Pacific Ridge School Header
Pacific Ridge School DotsA View From The Ridge
Weekly E-Newsletter
October 23, 2014
In This Issue
Bulletin Board
Construction Strides
New & Noteworthy
Curricular Adventures
Service Learning In The Field
Parents Association
Sports on the Ridge
Beyond the Ridge
New Faculty & Staff Snapshot
San Diego Happenings
Snapshot from the Ridge

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


Senior Max Levin captured this stunning image of star trails during 
an Astronomy Club camping trip last weekend.

Bulletin Board

 

Come Discuss Academic Excellence at Pacific Ridge!

Parents who were not able to sign up for a small-group Harkness discussion about academic excellence at Pacific Ridge are invited to attend an open table discussion on November 4th. What does academic excellence mean at Pacific Ridge? What does it mean to you? Bring your thoughts and questions with you to this interactive session.

Date: Tuesday, November 4th

Time:  6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Place: Mullady Hall

RSVP: RSVP to Stephanie Furling at sfurlong@pacificridge.org with your name and the number of people attending
    
Upcoming Middle and Upper School Social Events!
Middle School students: Middle School students are invited to an evening of ghoulish fun! The Halloween celebration will include snacks, movies, dancing and themed activities. School-appropriate costumes are encouraged. This event is free. 
Date: Saturday, October 25th
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Place: Middle School Commons

 

Upper School students: Upper School students are invited to a "PJ Movie Night." Students will vote on a movie, enjoy popcorn, candy, and food from Back Alley Grill, and play ping-pong and Wii games! This event is free. 
Date: Friday, October 24th
Time: 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Place: Athletic Center 

 

 

Performing Arts Showcase on November 8th

Prepare to be impressed by Pacific Ridge's talented singers, actors, dancers and musicians at the Performing Arts Showcase on November 8th. Click here to reserve your seats. Tickets are going fast, so don't delay!

Date: Saturday, November 8th

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Place: AVO Playhouse, 303 Main Street, Vista

 

This Year's Annual Fund is Off and Running!

This week marks the kickoff of the 2014-2015 Annual Fund Campaign. Be on the look-out for Annual Fund materials to arrive in the mail. This year's goals are to raise $550,000 and to once again reach 100% school-wide participation. The Annual Fund supports each of Pacific Ridge School's mission elements, and your support makes a meaningful difference for our school and our students. For more information or to pledge or donate online, visit our Annual Fund web page. Please contact Nisa Conway at nconway@pacificridge.org with any questions.

  

Admissions Applications Available 

Applications are now available for families interested in applying to Pacific Ridge for the 2015-2016 school year. The first Admissions Open House is on Saturday, November 15th, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., with presentations followed by campus tours. Interested in attending an Open House event? To RSVP, please contact Admissions Assistant Tiffany Murphy at 760-448-9841 or tmurphy@pacificridge.org. Click here for all Open House dates and more information about the application process.

 

Construction Strides


All the trimmings: Workers install wood trim on the overhang 
of the new Middle School building. 
 
New & Noteworthy

 

Good Causes and Good Times Found at Fall Fest 

Pacific Ridge families and friends gathered on Saturday, October 18th to support student service-learning groups and clubs while celebrating the changing seasons. Attendees enjoyed perennial Fall Fest favorites such as the bake sale, faculty dunk tank, musical performances, and Model U.N. carwash; all while learning about, and contributing to, worthwhile causes. Thank you to all of the hard-working volunteers, students and staff who made Fall Fest such a great success. To see more Fall Fest pictures please visit the Pacific Ridge Facebook page. 

 

Delicious baked goods as far as the eye can see!

 

Sebastian Green '15 entertains the crowd.

 

 

Dr. Ogle plunges into the fun at the Dunk Tank.

 

 

Project Dance sells candy for a cause - 

funding dance scholarships for underserved children.


 

Curricular Adventures

 

Chemistry Students Conduct The Classics  
This week, students in Mr. Emmerson's 10th-grade Chemistry class helped orchestrate a symphony of chemical reactions. In synchronized motion, the group mixed a solution of 
hydrogen peroxide with potassium iodide, starch and sodium thiosulfate. The resulting reaction causes clear liquid to turn dark blue in the blink of an eye. The solution in each student's beaker differed in order to time the reaction to the tune of Beethoven's 5th symphony. Click the image below to watch a video of the classic iodine clock experiment with a classical twist. 


Spanish Students Prepare for Dia de los Muertos
Preparations for Day of the Dead festivities are underway in the Pacific Ridge Spanish department. The Mexican holiday, which is a time to celebrate and pray for loved ones who have passed away, takes place October 31st through November 2nd. Students have been learning about the origins and traditions of the holiday, as well as completing projects and crafts for class celebrations.


Middle School students decorate colorful calavera mobiles.
 
Service Learning In The Field

 

FAST Connects with Special Needs Teens

Students in Upper School service learning group FAST (Friends Assisting Special-Needs Teens) regularly visit students at The Country School in San Marcos to engage in crafts, conversation, and games with young adults with Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, ADD/ADHD, and other forms of mild to moderate disabilities affecting learning, behavior, and social skills. The friendships are a highlight for both sets of students.

 

 

 

Parents Association

 

Thank You Fall Fest Volunteers and Donors!

The Parents Association would like to express appreciation to everyone who donated items, money and time to make this year's Fall Fest a success. By supporting the efforts of Pacific Ridge service learning groups and clubs, you have helped numerous organizations continue to do good works here and around the world! 

 

Parent Book Club Meeting On November 3rd

The Pacific Ridge Parent Book Club will meet to discuss Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail, by Cheryl Strayed.  The Book Club is open to all Pacific Ridge parents and we hope to see you there. 

Date: Monday, November 3rd

Time: 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Place: Pacific Ridge Library 

 

Parent Grade-Level Parties

If you have not received an evite for your grade-level party, please contact the Parents Association at parentsassociation@pacificridge.org.

11th Grade: Saturday, October 25th, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

8th Grade: Saturday, November 1st, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

   

WeCare Presents Author Ashley Merryman

WeCare and the Pacific Ridge Parents Association present Ashley Merryman, author of the popular books Nurtureshock and Top Dog. Merryman will be giving two separate talks addressing the topics covered in each of her books on November 4th and 5th. The events are free and open to the San Diego community. 

 

Nurtureshock: New Thinking about Children

Date:  Tuesday, November 4th

Time:  6:30 p.m.

Place:  The Bishops School, La Jolla

 

Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing

Date:  Wednesday, November 5th

Time:  9:00 a.m.

Place:  Warren Walker School, Mission Valley 

 

Athletics 

Girls Varsity Volleyball Finds Success in Phoenix

The Girls Varsity Volleyball team traveled to Phoenix last weekend to compete in the Nike Tournament of Champions. The level of talent in the tournament was extremely high, but the Firebirds had no trouble rising to the occasion and engaging in competitive games with highly-ranked Division 1 opponents. They finished the tournament 22nd out of 65 teams overall, and 6th out of the 16 teams in their division. The team experienced success off the court as well, taking first place in the tournament's annual lip-sync competition! Teams were asked to submit a lip-sync video to one of five approved songs prior to arrival at the tournament. During the tournament's opening ceremony, a panel of judges announced the Firebirds as overall winners for their rendition of "Let it Go." Their prize? New, personalized Nike uniforms just in time for playoffs! Click the image below to watch the team's winning video. 

 


Home Games, Week of October 27th
Schedules are subject to change, so please check Schedulestar regularly for accurate information.

10/27/14
4:00 p.m. - Girls JV 'B' Volleyball vs. San Diego Jewish Academy

10/29/14
4:00 p.m. - Girls Varsity Volleyball vs. Classical Academy High 
6:00 p.m. - Girls JV 'A' Volleyball vs. Classical Academy High
6:00 p.m. - Girls JV 'B' Volleyball vs. Classical Academy High

10/30/14 
3:30 p.m. - Boys 8th-Grade Flag Football vs. Maranatha Christian
4:30 p.m. - Coed 7th-Grade Flag Football vs. Maranatha Christian




   

Scores:

Girls Varsity Volleyball
Nike Tournament of Champions
10/17 Eastlake High School 2 1 W
          Deer Valley High School 2 0 W
          Millenium High School 0 2 L
10/18 Cathedral Catholic 0 2 L
          St. Paul High School 2 0 W
          Millenium High School 0 2 L 

Girls JV 'B' Volleyball
10/16/14 High Tech High 2 0  W 

Girls Varsity Tennis 
10/14/14 La Jolla Country Day School 4 14 L
10/16/16 The Bishop's School 3 15 L 

Coed Varsity Cross Country
10/16/14 Coastal League Cluster #1 
Boys: 5th place - Will Glockner; 8th place - Ian Cohen
Girls: 9th place - Lynnlee Duck-Reynolds; 11th place - Lili Muskal 

Coed Middle School Cross Country
10/15/14 South Coast Middle School League Meet
Boys: 2nd place - Zach Fraher; 3rd place - Luc Clark
Girls: 1st place - Megan Martindale; 3rd place - Zoe Erturk

Correction: 10/8 Coed Middle School South Coast League Meet 2nd place - Zach Fraher

Girls Middle School 'A' Volleyball
10/14/14 Horizon Prep 2 0 W

Girls Middle School 'White' Volleyball
10/14/14 Horizon Prep 2 0 W 

Girls Middle School 'Blue' Volleyball 
10/14/14 Horizon Prep 2 0 W
10/16/14 Rancho Santa Fe Middle School 2 0 W

Boys 8th-Grade Flag Football
10/14/14 Rancho Santa Fe Middle School 14 26 L
10/16/14 Horizon Prep 26 12 W 

Coed 7th-Grade Flag Football 
10/14/14 Rancho Santa Fe Middle School 7 19 L
10/16/14 Horizon Prep 24 6 W

Beyond the Ridge

College Representatives Are On Their Way: 

Week of October 20th
American University; Barnard College; Bennington College; California State University, Chico; Chapman University; College of Charleston; College of the Holy Cross; Davidson College; Duke University; Franklin College Switzerland; The Glasgow School of Art; Hobart and William Smith Colleges; Kalamazoo College; Lasell College; Lewis & Clark College; Louisiana State University; Loyola University Chicago; Loyola University New Orleans; Mills College; Pomona College; Providence College; Reed College; Santa Clara University; Sarah Lawrence College; Seattle University; Simmons College; University of Colorado at Boulder; University of Michigan; University of Notre Dame; University of Rochester; University of St. Andrews; Ursinus College; Wheaton College, MA; Western New England University 

Week of October 27th
Bowdoin College; Colorado College; Colorado State University; Dartmouth College; Gonzaga University; Hendrix College; Northwestern University; Occidental College; Oregon State University; Seattle University; Smith College; Stevens Institute of Technology; Stonehill College; Syracuse University; Trinity College; Trinity University; University of Kansas; University of Richmond; University of San Diego; Washington College; Wellesley College  

 New Faculty & Staff Snapshot 

 

 

Alex Frumovitz, Science  

 

Favorite or most recent book? Recent: One Way Out:The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band, by Alan Paul

Favorite movie? The Royal Tenenbaums

Favorite sport to play or watch? Soccer

Greatest indulgence? Chocolate peanut butter anything

If you make her breakfast? Bacon!

In her free time? Heads to the beach with family

Dream vacation? Rent a house with an amazing chef in Italy or France

Hometown? Venice, CA. Go Gondoliers!

  
San Diego Happenings

 
Tech to Reconnect at the San Diego Zoo
On the evenings of October 12th and December 10th, the San Diego Zoo will be hosting "Tech to Reconnect," a conversation series focused on discovery, exploration, and the way technology helps us to connect with nature. November's conversation will feature presentations from Google's Head of Global Education and Marketing, the Chief Executive Officer of TechShop, and the Director of Global Communications at GoPro. Click here for more information or to purchase tickets. This event is for both students and adults.
 

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
October 24th

Field Day/Spirit Day

After School BBQ

 

Upper School 

"PJ Movie Night"

7 p.m.

 

October 25th

11th Grade 

Parent Party

6 p.m.

 

Middle School Halloween Party

6:30 p.m.

 

November 1st

8th-Grade Parent Party

5:30 p.m.

 

November 3rd

Parent Book Club

7 p.m.

 

November 4th

WeCare Presentation

6:30 p.m.

 

November 5th

WeCare Presentation

9 a.m.

 

November 8th

Performing Arts Showcase

7:30 p.m.

 

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