In This Issue - January 28, 2016
Snapshot from the Ridge

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


Family Fun: On Monday, Pacific Ridge siblings filled out silly questionnaires about one another and posed for photos 
as part of the Yearbook Club's annual Sibling Day.
 
Bulletin Board

Reminder: Middle School Hawaiian Dance on January 29th
Date: Friday, January 29th
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Place: Middle School Reading Room
Cost: $5 ticket includes pizza dinner; African flag t-shirts available for $10, proceeds benefit the New Haven Night Shelter in Cape Town, South Africa

Reminder: Winter Semi-Formal on January 30th
Date: Saturday, January 30th
Time: 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Place: Mullady Hall
Cost: $12 in advance; $15 at the door

9th-Grade Parent Coffee on February 1st
Freshman parents are invited to an evening coffee on February 1st. This event is designed to give parents information about supporting students as they prepare for orations as well as provide general information about the global travel trip to China.
Date: Monday, February 1st
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Place: East Reading Room


Reminder: Admissions Applications Due February 1st
The deadline for submitting admissions applications and tuition assistance applications for the Pacific Ridge School 2016-2017 academic year is Monday, February 1st. Please contact the admissions office at 760-448-9841 with any questions.

Tax Receipts on Their Way: Thank You for Your Support!
Tax receipts, which summarize each family's donation(s) to Pacific Ridge School during the 2015 calendar year, have been sent via U.S. mail. All gifts and pledge payments to the Annual Fund and our comprehensive campaigns are tax-deductible and will be reflected on the receipt. Questions? Please contact Nisa Conway at nconway@pacificridge.org or 760-448-9883.

Shop the Bird's Nest Pop-Up Sale Next Week!
The Bird's Nest, Pacific Ridge's student-run school merchandise store, will open a pop-up shop on the campus lawn on Tuesday, February 2nd and Thursday, February 4th, from 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Stop by to purchase crew-neck sweatshirts, pullover hoodies, sweatpants, T-shirts, full-length Nike leggings and more! 
Date: Tuesday, February 2nd; Thursday, February 4th
Time: 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Place: Campus Lawn; Between Middle School and Mullady Hall
Tickets for All Shook Up Are Going Fast - Buy Yours Today! 
Show dates for All Shook Up are Friday, February 5th and Saturday, February 6th at 7:00 p.m., with an additional matinee at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. All performances will be held at Vista's AVO Playhouse. It's 1955, and into a square little town in a square little state rides a guitar-playing roustabout who changes everything and everyone he meets in this hip-swivelling, lip-curling musical fantasy that'll have you jumpin' out of your blue suede shoes with such classics as "Heartbreak Hotel," "Jailhouse Rock," and "Don't Be Cruel." Click here to reserve seats now!



Tinkering Camp @PRS Offered Over February Break
Looking for something to do over the February vacation? Tinkering camp is a 4-day project-based camp where students collaborate, design and build, using real tools and materials (power tools, 2X4s, plywood, etc.). The camp is facilitated by parent/architect/graphic designer Kim Viernes, who has been inspired by and trained at tinkering school san francisco. This class is open to Pacific Ridge students and students from the larger community, grades 6 - 12. Sign up and bring a friend! For more information, please visit the After-School Extension page of our website.
Dates: February 16th - 19th
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Place: Arts & Technology Center


Photo courtesy of Tinkering School SF

Hands of Peace Seeks 2016 Host Families
Hands of Peace, an interfaith program developing peace-building and leadership skills in Israeli, Palestinian, and American teens through the power of dialogue and personal relationships, is seeking host families for its 2016 San Diego Summer Program. The program takes place from July 13 - August 1st, at Pacific Ridge. Families interested in hosting one or two teen participants or a staff facilitator can contact Family Coordinator Tamara Kabban-Miller (tjkabbanmiller@gmail.com) for more information. 

New & Noteworthy


Pacific Ridge School Presents Designing New Perspectives
On Thursday, March 17th, Pacific Ridge families and friends are invited to "view the world through different lenses" during an evening presentation featuring celebrated engineering advocate Deanne Bell and world-renowned photojournalist Dewitt Jones. 
Bell is an engineer, television host, and the founder of FutureEngineers.org, a platform that hosts national invention challenges for students. Jones spent twenty years photographing stories around the globe with National Geographic, and is an accomplished director with two Academy Award-nominated documentaries to his name. Both speakers are sure to inspire with their unique perspectives on innovation, creativity, and vision. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, or to reserve your tickets, click HERE.
Date: Thursday, March 17th
Time: 6:30 p.m., coffee and dessert reception to follow
Location: Pacific Ridge School Athletic Center
Tickets: Free; reservations required 

Theater Students Pay Homage to the Bard
Last week, theater students participated in Pacific Ridge School's 6th annual Shakespeare Monologues competition. Junior Emma Reed won first place for her performance as Constance in
King John. Senior Catherine Ames and sophomore Rachael Bell were named Runners-Up and senior Cosmo Cothran-Bray came in third place. Skyler Walsh, Ollie McClymonds, Sophie DeLange, Powell Sheagran, and Claire St. Marie all earned honorable mentions. All student participants benefited from the opportunity to develop their communication skills and deepened their appreciation for the power of language and literature!
  

Shakespeare Monologues competition winner Emma Reed 
(bottom right) and fellow participants.

Spring After-School Extension Classes Announced
Check out this set of exciting, after-school extension courses that allow students to make, create and collaborate in an informal learning environment. The spring session runs from mid-March through mid-May 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:

Video Game Design
Broadcasting Team
Tinkering Lab
Ceramics Studio
Guitar Lessons
Piano Lessons

Click HERE for more information and to register. Questions? Contact Steve Dziekonski at sdziekonski@pacificridge.org.


Curricular Adventures 

Geography Bee Finalists Demonstrate Mastery of the Map
On Monday, eleven Middle School students were put to the test in a quest for Geography Bee glory. The finalists, selected from a qualifying exam taken by all 7th and 8th grade students, faced a variety of national and global questions prepared by the National Geographic Society. Students impressed with their diverse knowledge about everything from the state bordered by Lake Superior and North Dakota to the name of the largest island in the Greater Antilles. In the final round, 7th-grader Alex Yang defeated classmate Alex Holzman and was named the Pacific Ridge Geography Bee Champion. Yang will now take an online qualifying test to compete for one of 100 spots in the California state meet.



Sophomores Kick-Off Class Project With Design Thinking 
To kick off Planting a Seed - an annual project which challenges sophomores to identify a need or problem in the community and develop their own creative solutions - students participated in a "Design Thinking Blitz" during Tuesday's Grade-Level Time. Through a series of fun and interactive activities ranging from large scale rock-paper-scissors to a post-it brainstorming bonanza, students were guided through a collection of Design Thinking techniques and mindsets that encourage empathy, logic, imagination, intuition, and systematic reasoning to generate ideas. 



Service Learning In The Field

Middle School Students Help Preschoolers Get A 'Head Start'
Each week, Middle School Service Learning students visit preschoolers at Carlsbad's Head Start facility. The students read, play outside, and conduct crafts with the children. They've also been helping the preschoolers learn their shapes, colors, letters, and numbers. Head Start, a program which helps promote school readiness for young children from low-income families, has been a longtime partner of Pacific Ridge's Service Learning program. Through relationships with their "little buddies," students have gained patience and compassion, and look forward to the weekly opportunity to laugh and play.



Parents Association 

Join the Walking Club on February 10th 
 
Join the Walking Club for exercise and conversation at the Batiquitos Lagoon Trail.
Date: Wednesday, February 10th
Time: 8:15 a.m.
Locati
on: Meet at La Costa Roasting, 6965 El Camino Real, Suite 208, Carlsbad, 92009 (shopping plaza with La Costa Cinepolis Movie Theater)

Book Club Meeting on February 22nd
The Pacific Ridge Parents' Book Club will meet on Monday, February 22nd to discuss Between the World & Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. All Pacific Ridge parents are welcome to attend. We hope to see you there!
Date: Monday, February 22nd
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Pacific Ridge School Library

Used Uniform Sale on February 26th
Back by popular demand! If you missed last week's used uniform sale, there is no need to worry. The Parents Association will hold another Used Uniform Sale in February. Please remember that payments must be made by cash or check only. Uniform items generally range in price from $2 to $15.   
Date: Friday, February 26th
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location: Athletic Center Lobby

Sports on the Ridge

Loud, Proud Firebird Fans Needed This Friday! 
It's the Pacific Ridge Firebirds vs. the Vincent Memorial Scots in back-to-back-to-back home games you won't want to miss! Join us this Friday, January 29th, as Boys JV, Girls Varsity, and Boys Varsity Basketball continue their quest for conference supremacy. Bring family and friends to the Athletic Center for an evening of entertaining competition, and cheer these incredible student-athletes on to victory! Boys JV tips off at 3:30 p.m., Girls Varsity tips at 5:00 p.m., with Boys Varsity to follow.  

Home Games, February 1st through February 7th
Schedules are subject to change. Please check Schedulestar 
regularly for the most accurate information.

2/1/16
3:30 p.m. - Boys Varsity Soccer vs. Santa Fe Christian 

2/2/16
5:30 p.m. - Boys JV Basketball vs. La Jolla Country Day 

2/3/16
5:00 p.m. - Girls Varsity Basketball vs. The Rock Academy

2/4/16
3:30 p.m. - Boys Varsity Soccer vs. Francis Parker

2/5/16
4:00 p.m. - Boys JV Basketball vs. Maranatha Christian 
5:30 p.m. - Girls Varsity Basketball vs. Francis Parker
7:00 p.m. - Boys Varsity Basketball vs. Maranatha Christian 

 
Scores:

Boys Varsity Basketball
1/20/16 Maranatha Christian 39 30 W
1/22/16 Calvin Christian School 57 44 W

Boys Junior Varsity Basketball
1/20/16 Maranatha Christian 57 38 W
1/22/16 Calvin Christian School 54 22 W

Boys Junior Varsity 'B' Basketball
1/23/16 The Bishop's School 23 59 L

Boys Middle School 'A' Basketball
1/20/16 Horizon Prep 45 21 W

Boys Middle School 'B' Basketball
1/20/16 Horizon Prep 28 20 W

Boys Varsity Soccer
1/19/16 Francis Parker School 0 3 L
1/21/16 La Jolla Country Day 4 1 W

Boys Junior Varsity Soccer
1/20/16 Francis Parker School 4 5 L
1/22/16 La Jolla Country Day 4 1 W

Boys Middle School 'A' Soccer
1/19/16 Maranatha Christian 15 0 W

Girls Varsity Soccer
1/19/16 Francis Parker School 1 5 L
1/21/16 La Jolla Country Day School 4 3 W

Girls Middle School 'A' Soccer
1/19/16 Maranatha Christian 8 0 W
1/22/16 Horizon Prep 7 0 W

Girls Middle School 'B' Soccer
1/22/16 Santa Fe Christian Schools 2 0 W

Girls Middle School 'C' Soccer
1/19/16 Rancho Santa Fe Middle School 10 11 L

Beyond The Ridge

Registration Now for New Format SAT in March
The registration deadline for the March 5th SAT, the first administration of the new format, is Friday, February 5th. Late registration closes February 23rd. Students can register through CollegeBoard. Please note that scores from the March test will not be available until late May.

Practice ACT With Writing on February 27th
On Saturday, February 27th, a full-length practice ACT with Writing will be offered for sophomores and juniors. The registration link has been emailed to all students and their parents. The link also appears on the Naviance login home page. Please contact the College Guidance office at collegeguidance@pacificridge.org with any questions.





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

January 29th
Middle School Social Event
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

January 30th
Upper School Winter Semi-Formal
7 p.m.

February 1st
Admissions Applications Due

9th-Grade Parent Coffee
5 p.m.

February 5th
All Shook Up
7 p.m.

February 10th
Walking Club
8:15 a.m.

February 6th
All Shook Up
2 p.m. & 7 p.m.

February 22nd
Parents Book Club
7 p.m.

February 26th
Used Uniform Sale
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

February 27th
Practice ACT with Writing
8:30 a.m.

March 17th
Designing New Perspectives 
6:30 p.m.

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