Monday 9/26: (4pm-7pm) Site Council Retreat

Tuesday 9/27: Return UofO COVID-19 Test Kits

Tuesday 9/27: (7pm-8pm) RCO Planning Meeting

Thursday 9/29: (1pm-2pm) Substitute Training

Friday 9/30: Picture Day!

Saturday 10/1: (10am-2pm) Grounds work party

Wednesday 10/12: Walk & Roll to School Day

We encourage you to regularly check the full calendar at www.ridgeline.org as some dates may change. Please note that Ridgeline’s calendar is slightly different from 4J elementary calendars.

This week we have welcomed families with our Back to School Picnic and Middle School Meet & Greet, joining our community and getting parents acquainted with what students are going to be learning and experiencing this year!

As always, the Ridgeline eNews is full of interesting information for all families so be sure you don’t miss anything.

The eNews will come out every Thursday highlighting important messages, upcoming fundraising events, volunteer opportunities, and student accomplishments!

We are excited to announce that we will be using New Leif Photography, a Roseburg school photo company that has been taking school photos for 46 years. Picture Day is coming up Friday, September 30.

Photos may be ordered online at https://newleifphoto.inter-state.com/. Ridgeline's order code is 71229HB. Families can order 2 weeks past picture day with the flier code.

After pictures come back, parents/guardians will get a second chance form to order with a code designated for their kiddo so they can go online and order. Paper order forms are available in the office for anyone who wants one.

We are thrilled to share that Merideth Turner has joined Ridgeline as our new Art Specialist! She has a wealth of experience and has taught art to elementary and middle school students. She is also a Ridgeline parent who has led small group science lessons for kindergarten and art for lower elementary in the past. Merideth is enthusiastic to begin collaborating with teachers and working with students to provide art instruction very soon.

One of the principals that make up the Montessori education is Grace and Courtesy. As we model our values to our students, we find that Grace and Courtesy is an essential part of our everyday lives. One of the ways that we can model this at Ridgeline is through respect for our wonderful neighbors.

Please be sure that as you drop off or pick up your students, do not block or turn around in driveways, and do not block mailboxes, or garbage cans. We have received multiple complaints from neighbors about these issues since school began.

When dropping off please use the pull as far forward as possible through the circle (do not park in this lane), allow your student to let themselves out of the vehicle on the passenger side, and then continue driving to allow the next person in line to drop off or pick up their child. Or make your way further down the block to park and walk your kiddo to the "hug and release" area.

As a Public Charter School Ridgeline receives 20% less in state funding than other similarly-sized public schools. So, every year we fundraise to support our public Montessori program. This year our goal is $90,000, which comes out to about $360 per student. Together, we have successfully reached our annual goal each of the last five years. Thank you to everyone who has made that true!

• MONTHLY DONOR MATCH MONTH IS UNDERWAY! - Our Monthly Donor Match is taking place now until October 7. Sign up here as a new monthly donor or email giving@ridgeline.org to increase your current monthly donation and Ridgeline will receive a $50 match! We send heartfelt thanks and gratitude to our 18 new monthly donors and our 6 existing monthly donors who have increased their monthly contribution! Thanks to your generosity you have earned Ridgeline $1,200 in matching funds! Remember each and every gift moves us closer to our $90,000 goal this year! Sign up today!

  
  

• Please click here to learn more about Ridgeline’s fundraising efforts and an opportunity to become a monthly donor!

Class newsletters will be going out every other Thursday, if you aren’t receiving them, be sure to reach out to your teacher to make sure that they have your contact information! Each classroom’s letter will soon be available on the Ridgeline website on the classrooms page as well.

Back to School Picnic Success! Thanks to all the families who joined us for the Back to School Picnic on Tuesday! We had a great time seeing everyone and getting to catch up after summer break. Be on the lookout for more fun RCO events in upcoming editions of the eNews!

You may have heard that “All children in Eugene School District 4J and the Bethel School District from birth to kindergarten are now able to receive free library cards from the Eugene Public Library.” Last year, this did not include charter school students.

We have inquired with the Eugene Public Library to learn if charter school students will now have this same opportunity.

Substitute training is scheduled for September 29th 1:00-2:00. If you are interested in being a substitute classroom assistant at Ridgeline, please see the posting on our website.

Thank you to all of the volunteers who have helped make the first couple of weeks so successful. From Ridgeline 101, crossing guard duties, and everyone who has turned in their paperwork to get the volunteer process started. Thank you for all of your hard work and your patience!
Thank you to all of our snack donors and everyone who has participated in the Monthly Donor Match! We appreciate each and every one of you and every bit counts!

We are excited to be bringing more volunteers back to school as we rely on our amazing parent volunteers to help with so many different aspects of life at Ridgeline! Teachers will reach out to families in their classroom communications, and Becky Fay will include volunteer opportunities in the eNews. Volunteers serve on committees, make materials at home, do grounds work, act as crossing guards, and other projects.

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

If you would like to volunteer with students and you haven't done so in the last 5 years, please fill out the volunteer background check form. Submit the form to Becky Fay in the school office. Please have patience with the background check process, as there is a delay in turnaround. Bring your ID and proof of COVID vaccination as well. School volunteers are required by state law to be vaccinated.

Call Out For A Walk & Roll to School Day Lead!

• October 12th is Walk & Roll to School Day all over the country and in many parts of the world! We are looking for a lead to organize a great day of students walking and biking to school accompanied by volunteers to celebrate safe routes to school all over the world!

  
  

Call Out For A Fun Run Committee Volunteer

• Would you like to join a team of people ready to put together the annual Jogathon/Fun Run? Contact Becky Fay and I will get you connected for the next meeting!

  
  

The following volunteers are needed to make sure that pick-up and drop-off are smooth and safe for our students:

• Crossing Guards

Crossing guards needed to help guide Ridgeline students as they cross W. Amazon to access the Amazon trail and the bridge across the creek. Volunteers needed daily at 8-8:30 am and 3-3:20 pm. Safety vests and stop signs provided. Crossing guards need to be fully vaccinated and have a background check within the last 5 years. Sign up for any number of mornings and/or afternoons on Track it Forward

• Stencil Creator or Loan

We will be laying out new hopscotch courts in the next week or so and we need a crafty volunteer who is good with a razor (and can work safely!) to help us cut out number stencils (0-9) and letter stencils for the drop off and pick up area (‘pull forward’). Contact Jesse for specifications and materials.

• We Have Rescheduled The School Work Party!

We will be hosting our first school work party on Saturday October 1st from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Come and join us for a chance to help clean up and beautify some of our campus spaces, get some volunteer hours early in the year, see old friends and meet new ones! Feel free to join us for some or part of the time. We are looking for teams of volunteers to help with the following projects:

1. Weeding Crew - front of school, totem pole beds, & upper el field

2. Gravel Team- moving & adding gravel to the kinder gravel area

3. Painting Troop - black & yellow paint touch ups

4. Hospitality & Good Cheer Squad - bring snacks & drinks, spread good cheer

Signups can be found on Track it Forward. Please contact Jesse if you have questions.

PS - There are always facilities-related tasks available for volunteers. If you are interested in discussing the available tasks please reach out to Jesse.

If your student received a 3 ring binder pencil pouch as part of their take-home hybrid learning materials in the Fall of 2020 and you still have that pouch, please dispose of it immediately. The school was notified that it may exceed the federal limits for lead and/or cadmium or contains a defect that presents a substantial product hazard under CPSA Section 15(a)(1) or (2).

Please remember to let us know if your child has COVID symptoms, known exposure to someone who tests positive or is presumed positive for COVID, or if your child tests positive for COVID.

The team at Ridgeline are doing all that we can to keep your children, and each other, safe and healthy, and we know that is your top priority as well. So let’s work together by making sure that students come to school when they are well.
If your child has any of the listed symptoms on our website, please keep your child home and contact the office.

If medication must be given during school hours a medication distribution form must be completed and signed by the parent. This includes while students are on school sponsored field trips.

Please bring all student medications to the office along with the necessary paperwork.

Contact the office to complete the paperwork and find out if your child’s medical situation necessitates any additional arrangements.

There are specific medication requirements for all medications dispensed at school. Students requiring medication are requested to take all doses at home if possible.

Students are not to have medications elsewhere on the school grounds without prior written approval including a Self Medication Distribution form. This includes things such as over the counter medications, anti-itch creams, and cough drops.

All forms are available through the office.

The RCO is looking forward to planning some fun events and activities for our Ridgeline Community this year! Thanks to our wonderful volunteers, the RCO Leadership team is complete and the members are: RCO Lead - Meghan Rogacki, Planning Team members - Kayla Hixson (Kinder), Ruth Tabak (Lower El), Jasmine Stull (Upper El) and Christie Hoogendoorn (Middle). The monthly RCO Planning Meetings are posted on the Ridgeline Calendar and any member of the community is welcome to join. If you have any ideas or questions feel free to reach out to the RCO Leadership Team at RCO@ridgeline.org. Keep an eye out in the eNews for details on upcoming RCO events and activities!

Ridgeline Montessori Public Charter School has partnered with My MealTime, a fast, secure online service for making credit or debit card deposits and monitoring your student’s lunch account. If your student is signed up for paid meals please look out for an email giving you more information on how to sign-up. Families with students who qualify for free meals did not receive an email as they do not need to sign up for this online payment service. Please contact meals@ridgeline.org if you have any questions or need assistance.

We are looking for a ride home after school for our 6th grader, two to three times per week. We live right by Polk St. and 24th in the Friendly Neighborhood. I work at Ridgeline and it would be a big help for me to be able to stay later after school a couple of days per week to have more time for projects after the kiddos have gone home. We are flexible with days as long as we plan ahead and stick to the plan and are happy to pay for gas or a reasonable amount per ride? If you can help please reach out to Jesse. Thanks!

The University of Oregon (UofO) has again partnered with Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to provide free, voluntary COVID-19 screening testing to schools! Ridgeline opted to continue with the program, and we strongly encourage families to opt-in to testing for the well-being of our school community.

Be sure to sign up for testing through the University of Oregon Form as well as filling out the Ridgeline form. If you think that you filled out the form but did not receive the welcome packet and a bag of test kits for your student, please contact UO at c19studentsupport@uoregon.edu.

On-Site Rapid Testing

Should your student develop COVID-19 symptoms while at school, Ridgeline has BinaxNOW rapid tests available. These tests will only be administered if you have completed the Oregon Health Authority waiver and returned it to the school.

OregonYouthLine.org is a free teen-to-teen crisis support and help line. YouthLine is confidential to a point - while they will never share conversations had on the lines, they are mandatory reporters. If a young person is unable to agree to safety for themselves or another person, or if abuse is occurring, YouthLine contacts other agencies to ensure the best support and safety for the young person in crisis.

Teens are available to help daily from 4-10pm PST (adults are available by phone at all other times!):

Call: 877-968-8491
Text: 839863
Chat
Email

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 and offers compassionate care and support for anyone experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, substance use, or any other kind of behavioral health crisis. You can also dial 988 if you are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.

Whole Earth Nature School will again be providing an after school nature program, Coyote Kids, on Fridays this fall at Ridgeline!

Check out Whole Earth Nature School for more information about openings!

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!

Weekly eNews is usually sent out on Thursdays.

Items for eNews must be submitted electronically to Becky Fay becky.fay@ridgeline.org by Tuesday at 4:30 pm.