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Pacific Ridge School DotsA View From The Ridge
Weekly E-Newsletter
March 5, 2105
In This Issue
Bulletin Board
New & Noteworthy
Educational Insights
Curricular Adventures
Service Learning In The Field
Beyond the Ridge
Parents Association
Sports on the Ridge
Class Notes
San Diego Happenings
Snapshot from the Ridge

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


 Starry Night: Senior Zafar Rustamkulov took this beautiful shot of the Anza-Borrego Desert night sky during an Astronomy Club camping trip.  

Bulletin Board

All-School Firebird Field Trip Tomorrow!

In only its fifth year, the Pacific Ridge's Boys Basketball program has made it to the CIF Division IV finals! To celebrate the hard work and dedication of all Firebird athletes, we are going on the road to cheer for our players as they face El Capitan High School at 11:00 a.m. at the University of San Diego's Jenny Craig Pavilion.

 

Here are some important details for parents:

  • Students will be off campus from 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
  • Students should bring a bag lunch to school; Ki's school lunch will be closed.
  • Students cannot sign out of school between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m., or sign out at the game. All students who attend must return to campus.

NO SCHOOL on Monday, March 9th - Staff Day 

 

March 10th Benjamin Zander Event Full
On Tuesday evening, March 10th, Benjamin Zander, founder and conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, will present to the Pacific Ridge community on "The Art of Possibility." This event is sold out. Students will see the presentation earlier in the day.
Date: Tuesday, March 10th
Time: Vocal Ensemble to perform at 6:45 p.m., presentation begins promptly at 7:00 p.m.; please plan on arriving by 6:30 p.m. to accommodate off-site parking.
Place: Athletic Center
Parking: Faith Community Church, 2700 Rancho Pancho; Carrillo Elementary School 2875 Poinsettia Lane - shuttles provided

 

Advanced Acting & Directing Class Showcase March 13th

On Friday, March 13th, students in the Advanced Acting and Directing class will perform and direct their own work. Over the course of the last few months, students collaborated with San Diego's Playwrights Project on idea development, outlining and extensive editing to produce three professional-quality plays. Join them as they celebrate their hard work with a community performance.

Date: Friday, March 13th

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Place: Community Hall

 

Spring Kickoff Celebration on March 20th

Upper and Middle School students are invited to the first ever Pacific Ridge Spring Kickoff! Attendees can celebrate the changing of the seasons by participating in birdie on a perch, sack races, bounce house fun, and more. The Pacific Ridge Improv team will bring the laughs with a performance. BBQ will be served and there will be fire pits for cooking s'mores. The event is free for all students. 

Date: Friday, March 20th

Time: 3:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Place: Outdoor spaces throughout campus

Cost: Free

 

Curriculum Night Course Selection Information

Miss Curriculum Night on March 4th? Go to the Upper School Course Selection page in Haiku for documents that were provided to sophomores, juniors and their families at the event. Questions? Contact Mrs. Bjornstad at jbjornstad@pacificridge.org.

 

California Scholarship Federation Deadlines 

Attention sophomores, juniors and seniors: Applications for the California Scholarship Federation for Trimester 2 of the 2014-2015 school year are due by March 27th. Please return your forms to Ms. Serafini in the lobby of the Middle School building. Parents of sophomores, juniors and seniors, please check your email for more information about CSF requirements and deadlines.


Tune In For Academic League's Television Debut 

On March 19th, a replay of the Pacific Ridge School Academic League team's recent match against Carlsbad High will be televised locally. Members of the Pacific Ridge community are invited to tune in at 7:00 p.m. The match will air on channel 16 for Cox or Time Warner customers and on channel 99 for those with AT&T.  

 

Save The Date For Pacific Ridge's Spring Play

This April, Pacific Ridge invites you to visit The School For Lies. Inspired by Molière's The Misanthrope, David Ives' renowned comedy is a delightful combination of physical humor, witty banter and scandalous fun. The story follows sharp-tongued widow Celimene, whose life is turned upside down by a man who challenges her wit and steals her heart. Performances are Thursday, April 23rd and Friday, April 24th at 7:30 p.m. in the Athletic Center. 

 

Lands' End Uniform Items 25% Off until March 10th

Is your child outgrowing his or her uniform? Lands' End is offering 25% off on all school uniform items until March 10th. Please refer to Pacific Ridge School's uniform policy to make sure your choices comply.

 

NO SCHOOL March 30th - April 3rd 
Spring Break
 
 New & Noteworthy

Seniors Celebrate 100-Day Countdown Until Graduation
On Monday, March 2nd, members of the Class of 2015 joined faculty members for a celebratory dinner marking 100 days until Commencement. Seniors and teachers acknowledged the bonds of respect and friendship they've developed over the years, during time spent in the classroom, on the playing field, during service learning work and on global adventures. The evening was capped by a fun "then and now" slide show juxtaposing baby pictures with portraits of each senior. The Class of 2015 will join the ranks of Pacific Ridge alumni at Commencement on June 11th.





Seniors and Juniors Enjoy Off-Campus Day
On Tuesday, March 2nd, juniors and seniors enjoyed an Off-Campus Day to take a well-deserved break and reconnect with classmates. Seniors took a trip to Knott's Berry Farm, where the sparse mid-week crowd meant students had plenty of time to sample the various rides and enjoy repeat turns on their favorite roller coasters. Juniors spent the day at Balboa Park, where they soaked up art, culture and science at the museums and at the San Diego Zoo.   

All smiles waiting for the ride to begin! 

A group of juniors ran into Mayor Kevin Faulconer while exploring Balboa Park!

It's All Relative 
On Thursday, February 26th, the Yearbook staff hosted Pacific Ridge's annual Sibling Day. Brothers and sisters posed for silly photos, cooled off with the water balloon toss and participated in a trivia competition at the annual lunchtime celebration of family.




Educational Insights

Click here to read Dr. Ogle's latest blog post about his recent visit with Pacific Ridge alumni in Boston.

Curricular Adventures

Students 'Picture' Themselves In Civil War Era

The annual Civil War hybrid project in the 8th-grade photography arts program rotation is a fun mix of history and technology. Students select American photo portraits from the 1860's and then carefully shoot digital images of themselves to mimic the portraits' lighting, angles and poses. Using layers and masking in Photoshop, students then merge their faces with the old portraits to create a seamless hybrid. The finishing touch for the project is a creative writing piece: an original, fictional journal entry from the point of view of the portrait subject.




Service Learning In The Field

 

Students Join Read Across America Movement

On Monday, March 2nd, middle school students traveled to two of Educational Enrichment Systems Vista campuses to participate in Read Across America Day. The reading motivation and awareness program, created by the National Education Association, is held annually on the birthday of beloved children's author, Dr. Seuss. The preschool students loved having the "big kids" read them classics including Oh, The Places You'll Go and Green Eggs and Ham.   

 

 

One School's Trash Is Another School's Treasure  

Two years ago, freshman David Wiesley was walking through his younger brother's elementary school when he noticed something surprising in the trash bins - perfectly good school supplies. David quickly got to work, thinking of a way to connect schools that end the year with excess supplies to schools in desperate need of them He founded a non-profit, Tools Organize Successful Students (TOSS), to serve as an intermediary, and has since coordinated the collection and donation of school supplies between seven local schools. David is currently in talks with Poway Unified School District to add even more schools to his roster, and plans to continue developing TOSS as an Independent Service Learning Project.


 

David with supplies he collected during last year's drive. 

 

Beyond The Ridge

Senior Parent Coffee on March 6th 
Senior parents are welcome to join the College Guidance staff to discuss the transition to college and how to manage the wait for admission decisions. 
Date: Friday, March 6th
Time: 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Place: Middle School Conference Room 

NCAA Night on March 25th 
Students in grades 8-12 and their families are invited to an informative and interactive panel discussion about NCAA recruiting and how the high school student-athlete can prepare for the recruitment process. The program will cover NCAA contact rules and timelines, athletics questionnaires and recruiting sites, as well as tips for developing an athlete profile to communicate to coaches. 
Date: Wednesday, March 25th 
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Place: East Reading Room 

Parents Association

 

Parents Association General Meeting on March 26th

Mark your calendar for the Parents Association General Meeting. The main goal of this meeting is to share data and reflections on the Freedom from Chemical Dependency survey recently taken by students in grades 8-12. 

Date:  Thursday, March 26th

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Place: East Reading Room

 

Sports on the Ridge

Boys Basketball's Historic Playoff Run Continues
On Tuesday evening, Boys Varsity Basketball defeated Vincent Memorial 61-53 in front of a large and spirited home crowd. The hard-fought CIF Semifinal win is the first in team history, and earns the team a spot in Friday's CIF Division IV Championship game! The Firebirds face El Capitan High School at 11:00 a.m. on the University of San Diego campus. Pacific Ridge will be attending the game as a school - please see the "Bulletin" section above for details. 
   
Friday, March 6th at 11:00 a.m.
University of San Diego's Jenny Craig Pavilion 
Pacific Ridge Boys Varsity Basketball (#2)
 vs.
El Capitan High School (#9)





Upper School Winter Sports Celebration on March 11th 
Families of Upper School winter sports athletes are invited to the end-of-season Sports Celebration on Wednesday, March 11th. The event will feature a slide show, awards ceremony and breakout sessions for individual team awards and dessert. Dinner will not be served.
Date: Wednesday, March 12th
Time: 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Place: East Reading Room

Class Notes

 

O'Donnell '20 Earns Silver Medal at International Hockey Tournament 
Congratulations to 7th grader Patrick O'Donnell, whose San Diego hockey team was awarded the silver medal at the PeeWee Tournament of Quebec on February 22nd. Patrick's team, the Gulls, defeated teams from Budapest, Singapore, Australia, Germany and Canada en route to the championship game. The experience included a homestay with a Quebecoise family, playing in front of crowds in the thousands, participating in outdoor activities, and celebrating the sport of hockey with youth from around the globe. 

Patrick, front and center, huddles with his team pre-game. 

 

San Diego Happenings



Pacific Ridge Families Invited to Run A Mile!

Come join the North County community on Sunday, March 15th for the Encinitas Mile. Co-founded by former Pacific Ridge Assistant Cross-Country Coach Dan Seidel, the race features 7 heats for runners of all ages and abilities - even one for runners with dogs! Proceeds from this family-friendly event support Fresh Start Surgical Gifts. For more information and to register, go to EncinitasMile.com.

Date: Sunday, March 15th

Time: Heats from 8:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Place: Vulcan Avenue, downtown Encinitas




San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering 
On Saturday, March 14th, San Diego State University's College of Sciences and Engineering will open its doors to K-12 students and families to showcase nearly 30 interactive exhibits including: planetarium showings, laser demonstrations, aerospace, robotics, Electron Microscope facility, and more. The free event runs from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m, and there is no charge for parking. Visit the event website for more information. 


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

March 6th

Senior Parent Coffee

7:30 - 9 a.m

 

All-School Field Trip

9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

 

March 9th

NO SCHOOL

Staff Day 

 

March 10th

An Evening with Benjamin Zander 

7 p.m.

 

March 11th

Winter Sports Celebration

6:30 - 8 p.m.

 

March 25th

NCAA Night

6:30 - 8 p.m.

 

March 26th

Parents Association

General Meeting

6:30 p.m.

 

March 30th - 

April 3rd

NO SCHOOL

Spring Break

 

April 17th

NO SCHOOL

Student-Led Conferences

 

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