In This Issue - September 3, 2015 
Snapshot from the Ridge

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

 
All-School President Brij Sahney welcomes the student body to the 
2015-16 school year! 

Bulletin Board

No School on Monday, September 7th
Enjoy Labor Day Weekend!
Global Travel Program Launch on September 8th 
11th and 12th graders and their families are invited to learn more details about this year's school-arranged trip offerings.
Date: Tuesday, September 8th
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Place: Athletic Center
 
Student & Faculty BBQ on September 11th
Pacific Ridge students and faculty are invited to enjoy an afternoon BBQ, complete with burgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs and refreshments.
Date: Friday, September 11th
Time: 3:00 - 5:30 p.m.
 
Save the Date for Parent Information Nights
Please mark your calendars for these evening programs, which will provide information about important events and expectations for your child's school year. All meetings take place at 6:30 p.m.

8th Grade: Wednesday, September 9th
11th Grade: Thursday, September 10th

On-Line Directory: Please Confirm Your Information
Parents, please visit your My Backpack accounts to confirm your information in this year's online directory. After logging in, please click on the "My Profile" link located under the "Settings" box on the right. Click the edit button to make any changes and click submit when finished. Questions? Contact Tiffany Murphy at tmurphy@pacificridge.org.  


Picture Day is on Tuesday, September 22nd.
 

2015-16 Academic Calendar 
Click here to view or download this year's academic calendar.

Register Soon for the After-School Extension Program!
Starting this year, Pacific Ridge is offering a set of exciting, after-school extension courses that allow students to make, create and collaborate in an informal learning environment. The fall session runs from mid-September through mid-November, and courses are open to both Pacific Ridge students and students from the larger community. Sign up for a class and bring a friend! 
Course offerings include:
  • Youth Coding: Minecraft Modding
  • Broadcasting
  • Boys Group Lacrosse Clinic
  • Inventing with Arduino
  • Guitar Lessons
  • Design & Fabrication Lab
  • Sewing for Beginners
  • San Diego Children's Choir 
Click HERE for more information and to register. Questions? Contact Steve Dziekonski at sdziekonski@pacificridge.org.

Educational Insights

Interested in Learning More About "Growth Mindset"?
Click here to read Dr. Ogle's blog post about the topic and follow the conversation next week on Twitter at @PRSBobOgle. Each day, from September 8th - 11th, Dr. Ogle will be posting thought-provoking material about research and current thinking in this area.

New and Noteworthy

7th and 9th Graders Enjoy Orientation
On August 27th, incoming 7th and 9th graders visited campus early to get acquainted and prepare to start middle and upper school at Pacific Ridge. Students participated in games and activities, went on a campus scavenger hunt, and received information about school technology systems before heading to their respective overnight retreats. Seventh graders set off to Julian to compete in outdoor games, climb a rock wall, try their hand at archery, and bond around a roaring campfire. Ninth grade students hiked at Torrey Pines State Reserve, then settled in at UCSD, where they had the option to tour the library, learn about life as a student-athlete, visit labs at the Center for the Future of Surgery, tackle the UCSD challenge course, and more.

Student Blue Key volunteers played a huge role in helping 9th graders feel welcomed, entertained, and informed!

The 9th-grade class took teamwork to new heights on the University of California, San Diego ropes course.

Old-fashioned games helped incoming 7th graders break the ice.

Seventh-grade students shared stories and laughs around the campfire during their overnight stay in Julian. 

10th Graders Rise To The Challenge 
On August 31st, Pacific Ridge 10th graders were joined by faculty, coaches and staff members for Challenge Day, a high-energy program designed to help students build a supportive and inclusive community. Several clubs and campus groups, such as the Be The Change club and the DIME (Diversity, Inclusivity, Multiculturalism & Equity) group will be working on themes related to Challenge Day throughout the year. For more information about Challenge Day, click here. 



Service Learning In The Field

TOSS Donates School Supplies to Students In Need
Tools Organizing Succesful Students (TOSS), an independent service learning project run by sophomore David Wiesley, recently completed its third successful year of collecting and repurposing gently used school supplies. TOSS tripled the amount of supplies collected, which allowed the organization to donate supplies to Monarch School, Johnson Elementary, Audubon Elementary, Casa de Amparo, San Diego Youth Services, and Toussaint Academy. TOSS has benefited an estimated 3500 San Diego students in need.


Sophomore David Wiesley was recently interviewed by KUSI about 
his non-profit organization, TOSS. 

Middle School On-Campus TB Screening September 8th
Students in the Middle School Service Learning program work with several local service providers that require an annual tuberculosis screening for all volunteers. In order to streamline compliance with this requirement, Pacific Ridge will be holding a free TB screening at school on September 8th. Permission forms for the screening were emailed to all Middle School families in August, and should be signed and returned ASAP. Please contact Service Learning Director Alison Behr at abehr@pacificridge.org with any questions.

Parents Association 

Thank You from the Parents Association!
The Parents Association sends its thanks to all who attended the recent Welcome Coffee, as well as to all of the volunteers who organized the enjoyable kick-off to the 2015-2016 school year! The event served as a warm welcome to new and returning families, and the excitement for the new school year was evident in the lively conversations. If you did not have the chance to attend the Welcome Coffee and wish to learn more about the clubs, activities and volunteer opportunities available through the Parents Association, you can find more information by clicking here.

First Book Club Meeting of the School Year 
The Pacific Ridge Parent Book Club will meet to discuss Five Quarters of the Orange, by Joanne Harris. The Book Club is open to all Pacific Ridge parents and we hope to see you there.
Date: Monday, September 21st
Time:  7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Place:  Pacific Ridge School Library

Used Uniforms Needed
Has your student outgrown his/her school uniform over the summer? Has a sudden growth spurt made a new uniform purchase not fit quite right? The Parents Association collects gently used uniforms year round! Donations can be dropped off at the main reception desk in the Middle School/Administration building any school day. The next used uniform sale will be at Fall Fest on October 10th. 

Beyond The Ridge

Save The Date: PSAT on October 14th 
The PSAT will be offered for all Pacific Ridge 10th and 11th graders on Wednesday, October 14th at 8:00 a.m. in the Athletic Center. Tests for 2017 and 2018 have been ordered, and College Guidance will preview the test and test day requirements with each class during September class meetings. 
 
Ongoing college events open to the community are detailed on the College Guidance landing page of the Haiku School Information Hub.

Class Notes

Meila Gross '16 Wins Equitation Championship
Congratulations to senior Miela Gross and her horse, Exquisite, who won the 21 and Under age division in the California Professional Horseman's Association (CPHA) Foundation Equitation Championship Finals on August 22nd and 23rd. Miela tallied an impressive 175 points over three rounds of competition, earning her the championship and the Barbara Worth Oakford Perpetual Trophy. Congratulations also go to seniors Melissa Ordas and Margaux Burdick, who competed in the jumpers category. Margaux placed 2nd out of 75 riders in the 1.00m jumpers class



Sports on the Ridge

Firebird Athletics Continues to 'Honor The Game'
The Athletics Department would like to thank all the athletes, parents, and coaches who attended or participated in the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) event on September 1st. The PCA, and its commitment to fostering respect for the game, has long been a crucial component of the Firebird athletics program. Pacific Ridge was the first high school in San Diego to partner with PCA, and this year we continue to strive for excellence through the reeducation of our community and recommitment of our program to PCA's guiding principles. Please keep an eye out for further trainings and events as we move into the 2015-16 sports seasons and beyond. Tools and resources on how you can help us create a positive, character-building youth sports experience can be found here. 

Faculty & Staff News

Welcome to a New Firebird!
Congratulations to Learning Specialist Erika Pike and her husband, Cris, who welcomed their second son, Keaton Haddock Pike, on August 19th. Keaton weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces at birth. Mom, Dad and big brother are happily getting to know him.



New Faculty & Staff Snapshot

 
Preston Peeden, History

Favorite or most recent, book? I, Claudius, by Robert Graves: "I'm usually not one for historical fiction, but Graves' joining of well-researched history with outstanding story-telling is the exception to the rule."
Favorite movie? Jurassic Park
Favorite sport? Football, specifically the University of Tennessee, his alma mater
Greatest indulgence? French fries: "If there are french fries within a mile of me, I will eat them."
If you make him breakfast? An omelette, with either goat cheese, feta, or both
In his free time? Reads, watches movies, runs
Dream vacation? Rome: "The amount of history crammed in one city block there could occupy me for weeks at a time."
Home Town? Knoxville, Tennessee


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

Pacific Ridge School | www.pacificridge.org

September 7th
No School, Labor Day 

September 8th
11th & 12th-Grade Global Programs 
Roll Out
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

September 9th
8th-Grade Parent Information Night
6:30 - 8 p.m.

September 10th
11th-Grade Parent Information Night
6:30 - 8 p.m.

September 11th 
Opening BBQ
3 - 5:30 p.m.

September 17th
Back to School Night
6:30 p.m.

September 22nd
Picture Day

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