Pacific Ridge School Header
Pacific Ridge School DotsA View From The Ridge
Weekly E-Newsletter
October 31, 2013 
In This Issue
Bulletin Board
New & Noteworthy
Curricular Adventures
Service Learning in the Field
Parents Association
Sports on the Ridge
Beyond the Ridge
Faculty News
North County Happenings
New Faculty & Staff Snapshot
Snapshot from the Ridge

Each week, Pacific Ridge School invites you to enjoy a spontaneous view of school life.


Live Long and Prosper: The crew of Star Trek joins a multitude of costumed characters at the annual Halloween parade.

Bulletin Board

Reminder: Recycle Your Old Electronics! 
Bring your old computers, printers, cell phones, ink cartridges and more to Pacific Ridge during school hours on November 1st or the morning of November 2nd! Proceeds from this recycling event will help students in the Advanced Theater Arts class travel to Scotland next summer to perform at the American High School Theater Festival in Edinburgh.
Dates & Times: Friday, November 1st, 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. (not during drop-off or pick-up), and Saturday, November 2nd, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Place: Pacific Ridge campus, behind Middle School buildings

 
Admissions Open House on November 2nd

Come learn more about Pacific Ridge's programs and tour the campus! Please contact Monique Velde at mvelde@pacificridge.org to RSVP. Click here for all Open House dates and more information about the application process.

Date: Saturday, November 2nd

Time: Presentations start at 1:00 p.m., campus tours and conversations from 2:15 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Place: Pacific Ridge campus

 

Performing Arts Showcase on November 9th

Seats Still Available for Matinee

Prepare to be impressed by Pacific Ridge's talented singers, actors, dancers and musicians at the Performing Arts Showcase on November 9th. The evening performance has sold out, but there are still matinee seats available. To view the lineup of performers and purchase tickets, visit the Arts Information page on Haiku. Questions? Contact Mr. Dziekonski at sdziekonski@pacificridge.org. Get your tickets today!

Date: Saturday, November 9th

Times: 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Place: AVO Playhouse, 303 Main Street, Vista

 

No School on Monday, November 11th

Veteran's Day Observed

 

Middle School Challenge Day on November 14th

All 7th and 8th-grade students and all Pacific Ridge parents are invited and encouraged to take part in Middle School Challenge Day on November 14th. This powerful, high energy program unites and empowers students so they can contribute to a positive peer environment at school. Both Middle and Upper School parents are welcome to join Middle School students for the program. For more information and to sign up, please contact Mrs. Gorgueiro at vgorgueiro@pacificridge.org.

Date: Thursday, November 14th

Time: 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Place: Athletic Center

 

Reminder: Subscribe to Global Vantage

Readers can subscribe online to receive all three of this year's Global Vantage issues by mail. This beautiful, student-produced magazine features the theme of progress, with engaging stories and photographs from contributors worldwide. 

 

New & Noteworthy

 

Field Day 2013: Friendly Competition, Silliness & Fun!

On Friday, October 25th, students, faculty and staff teamed up for a variety of fierce and fanciful competitions at Pacific Ridge's seventh annual Field Day tournament. Teams threw themselves into such contests as 3/4/5-legged races, Chicken Toss, Hobby Horse Relay and Birdie on a Perch. At the end of the event, Team Blue defeated Team Black in a tie-breaking Tug-o-War to claim the Field Day cup for a third consecutive year. Team Black is already plotting next year's revenge...

 

 

Birdie on a Perch: a perennial Field Day favorite

 

Chicken tossing requires concentration and technique.

 

Faculty get into the Tug-o-War act.

 

Team Blue: Let the boasting begin!

 

View Field Day Photos on Facebook

To see more pictures from this year's Field Day, visit Pacific Ridge School's Facebook page.

 

Curious About Campus Plans?

Check out Dr. Ogle's latest blog post, in which he offers a quick glimpse into the next phase of campus development.

 

Curricular Adventures

Stopping By for a Quick "Bonjour"
On Tuesday, October 29th, students from Lycée Victor Duruy, a high school in Paris, briefly visited Pacific Ridge as part of a two-week southern California global trip. The French students toured the campus and stopped by Mr. Stella's Spanish 1 class to say hello in a number of languages. Mr. Stella is coordinating a two-week exchange program later this year that will bring more students from Victor Duruy to Pacific Ridge, and is accompanying students on this year's global trip to Paris and Provence. This will be the third year Pacific Ridge has held an exchange program with Lycée Victor Duruy.


Making acquaintances in multiple languages

Catch the Spirit of Cal Math League!
Pacific Ridge students are invited to participate in the Cal Math League. The program consists of monthly 30-minute contests, during which students address six creative and mind-bending math questions. Parents, encourage your children to stop by the Learning Commons during lunch and hone their problem-solving skills. It's fun! The next competition is coming up on Friday, November 8th. For more information, please visit the Math League website.

Service Learning in the Field

Seed Grant Applicants Seek to Help Communities in Need
On Wednesday, October 23rd, ten Pacific Ridge juniors presented proposals to earn funding assistance for local and global service projects they have designed. The students' plans include such endeavors as helping grant the wishes of teenage girls facing terminal cancer, redecorating the Recuperative Care Unit at the San Diego Rescue Mission, developing an app to help elementary school-aged children make good behavioral choices, designing and selling tee shirts to raise money for children in foster care and sending hydroponic lettuce kits to villages in Cambodia to help combat childhood blindness. The panel of invited judges praised the students' initiative and thoughtful planning. Grants of various sizes were awarded to each group, enabling students to move forward with their projects. Student participants included Kiana Ajir, Megan Chang-Haines, Tyler Chen, Natalie Dederich, Meghan Grogan, Olivia Prendergast, Noelle Reich, Nikelle Schlacter, Zoe Siddall and Margaret Zhao.



Parents Association

  

Reminder: Parent Grade-Level Parties 

Questions about grade-level parties? Contact the Parents Association at parentsassociation@pacificridge.org.

12th Grade: Saturday, November 2nd

8th Grade: Sunday, November 3rd

10th Grade: Saturday, November 16th

 

Pacific Ridge Walking Club

The Walking Club's first outing is on November 7th. Interested in joining? Contact the Parents Association at parentsassociation@pacificridge.org to be added to the group's contact list. An email will be sent soliciting input about future meeting dates, times and locations.

Date: Thursday, November 7th

Time: 8:15 a.m.

Place: Peet's Coffee, Bressi Ranch

 

Join the Pacific Ridge Book Club!

Parents are welcome to join the Parents Association Book Club for its next meeting on November 25th. The selected text is Ancient Light, by John Banville. In February, the group will be reading and discussing Quiet, by Susan Cain.

Date: Monday, November 25th

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Place: Library Learning Commons

 

eScrip - Help Support Pacific Ridge School!

Sign up for eScrip, and start earning money for Pacific Ridge School by having a percentage of your purchase dollars donated to the school! All you have to do is log on to escrip.com and register your Von's club card and/or debit and credit cards with eScrip. Over 700 online and storefront merchants partner with eScrip, including Von's, Seaside Market, Amazon, Nordstrom, and many more. When you register with eScrip, designate Pacific Ridge School under "Group Selection," or use our Group ID number: 500017582. If you have children at more than one school, eScrip will allow you to benefit up to three schools.

 

Sports on the Ridge

Winter Sports are Gearing Up
It's time to lace up those high tops and cleats - the winter sports season is beginning!

Upper School Basketball Tryouts
Boys: Saturday, November 16th, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Girls: Saturday, November 16th, from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Place: Athletic Center

Upper School Soccer Tryouts
Boys: Monday, November 18th, from 3:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Girls: Monday, November 18th, from 3:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Place: Athletic Field

Reminder: All Upper School winter athletes need to pick up Blue Cards from Coach Neptune prior to tryouts for their sport.

Middle School Sports
Students interested in boys or girls soccer or boys basketball will make their sports decisions during P.E. the first week of the second trimester. 

Questions about winter sports? Contact the Athletic Office at athletics@pacificridge.org.

Surf Team Makes Waves at First Meet of the Year
The Pacific Ridge Surf team faced Mt. Carmel High School at Ocean Beach on Sunday, October 27th in its first contest of the year. The Firebirds came away with a decisive 55 - 22 win in the team portion of the event. The following surfers went on to excel in the individual part of the competition:

Alex Hanlon: Champion, Female Shortboard
Sage Sanders: 3rd Place, Male Shortboard
Joon-ha Bae: 3rd Place, Bodyboard
Sean Benattou: Quarterfinals, Male Shortboard
Alex Filsinger: 2nd Round, Male Shortboard and Quarterfinals, Male Longboard
Alex Gorman: 2nd Round, Male Shortboard and Quarterfinals, Male Longboard
Stan Asadov: 2nd Round, Male Shortboard
Jo-Jo Biddle: 2nd Round, Male Shortboard
 

Scores:

Varsity Coed Cross Country
10/25/13 Mt. SAC Invitational, 3 miles

Boys:
Race 31 - 2nd out of 17 teams
Will Glockner - 9th Place medalist
Henry Poole - 10th Place medalist

Girls:
Race 35 - 6th out of 15 teams
Mina Fardeen - 12th Place medalist

Girls Varsity Volleyball
10/24/13 Maranatha Christian 2 1 W

Girls JV Volleyball
10/24/13 Maranatha Christian 2 0 W

Girls Frosh Volleyball
10/22/13 High Tech High 2 1 W

Girls Varsity Tennis
10/22/13 Bishop's 1 17 L

Coed Middle School Cross Country
10/23/13 South Coast Middle School League Meet
San Dieguito Park

Boys:
Rancho Santa Fe Middle School 15
Pacific Ridge 34
Horizon Prep 36

Girls:
Horizon Prep 14
Rancho Santa Fe Middle School 32
Pacific Ridge 42
 
Boys 8th-Grade Flag Football
10/22/13 Army Navy Academy 19 19 T

Boys 7th-Grade Flag Football
10/22/13 Tri-City Christian Schools 12 0 W

Girls Middle School A Volleyball
10/21/13 Santa Fe Christian Schools 2 1 W
10/24/13 Rancho Santa Fe Middle School 0 2 L

Girls Middle School B Volleyball
10/21/13 Santa Fe Christian Schools 2 0 W
10/24/13 Rancho Santa Fe Middle School 1 2 L

Girls Middle School White Volleyball
10/24/13 Rancho Santa Fe Middle School 2 0 W

Girls Middle School Blue Volleyball
10/24/13 Rancho Santa Fe Middle School 1 2 L

Beyond the Ridge

College Counseling Update
An exciting fall season of college visits, common applications and teacher recommendations is heading toward November 1st, the first big application deadline for many seniors. Students are busy fine-tuning applications, researching scholarships and tending to financial aid forms. Interest in Pacific Ridge continues to grow, with nearly 100 universities sending personal representatives to campus to meet students and engage in conversations about their activities and school programs. Please note the following upcoming events for seniors and other Pacific Ridge students and families:

Senior Parent Coffee on November 19th
Senior parents are invited to an optional Q & A session with the College Counseling team on November 19th. Bring any questions you may have!
Date: Tuesday, November 19th
Time: 7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Place: Middle School Commons

PLAN Test for Sophomores on November 25th
Sophomores will sit for the PLAN (practice ACT) at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, November 25th.

Financing College Program on December 2nd
Open to all Pacific Ridge families, this evening program will give an overview of college financial aid and tax planning.
Date: Monday, December 2nd
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: East Reading Room

College Night for Juniors and Parents on December 11th
Juniors and their families will start to explore the college search process at this evening information session. If PSAT scores arrive on schedule from the College Board, they will be returned to juniors at the conclusion of the program.
Date: Wednesday, December 11th
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Place: East Reading Room

Questions about College Counseling? Contact Ms. Bergmanis at rbergmanis@pacificridge.org.

Upcoming College Rep Visits:
Binghamton University; Davidson College; High Point University; Hobart and William Smith Colleges; Marymount California University; Oregon State University; University of Colorado at Boulder

Faculty News

Welcome to Our Newest Firebird!
Congratulations to teachers Amy Wasserman and Todd Burckin, who welcomed their second child, Corey Wasserman Burckin, on Monday, October 21st. Corey weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces and measured 19 inches at birth. All are doing well!



North County Happenings

Defeating Sticks and Stones: Author Speaks About Bullying
On Sunday, November 10th, Emily Bazelon, author of Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy, will be discussing her research into the complex issue of bullying and sharing advice with parents. Her presentation is the closing night event for the 19th annual San Diego Jewish Book Fair.
Date: Sunday, November 10th
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: Temple Solel, 3575 Manchester Avenue, Cardiff

New Faculty & Staff Snapshot
Samantha Sliney
Senior Accountant

 
Favorite Movie: Good Will Hunting
Favorite Sport to Watch: Baseball, softball or golf
Greatest Indulgence: Pasta and bread!
If You Make Her Breakfast: French Toast with fresh fruit and coffee
In Her Free Time: Enjoys yoga and spending time walking and running outside
Dream Vacation: Italy
Home Town: Enosburg Falls, VT


Pacific Ridge School Logo 





In a community that fosters academic excellence, ethical responsibility, and global engagement, Pacific Ridge School prepares students for college and a purposeful life.

Schedule of Events
Schedule of Event Calendar
November 1st
Electronics Recycling Drop-Off
8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

November 2nd
Electronics Recycling Drop-Off
8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

November 2nd Admissions Open House
1 - 4 p.m.

November 7th
Parent Walking Group
8:15 a.m.
Bressi Peet's

November 9th
Performing Arts Showcase
3 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

November 11th
NO SCHOOL
Veteran's Day

November 14th
Middle School Challenge Day
8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

November 15th
End of First Trimester

November 25th
Parent Book Club Meeting
7 p.m.

November 27th-29th
NO SCHOOL
Thanksgiving Holiday

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