Tuesday Notice

Chalkboard drawing in Class 1 during their Math block.

From Ms. Tourzan:

Addy Addition has left for the kitchen!

Addy Addition all dressed in green, baking treats with everything!

Adding this and a sprinkle of that,

rubbing his belly with a pat pat pat!

Dear Siskiyou School Parents,

I’m thinking with love of everyone in our community and sending wishes of health and peace to each family. Like the beautifully flying birds in the mural, may you all find inspiration in your lives and enjoy the warmth of the sun these days.

All is well on campus. As everyone knows, omicron and the flu are going around and many people are sick. We heard from the Ashland School District that they are struggling to find enough subs, so the high school will be going remote for the next two weeks. We really hope to continue with everyone on campus here and in person learning. It all seems to be going very well, with the optional outdoor masking, mostly outdoor eating during the good weather, and good masking indoors. We are very grateful to all families for their diligence in following our illness policy closely and keeping kids and siblings home at the first sign of any symptoms. Please see the Illness Policy below.

Last week and this week we have been fortunate that we have had only a few teachers out at a time, allowing us to cover their absences in a good way. Should too many teachers get sick at once and it become impossible to cover them all with subs, we might need to close school for a few days. Hopefully, we will get through this time without that happening. The faculty will discuss this possibility at their Thursday meeting to have a plan in place just in case. We will communicate in further detail about this soon.

Please join us for the Town Hall Meeting tonight to hear more details about the Test To Stay program and other details. We look forward to seeing some of you tonight at 6:30pm.

Today we are posting the updated COVID handbook on our website in case anyone wants to read it.

Much gratitude for your continued support and patience – and many healing blessings on our school!

My very best to you,

Aurilia

If your child is feeling unwell or has any of the symptoms listed below, please keep them home and notify the office as soon as possible. Our Health Coordinator will assess each case and determine the next steps necessary for return to school.

If your child has any cold symptoms (including cough, shortness of breath, chills, fatigue, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, headache or fever) please also keep the child's sibling(s) home and contact the office promptly. It is possible the child's sibling (s) may still attend school, however, in an effort to limit disruption to in-person learning for the class, our Health Coordinator will assess and advise on the next appropriate steps.

SYMPTOMS OF CONCERN:

• Feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit
  

• Loss of taste or smell

• Cough or difficulty breathing

• Shortness of breath or fatigue

• Headache

• Chills

• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Shaking or exaggerated shivering
  
• Significant muscle pain or aches
  
• Diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting
  

Please contact our Health Coordinator, Sarah Collins, at 541-214-7015 or by email Sarah.Collins@siskiyouschool.org.

ThisWeek:

Tues, Jan 11: Town Hall Meeting, Zoom, @ 6:30pm.

Next Week:

Mon, Jan 17: No school. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Tue, Jan 18: Parent Evenings for classes 1, 7 & 8. Zoom, 6:30pm.

Wed, Jan 19: Parent Evenings for classes 2, 3, 4 & 6. Zoom, 6:30pm.

Fri, Jan 21: Read-A-Thon fundraising begins.

Looking Ahead:

Mon, Jan 31: Second semester begins.

Tues, Jan 31: Parent Evening for class 5. Zoom, 6:30pm.

If you haven’t yet taken a moment to fill out the google form regarding testing, signing your child up for the Test to Stay Program, etc, please find those forms below.

The “testing consent" form by the OHA needs to printed out and sent to the office with your child or handed to any employee at drop-off or pick-up.You may also email the completed form to Kristin at Kristin.Beers@siskiyouschool.org.

There has been a long tradition of parents providing faculty lunches at the Siskiyou School. Jennifer Holtzman-Maslow, a parent of 3 alumni, gifted this to the faculty for many years and we are happy to keep the tradition alive!

Our goal is to provide this every Wednesday throughout the rest of the school year. Please consider signing up through the link below. Feel free to partner with another parent if that works best for you. There is information about what to provide for lunch in the link. Thank you so much for considering!

Second Semester begins January 31st. Hot Lunch forms are here and in the front hallway for Falafel Tuesday and Pizza Wednesday. If you’re not sure your child is signed up for the full year of lunches, just email Kristin.Beers@siskiyouschool.org. Thank you for supporting the 8th grade trip!

Dear Siskiyou School Community,

Our Holiday Market and Faire (WinterFaire) numbers have just come in and we are right on par with what we fundraised back in 2019 (Pre-Covid!!). Looking back on the day, it was magical to see everyone on campus. The moments that stood out to me were the children busy making their way through all the stations, the parents mingling and sharing laughter, the smell of the dragon bread over the fire, and the overall feeling of togetherness. It was all of us that made this event such a special and lucrative fundraiser for our school. Thank you so much for being a part of making all of this happen. With gratitude, Lora

We are very excited to announce that our second annual Read-A-Thon launches this month! Next week you will receive the necessary paperwork to make certain that you and your child/ren are ready for this fun and exciting FUN-draiser. The Read-A-Thon made nearly $30,000 last year!

**Please note that students will come home with a hard copy packet with all the information regarding the Read-A-Thon. I will also be sending each class a digital version of the paperwork.**

The Read-A-Thon is a fundraiser and a great way to engage and encourage children in reading (with and without their parents). The fundraising can happen either online, in-person, or both. You will receive sample letters that you can send to family and friends, the online campaign can be shared via social media, there's an easy link to share, and so much more!

Read-A-Thon Important Dates:

• January 21-February 25: Read-A-Thon Fundraising
  
• February 18-25: Read-A-Thon Reading

It was such a joy seeing the first grade children last week after winter break. They arrived so ready to be back at school and with so many subtle changes within each of them. We have started a math block and the children are being introduced to the four processes through the umbrella story with Jeremy and Hazel and their journey under the earth to meet the math gnomes. These stories are dramatic and lively, with a splash of humor. Each of the four processes are introduced through a gnome character that aligns with a temperament. This gives the children an immediate and joyful connection to the concepts. Each day the children are engaged in rhythm and movement that incorporates mental math, poetry, and speech exercises. This is a vital part of first grade that will be carried with them through the grades. It builds up the physical body and sets the foundation for long-term health.~ Ms. Tourzan

Where in the world is 11.35 degrees N, and 142.2 degrees E? The 6th grade is plotting coordinates of Latitude and Longitude and learning more about our Ocean biome, particularly the location where the above points are located. The Mariana Trench is the deepest known location on the planet. At 36,201 feet deep, it is devoid of sunlight, and the pressure would pulverize our cells. Is there life down there? You bet 'cha! Amazingly enough an albino shrimp like animal and the albino snailfish are able to live quite happily down in these depths. We'll be wrapping this short block up mid-week to begin our second Rome block. From the mysteries of the ocean, we'll turn towards the craziness of the emperors. What fun! Have a great week! ~ Ms. Tisdel

Dear parents,
Coming to school after the winter break, I received your card and gift. My deepest gratitude to all of you for your warmly regards, generous gift and LOVE. Wishing you all good health, abundance and lots of happiness in the year of Tiger. 虎年大吉！Thanks , Jennifer Carroll

Aurilia’s mother is coming to visit from Germany. She is looking for a vacation rental for her from 2/15-2/28. Please email Aurilia at Aurilia.mcnamara@siskiyouschool.org if you have any leads. Thank you so much!

Hello Siskiyou School Families,

Since our family of six (two parents, two kids, and two dogs) were displaced by the Almeda Fire, we’ve been in the same rental. We’ll be moving into a new rental at the end of January and will remain there until our rebuild in Talent is complete. That won’t be until May at the earliest.

Our older dog, Cember, has developed health challenges which make her difficult to house in the new rental. Our current place has hardwood floors. Our rebuild will have mostly vinyl. The rental in-between is almost entirely carpeted, and our landlords are particular about the care of the carpet. We need to rehome Cember at least until May and maybe longer. We are also open to a new forever family for her, as her health challenges have become a bit much for two working parents to manage, but that decision can be made later.

Here are the details about Cember:

Facts about Cember:

• We’ve had her since she was seven. She’s eleven now.

• We are her first experience of having a family, since she was a dame at a breeder and not treated as a pet.

• She’s spent the past four years learning how to be a family dog.

• She is meek, loving, and gentle. She might hurt a fly, but that’s about it.

Challenges:

• She has seizures, which have been occurring at least once a month for the past year.

• The seizures generally last a few minutes.

• She loses control of her bladder during the seizure (hence the problem with carpeting).

• She’s on medication for her seizures.

• We’re still adjusting the medication, but the vet has told us that we’ll never really get rid of the seizures.

• The medication makes her a little slow, confused, and clumsy sometimes.

• The medication also tells her brain that she’s always hungry. She keeps her girlish figure by being strictly limited to two meals a day (plus treats).

• Because she always thinks she’s hungry, she has to be monitored when she goes potty. She will eat poop.

• She has an old doggy bladder. She’s really good about letting us know when she needs to go (basically, whenever she gets off her bed), but when she’s gotta go, she’s gotta go.

• When we need to leave her for extended periods of time, she goes in her kennel. We find that if she doesn’t get up and move around her bladder holds better.

• She may be starting to lose her vision and hearing. Either that, or she’s just become very selective.

She’s very bonded to us. She’s much less anxious than when we first got her, but we really don’t know how this transition will go. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that something will work out to help us through this predicament. Please contact Mr. Dilansa at the school if you can help in any way.

Thank you!

Mr. Dilansa and family

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/