| Snapshot from The Ridge |
Each week, Pacific Ridge School invites you to enjoy a spontaneous view of school life.  A student photographer captures a musical moment on campus. |
Bulletin Board
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Out of Town Guests for the Holidays? Pacific Ridge School Needs Jurors for the Trial of the Century!
Ninth graders, as part of their study of Homer's The Odyssey, will put Odysseus on trial for the murder of the many suitors who "courted" his wife while he traveled the world. There will be six different trials over the course of two days, November 21st and 22nd. If you have family members visiting for the holidays and want to introduce them to the school, this is a wonderful opportunity to give them a glimpse of Pacific Ridge in action. Please keep in mind that jurors do not need to have read The Odyssey in order to take part; in fact, it's probably better for their trial participation if they have not. For more information, please contact Emma Balina at ebalina@pacificridge.org.
Accessing the School Directory for Parents
The Pacific Ridge School directory is available on the "Parent" section of the school portal. Go to "Family Directory" in the column on the far right, and choose one of two links: "Family Directory by Alpha," or "Family Directory by Grade." Each link provides a pdf document that families can print out if they would like a hard copy of the directory. Please note that the "Directory" button in the column on the far left is not operable currently.
Reminders:
The "Tax Deductible Portion of Your Tuition"
Independent schools, including Pacific Ridge, run an Annual Fund each year to cover the gap between what tuition covers and what it actually costs to educate each child. Please join the entire school community by making your commitment today. You may pledge now, and pay any time between now and May 31, 2012. All gifts are tax deductible in the year in which they are made. You can make a gift or pledge online by clicking here. You can also contact Emma Balina at ebalina@pacificridge.org or 760-448-9883. Thank you for your support!
2011-2012 Faculty/Parent Education Series The first Faculty/Parent Harkness discussion of the year is next Tuesday. Parent response has been very enthusiastic, and there are only a few remaining slots for the entire series. If you are interested in joining a discussion, pelase contact Stephanie Furlong to find out which dates and topics are available: sfurlong@pacificridge.org.
Topics and Dates:
Parents, Tutors, and Homework: When Too Much Help Becomes a Hindrance, led by Jenny Bjornstad, Dean of Faculty, 9th/10th Grade Dean
Tuesday, November 15th, 8:15-9:45 a.m.
Harkness and Performance: The Value of Students Being Heard, led by Scott Mattoon, 11th/12th Grade Dean
Tuesday, December 6th, 4-5:30 p.m.
21st Century Skills and the Pacific Ridge School Mission: Right on Time, led by Liz Grossman, Coordinator of Curriculum and Mission Assessment
Tuesday, January 31st, 8:15-9:45 a.m.
Concentration, Flow, and The Zone, led by Hans Richter, 7th/8th Grade Dean
Thursday, March 15th, 4-5:30 p.m.
Pacific Ridge Showcase Tickets Available
Tickets are available for the upcoming Pacific Ridge Showcase, to be held on December 3rd. Order now for the best price! Tickets are $10 until November 15th, and $12 afterwards. Buy tickets online by clicking here or by clicking on the "Buy tickets for the showcase" link under "Arts Information" on the school portal.
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New & Noteworthy
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First Open House of the Year Draws Record Numbers
A record number of families attended Saturday's Middle School Open House. Visitors heard presentations by faculty and enjoyed campus tours guided by current students and parents. Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy the day and learn more about Pacific Ridge School, and thank you to faculty and staff for representing the school in such a vibrant, authentic way! If you missed this Open House, check out the next Middle School Open House on Saturday, January 7th.
The first Upper School Open House is on Thursday, December 1st. Click here for more information about the Open House program and the admissions process.
Model U.N. Club Stands Out at Stanford
Last weekend, 17 Pacific Ridge students participated in the annual Model U.N. Conference at Stanford, where they distinguished themselves among more than 20 other schools to earn the Best Small School Delegation award. Theirs was a particularly impressive showing, according to teacher and Model U.N. faculty leaders Scott Silk and Liz Grossman, given the large number of novice Pacific Ridge participants. Seven students, including four first-time delegates, won individual awards as well. Congratulations to all participants:
Chris Chen
Gaby Clarke - Outstanding Delegate Award in UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) Ciara Corbeil
Roxy Corbeil
Will Glockner - Honorable Mention in IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Hunter Headapohl - Outstanding Delegate Award in UNESCO Hunter McComas
Delaney Miller - Research Award in WHO (World Health Organization) Carmel Mu - Research Award in ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) Hena Mustafa
Rachel Perelman - Best Delegate in White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity Soren Schlassa
Nour Suleiman
Maddie Sparber
Sean Straw - Best Delegate in ICJ (International Court of Justice) Meg Thode
William Zheng
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| Curricular Adventures |
On November 2nd, a group of Pacific Ridge students who have taken or are currently enrolled in AP Biology or in Ethical Thinking in Society, Policy, & Law attended a sold-out talk by Rebecca Skloot at San Diego State University. Ms. Skloots discussed how she became a writer and what motivated her to write her award-winning book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and answered questions about the relationship between medicine, ethics, race, gender and socioeconomic status. Students were riveted by the talk and several in the Ethics class have already asked to write about Henrietta Lacks for their final trimester paper. Mr. Rachlin, who teaches ethics to upper school students, pointed out that Skloots' emphasis on the human side of a story about biomedical ethics was critical to the work students do in ethics: "She demonstrated time and again that we need to remember always that there are human beings on all sides of a controversial topic like this: scientists, donors, families, people helped by research, and others."
Students at the Skloots talk
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Service Learning in the Field
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Playing for a Difference, a new Upper School Service Learning group, has coordinated with Sports for Exceptional Athletes (S4EA) to use sports as a tool to share expertise and encourage special needs athletes to reach their full potential. In October, group members volunteered at a flag football tournament sponsored by S4EA, where they helped keep score and cheer for the athletes. This month and next, they will participate in three more tournaments sponsored by S4EA: floor hockey, bowling, and volleyball.
ARC T-Shirt Drive A Success
The ARC Middle School Service Learning group has concluded its efforts to collect collared shirts and t-shirts that have the Pacific Ridge School logo. Thank you to everyone who donated shirts! As you can see in the photo below, Pacific Ridge students got as much pleasure from giving the shirts as friends at ARC of San Diego got from receiving them.
 Students give a Pacific Ridge t-shirt to a friend.
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Sports on the Ridge
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Fall Sports Round Up: Flag Football and Golf
The 7th- and 8th-grade flag football teams made a great showing this year, under the guidance of Coaches Don Collins and Graham Elsdon. The 7th-grade team finished the season undefeated, with an 11-0 record, and the 8th-grade team made it to the playoffs. They were defeated in the playoffs by the #1 seed in the CIF South Coast League.
In golf, sophomore Isabella Salant made it to the second round of the CIF San Diego Section girls golf tournament after shooting an 84 in the first round. She shot a 78 in the second round, and while her scores did not quite make the cut for the third round, she made a great showing in her first CIFSDS tournament. In the spring, Isabella will join the boys' golf team, where last year she was the team's #2 player.
Scores
Coed Middle School Cross Country
11/02/11 (SCMSL #7) Home
Boys
Rancho Santa Fe 16
Pacific Ridge School 24
Tri-City Christian 50
Girls
Santa Fe Christian 23
Pacific Ridge School 23
Boys 8th Flag Football
11/01/11 Francis W. Parker School Home 27 6 W
11/03/11 Maranatha Christian Home 20 15 W
Boys 7th Flag Football
11/01/11 Francis W. Parker School Home 35 2 W
11/03/11 Maranatha Christian Home 26 12 W
Girls Varsity Volleyball
11/01/11 Calvin Christian School of ESC Away 0 3 L
Girls JV White Volleyball
11/01/11 Calvin Christian School of ESC Away 0 2 L
Girls JV Blue Volleyball
11/01/11 Calvin Christian School of ESC Away 2 0 W
Girls MS − White Volleyball
11/02/11 Francis W. Parker School Home 0 2 L
Girls MS − Blue Volleyball
11/02/11 Francis W. Parker School Home 0 2 L
Girls MS − Black Volleyball
11/02/11 Francis W. Parker School Home 2 0 W
11/03/11 Santa Fe Christian Schools Away 0 2 L
Girls MS − Silver Volleyball
11/02/11 Francis W. Parker School Home 1 2 L
11/03/11 Santa Fe Christian Schools Away 1 2 L
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Parents Association News
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Reminder:
Parents' Book Group on November 28th The Pacific Ridge School Parents' Book Group will discuss This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman. All are welcome!
Date: Monday, November 28th
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Place: school library
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Beyond the Ridge
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Reminders:
Bill Rubin from The College Authority on November 15th
Bill Rubin, of The College Authority, will discuss the college tour his company has arranged. Sophomores, juniors, and their parents are invited to learn about this opportunity to take part in a group tour of colleges from North Carolina to New York during Spring Break. Some of the colleges include Wake Forest University, Duke University, University of Virginia, Georgetown University, and New York University.
Date: Tuesday, November 15th
Time: 3-4 p.m.
Place: College Counseling Office
PLAN Test on November 21st
The PLAN test (practice ACT) will be given to Pacific Ridge sophomores at 8 a.m. on Monday, November 21st, in the Commons. Be sure to bring pencils, erasers, and calculators. Students will receive details about the test during advisory in the week prior.
Junior Parent Night and Test Prep Mini Fair
Junior Parent Night for parents of juniors is on November 30th. Parents should attend, and juniors are encouraged to attend if they are able. A test prep mini fair will precede College Counseling Night, for those junior parents or juniors interested in exploring test prep options.
Date: Wednesday, November 30th
Time: 6:30 p.m. for test prep mini fair, 7-9 p.m. for Junior Parent Night
Place: Test prep mini fair in the library, Junior Parent Night in the East Reading Room
NB: This is a correction from last week's calendar item, which listed both events in the same room.
Upcoming College Representative Visits All meetings will begin in the college counseling office. See the school portal for dates and times. During the week of November 14th-18thth, representatives from the following colleges will visit Pacific Ridge School: University of the Arts, Otis College of Art & Design For more information on college representative visits or college admissions programs, please contact Ruth Foresman at rforesman@pacificridge.org or 760-579-4905. |
| Class Notes |
This past weekend ten students who train with various trainers at a number of different barns around the county participated in the Greater San Diego Hunter Jumper Championship at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. This five-day competition, the culminating event in the horse show season, brings together over 400 riders who compete for ribbons and prizes. The riders who attend Pacific Ridge School collectively won six championships, four reserve championships, and 38 other ribbons marking 3rd through 10th place wins. Competitors, who must have nerves of steel, determined focus, and strong legs to compete under normal conditions, this year persevered through freezing rain and soggy footings. Congratulations on a job well done!
 Stephanie Sapp, Margaux Burdick, Noelle Reich, Maxine Richter, Anna Sepkovic, Meila Gross, Melissa Ordas, Julia Ventura, Juliana Sapp, Camille Burdick |
North County Happenings
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Reminder:
Heart of a Child Concert on November 12th
Come see Pacific Ridge freshman Sebastian Green and other young artists from San Diego perform in the second annual Heart Of A Child concert on Saturday, November 12th. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Ariana Fund, a non-profit charity established in 2008 in memory of Ariana Miller. Click here to read more about the Ariana Fund, and click here to purchase tickets online.
Date: Saturday, November 12th
Time: 7-9 p.m. (Doors open 6 p.m. for a silent auction)
Place: Calvary Lutheran Church, 424 Via de la Valle, Solana Beach
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| Faculty & Staff Snapshot |
Susan Nattrass, Economics
Most recent book: The Lemon Tree, by Sandy Tolan
Favorite movies: The Mission and A River Runs Through It
Favorite sport: Whatever her kids are currently competing in - currently surfing
Greatest indulgence: Caramel Latte from Claire's in Solana Beach
If you make her breakfast: Lunch
In her free time: Garden, craft, sew, cook, and read
Dream vacation: Culinary school for a summer in France
Hometown: San Diego |
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In a community that fosters academic excellence, ethical responsibility, and global engagement, Pacific Ridge School prepares students for college and a purposeful life.
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Schedule of Events
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November 14th
Winter sports begin
November 18th
End of First Trimester
November 23rd-25th
No School - Thanksgiving Holiday
November 28th
Classes Resume
Parent Book Group
School Library
7-9 p.m.
December 1st
Upper School
Open House
3:30-5 p.m.
December 3rd
Arts Showcase
Star Theater in Oceanside
7 p.m.
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A View from The Ridge 
