Pacific Ridge School Header
Pacific Ridge School DotsA View From The Ridge
Weekly E-Newsletter
November 6, 2014
In This Issue
Bulletin Board
Educational Insights
New & Noteworthy
Curricular Adventures
Service Learning In The Field
Parents Association
Sports on the Ridge
Beyond the Ridge
Class Notes
Alumni News
New Faculty & Staff Snapshot
Snapshot from the Ridge

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


The World Languages Department set up a traditional altar in Mullady Hall as part of its Dia de los Muertos celebrations. Students and faculty contributed memorabilia and photos in honor of loved ones that have passed away. 
Bulletin Board

 

Performing Arts Showcase on November 8th!

Tickets for the annual Performing Arts Showcase are currently sold out. In an effort to allow as many families see the show as possible, we ask that you return any tickets you do not plan to use by calling Keri at the Avo Playhouse, 760-643-5269. If you are still hoping to buy tickets, please check the ticket website daily to see if seats have become available.

Date: Saturday, November 8th

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Place: AVO Playhouse, 303 Main Street, Vista

 

Buy Your Performing Arts Showcase DVD!

DVDs of the November 8th Showcase performances are available for purchase here. The cost of each DVD is $15.  

 

 No School on Monday, November 10th

 Veteran's Day Observed

 

Middle School TB Screening on November 11th 

One of our most popular middle school service learning partners, ARC, can only host students who have been screened for tuberculosis within the last 12 months. Without more students receiving TB screenings, we won't be able to send service groups to ARC during the rest of the school year. For your convenience, TB screening will be offered on campus on Tuesday, November 11th. For more information about required forms and fees, please check your email for a notification from Ms. Behr. Questions? Contact the school nurse at 760-448-9820. Thank you in advance for your important support of our Middle School Service Learning program.

  

Blood Drive On November 20th

Pacific Ridge School will hold its first blood drive of the year on Thursday, November 20th, from 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. To view available appointments and schedule your donation time, please click here and enter Sponsor Code "PARS." Questions? Contact Jacqueline Fremgen at jfremgen@pacificridge.org.

 

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.

 

Happy Thanksgiving! No School November 26th to 28th

 

Educational Insights 

Click here to read Dr. Ogle's latest blog post: "Generations of Social Entrepreneurs." 
New & Noteworthy

 

Halloween Parade Showcases Scary-Good Creativity

On Friday, October 31st, Pacific Ridge students and faculty got into the Halloween spirit with an afternoon parade and costume contest. Students showcased their terrifying, clever and humorous costumes in front of a crowd of their peers and a panel of judges. Student Body President Christian Potter was on hand to emcee the event and ask relevant questions including, "What are you, exactly?" Winning costumes included a literal interpretation of actor Kevin Bacon, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles duo, a bloodthirsty vampire, and a group of "Noble Gases." Visit the Pacific Ridge Facebook page to view more photos from the day. 

 

 

The "Noble Gases" reigned supreme, winning Best Group Costume. 

 

    This social media-inspired costume got plenty of "likes."    

 The comics came to life with this take on the Peanuts gang.  

Curricular Adventures

 

Students Shed Light on Photosynthesis

This week, Dr. Burckin's AP Biology class gained a splash of color while exploring the process of photosynthesis. Students hole punched fresh spinach leaves, then infiltrated the spinach chads with a sodium bicarbonate mixture that caused them to sink to the bottom of a solution-filled beaker. As photosynthesis occurred, newly-created oxygen filled the intercellular spaces and caused the spinach to rise. The rate at which the disks rose to the surface is an indirect measurement of the rate of photosynthesis. Students measured the effect of variables including temperature, pH balance, and colored light on the length of the process.


 

 

Service Learning In The Field

 

Service Grant Finalists Seek to Advance Their Causes

On Wednesday, November 4th, five Upper School service learning groups presented proposals to a panel of invited judges to earn funding assistance for local and global service projects. Students from Global School Connections, Global Vantage, New Haven Night Shelter, Educating Near & Far, and Hands of Peace presented proposals including: subsidizing the cost of bringing middle eastern students to the United States for an interfaith dialogue program, increasing contributions to a homeless shelter in Cape Town, South Africa, and continuing to print and promote the award-winning Global Vantage magazine. Grants of various sizes were awarded to each group, enabling students to move forward with their projects. 

 

 

The Buddy Project Book Drive

Upper School service learning group The Buddy Project is holding a children's book drive to benefit students at La Costa Heights Elementary School. From November 3rd through November 22nd, donations of new or gently used books at a kindergarten to 2nd-grade reading level can be dropped off in Mullady Hall or the library. 

 

Parents Association

 

Parent Walking Club On November 20th 

Come one, come all for a bit of exercise and a chance to socialize with Pacific Ridge parents.

Date: Thursday, November 20th

Time: 8:30 a.m.

Place: Double Peak Park, 900 Double Peak Drive, San Marcos

 

Holiday Shopping? It's Easy to Support Pacific Ridge! 

As the gift giving & entertaining season approaches, we want to remind you of three great ways to help support Pacific Ridge at no additional cost to you!

 

Amazon Smile

Amazon Smile, a service provided for Amazon Prime members, will donate 0.5% of all purchases to Pacific Ridge! Just go to smile.amazon.com instead of the regular Amazon homepage and register Pacific Ridge as your nominated charity. Then, shop as you normally would.

 

Target Red Card

Save money while helping raise funds for Pacific Ridge when you use your Red Card. Simply designate Pacific Ridge when you enroll through the Take Charge of Education program.

 

e-Scrip

Sign up for eScrip, and start earning money for Pacific Ridge by having a percentage of your purchase dollars donated to the school! Over 700 online and storefront merchants partner with eScrip, including Von's, Seaside Market, Amazon, and more. When you register with eScrip, designate Pacific Ridge School under "Group Selection," or use our Group ID number: 500017582.

 

Athletics 

Girls Varsity Tennis Plays for Section Championship Title
For the first time in program history, the Girls Varsity Tennis team advanced to the Division III section championships. The girls scored playoff wins over Madison High School, Bona Vista Senior High School, and Clexico High School before advancing to play Eastlake High School in the October 31st finals. The hard-fought and evenly matched games against Eastlake resulted in a 9 - 9 tie. It was Eastlake, however, who held a slight edge in the doubles-based tiebreaker and came away with the victory. Congratulations to the Firebirds team for an incredible season and playoff run!   







Scores:

Girls Varsity Volleyball
10/29/14 Classical Academy High 3 0 W

Girls JV 'A' Volleyball
10/29/14 Classical Academy High 2 1 W

Girls JV 'B' Volleyball
10/27/14 San Diego Jewish Academy 2 0 W
10/29/14 Classical Academy High 1 2 L

Girls Varsity Tennis 
10/28/14 Madison High School 13 5 W
10/29/14 Bonita Vista Senior High School 11 7 W
10/30/14 Calexico High School 11 7 W
10/31/14 Eastlake High School 9 9 T 

Coed Varsity Cross Country
10/30/14 Coastal League Cluster 2
Lauren Lipman - 5th place
Lynnlee Duck-Reynolds - 5th place 
Travis Headapohl - 7th place  
Will Glockner - 10th place 

Boys Developmental Water Polo
10/31/14 Army Navy Academy 10 12 L  

Coed Middle School Cross Country
10/29/14 South Coast Middle School League Meet 
Megan Martindale, 1st place
Zoe Erturk, 3rd place
Zach Fraher, 2nd place
Luc Clark, 3rd place

Girls Middle School 'A' Volleyball
10/28/14 Tri-City Christian Schools 0 2 L
10/30/14 Maranatha Christian 2 0 W

Girls Middle School 'B' Volleyball
10/28/14 Tri-City Christian Schools 2 0 W  
10/30/14 Maranatha Christian 2 0 W 

Girls Middle School 'Blue' Volleyball
10/30/14 Maranatha Christian 2 0 W

Coed 7th-Grade Flag Football
10/30/14 Maranatha Christian 19 6 W

Boys 8th-Grade Flag Football
10/30/14 Maranatha Christian 6 24 L 

Beyond the Ridge

College Night for Juniors and Parents On November 19th

The College Guidance staff and 11th-Grade Dean will provide an overview of the college search and application process, including: the timetable for winter meetings, key dates and programs, navigating Naviance, and advice for anticipating and managing the second-half of junior year. Juniors and at least one parent each are expected to attend.

Date: Wednesday, November 19th

Time: 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Place: Mullady Hall


College Representatives Are On Their Way: 

Week of November 3rd
Amherst College; Bowdoin College; Colorado State University; Dartmouth College; Occidental College; Seattle University; Stevens Institute of Technology; Syracuse University; Washington College; Wellesley College

Class Notes

Jonah Gercke '18 debuts China Trip Documentary   
On Saturday, November 1st, Pacific Ridge sophomore Jonah Gercke debuted his film, China Ridge, to a large crowd of supporters and friends at Carlsbad's New Village Arts Theatre. The documentary follows Jonah and classmates during last year's 9th-grade trip to China. After filming frequently during the two-week trip, Jonah spent the following four months designing the documentary and editing hours of footage down to the 64-minute final product. Senior Nathan Cheng composed original music for the film's score. Click here to view the trailer for the film. 
The director thanks supporters at the film's premiere.

Student & Alumni Mini-Reunion in Washington D.C. 

Last month, a trio of current and former Pacific Ridge students gathered at the nation's capitol to celebrate the School for Ethics and Global Leadership's (SEGL) Homecoming Gala. Gabe Piscetillo '17, who is currently enrolled at SEGL, met up with program alumni Meg Thode '15 and Tony Ibrahim '11 for a weekend of intellectual discourse including Ebola panel discussions with a Guinean Ambassador, discussions about the ethics of drone strikes, and social venture project fairs.

 

 

Alumni News

Elle Lichter '12 Spends Semester in Morocco
Elle Lichter '12 is nearing the end of a four-month study abroad program in Morocco. Though most of her college friends selected more common study abroad destinations such as Paris and Prague, Elle chose the diverse North African country as a way to challenge herself. She has learned to navigate the country's political and religious norms, improved her French and started learning Arabic, made friends from all over the world and traveled throughout and beyond Morocco at every opportunity. Elle is also participating in an internship with Transparency Morocco, an organization that aims to reduce corruption in government and private enterprises. You can follow Elle's Moroccan journey at her blog, Tales From the Blue Parrot.  


In the town of Chefchaouen, known as the "city in the sky" for 
its prevalent blue paint and high altitude.   

 New Faculty & Staff Snapshot 

 

 Michelle Clark, Dance 

 

Favorite or most recent book? Anything by Emily Griffin

Favorite movie? The Notebook

Favorite sport to play or watch? Watches football, specifically the Pittsburgh Steelers - bleeds black and gold!

Greatest indulgence? Chocolate-covered strawberries - her family owns a chocolate factory! 

If you make her breakfast? An Acai bowl

In her free time? Spends time with family and friends, does yoga, golfs, hikes, and hangs out at the beach 

Dream Vacation? Went on her dream vacation last summer when she traveled through five different European countries. Next up? Somewhere tropical, such as Fiji

Hometown? Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 

 


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 8th

Performing Arts Showcase

7:30 p.m.

 

November 10th

NO SCHOOL

Veteran's Day

 

November 15th

Admissions Open House

1 - 4 p.m.

 

November 19th

College Night for Juniors and Parents 

6:30 p.m.

 

November 20th

Blood Drive

8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

 

Parent Walking Club

8:30 a.m.

 

November 27th-29th

 NO SCHOOL

Thanksgiving Holiday

 

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