| Snapshot from The Ridge |
Each week, Pacific Ridge School invites you to enjoy a spontaneous view of school life. 
Students tend to the campus garden. |
Bulletin Board
| Performance Arts Showcase is SOLD OUT!
There are no remaining tickets for this Saturday's performance, and there are no extra tickets to sell at the door. Thank you for supporting artists at Pacific Ridge School!
Faculty/Parent Education Series Continues on 12/6
The next discussion, Harkness and Performance: The Value of Students Being Heard, will be led by 11th/12th Grade Dean Scott Mattoon. Please contact Stephanie Furlong at sfurlong@pacificridge.org for more information.
Reminder:
Opportunity to Host an AFS Student
The AFS Foundation (formerly American Field Service) is looking for families to host international students. The organization offers international exchange programs for students from more than 40 countries throughout the world. Click here to see the AFS website, and contact Jim Dooley, the San Diego Area AFS Volunteer Team Chair, if you are interested: jimafs@gmail.com.
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New & Noteworthy
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High Five Challenge Doubles, Triples, or Quadruples Your Gift/Pledge to the Athletic Center!
Time is fast approaching for our move into the Firebirds Athletic Center. Construction remains on schedule, with "move in" planned for Spring 2012. Funds are now needed to equip the Athletic Center with bleachers, equipment, score boards, baskets and nets, lockers, lights, fixtures, etc. Gifts and pledges to the Athletic Center (which can be paid over a three-year time frame) can be matched by the High Five Challenge. Gifts/pledges of $5k or more are matched 1:1, gifts/pledges of $10k or more are matched 2:1, and gifts/pledges of $25k or more are matched 3:1. For more information, contact Kari Perry at kmperry@pacificridge.org or 760-448-9845.
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| Curricular Adventures |
The Academic League club held its first meeting of the year during Community Life on November 16th, as a way to "warm up" for the year and to introduce the club to students. Participants played three rounds: last year's Freshmen went toe to toe, then members of the JV team competed, and finally Varsity players took on faculty members. During Academic league contests, teams answer questions ranging in academic content from art history, to environmental science, to U.S. geography, to Spanish and French verb conjugations. The buzzer system (much like the quiz show Jeopardy!) makes the competition especially exciting. The club's first official meeting takes place this Friday, December 2nd, in the library during lunch. New players are welcome! Interested students can also contact Ms. Wasserman, faculty club leader, at awasserman@pacificridge.org for information on how to join the club.
 Students confer on a question.
Right before Thanksgiving break, Sophomores completed a trimester-long, integrated project that asked them, over a series of five sessions, to examine the relationship between different interest groups and urban development. Students focused on specific topics such as I-5 expansion, building a new stadium in downtown San Diego, the Sunrise Power Link, and Encina power station expansion. They then used a game, SimCity 4, to map out and develop their own cities, and in presentations explained the planning process to their peers. Finally, students visited Carlsbad City Hall, where they learned about problem solving and decision-making in the context of local urban development.
Students in Digital Photo class visited the Museum of Photographic Arts on November 15th. They focused on the "Infinite Balance" exhibit, which showcases the best in environmental and sustainable photography from around the world. Students were also treated to a special, behind-the-scenes tour with a museum curator, where they learned about how the museum acquires, preserves, and displays its photography collection.
 Digital photo students at Balboa Park
Middle East History students performed historically-based monologues in class on November 17th. Students either chose a real person or developed a fictitious persona, using the historical record from the 1930s to the present to show what that person was experiencing. In order to craft the monologue, students combined a number of skills, including research, critical thinking, and a creative reconstruction of the past. |
Sports on the Ridge
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Girls Varsity Volleyball Season Round Up The Girls Varsity Volleyball team finished a fantastic season, traveling to Palm Springs to play for the first time in the CIF State Playoffs. The Pacific Ridge team was the underdog, playing as the #7 seed against the #2 seed, Desert Christian Academy. Coach Aly Dahl describes the experience: "The girls were fired up and ready to play. We won our first game of the match and things were looking like they were going in the right direction. The other team was shocked that we had upset them and taken a game. They came out strong in the second game, and played with everything they had. They were a tough group to beat - they have won CIF Southern Section 10 years in a row, and they played with experience. They won the next three games. The loss was a disappointment for our team, but making it to state playoffs is a HUGE achievement. I am so proud of how much they accomplished this season, as individuals and as a team. I am excited to see what is to come for them in the future."
Scores Girls Varsity Volleyball 11/22/11 Desert Christian Academy 1 3 L 11/19/11 San Diego CIF Final Home Cathedral Catholic High School (CIF - Division Finals) Away 0-3 L
11/16/11 FootHills Christian High School−El Cajon (CIF−Division V − Semi−Finals) Home 3 1 W
Coed Varsity Cross Country 11/25/11 State Championship From Coach Edwards: "Everyone ran her or his best race of the year at the State meet!Pacific Ridge girls nabbed 10th in the state out of 20 schools (up from 15 last year). Note: "Place" is the team scoring placement." Place Name Time Improvement over 2010 11 Delaney Miller 19:30 57 seconds 45 Abby Perelman 20:50 1:31 62 Sabrina Harb 21:28 47 seconds 73 Eva Loeser 21:43 NA, didn't run in 2010 77 Gabrielle Clarke 21:48 NA, didn't run in 2010 84 Katie Glockner 22:12 16 seconds 103 Emily Chong 23:15 45 seconds Boys (Individual qualifier) 98 Sean Straw 18:11 15 seconds A great ending to a great season. 
11/19/11 (CIF Finals) Home
From Coach Edwards: "The boys ran really well in a very competitive team race. They were fourth by 2 points and within 13 points of 2nd place. Sean Straw (3rd) and Henry Poole (10) achieved 'all CIF' and Sean qualified for the State meet.
The girls successfully defended their CIF Championship with another dominant showing placing 5 runners in the top 10. There were a lot of personal bests on the course. In girls, Delaney (1), Abby (2), Sabrina (5), Gaby (6), and Rachel (10) achieved 'all CIF'.
Great races, excellent sportsmanship, and fierce competitors!"
D-5 Boys 3.04 Miles
1. Julian High 59
2. Horizon Christian 62
3. Calvin Christian 73
4. Pacific Ridge 75
5. Foothills Christian 86
6. Maranatha Christian 191
7. Liberty Charter 195
8. Classical Academy 198
D-5 Girls 2.75 Miles
1. Pacific Ridge 17
2. Classical Academy 63
3. Foothills Christian 69
4. Julian High 71
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Beyond the Ridge
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First Student Alumni College Fair On January 4th
Upper School students and their parents are invited to the first Student Alumni College Fair, when Pacific Ridge graduates will return to campus to represent their respective colleges. Members of the class of '11 will discuss academic preparation, courses, roommates, homesickness, budget, and other topics. Attendees are strongly encouraged to come with questions - about weather, college life, class size, air travel, you name it. Don't miss this chance to hear about the college experiences of Pacific Ridge grads!
Date: Wednesday, January 4th
Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Place: East Reading Room
Junior Meetings in January
College Counselors Bonnie Laughlin and Cara Matzen will be meeting with all juniors and their parents in January to discuss PSAT results, testing timelines, senior courses, college planning, and summer opportunities. Meetings will last about 45 minutes and can be scheduled in the morning, daytime, and after school. Please contact Ruth Foresman to make an appointment: rforesman@pacificridge.org or 760-579-4905.
Reminder:
Just for Juniors Lunchtime Seminars Begin next week
Just for Juniors seminars will take place during 5th period in the library. Juniors who have Service Learning during 5th period will meet during lunch period. Attendance is mandatory for all five sessions:
Friday, 12/9: Selective Colleges
Thursday, 12/15: Visits and Interviews
Thursday, 1/12: California Colleges
Thursday, 1/19: Resumes and the Jr. Questionnaire
Friday, 1/27: Application Options
Questions? Contact Cara Matzen at 760-448-9884 or cmatzen@pacificridge.org.
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| Class Notes |
Congratulations to Gaby Clarke, Touran Fardeen, and Kati Perry, who participated, along with their mothers and Mrs. Shawn Poole (another Pacific Ridge mother), in a 60-mile walk for breast cancer on the weekend of November 19th-20th. The girls led the pack almost the entire way, and walked over 120 miles in three days. Gaby joined the walk after qualifying for Cross Country State, Touran hung in for all three days, clocking almost 50 miles before being forced to depart for her A Cappella final, and Kati made the entire 60 miles, shin splints and all. Along the way, the girls ran into another Pacific Ridge parent, Laurie Smith. Well done, everyone!
 Touran, Gaby, and Kati at mile 39 |
| Faculty & Staff Snapshot |
Susan Tadder, Mathematics
Favorite book: The Moor's Last Sigh, by Salman Rushdie
Sport: Tennis
Greatest Indulgence: Gossip Girls (she is embarrassed to admit!)
In her free time: What's that?
Dream vacation: Summer in the Dolomites
Home town: Woodside, CA
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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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December 3rd
Arts Showcase
Star Theater in Oceanside
7 p.m.
SOLD OUT!
December 5th
12th-Grade College Financial Aid Night
7-9 p.m.
December 6th
Faculty/Parent Education Series Harkness Discussion
Harkness and Performance: The Value of Students Being Heard
4-5:30 p.m.
December 16th
Half-Day of School
School Ends
12:30 p.m.
December 17th-
January 2nd
No School
Winter Break
January 3rd
School resumes
January 7th
Middle School
Open House
2-4 p.m.
January 10th
Upper School
Open House
3:30-5:00 p.m.
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A View from The Ridge 
