In This Issue - November 19, 2015

Bulletin Board

New & Noteworthy

Curricular Adventures

Service Learning In The Field

Snapshot from the Ridge

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

In Living Color: 7th-grade students get creative with their

Life Science cell models.

Bulletin Board

No School November 21st - 29th

Happy Thanksgiving! The next e-newsletter will be published on Thursday, December 3rd.

Sign-Up For an After-School Extension Course This Winter!

This December through February, Pacific Ridge is offering a new set of exciting, after-school extension courses that allow students to make, create and collaborate in an informal learning environment. Courses are open to both Pacific Ridge students and students from the larger community, and several classes are open to 6th graders. Click here for more information and to register. Sign up for a class and bring a friend!

Course offerings include:

Broadcasting Team
Ceramics Studio
Comedy Improv Workshop
Guitar Lessons
Hands-On DNA Lab
Hands-On Engineering Lab
Meme Team
Sport Psychology
tinkering lab @prs
Youth Coding: Minecraft Modding

Taking Exceptional to Extraordinary With the Annual Fund

From small classes and outstanding faculty to global travel, service learning, athletics and the arts, the Pacific Ridge Annual Fund helps make the extraordinary possible. Gifts to the Annual Fund enrich and enhance the Pacific Ridge experience beyond what would be possible with tuition dollars alone. This year, our Annual Fund goal is $585,000 with full participation from our trustee, faculty and staff, and parent communities. Please visit Pacific Ridge Annual Giving for more information. Click here to make an on-line donation or here to submit an on-line pledge agreement payable anytime through May 31, 2016. Please contact Nisa Conway at nconway@pacificridge.org with any questions. Thank you for your support!

It's Flu Season! Help Our Community Stay Healthy

The flu season has begun. Parents, please encourage your children to practice preventive measures such as hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, and avoiding close contact with sick people. If your children get sick, please keep them at home from school until they are fever-free for 24 hours, and do not send them "just" for a quiz or test. Now is a good time to get your child vaccinated. For more information please visit www.cdc.gov or call the Pacific Ridge Nursing Office at 760-448-9820.

New & Noteworthy

Academic League Previews Season of Scholastic Showdowns

Last Friday, the Upper School Town Square became an arena for the ultimate scholastic showdown as teams went head-to-head in the annual Academic League lunchtime competition. League advisor Ms. Wasserman captivated and confounded contestants with questions on subjects ranging from art history to molecular biology, while Academic League Assistant Dr. Burckin ruled over the match's buzzer system, lovingly referred to as "The Judge." The audience cheered along as competitors conjugated Spanish verbs, solved for 'x', and racked their brains for the first three words of Moby Dick. Upper School students interested in joining Academic League should contact Ms. Wasserman (awasserman@pacificridge.org). The fun begins in mid-January, and there are plans to run a Varsity, JV, and Freshman team.

Pacific Ridge Reduces Paper Usage By 35 Percent In October

Sustainability Director Melissa Symington reports that Pacific Ridge reduced its paper usage by 35% per person for the month of October, and 21% for the school year thus far! As part of the school's ongoing commitment to sustainability and to maintaining California Green Ribbon Award status, Pacific Ridge is aiming to reduce paper usage by 20% each month. Students and faculty have been doing their part by printing and copying only when absolutely necessary, reusing paper when possible, and seeking digital alternatives to flyers, paper assignments and handouts.

Curricular Adventures

Life Science Meets Computer Science

Last week, 7th-grade students combined Life Science with simple computer science to create predictive, dichotomous key projects. Students collected flowers, twigs, leaves, and insects, and used SCRATCH, a free educational programming language developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, to form a script based on each item's physical identifiers. By matching given characteristics, the finished programs were able to use the process of elimination to effectively identify whichever natural item the user had in mind.

Model United Nations Shines at UCLA Conference

A contingent of 18 students represented Pacific Ridge at the UCLA Model United Nations conference on November 14th.

Newcomers to the club enjoyed their exposure to a wide-ranging conference addressing topics such as refugee rehabilitation in conflict regions, food security in developing nations, cyber warfare, and more. Several of our more seasoned delegates came away with impressive awards from the conference, which was attended by more than 1200 students from around the country. Congratulations to all the participants, including the following award winners:

Jonah Gercke and Addie Knight: Best Delegate Award in the League of Nations Committee

Alyssa Martindale: Outstanding Delegate and Research Award in the African Union Committee

Andrew Duca: Research Award in the Historical Committee

Service Learning In The Field

Students Explore 'Reclaiming, Recycling, Refueling' Facility

Last week, Upper School service learning group Alternative Energy Sources (AES) visited Buster Biofuels in Escondido to get a behind-the-scenes look at large scale biodiesel production. President and CEO Buster Halterman gave the students a tour of the 7,300 square foot warehouse turned commercial-scale production facility. The group saw the quality control lab, holding tanks, and new enzymatic biodiesel technology used to convert recycled fats, oils, and grease into more into 5 million gallons of biodiesel annually. AES members are no stranger to biodiesel production - the group used saponification to convert waste oil to lavender scented soaps sold at Fall Fest and has produced enough biodiesel to run generators providing energy for Pacific Ridge's Prom and Spring Arts Festival.

On Pointe Shares Joy of Dance With ActivCare Residents

On Pointe To Make A Difference, an Upper School service learning group dedicated to bringing joy to the community through dance, performed at the ActivCare assisted living facility in Bressi Ranch on Veterans Day. Click play below to watch a clip of the lighthearted performance.

Help Stock the North County Food Bank for Thanksgiving

Independent service learning group Students Supporting Charitable Organizations is hosting a food drive through November 20th. The group is collecting non-perishable canned and packaged foods to help stock the North County Food Bank in preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday. Donation bins will be located near the entrances of both Mullady Hall and the Middle School building.

Support Hands of Peace - Dine at Rubio's on December 4th

On December 4th, Hands of Peace - an interfaith organization working to develop peace-building and leadership skills in Israeli, Palestinian, and American teens - is hosting a fundraiser at Rubio's. From 3:00 p.m. to closing time, diners who present a fundraising flyer upon ordering will have 20% of the cost of their meal donated to Hands of Peace. Students and parents can pick up a Rubio's fundraising flyer at the reception desk in the Middle School building beginning next week.

Parents Association

Show Your Appreciation for Pacific Ridge Faculty & Staff

The Annual Holiday Gift Drive is our way to show appreciation for Pacific Ridge's hard-working teachers. Monies collected through the drive will be used to purchase gift cards for all faculty and staff. Check donations (made payable to PRS Parents Association and sealed in an envelope labeled Appreciation Gift) may be placed in the drop box in the lobby of the Middle School building. Or, you can donate online using PayPal. Instructions can be found on the Parents Association page in Haiku. The drive ends on Wednesday, December 9th.

Parent Walking Club Tomorrow

Those looking to exercise before the Thanksgiving holiday break are welcome join the Walking Club on the morning of Friday, November 20th for a walk around the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Course. The group also plans to enjoy coffee and refreshments at Thyme in the Ranch for anyone able to stay.

Date: Friday, November 20th

Time: 8:30 a.m.

Location: Meet at Thyme in the Ranch located at 16905 Avenida De Acacias, Rancho Santa Fe 92091

NEW DATE! 10th-Grade Parent Party on January 10th

Calling all 10th-Grade parents. Please save Sunday, January 10th from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m., for an enjoyable evening with other parents of 10th grade students. Evites will be sent out a few weeks before the event, but please hold the date.

Book Club Meeting on January 11th

Please join the Pacific Ridge Parents' Book Club on Monday, January 11, 2016. The Club will discuss Fates and Furies, by Lauren Groff. All Pacific Ridge parents are welcome to attend. We hope to see you there!

Date: Monday, January 11th

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: Pacific Ridge School Library

Senior Parent Grade-Level Party Slated for January 17th

The Senior Parent Grade-Level Party will take place on Sunday, January 17th. The evening will offer an opportunity for 12th-grade parents to socialize after the holiday break. Evites will be sent a few weeks before the event and will include additional details.

Support Pacific Ridge When You Shop and Dine

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. The Pacific Ridge School ID number is 147996.

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 your credit or debit card with eScrip, please designate Pacific Ridge School under "Group Selection," or use our Group ID number: 500017582. If you are a business owner, please also consider registering your company credit card.

Sports on the Ridge

Home Games, Week of November 23rd

Schedules are subject to change. Please check Schedulestar

regularly for the most accurate information.

11/25/15

12:00 p.m. - Girls Varsity Basketball vs. CETYS Universidad

2:00 p.m. - Boys Varsity Basketball vs. CETYS Universidad

Biddle '16 and Stone '16 Sign National Letters of Intent

Congratulations to Pacific Ridge student-athletes JoJo Biddle and Stephanie Stone, who signed National Letters of Intent (NLI) last week. JoJo has committed to continuing his lacrosse career at the University of Pennsylvania, where he will join a Division I Quaker squad looking to compete for the Ivy League Championship and return to the NCAA Tournament. Stephanie is looking forward to continuing her volleyball career at Marist College, where the Division I Red Foxes have earned a trip to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship for the past two seasons and are looking to add a third during this weekend's postseason tournament.

Angela Ding '17 Competes in CIF SoCal Girls Golf Regionals

With a smooth swing and a determined mindset, junior Angela Ding played her way to an impressive 9th-place finish in this year's CIF-San Diego Girls Golf regional tournament. Her placement, among 473 female high school golfers in San Diego, resulted from a combined 82/74 score of 156 shot at Admiral Baker Golf Course on November 3rd and 5th. Angela's post-season run came to an end at the SoCal regional tournament on November 12th where she missed the cut with a round of 77. Congratulations, Angela!

Coed Cross Country Finds Success at Coastal Finals

Congratulations to the Coed Varsity Cross Country team on an impressive showing at the Coastal League Finals at Kit Carson Park on November 13th. The boys placed 4th out of 12 teams and the girls finished in 5th place out of 9 teams. Many of the Firebird runners set personal records, seniors Travis Headapohl and Thomas Peterschmidt medaled in the Varsity race, and Bryce Snodgrass and Lenny McCline medaled in the JV race.

Girls Varsity Volleyball Falls in CIF Quarterfinals

Girls Varsity Volleyball's season came to an end during the CIF Division II Quarterfinals on November 13th. During the first round of the playoffs, the Firebirds pulled off a gritty, 3-2 win against

No. 9 San Pasqual, but the No. 1 seed, Olympian High School, proved too much for the No. 8 Firebirds to handle in the tournament's second round. Congratulations to Coach Dahl and the girls on a terrific season!

Sadovnikova and Schmitter Impress in Postseason Play

Congratulations to sophomore Angela Sadovnikova and freshman Sydney Schmitter on playing their way to the Feed-In Round of the CIF Girls Tennis Individual Tournament last week. The duo defeated competitors from Granite Hills and Eastlake in straight sets before falling to a ranked La Jolla team on November 13th.

Beyond The Ridge

Financial Aid Forms and Formulas on December 2nd

Parents of juniors and seniors, please mark your calendar to attend the 2015 Financial Aid Forms and Formulas event on December 2nd, from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. A college admissions officer will be on hand to explain the forms and formulas used to calculate college financial aid packages and answer any questions you may have about the process.

Community Happenings

FACE Foundation Fundraiser on December 6th

On Sunday, December 6th from 4:30 - 7:00 p.m., junior Maranda Phillips will hold her 9th annual "Howliday in a Bottle" open house to benefit the FACE Foundation, a local charity that provides financial grants for animal owners who are unable to cover the cost of a pet's emergency medical care. The event will be held at the Sports Centre at the Bridges in Rancho Santa Fe, and will feature an array of holiday shopping opportunities, from decorative holiday bottles to candles, clothing and unique jewelry items. For more information about the event and FACE, please visit the foundation's website.

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