| Snapshot from the Ridge | |
Each week, Pacific Ridge School invites you to enjoy a spontaneous view of school life.
Upper School Blue Key members welcome students to Orientation.
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| Bulletin Board |
Student & Faculty BBQ on August 30th
Pacific Ridge students and faculty are invited to enjoy an afternoon BBQ, complete with burgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs and refreshments.
Date: Friday, August 30th
Time: 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Place: Campus Lawn
No School on Monday, September 2nd
Enjoy Labor Day Weekend!
Global Travel Program Launch on September 3rd
11th and 12th graders and their families are invited to learn more details about this year's school-arranged trip offerings.
Date: Tuesday, September 3rd
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Place: East Reading Room
Save the Date for Parent Information Nights
Please mark your calendars for these evening programs, which will provide information about important events and expectations for your child's school year. All meetings will take place at 6:30 p.m.
12th Grade: Wednesday, September 11th
8th Grade: Thursday, September 12th
10th Grade: Tuesday, September 17th
11th Grade: Wednesday, September 25th
Picture Day is on Tuesday, September 17th.
Back-to-School Night on September 19th
Come prepared to meet Pacific Ridge teachers and have a mini-experience of your child's day at school. Bring along any questions you may have.
Date: Thursday, September 19th
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Place: Athletic Center
Middle School Orchestra Offers Challenge & Fun 
Parents, encourage your children to check out the Middle School Orchestra! All instruments and levels are welcome. Students who sign up for a complete trimester can take part in performances, which this year include the November Arts Showcase and a March music festival in Anaheim. The Anaheim performance is accompanied by a trip to Disneyland. Rehearsals take place during Middle School clubs period. Questions? Contact Mr. Morell at smorell@pacificridge.org.
Where to Drop Off Forms
Parents, kindly turn in any forms or paperwork still due for your children to Ms. Bledsoe at the Building A reception desk. Building A is now located at the north end of campus, adjacent to Mullady Hall.
Have You Checked Out Haiku?
Pacific Ridge is pleased to introduce Haiku, a new online learning management system. Haiku holds information about student classes and activities, as well as general school information and calendars. To access your account, simply go to pacificridge.org and click on My Pacific Ridge. For Haiku, click on the lefthand link (For My Backpack, click on the righthand link. The username and password is the same for each). Explore your personalized Haiku portal and all the information it holds. Need help? Please email our IT Department, and be sure to put the words "Haiku Help" in the subject line of your email.
Security: New Uniforms, Great Service
You may notice new uniforms on our security guards. Pacific Ridge contracts with Universal Protection Service for security whenever students are on campus. Please feel free to introduce yourself to our helpful guards and seek their assistance for even the smallest need.
Ordering from Land's End
It's easy to order school uniforms from Land's End. Simply go to Landsend.com/school and create or sign in to your account. Include your student and school information in My Account and start shopping with your personalized product checklist. Land's End has frequent sales, so be sure to sign up to receive exclusive on-line offers.
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| New & Noteworthy | |
7th and 9th Grade Students Enjoy Orientation, Trip to Julian
7th and 9th graders visited campus early to get acquainted and prepare to start middle and upper school at Pacific Ridge. Students participated in games and activities, went on a campus scavenger hunt, received information about school technology systems and shared a community lunch before heading out to Julian for overnight retreats.
7th graders jump into Orientation with a game of Birdie on a Perch.
Games and activities continue at Camp Stevens in Julian.
9th graders waiting in line for the Camp Stevens ropes course...
...getting strapped in...
...and letting go!
Challenge Day Inspires for Second Year in a Row
On August 26th and 27th, over 150 Pacific Ridge Upper School students, parents, faculty, coaches and staff members participated in Challenge Day, a program designed to help students build a supportive and inclusive community. Through a series of activities, Challenge Day eases participants out of their comfort zone, encouraging them to connect with others on a deep, authentic level. Students and adults alike found the experience transformative and are committed to keeping the spirit of Challenge Day strong at Pacific Ridge. Several clubs and campus groups, such as the Be The Change club and the DIME (Diversity, Inclusivity, Multiculturalism & Equity) group will be working on themes related to Challenge Day throughout the year. For more information about Challenge Day, click here.
Challenge Day facilitator Katie explains the goals of the day.
Students Travel to South Korea for Summer Global Trip
Seniors Emily St. Marie, CJ Triana and Anny Huang spent five weeks this summer on a student-designed global trip to South Korea. The trio interned at Paedea, a language institution serving students in Seoul. Mornings were spent developing classroom materials, and afternoons were devoted to independent projects which included studying and blogging about the teaching process, analyzing which aspects of language acquisition are most challenging for children at various ages, and helping to develop Paedea's library collection of audio-recorded books. The students spent the first half of their trip staying at a guest house in Seoul, then transitioned to homestays for the balance of their visit.
All three students are members of service learning group Lingo Online, and are excited to incorporate what they learned into the group's work teaching English to students in Korea via Skype.
 Experiencing the climate and culture of South Korea
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| Service Learning in the Field |
Upper School Service Learning Seeks Parent Volunteers Pacific Ridge is looking for volunteers with business and entrepreneurial experience to assist with leadership training sessions for Pacific Ridge students in the Upper School Service Learning program. The training will be run in partnership with Junior Achievement of San Diego. Volunteering would require one hour of in-person or phone preparation with Junior Achievement prior to September 5th, one or two 90-minute training sessions working with students on September 5th and/or September 19th, from 12:00 - 1:30 p.m., and possible future training times working with service learning groups. For more information, please contact Dr. Burckin at tburckin@pacificridge.org. |
| Sports on the Ridge | |
Upper School Sports Are in Play
Upper School sports teams have been training for several weeks, preparing for the beginning of fall competition. Girls Varsity Tennis officially launches the fall Firebird athletic season with a match against High Tech High on September 3rd. Varsity, JV and Frosh Girls Volleyball start their season at home when they take on Calexico High School on September 4th. The Co-Ed Cross Country team will be setting the pace at its first meet, the Bronco Roundup Invitational, on September 7th. Check A View From the Ridge weekly for scores and highlights.
Go Firebirds!
Girls Varsity Volleyball prepares for the season.
Be a Firebird Fan!
Game times and locations for all Pacific Ridge athletic events can be found here. Schedules are subject to change, so please check regularly for accurate information.
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| Beyond the Ridge | |
Senior-Parent Information Night on September 11th
As noted in the Bulletin section above, this meeting will take place on September 11th and will cover many of the important events and details of the senior year. Attendance is mandatory for at least one parent per family.
Date: Wednesday, September 11th
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Place: East Reading Room
Boston College Information Session on September 15th
Date: Sunday, September 15th
Time: 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Place: East Reading Room
College information for Juniors and Seniors on Naviance
To keep abreast of College Counseling news and events, please regularly check your Naviance Family Connections account. If you need assistance with your login information, please contact Ms. Bergmanis at rbergmanis@pacificridge.org.
College Reps Are On the Way
Seniors: Don't miss your opportunity to meet with college representatives who will be visiting the Pacific Ridge campus throughout the fall. Unless otherwise noted, all meetings will take place in the College Counseling office. The full list of college rep visits can be found in student and parent Naviance accounts. Questions? Contact Ms. Bergmanis at rbergmanis@pacificridge.org.
Week of September 16th
Arizona State University; Claremont McKenna College; College of Charleston; Pomona College; Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering; Kenyon College; Loyola University New Orleans; Ohio State University; Seattle University; State University of New York, Albany
Week of September 23rd
Grinnell College; Union College; University of British Columbia; University of Chicago; University of New England; Western New England University
Week of September 30th
Harvey Mudd College; Muhlenberg College; New York University, Abu Dhabi; Texas Christian University; University of Arizona; University of Richmond; Wagner College
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| Alumni News |
Alumni Interns Spend Busy Summer on Campus Four alumni interns were hard at work this summer, assisting Pacific Ridge in several important ways. Among their contributions: supporting the Alumni Relations department, organizing a photo archive for the school, serving as a counselor for the Firebird Summer Day program and helping the Facilities Department temporarily relocate administrative offices during the Building A move. Thank you to the following interns for a job well done: Katie Carmody '12, Cami Garecht '11, Rachel Latterich '12 and Abby Perelman '12.
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| New Faculty & Staff Snapshot |
Favorite Book: Love Does by Bob Goff Favorite Movie: The Sound of Music Favorite Sport to Play or Watch: Football and basketball Greatest Indulgence: Popcorn - Kettle Corn is even greater! If you Make Her Breakfast: Hashbrowns, bacon, one egg over medium - yum! In Her Free Time: Goes to the movie theater Dream Vacation: Italy - to eat all the pizza she can get Hometown: Tallahassee, FL
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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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August 30th
Student & Faculty BBQ
3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
September 2nd
No School
Labor Day
September 3rd
11th & 12th Grade Global Program Launch
6:30 p.m.
September 11th
Senior Parent Information Night
6:30 p.m.
September 12th
8th Grade Parent Information Night
6:30 p.m.
September 17th
Picture Day
10th Grade Parent Information Night
6:30 p.m.
September 19th
Back-to-School Night
6:30 p.m.
September 25th
11th Grade Parent Information Night
6:30 p.m.
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A View From The Ridge
