Tuesday Notice

Dear Siskiyou School Parents,

I hope all families are well and enjoying this glorious fall weather. Tomorrow is the Fall Equinox; the day when light and dark are exactly even. Here is a little “blessing” for this time.

We are just in our second full week of school and already things have settled into a wonderful rhythm! Life on campus feels vibrant, full, enthusiastic and engaging, and the warm, fresh air and blue skies truly are a blessing. To me it is a miracle every day that we are up and running in such a beautiful way. May it continue like this!

Please take a minute to read today’s Tuesday Notice. We have lots to share with you: Updates from all eight class teachers, parent enrichment dates, our newest section “Waldorf Gems”, and much more.

“Face Covering” and “COVID-19 Vaccination Policies”: Our school is following all ODE guidelines and mandates from Governor Brown. These two school policies are not quite finalized yet. The Board, the lawyer and myself are still in the process of clarifying all the details for the policies. We will publish these as soon as they are finished, which should be within the next few weeks.

May we all have time once in a while to take walks in nature and breathe deeply to rejuvenate our mind and body during this beautiful fall time.

From my heart to yours,

Aurilia

This Week

Mon, Sept 20-Fri, Sept 24: School photos.

• Wed, Sept 22: 6th Grade photo day.
  

• Thurs, Sept 23: 2nd Grade photo day.

• Fri, Sept 24: 1st & 8th Grade photo day.
  

Looking Ahead:

Tues, Sept 28: First Grade Enrichment Evening, 6:30-7:30pm, Zoom.

Fri, Oct 1: Michaelmas (in-house).

Tues, Oct 5: Grades 6-8 Wellness Evening, 6:30pm, Zoom.

Fri, Oct 8: Morning Coffee Chat with Nina Gallwey, 9:00-10:00am, Zoom.

We are so pleased to welcome our new Guidance Counselor, Tricia Zane, into our faculty and school community this year! Tricia will be on campus for a few hours per week, providing support to teachers and students as needed with ‘tips and tricks’ about how to stay well in body, mind, and spirit! Tricia’s primary role will be as a thought partner for teachers when questions about behavior, mental health, and the wellbeing of students arise. She will offer strategies that can be used by students and in the classroom, as well as advise when a referral to outside therapeutic support is needed to best support the child. Tricia brings years of experience working in similar capacities within school settings, and will be spending the next few weeks getting to know our school community by joining in to joyful activities with the children. She will also speak about her role at our school this year at the upcoming Wellness Evening on Tuesday, October 5th, 2021. Welcome, Tricia!

Please see below the most updated document we will be using regarding Covid-19 exposures. As a school, we will be using this document for guidance to advise our school families. This replaces our former “Decision Making Matrix”; please refer to this document if and when needed.

We want to make sure that all our students arrive and leave school in a safe manner. If you are biking or walking to school, please use the path through the Takelma neighborhood and cross Clay Street at the crosswalk. Clay Street is ONLY meant for car traffic, not for bikers and pedestrians.

If you are driving to school, please make certain you use your car blinker. This is very important for our traffic staff. Thank you!

We all know how important the Siskiyou School directory is! Let our families know about your business by placing an advertisement with us. Ads in the directory are $10 for ¼ page or business card size, $25 for a half-page, and $50 for a full-page ad.

The ads are in the back of the directory and are printed in black and white. The proceeds help to offset the cost of printing.

Please send an email to Jenny James (jenny.james@siskiyouschool.org) and include a jpg or picture file of your ad. We can also scan and include business cards.

Ads are due FRIDAY, September 24. Thank you for your support!

The first graders and I have already grown and learned so much in just these first two weeks! Learning how to be together in a new classroom and move through the day has been spectacular! Each morning the first grade bustles with movement, song, rhymes, and an active morning lesson which ends with a fairy tale or story connected to the curriculum. As an introduction to form drawing, the children have explored the straight and curved lines through movement, walking spirals, drawing with chalk, painting and nature-walk observations. Our afternoons have been full of engaging mental math, developing healthy rhythm and routines. The children are also enjoying handwork, Chinese, ACORN class, music and plenty of time running and playing outdoors. The best of all is the blossoming of new friendships, building class community and spreading kindness!

Happy Autumn! ~ Ms. Tourzan

With stories of lost teeth, new pets, sibling birthdays, and accounts of their own personal accomplishments and challenges, the second grade class has welcomed me openly as their new teacher. We’ve been hard at work, drawing and writing from the stories of saints, people who were able to share kindness and goodness even in the most challenging conditions. It is heartwarming to see the children take to these stories so openly and to see them consider and feel the worth in choosing to share and do good. The classroom feels settled and calm, and now with fresh air and open windows, the sweet sounds of a happy campus join our lessons, dancing through soft curtains. ~ Mr. Criswell

The third grade is off to a great start this year! In the first weeks of school, we learned about measuring time and reading a clock. First, the students counted (quietly in their head) how long it took me to walk around the classroom. I wrote their answers on the board, and we were surprised to see so many different answers. We were all in disagreement about how long it took me to walk around the room. I explained to them that we needed to now come to an agreement about a standarized form of counting. We used the seconds hand of the clock to count how long it took me to walk around the room. This time we were all in agreement! This is the basis of how the 3d grade will learn about measuring time, weight, lenght. People have created standard units of measurement by coming to agreements! ~ Mr. Alvarez

We have been having such a lovely start to autumn in fourth grade with our 21 students, including three new wonderful boys and a returning Blue Heron student! Our class is studying local geography and learning about the first settlers who came into the region. We've also studied the four directions by looking at a Native American tradition called the Medicine Wheel. Soon, we will focus on local indigenous peoples and the salmon cycle. Our days are full of drawing maps, writing about Ashland, singing and math games as we review important arithmetic skills. Overall, it just feels terrific to be back on campus all day again! ~ Mrs. Martin

With celebration and eager attention, the Forest Class has reunited in the fifth-grade classroom. On the first day, the class dived into studies of North American geography. Stories and descriptions of wild places stir their feelings and imagination. One can see already their willing ease to live and feel into stories and images all while desiring greater challenge and intellectual stimulation--just as one would expect for a class at the pinnacle of childhood. From the stalking jaguar of the Central American jungle at the foothills of volcanic lands to the enduring pack of wolves in pursuit of caribou across the Canadian tundra, the contrasts of landscapes and lifeways has allowed them to feel the great diversity that we enjoy on this one continent. Lessons of geology, water systems, ecology, botany, animal life, and land use abound.

It has been nothing short of sheer joy to welcome these fifth graders, both returning and new students. Their mature abilities, drive to learn, and positive engagement shine with all the light of the pinnacle of childhood. ~ Miss Benson

Polaris, the North Star. As we look to the heavens and observe all stars moving counter- clockwise in their nighttime dance, we see that Polaris, alone, remains fixed. In 6th grade astronomy, the night sky comes to life through the stories of the mythical creatures and beings that inhabit it in the form of age-old and world-recognized constellations. Ursa Major and Minor, the bears, forever circle the northern sky, never sinking below the horizon. Cassiopeia sits on her throne gazing into her mirror. Delphinus the dolphin swims the waters of the sky next to the Summer Triangle. From talking about our solar system, we’ve extended out to our galaxy, to the edge of the Universe--and beyond. It is an absolute delight to begin to get to know this group of students and feel their wonder and curiosity for the study of astronomy. The crowning moment will be our Star Night at the end of the block when the students and I will have the chance to come back together in the evening, look up at the sky, and find all we’ve learned. We’re off to a great start! Oh… and let me just say how much the 6thgrade LOVES their buddies! The sweetness is off the charts. Have a wonderful week! ~ Ms. Tisdel

In the Hummingbird Class we are learning about some of the many cultures that thrived in Central American prior to the arrival of European explorers. This week we are focusing on the Mayan people. We are particularly fascinated with the Mayan concept of time. Their calendar featured two concentric circles spinning in tandem likes gears. This highlighted the circularity of time. They viewed the past, present, and future as intricately linked. Next this week we will study Aztec civilization and their fondness for athletics and the arts. ~ Ms. Franczak

Today, with our always fearless director Eve Smyth, the 8th graders did a first read-through of our play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream! Our tentative premiere is October 22. The 8th grade play is a landmark moment in the 8th grade year, marking the last time the students will perform together as a class. This year, as we will be following health guidelines, our production will be a bit different, but the students are excited for what is possible. They were excited to hear that for this production they will be in charge of costume design and the music in addition to the acting. We will likely also be working with innovative staging outdoors! In main lesson we are studying meteorology. The sky really cooperated this weekend with some fabulous clouds and clear air! Thanks, parents, for a lovely parent evening last week. If you were not able to attend, please ask a parent who was there to fill you in.

~ Ms. Razi

We are super excited to announce that you can now purchase all kinds of Siskiyou School items online. We have sweatshirts, t-shirts (long and short sleeve), beanies, hats, totes, and more in youth/teen/and adult sizes.

How it works - You simply place your order and your item will be direct shipped to you. It's that easy. Happy shopping and feel free to share with your friends and family!

We are very excited about our new Tuesday Notice section, Waldorf Gems. Each week we will feature a gem that you may want to do or use at home. We have added a section to our website to make finding these gems even easier. We hope you enjoy!

9 AM at the Siskiyou School Pine Hall. Bring your body and let’s do yoga together! All levels welcome, gentle and strengthening practice. Come into your own place of power from within as we open our hearts and move our bodies. Class ends with a guided visualization to promote self-love. Bring water, a mat, and a mask; we will be well spaced apart. Wear clothes you can move in and bring a sweater for savasana. 🙏🏽 $20 per class. 1st class Sat, Sept.25.

Call Kamalla to RSVP 541-488-6616.

Body Basics offers puberty education and body literacy classes for youth starting in 4th grade. Each year students return for the next developmentally appropriate curriculum guiding youth and their parenting adults towards and through adolescence, normalizing this most misunderstood phase of life. Our programs for boys (6th grade- 9th grade) will be launched in January of 2022! Educators Karen O'Dougherty and Jane Higgins are excited to welcome Aaron Boyd to the Body Basics team. For more information and to register for the fall session, go to bodybasicsand beyond.com. For questions please email Karen at karen@bodybasicsandbeyond.com

Need to get your kiddo moving? Gymnastics and Obstacle classes at FlipSide start next week! Join us for our 8 week fall session(Sept 27-Nov 19). We still have openings in several classes- in addition to our usual classes, we have space in our * Beg Teen 1 & Adv Teen 2 Tumbling classes (ages 10 & up); *Friday early release 2pm Tumbling & Obstacles class (ages 5-8); *Friday Ninjas int and * Warrior adv Tumbling & Parkour Obstacles classes! Class sizes are limited. We mask, Covid check, sanitize and ventilate! For more info or to sign up online, go to www.FlipsideAshland.com (FlipSide is owned by Tracy John, alum parent and 1st grade assistant:)

8th grader, Kieran Sweeney, has been searching for a mentor to learn silversmithing for his 8th grade project. If you or someone you know may be interested in working with him, please contact Shannon at mamaspruce@gmail.com or 541-890-1717. Thanks!

Ruth Hoffecker, a Waldorf graduate and certified Singing Teacher offers private lessons and small group classes to singers of all ages and abilities. Learn to sing for the first time, cultivate the skills to set your voice free, or experience personal renewal through engaging in this Anthroposophical art form.

Contact Ruth Hoffecker

rmhoffecker@gmail.com

541-531-9442

Greetings from Mr. Gaskin! Many of you may remember me from my time at the Siskiyou School as a class teacher and working in the office. I have just started my first business called Blue Lantern Management LLC. Inspired by the success, passion and pleasure of running our own vacation rental business on our property for the past 4 years, I am offering vacation rental and property management services for others. Please check out my website and spread the word to anyone who may need support managing or co-hosting their vacation rental or managing their property or rental. Thanks and wishing you all the best in starting a new school year!

I can be reached at ben@bluelanternmanagement.com.

www.bluelanternmanagement.com

Ben Gaskin

Ben Gaskin (formerly Mr. Gaskin) is offering individual ukulele lessons to kids and adults for a limited time only. Beginner to intermediate levels welcome. $30 for 1/2 hour or $40 for 45 minute lessons. All lessons outdoors from his home in downtown Ashland (has covered structure with fire table). Email bengaskin09@gmail.com or call 541-531-2624 if interested and to check availability!

Waldorf Graduate and Waldorf Trained Teacher available for remote tutoring of all kinds! Raised in Washington DC and Maine, I was a middle school teacher in Baltimore city for a few years before getting my masters from Antioch University and becoming a Waldorf class teacher. I taught at The Siskiyou School for seven years before moving to the Oregon Coast. Take a look at my website: catherinehdixon.com.

I look forward to the opportunity to work with your child! ~ Catherine

Siskiyou School Mom, Ruth Nelson-Moore and girls, Kayla Hawkins (8th grade), and Eleanor Hawkins (2nd grade) and two small outdoor bunnies are looking for a 2-3-bedroom home by Oct. 1. Thank-you for any leads! 541-292-1986

Nurturing, fun, loving,holistic nanny available, over 20 years experience with all ages, lots of time outside, nature walks, creative play, yoga and reading.

CPR, first aid and water safety certified. ECE credits, Kids yoga certification,

$25 an hour starting rate for one child.

Looking for 20 hrs per week , available weekdays.

Kamalla M.

541-488-6616

Email: office@siskiyouschool.org
Website: www.siskiyouschool.org
Location: 631 Clay Street, Ashland, OR, USA
Phone: 541-482-8223
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/siskiyouschool/