executive session is indicated on the agenda. All are welcome to attend.

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."

As a school, we hope that all students and families are healthy and happy, but we know that it is not always the case.

When an individual in your student’s household tests positive for COVID, or if the student has continued contact with someone who tests positive, please let us know so that we can follow the protocols in place.

According to guidelines, a student who is a close contact must wear a mask for 5 days following the last contact with the person who has tested positive or is presumed positive for COVID.

If a student tests positive for COVID, or is a close contact and develops symptoms, they must isolate for 5 days and can return at that point if they no longer have symptoms. Upon return they will wear a high quality, well fitted mask for an additional 5 days. We have high quality masks in the office if your student needs one.

Thank you so much for joining us in our commitment to the health and safety of our community!

If you would like to have your student’s name, gender, or pronouns officially changed in the school system, please fill out the Request for Student Gender/Name Change in Student Records and follow the instructions to submit it to Cynthia and she will process the request.

Ridgeline supports all students and families and their identities and we are happy to answer any questions that you may have.

The Ridgeline Equity Committee is planning to start hosting family events for the Ridgeline Community where families, parents, and Ridgeline community members can deepen their understanding of equity and how to support Ridgeline in further being a welcoming and inclusive school for all student identities.

Please complete this brief survey to share what type of events you are most interested in.

Ophelia’s Place is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to helping girl-identified youth ages 10-18 through empowerment, education, and support. Our spring calendar of activities for girls and parents is now available here!

Wordcrafters Youth Writing Classes

Saturday, March 4, 2023

March Write Club workshop: writing Memoir with Dante Zúñiga–West

WHAT: A workshop on writing Memoirs with Dante Zúñiga–West at Wordcrafters in EugeneFind the best way to pull the most interesting parts of your personal story out of your mind and onto the page. Memoir is an incredibly rewarding, therapeutic, and fun form of writing. Learn how to distinguish parts of your journey, identify the pivotal characters that inhabit your life, and weave together a solid story that is all yours.

Dante Zúñiga-West (he/him) is a storyteller who lives in the coastal mountain range of Oregon. He is author of the novel Rumble Young Man Rumble (2014, Zharmae Press) and founder of the Oregon-based writing collective known as The Stonecutters Union. His work is frequently published in alternative newspapers, lifestyle magazines, and adventure journals. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from CalArts, and a BA in

Creative Writing from The Evergreen State College.

WHEN: Saturday, March 4, 2023

Youth (Ages 9-12) 10 am-Noon

Teens (Ages 13-18) 1-3 pm

WHERE: Wordcrafters Studio

436 Charnelton St. Ste 100

Eugene, OR 97401

This is an in-person event.

WHO: Young writers in Lane County, ages 9+

COST: Free | $10 suggested donation

MORE INFO: More info and to register: https://wordcrafters.org/march-write-club-memoir/

LGBTQIA+ YA Reading Group for teens

Next date: Wednesday, March 8

Rainbow Reads monthly book group

WHAT: A safe space + a book group for teens to talk about young adult literature for, by, and/or about LGBTQIA2S+ teens.

All teen readers across the gender and sexuality spectrum are welcome.

WHEN: Every 2nd Wednesday of the month, from 4:30-6 pm

Upcoming dates and books:

• March 8: Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell

• April 12: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

• May 10: Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, Wendy Xu, and Joamette Gil

• June 14: Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan

• July 12: Wynd Book One: Flight of the Prince by James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas

WHERE: Eugene Downtown Library, 2nd floor, 100 W 10th Ave, Eugene, OR 97401 and/or Zoom

WHO: Ages 15-19 (younger with approval), Allies welcome!

COST: FREE!

Eugene Public Library has free books for Rainbow Reads participants–yours to keep!

To get your book: Visit the reference desk in the children’s section at the downtown library and mention Rainbow Reads, and they’ll get you your free copy of the next month's discussion book. You do not need a library card. Sign up here to get reminders when the books are available.

If the library runs out of giveaways and rentals, or you live outside of the Eugene/Springfield Metro area, Wordcrafters has free digital and audiobooks available for members of the reading group to ensure all readers have access. Request an e-book here.

If you prefer to join in virtually, click here to join in via Zoom.

MORE INFO: wordcrafters.org/rainbowreads/

Ridgeline will continue to utilize 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.

• Track It Forward app can be added to your phone!

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.

Step One:

Go to https://www.trackitforward.com/site/ridgeline-montessori

Select sign in

Create your account.

Step Two:

Go to the app store on your device and search for Track It Forward.

Download the app

Log In

You are all set!