We know 2020 has had its nightmarish moments, but we at Pacific Ridge hope you have a fantastic holiday with your families. |
NO SCHOOL November 23rd - 27th
Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday! 🦃🦃🦃
|
Student Covid Testing Program Starting Soon After Thanksgiving Break
Please check your email for a letter from Dean of Studies & School Life John Comforto describing a new partnership between PRS and UC San Diego to provide on-campus PCR Covid tests for students. In order for your child to participate, please login to Magnus Health and sign the authorization form. A copy of Mr. Comforto's letter and more information about the program can be found HERE. |
Listen & Share Webinar Series
Upper School: Nearing the Halfway Point
Join this interactive webinar to review the important inflection points students in each grade reach near the halfway mark of the school year. Parents can get their questions answered and connect live to others navigating the remote learning landscape. Part of a series of regularly scheduled talks. Save the dates for future meetings: The December 9 webinar program is "8th Grade, 9th Grade & Beyond" (see details below) and will be followed by another upper school webinar on December 16. Please keep an eye on your email for more information!
Date: Wednesday, December 2nd
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Zoom: link will be emailed
|
|
November 20th
Walking Club
9:00 a.m.
November 23-27
Thanksgiving Break
December 2nd
Listen & Share Webinar Series
Upper School
5:00 p.m.
December 3rd
College Night for 2022 Parents
5:00 p.m.
Book Club
7:00 p.m.
December 9th
8th, 9th, & Beyond
Parent Webinar
5:30 p.m.
December 12th
24-Hour Plays
6:00 p.m.
December 16th
Listen & Share Webinar Series
5:00 p.m.
|
|
8th Grade, 9th Grade & Beyond on December 9th
Eighth Grade parents are invited to an informational evening about the many exciting opportunities that await your child in the next few years. Learn more about the Pacific Ridge upper school experience, college guidance programming, and the ways in which we support our students as they transition to high school. There will be plenty of time for Q & A with academic leadership and College Guidance.
Date: Wednesday, December 9th
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Place: Zoom (Link will be shared by email)
|
|
Invite Your Friends to Admissions Virtual Open House on December 12
Have a friend or neighbor who might be interested in Pacific Ridge School? Invite them to our upcoming Admissions Virtual Open House to hear from academic leadership and student panels. Virtual presentations will begin at 1:00 p.m. and families will be able to craft their own experience based on student interest. To RSVP, you can click HERE or contact Admissions at admissions@pacificridge.org.
Date: Saturday, December 12th
Time: 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Place: Zoom
|
|
The 24 Hour Plays
On Saturday, December 12, upper school thespians will present their fall production, The 24 Hour Plays. A team of Pacific Ridge upper school writers, directors, and actors will come together to create brand new plays in only 24 hours. The plays will be performed live and live-streamed. Students interested in participating as writers, directors, or actors should contact Ms. Claire Tam at ctam@pacificridge.org.
There is no charge for tickets, but tickets are required to access the livestream.
Date: Saturday, December 12th
Time: 6:00 p.m.
|
|
|
|
A Treat for our Hardworking PRS Team
On Wednesday, teachers and staff, including security and cleaning crews, received a little “Thank You” from the Parent’s Association. The gift included coffee, tea and treats all wrapped up in a Firebirds orange mug. Volunteers also wrote handwritten thank you notes to each and every member of the PRS team thanking them for their hard work and dedication.
|
|
Join the Middle School Food Drive to Help Families in Need!
Middle School students are excited to support families in our community through North County Food Banks (NCFB). NCFB is "committed to providing food assistance and resources to 350,000 people every month and those affected by the COVID-19 crisis". Over the next few weeks, students will learn more about how north county has been affected by the pandemic and ways they can serve. This food drive is one of many projects they will complete this year for service learning.
The food drive will run until Friday, November 20. Families are encouraged to donate canned meats (tuna, chicken, salmon), canned vegetables, canned fruits, peanut butter, pasta, rice, cereal and oatmeal. Students can drop off their donations with their advisors in the morning. Monetary donations can also be made by clicking HERE.
|
|
Ordering School Photos through Lifetouch
Every student who had a school photo taken during grade-level orientation was given a photo day proof by their advisor. This proof has a Portrait ID and Access Code that is needed when ordering photo packages at mylifetouch.com. If you have lost or never received a photo day proof, the best avenue to retrieve information regarding portrait packages would be to call 1-866-511-3510 or utilize the chat feature on the website www.lifetouch.com.
Photo Day for Remote Learners
Despite this unconventional school year, we would like to have every Pacific Ridge student included in the yearbook. This guide will help facilitate a DIY photo day for students who are not able to make it onto campus for photo day. |
|
Would you like to help Philanthropy with the Annual Fund?
The Philanthropy office could use your help! We are looking for volunteers to help us with some remote work for the Annual Fund. No experience necessary, just a little volunteer time reaching out to our donors to remind them to contribute to the 2020-2021 Annual Fund to help us meet our goals this year. If you are interested or have questions, please contact Alison Scott, Annual Fund Manager at ascott@pacificridge.org or (760) 448-9883. |
|
Cold & Flu Season Is Here
A few tips on staying healthy during the flu season: Be sure to have your children wash hands regularly, stay hydrated and get a good night's rest. If you have not gotten flu shots, it's not too late!
|
|
Together We Can Resource Website
We invite you to visit the Together We Can website regularly for announcements about online learning and COVID operations for the school year. |
|
Take advantage of the CARES Act increased deductibility for charitable contributions in 2020.
There are two new incentives for charitable contributions this year and you only have a few weeks left (12/31/20) to take advantage of them.
-
For those who take the standard deduction, you can deduct up to $300 per tax return in annual charitable contributions. It is an “above the line” adjustment to income that will reduce a donor’s adjusted gross income (AGI), and thereby reduce taxable income.
-
For those who do itemize deductions, there is no longer a cap on how much you can deduct on your tax returns for cash donations. In a typical year, individuals can only take a charitable deduction of up to 60% of their AGI, no matter how much they give. For 2020, that limit is increased to 100% of their AGI. This applies only to donations made directly to public or operating charities such as Pacific Ridge School and not to donations to donor-advised funds or private foundations.
If you have not made your Annual Fund gift this year, now is the time to make it HERE to take advantage of these new deductions. Questions? Please contact Alison Scott at ascott@pacificridge.org
*Please consult your financial or tax advisor to make sure you are eligible for these new tax advantages.
|
|
AP Spanish Interviews Author of American Dirt
Two weeks ago, students in AP Spanish held a lively debate about the 2020 novel American Dirt (Tierra Americana), by Jeanine Cummins. Señor Burman was so inspired by the conversation, he reached out to the author to see if she might be willing to speak to his class. Cummins agreed, and spent 45 minutes last Thursday discussing how she researched and wrote the book, its personal meaning for her, and her perspective on the controversy that erupted after its publication. Students asked thoughtful questions and Ms. Cummins shared her knowledgeable perspective on the plight of individuals and families who risk their lives to seek shelter in the United States. Ms. Cummins supports the International Rescue Committee and is matching donations through July 31, 2021 for those interested in contributing.
|
|
NExT Summer Internships - BONUS |
|
NExT Summer Internships Go Remote
The NExT Summer Internship program was able to find a way to run this past summer even in the face of COVID19. While not all programs were available, some of the NExT Exclusives were able to operate remotely. We gathered testimonials from each student to find out what it was like to intern remotely and will share them here weekly. For more information about NExT Summer Internships, click HERE. |
|
Will Glockner, Mentor and Pacific Ridge Alum - OpenSimSim
"I was super impressed by the two (Edie Choi and Joonho Hong) Pacific Ridge interns we've had so far and think our company got a lot of value from their work. I hope they got as much from us! I put them into a 'Usability track' early in their internships and they quickly hunted down an error in production!"
|
|
New Faculty/Staff Spotlight |
|
Alison Scott - Annual Fund and Major Gifts Manager
Favorite or most recent book? East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Favorite movie? Pride and Prejudice
Favorite sport to play or watch? Volleyball
Greatest indulgence? Lifetime Movies
If you make her breakfast? Chilaquiles
In her free time? Spend time with friends and family
Dream vacation? Paris, France
Home town? San Diego, CA
|
|
Holiday Gifts for Faculty and Staff
The Parent’s Association kicked off its Annual Holiday Gift Drive yesterday. This annual tradition is the only teacher/staff appreciation gift event of the school year. Individual gift-giving to teachers and staff is not allowed at PRS, so this is the chance to show your appreciation with a contribution. Your contributions can be made by check, PayPal or Venmo—please see the recent email for specific instructions. The deadline to contribute is Wednesday, December 9th. At that time Gift Cards will be purchased for all faculty and staff and distributed before the Holiday Break. Thank you!
Walking Club
The Walking Club is meeting THIS Friday, November 20. Come and enjoy the fresh, cool mornings, and please wear a mask. Dogs are welcome!
Dates: Friday, November 20th
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Place: Meet in front of Peet’s coffee in Bressi Ranch
Book Club
The club has a new book! We are currently reading #1 NY Times bestseller and winner of the Carnegie Medal, Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. This work of historical fiction is based in the winter of 1945 during WWII. The book contains four stories about four refugees, and the author - a “crossover” novelist - gets high praise from both teens and adults. If you would like to join us, please email bookclub@pacificridge.org We meet via zoom the first Thursday of each month and welcome new members.
Date: Thursday, December 3rd
Time: 7:00 p.m.
|
|
College Night for 2022 Parents
All parents of Pacific Ridge juniors are strongly encouraged to attend this informative program over Zoom, which reviews our College Launch with juniors, sets out a timeline of key dates from December through summer, and provides a tutorial/sign-in for the software juniors will be using throughout their college process. Students will be walked through this information on Wednesday, December 2, but are also welcome to attend with their parents. A Zoom link will be sent to parents after Thanksgiving and we will leave plenty of time at the end of the program for Q&A.
Date: Thursday, December 3rd
Time: 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
Location: Zoom
Regional Information Session
A list of regional information sessions open to all students and parents can be found here: Regional Info Sessions
As always, up-to-date information and College Guidance resources for all Pacific Ridge families can be found on our Veracross Parent Portal page here (sign-in required). Remember, all grade-specific documents are posted to the SCOIR My Drive.
|
|
CIF Master Calendar
The San Diego CIF Section has announced a master calendar for the 2020-21 school year. Please click here to view the calendar.
For information on Pacific Ridge athletics and the start of the school year, please visit the Together We Can Athletics section by clicking here. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
