Thursday 1/12: 6:00-8:00 pm Ridgeline Board Meeting

Monday 1/16: No School - Martin Luther King Jr Day

Tuesday 1/17: UO Test Kit Return

Wednesday 1/18: 7:00-8:00 pm RCO Planning Mtg

Thursday 1/19: 6:00-7:00 pm Lottery Information Session

Monday 1/23: Site Council Meeting

Tuesday 1/24: UO Test Kit Return

Saturday 1/28: 10:00-11:00 am Lottery Information Session

Saturday 1/28: 11:30 am-12:30 pm Lottery School Tours

Friday 2/10: IMPORTANT DATE CHANGE: Talent show

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.

January is School Board Recognition Month and Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School wishes to express our deep gratitude to our board of directors for their dedicated leadership and commitment to our students and public Montessori education. Each member of Ridgeline's nine-member board contributes countless hours to governing our school. Above and beyond that they are active and engaged community members who volunteer their time and talents to lead and serve on the Equity Committee, help in creating Ridgeline’s climate survey and the analysis of the results, attend Site Council and RCO meetings, lead and participate on the fundraising committee, attend community building events, write thank you notes, and so much more! Collectively, our board members have served Ridgeline with more than 27 years of outstanding vision and leadership.

Even though we are making a special effort during January to show appreciation for our school board members, we recognize their contributions reflect a year-round effort on their part.

Thank you, Ridgeline Board of Directors!!!

April-Kay Williams, Board President

Amy Sage, Board Treasurer

Jenny Noyce, Board Secretary

Brad Knopp

Jordan Bishko

Ann Carney Nelson

Rachel McEachern

Charity Needham

Dave Rogacki

The Ridgeline Board will have a regular meeting tonight, Thursday, January 12th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm over Zoom and in person in the library. Action items on the agenda include: Meal Contract from 4J. Information and Discussion items on the agenda include Ridgeline’s Annual Review from Eugene 4J, Shared Language, Brainstorm Retreat Topics, Policy KGF/EDC 9.4 Community Use of School Facilities. The agenda was finalized and posted here on Tuesday, January 10th the Zoom link to join is:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84542263211?pwd=ank5a0V4d05Zeno5dDRxV2lpYmQyUT09,
Meeting ID: 845 4226 3211 Passcode: 709037.

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."

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

HELP US TO KEEP ALL OF OUR STUDENTS SAFE!

• Crossing guards are needed daily at 8-8:30 am and 3-3:20 pm.
  This is one of our largest needs as far as volunteers.You can choose morning or afternoon whatever works for you!
  You will helpguide Ridgeline students 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 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 the requirements.

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

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

Our pantry is nearly empty, again! Please bring donations of granola bars (Z bars are a favorite), cuties, individually wrapped cheese, pre-packaged snacks, applesauce or fruit cups, and other healthy snacks to the office so we can stock the cupboards.

Through your generous donations to the food pantry, we are able to ensure students are never left hungry during lunch or snacks.

Ridgeline students spend time outdoors, rain or shine, and that means we sometimes need to lend them clean dry clothes when theirs get soiled!

We are in need of:

• rain pants in all sizes, youth size 5 through adult small/medium

• versatile pants (especially leggings and athletic pants in gender neutral colors) in all sizes, youth size 5 through adult small/medium.

Your clean clothing donations, brought to the office, are appreciated!

It is important to us that students are comfortable in clean, dry clothing while they are learning, and we are happy to loan clothing to students whenever necessary. Please return laundered borrowed school clothes as soon as possible.

Friday, February 10th, 2023 at 6 PM is the Ridgeline Talent Show! This year, the talent show will be a hybrid model. We are still asking students to submit a video clip of their talent to wobblykate@hotmail.com by Monday, February 6th, but we are thankful to have the opportunity to come together on February 10th in the school Gym to watch the video together on a big screen! (The talent show video will be available for 2 weeks on YouTube after the talent show for those who can’t attend in person).

Talent Show Acts must be 3 minutes or less. Any musical lyrics must be school appropriate. Please avoid themes of violence, drugs/alcohol, sex, etc. Kids are welcome to provide a solo act and/or a group act. Be sure to send a video clip of their talent to wobblykate@hotmail.com by Monday, February 6th!

If your child is interested in being a classroom MC and introducing their peers, please email wobblykate@hotmail.com. We will accept the first 2 applicants from each class on a first-come-first-picked basis. Parents will be emailed a script for their MC to read/recite on video a few days before the talent show and those videos will play before the class performances. MCs may also submit a talent act, but do not have to submit an act for the talent show.

We will have volunteer opportunities for the evening of the talent show, so please email wobblykate@hotmail.com if you would like to help.

Siblings of students who are currently enrolled and will remain enrolled in Ridgeline in the coming year receive enrollment priority. If space is unavailable, students with sibling-level priority will be the first group selected by an equitable lottery process for placement on the waiting list.

In order to qualify for sibling preference, you MUST complete the Online Enrollment Application for any incoming sibling by February 26, 11:59 pm.

Please share the following opportunity with your family and friends!

Ridgeline welcomes community members to join us for a one-hour virtual information session on January 19th from 6-7 pm and January 28th from 10-11 am. Find out more about what makes public Montessori unique. Families will have the opportunity to meet our dedicated school leadership, talented teachers, and participate in a questions and answers session.

Click here to learn more and register for a Ridgeline Information Session

Ridgeline lottery guidelines and deadlines can be found here on Ridgeline’s website.

*Ridgeline’s lottery application and process are separate and independent of 4J’s School of Choice lottery.

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.

We encourage you to join us in keeping drop off and pick up safe by volunteering as a crossing guard! See above for volunteer opportunities.

Ridgeline practices monthly safety drills and utilizes the Standard Response Protocols (SRP) from the I Love U Guys Foundation, providing a common shared language for students, staff, first responders and families. This school year we have practiced Shelter for earthquake and Evacuation drills for fire. We have also implemented a few Holds when it was necessary to keep the hallways clear. A Hold may be used if there is a medical emergency, an incident in the hallway, or another situation requiring hallways to remain clear for a period of time. A Hold is typically short in nature, and students are free to go about their regular routine within their classroom until the hold is released.

We realize that you and your student may have a range of feelings about drills or emergencies. By talking about different situations and practicing drills at school, it assures them there is a plan in place to help keep them safe and they know what to do and expect.

Near the end of this month we will practice a Lockdown drill and later in the year a Secure drill. Your student will receive instruction from their teacher prior to the drills so they know what to expect and they may also practice with their classroom prior to the actual drill. Should an actual Lockdown or Secure be required, families will be notified as soon as possible, although our first priority is your student’s safety.

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

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!