Friday 12/15: Joy of Sharing Day

Monday 12/19-Monday 1/2: NO SCHOOL - Winter Break

Tuesday 1/3: NO SCHOOL - Planning day

Wednesday 1/4: Return to school rested, refreshed and ready to learn!

Be sure to check the full calendar at https://www.ridgeline.org as some dates may change. Please note that Ridgeline’s calendar is differs slightly from 4J elementary and middle school calendars.

Just one more day of school until Winter Break and we are making the most of it! Staff and students are making art and blanket forts, learning about winter traditions, and the kindergarteners prepared for their lantern walk!

You will have a last chance to check the lost and found tomorrow before all clothing and other items will be washed and donated to an organization that will give them to children in need of a warm coat or clean clothes. If you would like to volunteer to pick up the lost and found items to wash and deliver them over the break, please call the office!

We hope everyone is able to find moments of calm in the next few weeks. Check out the message below from the Wellness Center for a calming breathing exercise.

We reached our goal! Thanks to our generous community, nearly 20 Ridgeline families will receive grocery gift cards, so they may have a little extra over winter break. Thank you to everyone who contributed!

Lost and Found items will be donated at winter break, so be sure to take a look in the boxes in the lobby and scan the playground fences to see if your child’s clothing is in the collection.

With the new year approaching, Merideth, the Art Specialist, would love donations of old calendars for the photos to use for reference pictures for observational drawing. Animals of all kinds, scenic pictures, flowers, birds, etc. will be greatly appreciated! Please send them in after the break or drop them off at the office. Thank you so much! Happy Holidays to you all!

Heads up! We have received reports of head lice at school. As we enter into Winter Break, find some time to relax with some hot chocolate by the fire and check your child’s head for nits and live bugs.

Lice are tiny brown and gray parasites that can be found primarily in areas of the body that are covered with hair. They are most typically able to be identified behind the ears, near the scalp, and neck. You will be able to see the tiny lice eggs (called “nits”), which look like grains of sand attached to the hair shafts.

Click here for the CDC’s recommendations for lice treatment. If you find lice or nits on your child’s head, check the whole family to ensure that the lice don’t stick around. Then put on some music and have a treatment party!

See You Next Year!

The December RCO Leadership meeting has been canceled and we will reconvene in the new year. The next scheduled meeting is January 18th and we look forward to bringing you some more fun RCO events in 2023. Happy holidays from the RCO Leadership team!

Each year Ridgeline creates a School Improvement Plan, which is designed to help students and school staff focus on growth of the school overall. This plan includes goals for Social and Emotional Wellness, Equity, and Math. Your representatives on the Site Council would like your feedback on your understanding of the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) goal and how it has impacted your child. Please take a few moments to fill out this survey to share your perspective.

The SEL program includes two parts. The first part is the Wellness Center where a student can receive individualized attention by either asking for assistance or being referred by a teacher. The second part is lessons which are conducted in the classrooms once a week. The classroom lessons are conducted by Jon Talebreza-May and Jenine Stocke.

Site Council Social Emotional Wellness Survey

For more information, take a look at the Oregon Health Authority website. If you are interested in signing up for email updates from the OHA, sign up here!

It’s a good idea to wear a mask when:

• You are in a crowded indoor place.

• You’re sick and you live with other people or must be around people at work.

• You tested positive for COVID-19; you should wear a mask around people for at least 10 days total OR for five days after your symptoms have resolved.

Masking tips and resources:

• Tips for choosing a high-quality mask and how to avoid counterfeit products

• Tips for wearing a mask

• OHA’s masking homepage

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention masking guidance

• Find a free mask

Sign up and work toward your commitment of 40 hours of volunteering at Ridgeline!

Talent Show Stage Cleaning Party

• Volunteers needed! We will be having a work party on Saturday, January 14th, from 10 am to 1 pm, to clear the stage and prepare for Ridgeline Montessori 2023 Talent Show. Please sign up for a shift in Track it Forward! The show must go on (but hopefully without junk and dust)!

Site Council Minute Taker

• The minute taker is a nonvoting member of the Site Council that takes key notes during the meetings including decisions that are made, plans created, and action items that need to be completed. If you are interested please contact Becky Fay.

The Site Council meets once a month from 6:00-7:30 at the school. The purpose of the site council is to gather insight from school stakeholder groups to guide leadership with decision making. We are currently in need of a minute taker for the rest of the school year.

STILL NEEDED!

• Crossing guards are needed to help guide Ridgeline students as they cross West Amazon to and from the amazon trail. Volunteers are needed daily at 8-8:30 am and 3-3:20 pm.

Safety vests and stop signs provided. Sign-up for any number of mornings and/or afternoons on Track it Forward

If you would like to volunteer, go to the Volunteer Page of our website and review what is required.

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

See instructions at the bottom of the eNews for more information on how to sign up and track your hours with Track it Forward.

We have seen many different symptoms and illnesses in our community recently. Wearing a high-quality mask and handwashing are key prevention measures, along with up-to-date immunizations and cleaning. Please ensure that hand washing routines are maintained (Minimum Hand Washing/Sanitizing Requirement) and consider reminding your children how to properly wash their hands. High-quality masks are available for staff, students, and volunteers in the office.

Square breathing is a technique that can connect you with your body, calm your nervous system, and reduce the stress that makes communication difficult.

It is also referred to as box breathing, 4×4 breathing, and 4-part breath.

How to do square breathing

• Begin by slowly exhaling all of your air out.

• Then, gently inhale through your nose to a slow count of 4.

• Hold at the top of the breath for a count of 4.

• Then gently exhale through your mouth for a count of 4.

• At the bottom of the breath, pause and hold for the count of 4.

“Thank you for the reminder about not opening the door for the children to get out!

I’m going to switch my child’s car seat to the passenger side to facilitate safer drop off, and ease of her opening the door on her own.” -Amber Lippert

Reminder: Please pull all the way forward, regardless of where your students attend class. Direct your vehicle with intention and care to model safety. Lastly, if your student requires your help to exit or enter the car, please park your vehicle on the street to help facilitate the smooth car line we all appreciate.

With the holidays fast approaching, we are receiving emails about planned trips. If your students will be absent for a planned trip, please fill out the Planned Absence Request Form.

Please note that trips of more than five missed school days will result in unexcused absences, and trips longer than 10 missed school days will not be approved, and result in your student being unenrolled due to the 10-day drop requirement. If your student is unenrolled, you will need to reapply for the lottery.

Please use this link to ask to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/604057500592213. 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).

Ridgeline students spend time outdoors, rain or shine, but that means we sometimes need to lend them clean clothes when theirs get soiled!! We are in need of versatile pants (especially leggings and athletic pants in gender neutral colors) in all sizes, youth size 5 through adult small/medium. When your student arrives home in borrowed school clothes, we appreciate it if they are laundered and returned as soon as possible. Please bring clean clothing donations to the office!

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!