Room 3- Rachel

Hello lovely Room 3 families!  Welcome to the home stretch of the school year.  This week students read about peacemakers and chose their peacemaker who they will research for their project.  We are running a tight ship.  Our class will present their completed projects to other classes on May 31st in the school library.  This requires steady focus and a lot of work!

Volunteer Opportunities:

This year our class will make bottle dolls with our peacemaker projects.  For this we need the following:

1.  30 1 1/2 - 2 liter bottles with lids (this can be soda bottles or other tall bottles)

2.  fabric - especially solid colors (dark colors are especially needed for suits and other formal clothing)

3.  trim

4.  yarn (hair colors)

We will be building the bottle dolls on May 25th and the 30th.

Thank you for all of your support.  This is a very meaningful project that can bring up a lot of big conversations.  Talk to your child about their chosen peacemaker and why their accomplishments are meaningful to the world.  I am always so inspired by this project!

State Testing Update:

Almost all of our third graders have completed state testing for the school year.  Thank you for your diligence with punctuality and having a prepared student.  It makes all the difference!  If your child is still completing their testing, we should be complete by the end of next week.

Have a wonderful 3-day weekend!

Rachel

Good morning Room 3 families.  Thank you for all of the families that helped our class be prepared for Spring planting!  It involved weeding, filling the planters with soil, and providing plants for our classroom planters.  Students really enjoyed planting and we look forward to watching our classroom garden grow!

Earth Day is near and dear to many of us.  Taking care of the Earth is really a profound act of self care.  We are all here, sharing one home.  My hope is that we can aspire as adults to be as kind, generous, and thoughtful as our children are.  They understand, without pretense or the weight of inertia, how our lives are connected to the health of our home.  May both flourish!

Happy Spring planting!

Bryophytes and mosses and ferns.  Oh my!  We are wading into the classification of plants.  Students are making scientific illustrations of plants from different branches of plant classification.  Ask your student what the difference is between cellular and vascular plants.  We have many examples of cellular plants here in Eugene.  These are the bryophytes.  I bet you all have examples of mosses and liverwort close by!  It's a good time to start exploring what you can find around your neighborhood.  Have fun going on nature walks!

Volunteer Appreciation!

Josie and I want to give a very special thank you to all the amazing volunteers who help to enrich our students' learning experience.  Thank you to all the readers, planters, after Friday helpers (you know who you are!), laundry helpers, cleaners, preppers, donators, gardeners, fixers, organizers, and all the other volunteers who help out our class and school.  You make the classroom go around!  A special thank you goes out to Heather, our classroom parent.  It has been so wonderful to have your assistance in organizing, communicating, and assisting.  We appreciate all of you!

Coming Soon: Peacemaker Projects

It's almost that time again!  Every year the lower elementary classrooms complete peacemaker biography projects on special people who have taken action to be a peacemaker.  These projects are wonderful opportunities for students to explore the character traits that make a person a peacemaker, while practicing all of the writing and presentation skills we have developed over the course of the school year.  Take some time to talk with your child about what special character traits your family values.

Once projects are complete we present our peacemakers gallery-style to other classrooms.  It's very exciting to be a part of!  Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities connected to this project in May.

Volunteer Opportunities

Thank you for all the parent volunteers that enrich our classroom in a variety of different ways.  You are very appreciated!

1.  Our beloved classroom ficus is in need of a repotting.  Do you have a nice pot sitting around that we could use?  Our current pot is 11 inches tall with a diameter of 11 inches.  We need to go up a size.

To learn about Volunteer Guidelines click here.

Good morning Room 3 families and welcome to yet another Room 3 Hello!  I hope that you all had a wonderful and restful Spring Break.  As we enter into April I am eager to witness the transformation that the changing of seasons brings us each year.  What are you noticing already?

Birthday Celebrations

We love to celebrate birthdays in the classroom.  If your student wishes to celebrate (we always ask because not all students want to celebrate in front of the class) they are welcome to bring in one photo from each year of their life thus far.  Students love to share their stories and memories with the class!  Please reach out and let me know if your child would like to celebrate and we will find a time to fit it in.

Coming Up in Cultural

Spring is the time of year where we dive into botany and explore all the colorful changes happening in our environment.  Stay tuned for more!

Is your child a third grader?  This year we are bringing back a wonderful lower elementary tradition.  Soon our third graders will be sharing lunch together every Friday as a way of building relationships across classrooms!  This is a popular and well received bonding experience for third graders who will be in a new classroom next year.

Coming Soon: OSAS Testing for 3rd Graders 

We will be starting our Oregon Statewide Assessment System (OSAS) testing for third graders on April 13th.  In the coming week, third graders will be becoming familiar with the computerized testing format and fine tuning their testing strategies.  These tests have no time limit and kids can take breaks as needed.  I reassure the kids that the results of the tests don’t determine grades, advancement to fourth grade or class placement.  Results are available around the beginning of the next school year and will be shared with families at that time.  Please help your child be successful by arriving at school on time, well rested, and with a full belly.  Testing will begin at 9:30.

If you would like to practice at home, practice and sample tests can be found at: https://osasportal.org/students.html

Please contact me if you have questions or if your child has a planned absence during testing.

Volunteer Opportunities

Thank you for all the parent volunteers that enrich our classroom in a variety of different ways.  You are very appreciated!

1.  We have two garden beds that are in need of weeding and filling in with planting soil.  The beds were built by a parent right before COVID hit and school closed down before they could fill them in with soil.  It would be great to be able to plant in the beds behind our classroom this year!

2.  Our beloved classroom ficus is in need of a repotting.  Do you have a nice pot sitting around that we could use?  Our current pot is 11 inches tall with a diameter of 11 inches.  We need to go up a size.

Thank you for all you do for your kids.  We are entering the last leg of the school year.  Can you believe it?

Rachel Quinn

Good morning Room 3 families!  Just a quick email to share with you that our class will be exchanging valentines on Wednesday, February 14th.  If your child wishes to bring valentines for the class, please make sure that they bring 29 valentines (1 for each student) with no names.  This helps speed up the distribution!  Please do not send valentines with candy.  Pencils, erasers, and other non-edible items are fine.  Homemade valentines are most welcome.  We love to see your child's art.

Black History Month

February is Black History month.  Room 3 will be honoring and celebrating by creating a classroom book to be shared with families.  There is much work involved in putting this project together and students are very proud of the finished book.  Look for a special delivery in your child's backpack at the end of the month!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Good morning and welcome to another Room 3 classroom update!  I hope you are all well and navigating the new year.  Each morning meeting our class begins with a student updating the calendar.  It always amazes me (and the children) how quickly a month can go by.  Believe it or not we are at the tail end of January already!

A Fly on the Wall

Room 3 just completed an in depth exploration of the Amazon Rainforest, taking time to learn about each of the layers of the rainforest itself and what plant and animal life looks like within the strata.  Now we are learning about the Andes Mountains and how people have adapted to live at such high elevation.  Ask your child how people born and living in the Andes Mountains have adapted physically.  It really is fascinating!  We are preparing to learn about the ancient civilizations of the Olmec, Inca, Maya, and Aztec.  More on that to come.

ECCO (Eugene Concert Choir Outreach)

Our class is once again participating in the ECCO Outreach program.  This past week you should have received a flyer with a QR code to sign up to receive your vouchers to attend the program on February 18th, 2023 at 2:30 pm.  If you didn't receive a voucher please reach out to me.  If you plan to attend, please don't forget to register for the event so you receive your ticket vouchers.  The flyer is not an actual voucher.  This is an optional event.

**I have attached a recording of the song so that families can practice at home.

Stay up to date!

Here is a link to the latest school eNews.  You can find up-to-date information on what is happening at Ridgeline.

Talent Show

The Talent Show date changed to Friday, February 10, 2023 @ 6 PM. 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, but we are thankful to have the opportunity to come together on February 10rd in the school Gym to watch the video together on a big screen! Talent Show Acts must be 3 minutes or less. Kids are welcome to provide a solo act and/or a group act. 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. MCs may also submit a talent act, but do not have to submit an act for the talent show. Submission date is February 6, 2023

Thank you for all of your help and support in your child's education, academically and emotionally.  It is our pleasure and privilege to be able to work with your children.  A big thank you to all the parent volunteers who enrich our classroom each week and to our classroom parent, Heather, who helps make it happen!

Until next time,

Rachel Quinn

Good morning Room 3 Families!  Welcome back to school.  I hope that you all had a wonderful winter break.  My break was very restful, which was just what I needed!

A Fly on the Wall

This week we started our exploration of South America.  Some students are creating detailed maps of the continent while other students are drawing flags of the countries.  As a class we are taking a deep dive into the Amazon Rainforest, the largest rainforest in the world.  Students are writing about the different layers of the rainforest and exploring the diversity of life that lives within each layer.  Later in the month, look for their rainforest books coming home.  Asking your child about their writing helps them to become better at expressing themselves with the written word.  Let them give you a lesson!

Martin Luther King Jr.

This week I am reading to the class Martin Luther King Jr. by Mary Winget, a biography written for kids included in the History Maker Bios.  Please talk to your children about what your family holds true about humanity and how to treat others.  The trials and challenges for people of color, especially in our country's history, is a hard concept for children to understand.  One of the beautiful qualities of children is that treating others badly based on the color of their skin is an absurdity.  It makes no sense to them.  Learning about how Martin Luther King Jr. used peaceful protests to make change happen is a powerful lesson for our children, as well as believing that they can make a difference in the world.

Growling Bellies

Many students are asking for more food after eating all of their lunch.  If your student regularly brings home an empty lunchbox please ask if they need a bigger lunch.  Our food pantry is intended to support students who forgot a snack or have no lunch, although an extra item to supplement lunch every once in a while is ok.  Kids get hungry!

Cold and Wet Weather

Please ensure that your child comes to school each day with a warm layer and a waterproof layer.  It gets really cold and wet outside during recess.  We do have borrowing jackets with limited size availability.

Speaking of borrowing clothes...

Call for Muddy Puddle Clothing Donations!

Ridgeline students spend time outdoors, rain or shine, and that means we sometimes need to lend them clean 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.

**No School on 1/16/2023 (Monday) - Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Good morning Room 3 Families!  I apologize for the late email.  It is not for a lack of substance to share!  The entire class has been working hard on completing their Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest research.  In this project we first took notes on a photocopied scroll of a book about the subject.  Then students organized their notes into writing planners.  Next step in the project was to write about each of the planner sections: introduction, shelter, food, medicine, transportation, and spiritual needs.  Finally, they put all their work together in a book to share with families.  This was a lot of work and many students felt great pride in their finished books.   Ask your child about what they learned!

When we come back to school on January 4th we will begin our study of South America and the diverse habitats and cultures of that beautiful continent.

Josie and I wish you and your family and friends a safe and joyful Winter break.  We love having the opportunity to teach your children and look forward to continuing the journey once again in the new year.

A special thank you for all of our wonderful volunteers who are able to give their time and effort in order to help our children.  A big thank you to Heather who is our tireless room parent!  I am so grateful for our wonderful classroom community of students and parents.

Lastly, thank you for the generous holiday gift!  It was quite an unexpected surprise.  :)

Wishing you all so much love,

Rachel

Hello Room 3 families and welcome once again to our classroom email.  

It was great to meet during conferences and spend a little time sharing what your child is learning and working on in the classroom.  It is so important to be on the same page and let your child know that we are in collaboration.  Please read through to the end of this email because it contains some important information for upcoming events.

Book Fair

Your children have been practicing and putting a lot of work into our classroom performance for the book fair this Friday at Whirled Pies.  Please arrive before our scheduled performance time so that we can collect before going on.  We hope you will enjoy our little production!

**If your child is a narrator and you are unable to attend, please email me so that I can find an alternate narrator.

Details:

This year's Book Fair will take place on Friday, November 18, from 5:00-7:00. We are partnering with local bookstore Books With Pictures Eugene to create a fresh, fun event where we will purchase books for our classrooms, home libraries, and as gifts for friends.

Enjoy student performances, buy some pizza from Whirled Pies, and connect with other Ridgeline families!

5:30 pm Kindergarten, Sarah

5:40 pm Room 3, Rachel (That's us!)

5:50 pm Room 4, Emily

6:00 pm Room 5, Emmanuel

6:10 pm Room 8, Adrienne

6:20 pm Room 9, Meridy

6:30 pm Room 10, Ray

6:40 pm T.R.U.E. (The Ridgeline Ukulele Extravaganza)

Stone Soup

This year Ridgeline will resume our tradition of celebrating Stone Soup as a school.  Yay!  Stone Soup is a wonderful story about coming together as a community in a way that benefits everybody involved.  It is about caring for one another and taking the time to enjoy some of the most enjoyable things in life: food and companionship!  It is about sharing and caring.  Not only does it feel good to receive but it also feels good to give.  What does the story of Stone Soup mean for your family?

Stone Soup is meant to be an additional shared food experience.  It does not replace your child's normal lunch.  Please bring lunch as well.

Tuesday, 11/22: bring in 1 vegetable (carrot, celery, potato, etc.)

Wednesday, 11/23: bring a bowl and spoon to school

Hello Room 3 families!  The classroom is going in full swing.  It is exciting to see all the hard work and learning that is happening!  The next few weeks have some important events.  It is a busy time of year!

A Fly on the Wall

It was so great to see families welcomed back into the classroom for curriculum sharing.  Watching students give lessons and tours of the classroom felt long overdue!  I hope that you came away with a renewed sense of what your child does every day.

The fun run was a great experience for Room 3 and Ridgeline as a whole.  Students did their best to run/walk/jog their way around the Rexius trail and earn some money for the school at the same time.  After collecting the colored lap bracelets our class enjoyed sorting, grouping, and counting them in different ways.  With all of our collected data we created a graph to represent our colored bracelets and laps completed.

Please turn in your fun run pledges by November 14th.

Pumpkins..Pumpkins..Pumpkins!

Our pumpkin day was a huge success.  Students weighed and measured their pumpkins and completed activities based on their special pumpkin.  Our class will be decomposing a pumpkin in the classroom over the year to watch the process close-up.  Last year we decomposed a pumpkin without anything else in the container.  This year we added some soil and leaves.  I wonder how the decomposition process will be different!

Conferences

Conferences are coming up next week.  On November 9th and 10th parents can do an in-person conference or conference over zoom.  This is a great opportunity to ask questions and hear about your child's school experience.  If you would like to talk about a sensitive topic that your child shouldn't overhear and would like to schedule a separate meeting please reach out and I would be happy to accommodate .

Sign up for a conference.

Zoom Link for Conferences:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87082356488?pwd=Ylg0dENaUGVrV1hxd0NjT2tWTVVpdz09

Ridgeline Book Fair

On November 18th the Ridgeline community will conduct a book fair at Whirled Pies in Eugene.  Each classroom will put on a performance starting with the Kindergarteners at 5:30 and ending with the Middle Schoolers at 7.  Room 3 is working on a performance based on the Timeline of Life.  Stay tuned for more information!

Thank you for being part of our community.  I am grateful for you every day!

Hello Room 3 families!  I hope you have been finding ways to stay healthy during the smoky season.  This is a very busy several weeks so please read below.

A Fly on the Wall

The last few weeks have been a continuation of our Timeline of Life work that goes with the second great lesson.  I love this curriculum!  We finished up the Paleozoic Era and went into the Mesozoic Era last week.  This week we dove into the Cenozoic Era.  Students have been working hard on retelling the story of each era in their writing.  Students have inspired me with their passion for the subject and all the details coming out in their writing.  Make sure to ask your student to retell the story for you and share their writing!

Curriculum Sharing

Curriculum Sharing is a very special, student led event.  Your child is looking forward to showing off their favorite works for you.  You can sit by their side as they demonstrate some of the lessons they’ve been practicing so far.  I’ll be on hand to facilitate, but your focus will be on your child as they take the role of instructor and guide.  

Families with multiple children at Ridgeline often split their time between classrooms.  Siblings are welcome.  Montessori classrooms are meant to be inviting, and many of our materials are fascinating to young children.  Please keep a close eye on very young children while they are in our space.

Curriculum Sharing is open from 3:15 - 4:15 or 6:00 - 7:00 on Thursday.  I’m looking forward to seeing you there!

FUN RUN!!!!

I am SO EXCITED about the FUN RUN.  On Friday, October 28th, the Fun Run is a wonderful experience for our Ridgeline community.  All students will participate and walk/jog/run around a section of the Amazon trail.  This is a great opportunity for families to join in the fun and cheer on students or volunteer to help out in another capacity.  This is a fundraiser for the school that really gets the blood pumping!

*. Please send your student to school with closed toe shoes for running on a mulch track.  Open toed shoes can invite in splinters and other painful and unwanted challenges!

Spirit Week Next Week 

Your child can choose to dress up each day next week for Spirit Week. 

Pumpkins..Pumpkins..Pumpkins!

Did someone say pumpkins?  On October 31st our class will weigh, measure, and write about their very own pumpkins!  This is a super fun activity that we do each year as we learn about measurement, graphing, and parts of a pumpkin.

*. Please bring a pumpkin or gourd to class on the 31st.  The pumpkin should be small enough that the child can carry.  Also, please bring the pumpkin in a bag for ease of carrying.  If you are unable to provide a pumpkin please send me an email.  I will ensure that each child has a pumpkin to do our classroom activities with.

Thank you for being part of our community.  I am grateful for you every day!

Greetings, Room 3 Families!

**The Ridgeline eNews is where our school shares information with parents.  Make sure to read it over to find out everything you need to know about current school events!

A Fly on the Wall…

This week we continued our studies of the universe, focusing on the lifecycle of stars.  On Wednesday we celebrated International Peace Day as well as the Fall Equinox.  As a classroom we regularly discuss the topic of peace and how we can relate to ourselves and others with grace and courtesy.  On this day we created peace flags for our classroom.  What a beautiful addition! 

As we wind down our introduction to the Universe we are beginning to explore biomes with a focus on North America and the native peoples of this continent.  On Thursday, 9/29, we have a special treat in store for us.  A guest speaker from the Museum of Natural and Cultural History will share on the topics of animals of Oregon, native peoples, and archaeology.  What an exciting way to jumpstart our North America studies!

Quick Reminders

Now that the weather is beginning to change please remember to prepare your child for the varying weather of Eugene!

• Waterproof layer and outdoor shoes that can get wet

• Warm layer

• A full water bottle 

• School shoes (slip on shoes or slippers with an indoor/outdoor sole)

  • Indoor shoes should have a hard, weatherproof bottom

• A morning snack 

• Lunch (or sign up for school lunch)

Volunteer Opportunities

As a Montessori classroom we take the first 6 weeks of school to establish our classroom culture and routines before welcoming in volunteers.  If you would like to be a volunteer, please make sure to check in with the office about completing the security clearance process.  This process can take a few weeks to complete.

* kid-sized push vacuum for snack and lunch crumbs

* Friday classroom laundry

***A big thank you to our plant parent Shikha and classroom parent Heather for all of your help so far this year!

School Permissions

If you have not already done so, complete the Permissions form available under family resources (back-to-school packet and other forms) on the website.

Important Upcoming Dates

Friday, 9/30/2022 - School Photos (All students will get their photos taken. Photos may be ordered online at https://newleifphoto.inter-state.com/)

Have further questions?

Feel free to email me at rachel.quinn@ridgeline.org if you have any questions.  I check my mail between the hours of 8-4.  If you have an urgent question or have important information that needs to be addressed quickly please write “Urgent” in the subject line and I will prioritize those emails.

–

Rachel

Rachel's Class Update 9/2/22

Greetings, Room 3 Families!

Welcome back to school everybody!  Katie and I are very excited to be your student’s classroom teachers for the 2022/2023 school year.  It has been such a wonderful summer vacation.  I spent many hours hiking and reconnecting to the beautiful outdoors that is available just outside our doorstep here in Eugene.  One of my favorite places to hike is Mount Pisgah and go swimming in the river!  I feel very grateful to live in such a lovely place.  I hope that you had a great summer too!  I can’t wait to hear all about it from your children.  For now, here is some important information that you and your child will need to know about in order to get ready for the first day of school.

**The Ridgeline eNews is where our school shares information with parents.  Make sure to read it over to find out everything you need to know about current school events!

What will you need to bring?

We provide school supplies.  Here are the other things that your child will need:

• A full water bottle 

• School shoes (slip on shoes or slippers with an indoor/outdoor sole)

  • Indoor shoes should have a hard, weatherproof bottom

• A morning snack (packed separately for easy grabbing)

• Lunch (or sign up for school lunch)

• Sun protection 

• Warm layers

Back to School Information and School Forms

• Have specific questions about back to school?  Information on the school lunch program, how to screen your child before coming to school, when to keep your child at home, drop off and pick up policy, and much more can be found on the Ridgeline website.

Are masks required at school?

As long as COVID numbers are not in the high range, masks will be optional.  Here at Ridgeline we will support all personal decisions regarding mask wearing.  Masks will be available for children when requested.

A Warm Welcome!

Let’s give a warm welcome to Katie, our new classroom assistant!  Katie joins our classroom with a strong montessori background and a deep love of teaching and learning.  When you see her at pick-up make sure to welcome her to our classroom community!  Also, keep an eye out for Jacob and say hi when you get the chance.  He misses you all too!

A Fly on the Wall…

We start off this year learning about the fundamental needs of people.  What do all people need to survive and thrive?  What might it feel like if one of those needs are not being met?  Starting the year off learning what all people need sets the tone for empathy and understanding of others and the idea that no matter where we come from or how different we may seem, we all have the same needs, pain, and joy.

Next stop…BANG!  The first great lesson is one of my personal favorite lessons to give and an exciting way to introduce cultural studies to the classroom.  We take a journey to the beginning of time, exploring all the knowns and unknowns along with all of the amazing objects that occupy our universe.  The lesson ends with a very young, very hot Earth just before life emerges.  I can’t wait to see all the curiosity and creativity that will explode all around the classroom!

Volunteer Opportunities

As a Montessori classroom we take the first 6 weeks of school to establish our classroom culture and routines before welcoming in volunteers.  If you would like to be a volunteer, please make sure to check in with the office about completing the security clearance process.  This process can take a few weeks to complete.

* Read with students - Sit outside or in the hallway with a student and listen to them read.  This is so helpful for those emerging readers who need more opportunities to read to an adult.

* Plant parent - Green thumb?  We can use you!  We have a few classroom plants that could use repotting and a little love.  Reach out if you would like to help.

* Classroom parent - This is a job for a parent who has the time and desire to help out with projects throughout the year.  It might be cutting and prep work, or helping to organize an event.  It could also involve being the point person who reaches out to and organizes other volunteers.  Who knows!  Please reach out to the office if you are interested in this important classroom role.  I look forward to working with you.

Have further questions?

Feel free to email me at rachel.quinn@ridgeline.org if you have any questions.  I check my mail between the hours of 8-4.  If you have an urgent question or have important information that needs to be addressed quickly please write “Urgent” in the subject line and I will prioritize those emails.

I am looking forward to creating a supportive and exciting classroom community with your children this year.  Your support is greatly appreciated.  For new students, entering into an unfamiliar classroom can be stressful.  It is a time of big feelings and transitions.  I am grateful to have our amazing 2nd and 3rd year classroom leaders helping to welcome in our new students.  This is going to be a great year!

We will see you soon.  Very soon in fact.  See you on Wednesday, September 7th!

Rachel

Rachel's Update 6/13/22

Good morning Room 3 families.  We have arrived at the last week of school for this year.  <high five> Your kids did great!  I am sure that they are very eager to start their summer vacation.  Some are possibly feeling a bit sad.  I know that I am feeling both.  There are a couple of things happening this week that I want to talk about.

Wednesday - On Wednesday our class will be cleaning the classroom and taking home all of the student belongings that have been collected over the school year.  Please bring a bag or an empty backpack for them to carry it all comfortably.

Wednesday is also Journey Day for our students moving on to an upper elementary classroom next year.  The whole school will participate in an outdoor ceremony at 2:00 honoring all students moving up.  Please avoid early pick-ups as we may be in mid ceremony.

Thursday - Thursday is Field Day and the last day of school.  Thursday is also a short day, ending at 1:05 pm.  We will be outside almost the entire day participating in Field Day fun!  Please make sure to bring a water bottle and apply sunblock if you would like to do so.

Volunteer Opportunity - Room 3 is looking for summer homes for our classroom indoor plants.  We have 3 medium/large indoor plants and one large ficus that could use potential repotting and some summer love.  If you are interested please reach out.  Thanks!

What a year!  I am so grateful for your support and for the wonderful kids we have in the classroom.  It is a blessing to be able to work with children.  I hope to see you out and about during summer and in the classroom or around school next year!

With love,

Rachel

Rachel's Update 6/3/22

Rachel's Update 5-20/22

Hello and welcome Room 3 families.  I hope that you are enjoying the growing days of sun as well as the continuing showers of Spring.  We certainly need them both!  Our classroom is buzzing with Peacemaker Biography project work.  From now until the rest of the school year we will be putting together and completing our Peacemaker projects.  Students have chosen their peacemaker and are in the process of researching, taking notes, and writing about their childhood, accomplishments, the society in which they lived, and character traits.  This is a lot of research and writing!  Once completed, these projects are both a work of art as well as the end result of a lot of hard work and perseverance.  Ask your child what step they are on in the process.

Reminders

Please remember to bring a water bottle and snack every day for your child if you are able.  The school has a few borrowing water bottles available if needed.  As the weather starts to heat up, so does the thirst!

Speaking of the weather warming up, our class is looking forward to going on Amazon Trail nature walks as the school year winds down.  More information will be shared as we make plans for future walks.

Thank you for your support of your child and our classroom community.  It is a team effort and I am grateful for all you do!

Rachel's Update 4-22-22

Happy Earth Day!  Good morning Room 3 families.  I hope that you have been enjoying this beautiful Spring season.  In the classroom we have been observing the transformation of our ladybug larva into pupa and, finally, into adult ladybugs!  What a metaphor for life in all its forms!  I was told that we now have 9 ladybugs to release on Earth Day.  I think Earth Day is a good opportunity for us all to think about what we are grateful for, what we are ready to let go of, and what new growth (Spring) are we creating in our lives.  I can see those themes playing out in your children's words and actions as they approach their favorite time of all: Summertime!

3rd Grade State Testing

Testing is going well and many students have already completed the tests.  It has been wonderful to witness the confidence and focus students are showing as they complete their testing.  If your child needs extra time to complete testing that time will be made available.  It is important for students to take the time they need and not feel rushed in the process.

Coming Up...

In March our class will start our annual Peacekeeper Biography project.  Students will choose a peacekeeper and, as a class, will step through the writing process of taking notes, writing, editing, and completing a final copy.  We explore character traits as well as consider what traits seem to be consistent among our chosen peacekeepers.  What makes a peacekeeper?  This is an exciting and challenging end-of-year project that students are really proud of.  As we enter March talk to your child about what peacekeepers are important to your family.  What qualities and character traits do you feel are important?

I look forward to seeing some of our students at the Student Marketplace on Saturday, 10 - 1.  Have a great Earth Day and weekend!

Rachel

Rachel's Update 4-6-22

Lovely Ladybugs!

We have been enjoying our classroom Ladybug habitat.  Students love to watch the larva wander around the habitat, eating and growing.  They are noticing different patterns of activity and are looking forward to the larva transforming into pupa in a metamorphosis process much like the butterfly.  Once they are full grown we will release them into our school gardens in a releasing ceremony!

Country Roads

Here’s an old favorite that we’re learning this coming week with Jon and some middle school ukulele players.  We’ll sing this in the all-school singalong, led by our middle school, that's coming on May 2. 

John Denver Take Me Home, Country Roads  (The Ultimate Collection)  with Lyrics 

We will also be learning this one next week: Of Monsters And Men - King And Lionheart (with lyrics on screen)

Coming Soon: OSAS Testing for 3rd Graders 

We will be starting our Oregon Statewide Assessment System (OSAS) testing for third graders mid April.  In the coming weeks, third graders will be becoming familiar with the computerized testing format and fine tuning their testing strategies.  These tests have no time limit and kids can take breaks as needed.  I reassure the kids that the results of the tests don’t determine grades, advancement to fourth grade or class placement.  Results are available around the beginning of the next school year and will be shared with families at that time. 

Please contact me if you have questions.

Masking Optional Outside 

Starting Monday, April 4, students may go without a mask when outside at recess.  This is a change that brings up a variety of feelings amongst our students.  We’ve discussed this change and I’ve encouraged children to have a family conversation and decide what’s the best masking choice for them.  As a class, we know that every family’s decision is based on different factors.  We’ve talked about how we can respect others’ decisions and also how we can speak up and ask for personal space if needed.

Rachel's Update 3-22-22

Hello once again to my wonderful Room 3 families!  I hope that you are enjoying all the beauty of the first blooms of Spring.  I love the flowering white and pink trees that dot our town during this time of year.  All of those flowers serve a dual purpose: to enchant us with their loveliness and to produce SEEDS!  Our classroom has been learning about seeds and how they sprout.  Coming up soon students will plant their own seeds and take them home to grow.  Please remind your child to water their seed and watch it grow!

Did you know that volcanoes are a key element of the rock cycle?  We are exploring how igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks are formed through the processes of heating and cooling, pressure, and erosion.  Our volcano and rock studies will end with a volcano eruption demonstration that is sure to be exciting!

Volunteer Needs:

Garden Beds: Our classroom has two garden beds for planting.  The project started before COVID and the beds were built but not filled with soil.  I am looking for volunteers to weed the current beds and fill them with soil for our classroom to plant this spring.  Please respond to this email if you are interested in this volunteer opportunity!

Rachel's Update 2-17-22

Hello once again to my wonderful Room 3 families!  Our classroom is bustling with Black History Newsletter activity!  Students are working on different elements of the newsletter.  Some are writing articles, others are collecting facts, and still other students are decorating pages.  We look forward to sharing our finished newsletter with families at the end of the month.

Reminders

* As we head into the end of February some students are wearing out (or growing out of) their indoor shoes.  Please check in with your child to see if they are needing a different pair.  Indoor shoes should have a hard bottom since we don't change shoes when we practice different drills that take us outside rain or shine.

* Please remember to pack a snack and water bottle for your child every day.  If it is forgotten don't worry.  We have a limited supply of borrowing water bottles and snacks for students who don't have one on any given day.

Singing with Eugene Concert Choir

Our class is greatly enjoying our two ASL songs (The Rainbow Connection and You’ve Got a Friend in Me) we are learning through the ECCO Music Education Program.  I hope your children are bringing singing and sign language into the home to share with their families. I know I am! 

As a bonus, ECCO 2022 participants receive a free pass for themselves and an accompanying adult to attend the Movie Magic for Kids concert on Saturday, February 26 at 2:30 pm at the Hult Center.  I have attached a digital copy of the tickets and show information to this email.  Paper tickets will be sent home with students in backpacks.  This is an optional concert and lots of fun.  In the past, students have had the option of performing on the Silva Concert Hall stage.  If you plan on attending, please review the official Hult Center COVID protocols below:

The safety and well-being of our patrons has been, and always will be, a top priority of the Hult Center. The Center will require proof of vaccination for entry to all performances or proof of a negative COVID test, taken within 48 hours of performance. All patrons will need to provide this information as a condition of entry. Self-reported (home test) results will not be accepted. All results must be from a licensed test provider, laboratory, or health care provider. Mask wearing is also required when inside the venue and this includes all venue staff. Eating and drinking are permitted but masks must be worn between bites and sips. 

Important Dates

February 21, 2022 (Monday) - NO SCHOOL (Presidents Day)

February 21, 2022 (Monday) - Talent Show Submission Deadline. Inquiries/Questions can go to wobblykate@hotmail.com.

2-22-22 Tuesday Tutus and Ties!  - It's like a mini spirit week! On Tuesday, February 22, 2022 let's celebrate all the 2s around us by wearing tutus and ties. Make it fab, make it funky, make it fun! Make it tutus and ties day!

February 25, 2022 (Friday) - Talent Show at 6!

Spring Break! - March 21st - March 28th - Students return to school on March 29th

DEADLINE soon! Sibling Enrollment 2022-23 School Year - Siblings of students who are currently enrolled and will remain enrolled in Ridgeline in the coming year receive enrollment priority so long as an application for the sibling is received prior to the application deadline. 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 25.

Thank you for being a part of our classroom community.  Without your help and support we couldn't do it!  I am deeply grateful for all the love and care you provide your child.

Rachel

Rachel's Update 1-20-22

Classroom Community Update

The school disruptions brought in by Covid have created a unique challenge within our classroom communities.  When the school year started we welcomed students back full of hope, joy, and the knowledge that there was weeding to be done in our classroom garden.  Like any garden, regular maintenance and care is needed to consciously grow the seeds we are choosing to grow.  You see, any seed will grow (wanted or unwanted) if they are all watered and sunned equally.  This first part of the school year has been "the great weeding" process.  Students have put in so much work re-learning how to be a student, how to come to school ready to be a learner, how to make good choices, and how to be a friend and an active member of our classroom community.  Work habits have been nurtured.  Social and emotional skills have been planted and watered.  Now, as I sit back and look at our beautiful classroom garden, I can see how much we have grown together as a community.  Are there still some weeds?  Absolutely.  However, the flowers are beginning to bloom and it's a beautiful thing.  I look forward to all the growth that will occur during this next leg of the school year!

Age of the Mammals

We have journeyed through the Paleozoic Era, the Mesozoic Era, and now our class finds itself at the Cenozoic Era, the age of mammals.  Life is starting to look familiar!  This is the last leg of our journey through the Timeline of Life.  My hope in learning this amazing story is to expand and grow our own sense of existence here on Earth.  So much has come before us.  By exploring the timeline, patterns emerge.  Life morphs and changes.  The surface of the Earth morphs and changes as well.  We all burst forth from this world we call home like fruit on a tree.  None of us alone.  All connected in the web of life.  This big picture eagle-eye view of the history of life on Earth is my way of laying a foundation for the idea of interconnectedness.  That we are all equal and beautiful in this diverse existence.

Opinion Writing

We’ve started learning about persuasive writing and are practicing writing pieces that include our opinion and three good reasons.  Next time you’re negotiating with your child, ask them for three reasons, or give three of your own!

Grading Day - No School Friday, January 28

Rachel's Update 1-4-22

Happy 2022!  Here are some reminders and a look ahead.

Timeline of Life

We pick up where we left off with the exciting world of the Dinosaurs!  We are learning how to use clues in the fossil record to make discoveries about how the dinosaurs hunted and protected themselves, what they ate, and what biome they likely lived in.  Next stop: the Age of Mammals.  After a great extinction event mammals began to flourish all over the world!  This was an especially exciting time in our Earth's history for our students because they discover plants and animals familiar to their current world.

Gear Up for Rain

The next two weeks will be wet!  We are making adjustments in our snack, lunch and recess procedures to help keep kids dry, but all children should be still prepared to spend some time in the rain and to walk through puddles.  Please remember a raincoat and boots or sturdy shoes.  If your child's clothes have gotten wet at recess and they needed to borrow a change of clothes at school in the past, please also include extra socks and pants.  These extras can stay in their backpack or be hung on their hook and stay at school.

Snacks and Water Bottles

The school lunch program does not provide snacks.  Please remember to pack a daily snack, even if your child gets a school lunch.  We sent home water bottles before break, so make sure to pack a full, labeled water bottle for your child as well.

Masks and Covid Safety

The New Year brings a new Covid variant, so it’s a great time to reinforce our Covid safety measures as a community.   Be on the lookout for an email from Ridgeline with strategies you can use to promote children’s safety, including through effective masking.  

As a reminder, our classroom keeps child-sized surgical masks (and a limited stock of KN95 masks) available for students.  We routinely offer these to children to replace ill-fitting masks or masks that become wet.  As school starts up again, we’ll review mask etiquette with the children.  We’ll also make sure that kids who’d like to double mask can get the help and supplies to do so.  

It is a pleasure to work with your children!  I look forward to seeing their smiles and hearing their stories.

-Rachel and Jacob

Rachel's Update 12-3-21

Rachel's Update 11-23-21

Good morning and hello to all my Room 3 families!  This week we talked about the native tribes of Oregon and wrote letters of gratitude.  When a special occasion arises that causes one to think about all the blessings in life it makes me wonder why this practice is not a daily ritual!  Gratitude. What beautiful medicine for apathy.  I find myself grateful these days for simpler pleasures, such as a hot cup in the morning, a moment to myself, and having conversation with my children.  What are you grateful for?  Life can fly by at such a fast pace that we lose the sensitivity to recognize all the things we have.  Why do we focus so much on what we don't have?  Well, students had a lot to say about gratitude.  Check out our gratitude word web to see what your child shared:

Upcoming...

Next week we will continue our exploration of the Paleozoic Era, this time looking at the Age of Fish and the Age of Amphibians.  Did you know that early fish had armor plating?  So cool!

Important Reminders

1.  Please bring a water bottle for your child every day.

2.  We go outside rain or shine!  Please make sure that your child has weather/temperature appropriate clothing for the day.

3.  NO SCHOOL ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24TH

Lost Jacket:  A new black puffer jacket has gone missing.  If your child brought one home that is not yours, please return it to school.  Thanks!

Have a wonderful extra-long weekend!  For those families celebrating Hanukkah, Hanukkah Sameach!

I am deeply grateful for all the wonderful families and children I work with.  Thank you Jacob for being my assistant and friend. It takes two to run a Montessori classroom!

WIth love,

Rachel

Rachel's Update 10-29-21

Decomposition and Next Steps - This week we start the next leg of our journey into the story of Earth.  Our story began with the spark of the universe, and ended with a very early, very hot Earth that had just cooled enough for Oceans to form.  No life can be found on this baby Earth.  The next part of the story will follow the explosion of life on this planet up until the time of humans.  This is exciting stuff!  I look forward to all the creativity and writing this exploration will generate!

Now that we have all these pumpkins sitting around after Halloween what better to do (pumpkin pie, roasted pumpkin seeds) than to dissect one and watch it decompose?  That is exactly what we will do!  Stay tuned for the Rot Report...

Conferences - Annual parent, student, teacher conferences will take place, Wednesday, November 10, and Friday, November 12. Once again conferences will be held on Zoom. Conference days are no school days.  We have set aside this time for you to meet to discuss your child’s progress and classroom experience; please take advantage of this opportunity.  

These are family conferences and children are welcome; however, if you’d like to talk without your child present, that’s ok too.

We're using SignUp.com (the leading online SignUp and reminder tool) to organize our upcoming Fall Conference SignUps.  I’ll send out a zoom link the night before conferences start. Click on Rachel's Class Sign Up to sign up.

Retakes - Photo Retakes will take place on Wednesday, November 3. If you are unhappy with your student’s photo, please send them to school with their picture package to return to the Lifetouch photographer. Our essential volunteer, Robyn, will go to each classroom to collect students for retakes. Please instruct your child to speak up when she comes to their classroom. All students who were absent on picture day will automatically have their photos taken. If you wish to order photos online go to mylifetouch.com. Ridgeline’s Picture Day ID is EVTTKS2XQ

Thanks!

Rachel

Rachel's Update 10-20-21

Hello once again beautiful Room 3 families!  I hope you are doing well and are enjoying the turning of the season.  Our class is deep into the study of our solar system this week.  Students are writing planet paragraphs, filling in their Astronomy book with interesting facts, and writing stories about planetary exploration.  The solar system is full of some pretty amazing objects!  Ask your child about what they find cool about the solar system.  What have they learned?

Next week we will change course and explore all things pumpkin!  Fall is just about everywhere these days.  The colors, the smells, the softer texture of sunlight.  Everything changes in a very special way during fall.  On Wednesday we will weigh and measure pumpkins to gather data for a classroom graph.  Please bring a pumpkin that your child can carry to school on Wednesday.  If this causes a hardship for your family, please let me know and I will provide one for your child.  Everyone will get a chance to participate in our pumpkin fun.  On Friday our class will have pajama day!  Come to school wearing the most comfortable pajamas you can find!

Calendar:

Wednesday, October 27th - Bring a pumpkin to school.

Friday, October 29th - Pajama Day!

November 3rd - Picture retake day.

Be safe and healthy.  Thank you for being a part of our classroom. I appreciate all of you!

Rachel

Rachel's Update 10-1-21

Hello Room 3 parents!

This past week our class finished an introduction to the biomes of the world.  It was so exciting to see all the writing happening in our classroom!  Ask your child about the biomes.  We explored the desert, grasslands, mountain, wetlands, ocean, and the temperate forest biomes.  On Thursday I gave the First Great Lesson: the story of the birth of the universe up until early Earth.  If your child missed the lesson or would like to rewatch it you can find the lesson posted on the Ridgeline website here.  Over the next two weeks we will explore the exciting world of astronomy, starting with objects in our universe, then focusing on our solar system, and finishing up at our very own planet Earth.

Specials:

P.E. and Art classes are off the ground and running.  Dan is back to run P.E. until the position is formally filled.  Thanks Dan!  Rena, our new Art teacher, utilizes her Montessori teaching experience and art skills to present beautiful and thoughtful art experiences for the class.

Reminders:

* Please bring a water bottle every day to school.  Our water fountains are not in use at this point.

* Wear weather appropriate clothes.  On rainy or muddy days please wear waterproof shoes and a raincoat.

* If your student was absent for Picture Day they can have their photo taken on retake day on November 3.

Thank you for all you do to help your child thrive!

Rachel

Rachel's Update 9-17-21

Cultural Moment

This week we jumped into the study of the Fundamental Needs of Humans.  As a class we asked the question: What do all humans need to survive?  Ask your child what they think!  Then we introduced the various diverse biomes of the world, taking a closer look at the desert biome.  Next week we will continue to explore the biomes.  Spoiler alert..next stop: the universe!

Here we go!

At long last, we’re back at school in person.  It’s been wonderful to see the students again and to see the joy they have at being back with their classmates and engaging in meaningful work. 

We’ve spent the past week introducing new lessons, getting to know each other, and practicing classroom procedures.  Safety protocols add an extra level of difficulty to many of our transitions, but the students have done a great job learning and following all the steps to staying safe. 

Assessment in the Lower Elementary

After the disruptions of the past year and a half, students are coming back with a unique set of strengths and challenges.  We’re assessing these in several ways.  This year we’re using Montessori-aligned skills inventories to track students’ academic progress, executive function, and their social and emotional fluency.  We’ll also test students with a benchmark assessment, EasyCBM.  These short tests happen three times a year and are normed against students from many school districts.  They provide a snapshot of reading and math skills and let us track progress over time.

Montessori tells us to “follow the child,” to observe them closely so that we can understand their needs.   Our assessments and observations are an ongoing part of Montessori teaching.  This year more than ever, we’ll constantly be adjusting and individualizing our approach so we can help kids make progress after a difficult year. 

Art and PE

We are starting art and PE next week.  Our new art specialist, Rena Ekmanis, will teach twice a week and students will have outside PE led by Jacob.

School Lunch Double Ups

We are so happy to be able to offer free school lunch and breakfast this year.  We’re trying to cut down on “double lunches” where kiddos bring a lunch from home and get school lunch as well.  Add in breakfast, and they have three meals to manage – that’s a lot to juggle!  You can manage your lunch subscription at the Ridgeline website.

Picture Day

Picture day at Ridgeline Montessori is next Thursday, September 23rd.  Help your child be prepared to smile and say cheese!  If your child misses picture day, stay tuned for information regarding retakes.

Thank you for trusting us with your child.  All of us here are committed to making school safe, joyful and meaningful for all our students.