| Snapshot from the Ridge | |
Each week, Pacific Ridge School invites you to enjoy a spontaneous view of school life.
Gingerbread smoothies! Students in AP Environmental Science spread holiday cheer by providing healthy, organic smoothies during lunch.
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| Bulletin Board |
Half-Day Friday, December 20th
Busses depart at noon.
No School December 21st - January 5th
Enjoy your winter holiday!
Admissions Open House on January 11th
Families interested in Pacific Ridge School are encouraged to attend the Open House scheduled for Saturday, January 11th, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Come hear about the school and its programs from faculty and students. Presentations and activities will be followed by campus tours and informal discussions. Interested in attending? Please contact Monique Velde at mvelde@pacificridge.org to RSVP. Click here for more information about the application process.
Heading to High School for Eighth-Grade Parents
Eighth-grade parents are invited to a session on "Heading to High School" on January 14th, where they will learn what to expect as students make the transition to the Upper School. Course offerings and sample academic schedules will be discussed, as well as co-curriculars such as clubs, service learning and global travel. College Counseling will also give a brief presentation. Students will have their own introduction to Upper School programs during the school day. Come learn more about the Pacific Ridge Upper School experience!
Date: Tuesday, January 14th
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Place: East Reading Room
Save the Date for Kiss Me, Kate!
Show dates for Pacific Ridge's 6th annual musical production are Thursday through Saturday, February 6th - 8th. Performance times are 7:30 p.m., with an additional matinee at 2:00 p.m. on the 8th. You won't want to miss this delightful, Shakespeare-inspired romantic comedy with music by Cole Porter. Tickets go on sale in January.
 There's Still Time for the Head Start Holiday Gift Drive!
Want to make a child's holiday wish come true? Contribute to the Service Learning holiday gift drive supporting Head Start! Interested donors can participate by signing a gift register and picking up a gift tag with a child's name and wish list on it in the A Building lobby, high school lobby or library. One wrapped gift per child with its accompanying tag can be dropped off in the A Building or D Building no later than Tuesday, December 17th. Gifts will be delivered to the children at Head Start by the Building Blocks and Middle School Head Start service learning groups. Thank you for your support!
Annual Fund Going Strong
Pacific Ridge's Annual Fund made history last week! Faculty participation increased from 52% to 97%, and parent participation rose to 52% - the highest level ever recorded at this point in the year. Our goal is to reach 65% parent participation by December 31st, on the way to 100% participation by April 30th. If you would like to make a gift to the Annual Fund in the current tax year, please click here, or contact Emma Balina at ebalina@pacificridge.org. More information about the Annual Fund and the important programs it supports can be found on our website. Many gracious thanks to those who have already made pledges or gifts!
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| New & Noteworthy |
Upper School Service Learning Groups Present Plans
On Friday, December 6th, all 21 of this year's Upper School Service Learning groups took turns sharing their organizational plans with panels of faculty and staff. Students prepared thorough presentations covering the history of their groups, current activities, organizational structure and leadership, budgets, and short and long-term goals. Panelists asked questions, filled out evaluations and provided constructive criticism to help the groups address current challenges and achieve their objectives.
Students Attend Conference on Diversity
On December 4th -7th, six Pacific Ridge students joined Mr. Bray and Ms. Gorgueiro at the Student Diversity Leadership Conference in Washington, DC. The conference, sponsored by the National Association of Independent Schools, is a gathering for upper school student leaders to examine issues of diversity on high school campuses. The information gathered from presentations and workshops will help on-campus groups such as the Student Inclusivity Club and the Diversity, Inclusivity, Multiculturalism and Equality (DIME) group raise awareness about diversity in the Pacific Ridge community.
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| Educational Insights |
Head of School and Faculty Blogs Available on Website Interested in reflections on Pacific Ridge and all things educational? Visit our website blogs! Dr. Ogle's blog can be found on the "Head of School" page, while the faculty blog is located under "Campus Life." Check out these posts:
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| Curricular Adventures | |
Integration Colloquium Showcases Student Work
At Community Life on Wednesday, December 11th, both Upper and Middle School students and faculty were treated to presentations of exceptional academic work. Students nominated by their teachers spoke about projects ranging from statistical analyses and artistic mathematical computations to poetry, essays, photography, ethical decision-making and more. For their nominations, faculty members selected student work that reflected strong integration across disciplines, stressing the importance of integrated thinking to success in school and life beyond.
Just Passing the Time in Spanish Class...
Students in Seņor Burman's Spanish 2 and Spanish 4 classes recently celebrated "beating the clock" and their success at language immersion. To motivate his students to stay in their target language, Seņor Burman keeps a special clock on the wall of his classroom. At the start of each class, he inserts a battery into the clock. As soon as a word of English is spoken, the battery comes out until the beginning of the next class period. When 15 hours of Spanish speaking have been duly clocked - it's fiesta time! Students celebrate by playing Spanish Scrabble, watching the Latin Grammy's and eating pandulce. Light-hearted rivalry between classes adds to the fun.
Seņor Burman and his immersion clocks
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| Service Learning in the Field | |
Notes of Hope Spreads Cheer Through Music
Students in the Upper School service learning group Notes of Hope use music therapy to promote health and happiness in the community. Each month, the group performs for audiences in hospitals, retirement homes and other health care facilities. Notes of Hope members have been working hard to develop a repertoire of music appropriate for their audiences, focusing on pieces that soothe and uplift their listeners.
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| Parents Association |
Faculty & Staff Appreciation Drive Ends Tomorrow
Don't miss this opportunity to show how much you appreciate Pacific Ridge's employees. Simply make a donation to the Holiday Appreciation Drive and the funds will be used to purchase gift cards for all teachers and staff. Check contributions (made payable to PRS Parents Association) may be placed in the secure box in the lobby of the A building, or you can pay from home using PayPal. Instructions can be found on the Parents Association page in Haiku. The drive ends tomorrow - Friday, December 13th. Thank you!
Gingerbread Breakfast - Help Wanted! 
The 7th annual Pacific Ridge Gingerbread Breakfast is coming up on Friday, December 20th. The event treats almost 700 students, faculty, staff and alumni to a fun, relaxed holiday breakfast on the last half-day of school before winter break. Parents, we need your assistance! Volunteers are needed to bake or bring items for the breakfast. A few volunteers are also needed to help receive these donations on Thursday December 19th during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. To see a list of requested items and to sign up, please click here. Questions? Please email the Parents Association at parentsassociation@pacificridge.org. Thank you for supporting this Pacific Ridge tradition!
 Walking Club on December 19th Interested in joining the walking club? Contact the Parents Association at parentsassociation@pacificridge.org to be added to the group's contact list. Date: Thursday, December 19th Time: 8:45 a.m. Place: Torrey Pines State Reserve (meet by the South Beach entrance booth) Parking: Free along the beach, for fee inside the parking lot Join the Pacific Ridge Book Club! The Parents Association Book Club next meets on February 24th. The selected text is Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain. Join us! Date: Monday, February 24th Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: Library Learning Commons Reminder: Holiday Shop with eScrip Are you an eScrip user? Please take a few moments to register your credit and debit cards by visiting My eScrip, then do your holiday shopping by visiting eScrip and selecting "At the Online Mall." Click on the merchant you want, and you will be taken to its site. Once there, use your registered cards to shop, and automatically earn important funding for Pacific Ridge School! To make the process easier, download the 'Auto Earn Icon' onto your computer, and you will be prompted every time you enter an online site that supports eScrip. Have eScrip questions? Please email parentsassociation@pacificridge.org.
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| Sports on the Ridge |
Fall Sports Teams Celebrated
On Tuesday, December 10th, Upper School fall sports teams were celebrated for their successful seasons, which included three varsity teams' inclusion in either CIF playoffs or CIF state meets. The following athletes also received individual recognition:
Boys Varsity Cross Country
Firebird Award: Henry Poole
Oz Inspirational Award: Will Glockner
Most Improved: Matthew Peterschmidt
Honors the Game: Eric Straw
Girls Varsity Cross Country
Firebird Award: Delaney Miller
Oz Inspirational Award: Emily Chong
Most Improved: Touran Fardeen
Honors the Game: Lauren Lipman
Girls Varsity Tennis
Firebird Award: Avery Rogers
Coach's Award: Paige Miller
Head, Heart & Hustle: Amanda Mickelson
Girls Varsity Volleyball
Firebird Award: Roxanne Corbeil
Most improved: Catherine Ames
Coach's Award: Kelly Cortes
Girls JV Volleyball
Coach's Award: Taite Jorgenson
Girls Frosh Volleyball
Coach's Award: Skyler Baldwin
Isabella Salant Named to All-CIF Second Team
Congratulations to senior Isabella Salant, who earned All-CIF Second Team honors for girls Golf.
Firebird Tipoff Tournament Celebrates Inaugural Year
Pacific Ridge was host to eight boys basketball teams from area schools for the first annual Firebird Tipoff Tournament. Play covered four days of spirited and friendly competition. Congratulations to tournament winners, The Bishop's School.
Scores:
Boys JV Basketball
12/04/13 Orange Glen High School 33 23 W
Girls Varsity Basketball (Ueberroth Classic)
12/02/13 Sage Hill 32 27 W
12/03/13 Tarbut V' Torah 35 30 W
12/04/13 Saddleback Valley Christian 23 28 L
12/05/13 Saddleback Valley Christian (finals) 13 40 L
Boys Varsity Soccer
12/03/13 Carlsbad High School (scrimmage) 3 2 W
12/06/13 Mission Hills High School 1 4 L
Boys JV Soccer
12/06/13 Mission Hills High School 0 10 L
Girls Varsity Soccer
12/07/13 Chula Vista High School 3 1 W
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| Beyond the Ridge | |
College Night for Sophomores and Parents on January 8th
Pacific Ridge 10th graders and their parents are invited to College Night for Sophomores on Wednesday, January 8th. Families will learn how to interpret PSAT and PLAN score reports, which will be distributed at the program. In addition, the college office will offer tips on campus visits, searching summer opportunities, and the advanced college search engine of Naviance. The evening program is mandatory for all sophomores and one parent. Please bring your questions!
Date: Wednesday, January 8th
Time: 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Place: East Reading Room
Gap Year Fair on January 14th
Families interested in learning more about opportunities between high school and college: don't miss the San Diego Gap Year Fair being held at Francis Parker School on Tuesday, January 14th, at 6:00 p.m. The event features reputable Gap Year organizations and gives students tools to learn more about options available to them. For more information, please visit the USA Gap Year Fairs website.
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| Class Notes |
Jennifer Mastrianni '14 Earns Green Roof Accreditation The industry association Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (GRHC) last week recognized senior Jen Mastrianni among the 88 Green Roof Professionals who received accreditation this year. To earn her certificate, Jen completed green roof coursework and passed a challenging accreditation exam. Likely the only high school student in the program, Jen studied alongside architects, landscape contractors, engineers and other industry professionals. GRHC is a professional organization that promotes awareness of the economic, social and environmental benefits of green roofs and other forms of living architecture. Jen hopes her enhanced knowledge of green roofs will help her spread the word about this form of sustainable technology.
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| Alumni News |
Alumni Family Reception on December 18th
All Pacific Ridge alumni and their families are invited to a winter reception on Wednesday, December 18th, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. This is a wonderful time for alumni to reconnect with one another and celebrate the holiday. Dinner will be provided. Please RSVP to Emma Balina at ebalina@pacificridge.org, or 760-448-9883.
 Inaugural Alumni-Student Soccer Match
On Friday, January 10th, Pacific Ridge's Firebirds will face a competitor unlike any other - graduated Firebirds! Please join us for our inaugural coed Alumni-Student soccer match. Carpooling is encouraged! Come cheer on our soccer players - current students or alums!
Date: Friday, January 10th
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Place: Athletic Field
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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 18th
Alumni Family Reception
6-8 p.m.
December 20th
Half Day
December 21st - January 5th
NO SCHOOL
Winter Break
January 11th
Admissions Open House
1-4 p.m.
January 14th
Heading to High School for 8th-Grade Parents
6:30 p.m.
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A View From The Ridge
