| Snapshot from The Ridge |
Each week, Pacific Ridge School invites you to enjoy a spontaneous view of school life. 
Students celebrate at last Friday's pep rally. |
Bulletin Board
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Tickets Available for Singin' in the Rain
Tap, tap, tap...Is that the sound of raindrops? Or dancing feet? The performance dates for this year's musical, Singin' in the Rain, are right around the corner. Tickets are $15, and available online by clicking here or by visiting the school portal. Simply log in to "My Pacific Ridge" and click on the "Buy tickets for Singin' in the Rain" link in the "Arts Information" box on the bottom right. Don't miss out on what promises to be a great production!
Dates/Times:
Friday, February 24th @ 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 25th @ 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Place: Star Theatre in Oceanside
Shakespeare in the (Pacific Ridge) Park
The Pacific Ridge Theatre Arts Department is proud to announce that New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad will be collaborating with Pacific Ridge School to host a six-week summer theatre program beginning on July 9th and concluding on August 12th. Students will experience two weeks of intensive Shakespeare immersion, two weeks of mentorship with working artists while professionals and students rehearse Much Ado About Nothing, and two weeks of professional theatre performances of Much Ado About Nothing on the lawn at Pacific Ridge School, with the possibility of stage roles for students. Registration will begin in mid-February, and the program will be capped at twenty students. Please contact Alison Trattner at atrattner@pacificridge.org to learn more about this unusual and exciting opportunity to work with a professional, award winning theatre.
Global Vantage Call For Submissions
Global Vantage, the Pacific Ridge chapter of the Global Journal Project, is accepting submissions from the entire Pacific Ridge community (yes, that includes parents!) for its upcoming issue. The theme is "Across Borders," and editors are looking for stories about significant life moments experienced outside of one's own country. Writers are welcome to submit pieces in a number of genres, including anecdotes, in-depth reports, personal narratives, and short or serialized fiction. Interested writers can email pieces to submissions@vantage.thegjp.org. Questions? Please contact Steve Le at sle@pacificridge.org.
The Global Journal Project is an online and print platform through which students and school communities share stories and form relationships across geographical and cultural boundaries.
"Love Your Pets" Pet Supply Drive
The Middle School Service Learning group Animal Allies is sponsoring "Love Your Pets," a pet supply drive to benefit the County Animal Shelter in Carlsbad. They are collecting the following items from now until Valentine's Day:
towels
blankets
dog toys
Kongs
canned cat food
large Nylabones
cat toys
small & medium dog beds
Donations can be dropped off at the front desk of the main building, in the collection box labeled "Love Your Pets." Thank you for your support!
 Animal Allies members took Valentine's Day portraits,
including this one, with County Animal Shelter dogs.
The Birds' Nest, a student-run store whose profits benefit Service Learning groups at Pacific Ridge School, is excited to announce the arrival of some fantastic new items now available for purchase. In addition to the familiar yoga pants, sweatshirts, and pullovers, the Birds' Nest now offers a comfortable stadium seat, a warm outdoor PRS blanket, and an appliqué crewneck sweatshirt. Items will be on sale at upcoming athletic events as well as the school musical. Email birdsnest@pacificridge.org with inquiries or to make a purchase. The Birds' Nest accepts cash and personal checks made payable to "Parents Association." Thank you for supporting Service Learning at Pacific Ridge School!
Annual Fund: Going Strong, But We Still Need Your Help!
The Pacific Ridge School Annual Fund is going strong at 65% participation school-wide, and we are on track to reach 100% participation again this year. The Annual Fund helps bridge the gap between what tuition covers and what it costs to educate our students. All gifts are tax-deductible, and every gift counts equally toward participation. Help us reach our goal of 100% participation by making a commitment today. Click here for more information, as well as links to donate or pledge online. You can also contact Emma Balina at ebalina@pacificridge.org or 760-448-9883 to ask questions or to make a pledge. Thank you for your generous support!
Tax Receipts on Their Way
Tax receipts, which summarize each family's donation(s) to Pacific Ridge School during the 2011 calendar year, were sent in the U.S. mail this week. All Annual Fund and Breaking New Ground gifts made during 2011 are fully tax deductible and will be reflected on the receipt. Please feel free to contact Emma Balina with any questions: ebalina@pacificridge.org or 760-448-9883.
Reminders:
2012/13 Academic Calendar Available
The 2012/13 academic calendar is now available. Go to the "News & Events" drop-down menu on the website, click on "Calendar," and click on the link in the yellow box on the right-hand side. You can also download next year's academic calendar from the school portal - the link is under "School Information" on the right-hand side.
Opportunity to See Billy Collins at Dove Library
Billy Collins, former Poet Laureate of the United States, will speak at Dove Library in Carlsbad on February 9th. Parents are encouraged to attend the poetry reading, and to get a taste of what Pacific Ridge students experience earlier in the day when Mr. Collins performs a poetry reading on campus. A number of English classes are also currently engaged in Mr. Collins' Poetry 180 program, which includes starting each class with a student reading of a poem. Enjoy the chance to share in some great poetry!
Date: Thursday, February 9th
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Carlsbad City Library, 1775 Dove Lane
Admission is free, but seating is limited and on a first come, first served basis. For more information, go to the event website. |
New & Noteworthy
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Juniors Awarded Travel Grants for Year-End ProjectsJuniors Niraj Madhani, Sheyda Shapouri, Alex Ryan, and Casey Tirshfield were each awarded grants between $1,500 and $2,500 for their student-designed, year-end trips. All four finalists successfully presented their travel projects last week to an outside panel of judges. Niraj Madhani will travel to India, where he plans to help build composting bins for women in remote villages as part of a micro-financing program. Sheyda Shapouri will go to Iran to continue her "Project Persia" SEED Grand project from last year, sharing her English-Farsi language software program with remote schools in poorer sections of Iran and eastern Turkey. Alex Ryan will pursue service work in Brazil slums as part of his overall consideration of the spectrum of economic life there. Casey Tirshfield will head to Belarus for a 6+ week cultural and language immersion, with possible volunteer work at a hospital that looks after children suffering from long-term effects of the Chernobyl disaster. Congratulations to the finalists, and a warm "Thank you!" to the judges for lending their time and expertise in service to these budding and continuing projects.
Merry Wives Takes Shakespeare Competition
14 Finalists competed in last week's school-wide Shakespeare competition, all of whom deserve a huge round of applause. Bobby Leonard took first place for his performance of Ford's monologue (Act II, scene ii) from The Merry Wives of Windsor. He will go on to represent Pacific Ridge School at the City Semi-Finals of the English Speaking Union's 27th Annual Shakespeare Competition, held at the Old Globe Theatre on February 6th. Annika Gullahorn took second place for her performance of Portia's monologue (Act III, scene ii) from The Merchant of Venice, and Hannah Dickson earned third place with her rendering of Portia's monologue (Act II, scene i) from Julius Caesar. Honorable mentions went to Jennifer Curiel, Hunter Headapohl, and Margaret Zhao. Thank you to our panel of judges, all part of the extended Pacific Ridge community, and all strongly dedicated to the arts both at the school and in the greater San Diego community. |
| Curricular Adventures |
Last week, a group of students in eighth-grade physics took the classroom outside, where they launched pneumatic rockets. By timing the rocket flight times and applying kinematic equations, students were able to determine the muzzle velocity of the rockets, as well as their maximum altitudes. With that data in hand, students launched their rockets at a given angle in order to predict a particular landing spot - in this case, the position of their teacher, Mr. Blackington. Needless to say, students thoroughly enjoyed the day's lesson. A student pumps air to launch a pneumatic rocket.Upper School Graphic Design students recently completed a pattern project where they created four patterns around one self-selected theme, each 11" x 17". The works are both hand drawn and computer-generated, and show a variety of techniques for achieving pattern. Some of those techniques involved tessellation techniques, rotations, and reflections, which called on the students' knowledge of geometry. Stop by and take a look at the finished pieces if you are on campus - you can find them along both big walls in the West Reading Room. Seasons Diamonds
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Sports on the Ridge
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Surf Team Loses Narrowly
The Firebirds Surf team took part in an all-day contest at La Jolla Shores on Sunday, January 29th. The team lost narrowly by seven points in trying conditions to Steel Canyon High School. Individual results were as follows:
Alex Hanlon - 2nd place womens shortboard
Brian Vaughn - 2nd place bodyboard
Bryan Benattou - 1/4 finals mens shortboard
Sage Sanders - 1/4 finals mens shortboard
Jake Smith - Semi-finals mens longboard and 2nd round mens shortboard
Go Firebirds!
Reminders:
Girls Varsity Soccer Senior Recognition Day on 2/9
The Girls Varsity Soccer team will celebrate Senior Recognition Day before the team's final home game vs. Tri-City Christian on Thursday, February 9th. The game starts at 3:30 p.m., and the ceremony will take place right after the game. Come out and support our seniors!
Scores Boys Varsity Basketball
01/26/12 San Diego Jewish Academy Away 28 48 L
Boys Junior Varsity Basketball
01/26/12 San Diego Jewish Academy Away 31 52 L
Boys MS− A Basketball
01/23/12 Army Navy Academy Away 39 23 W
01/26/12 Rancho Santa Fe MS Home 49 6 W
Boys MS− B Basketball
01/23/12 Army Navy Academy Away 37 29 W
01/26/12 Rancho Santa Fe MS Home 31 34 L
Girls Varsity Basketball
01/26/12 San Diego Jewish Academy Away 39 13 W
Boys Varsity Soccer
01/24/12 Tri-City Christian Schools Home 6 0 W
01/27/12 Calvin Christian School of ESC Home 4 1 W
Boys MS− A Soccer
01/25/12 Horizon Christian School Home 3 2 W
Boys MS− B Soccer
01/27/12 Francis W. Parker School Away 2 2 T
Girls Varsity Soccer
01/24/12 Tri-City Christian Schools Away 3 0 W
01/26/12 Calvin Christian School of ESC Home 4 0 W
Girls MS− A Soccer
01/25/12 Horizon Christian School Home 5 0 W
Girls MS− B Soccer
01/27/12 Francis W. Parker School Away 3 1 W
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College and Beyond
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Gap Year Fair on February 26th
Families interested in learning about opportunities between high school and college: don't miss the Gap Year Fair on Sunday, February 26th. Sponsored by USA Gap Year Fairs, the event features reputable Gap Year organizations and gives students tools to learn more about options available to them. Questions? Contact Ruth Foresman at rforesman@pacificridge.org or 760-579-4905.
Date: Sunday, February 26th
Time: noon-2 p.m.
Place: Pacific Ridge campus
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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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February 2nd
Freshman College Counseling Night
East Reading Room
7 p.m.
February 4th
Middle School
Science Olympiad
@ Rancho Bernardo High School
8 a.m.
February 9th
Former Poet Laureate
Billy Collins at
Dove Library
7 p.m.
February 13th-20th
No School
Mid-Winter Break
School resumes on February 21st
February 18th
Upper School
Science Olympiad @ Del Norte High School
8 a.m.
February 24th
School Musical,
Singin' in the Rain
@ Star Theatre in Oceanside
7:30 p.m.
February 25th
School Musical, Singing' in the Rain
@ Star Theatre in Oceanside
2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
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A View from The Ridge 
