The Tuesday Notice

Our last all school photo was taken in 2019! It features the 8th grade Honeybee class in the back row, alongside their teacher, Mr. Beech. We're excited to see the Honeybee class graduate from high school this year and just as excited to watch as each of the children in this photo grow with us in the years ahead!

Dear Siskiyou School Parents,

We hope you'll be joining us tonight for Nina Gallwey's Navigating the Heart of Childhood talk. Nina's insights always hit right to the heart of what our children are experiencing and we're grateful to have her come to share with our community.

Another source of gratitude is for Bryon DeVore, Siskiyou School alum parent and longtime school photographer! We were thrilled to have him back to take our all school photo on Monday. It's the first one we've had in 4 years. Thank you, Bryon!

Finally, we're grateful for our grandparents and grand-friends that will join us this Friday for Grandparents' Day. It's a busy time on campus, but getting to share what we do here with others is important and special. If you have questions about the day or would like to RSVP, please call or email Erin Dickinson (erin.dickinson@siskiyouschool.org).

Enjoy the season!

Aurilia

This Week

Tues, Oct 24: Parent Enrichment: Navigating the Heart of Childhood, part I, 6:30 p.m.

Fri, Oct 27: Grandparents' Day (arrive and depart with the children, schedule below)

Next Week

Mon, Oct 30: Pumpkin Carving, during school hours

Tues, Oct 31: Halloween, half-day

Thurs, Nov 2: Kindergarten Lantern Walk, on campus, 5:30 p.m.

Fri, Nov 3: Class 2 Lantern Walk, on campus, 5:30 p.m.

Looking Ahead

Mon, Nov 6: Food Drive Begins (Class 5 project)

Tues, Nov 7: Class meetings for classes 2, 4, 6 & 8, 6:30 p.m.

Thurs, Nov 9: Main Lesson Tour, 8:30 a.m.

Thurs, Nov 9: Class 1 Lantern Walk, 5:30 p.m.

Fri, Nov 10: Veterans Day - No School

School photos are now online! The DEADLINE for free delivery to school is this coming Sunday, October 29th. Go to www.bryondevore.com and click on “your school photos” in the menu.

The traffic team thanks you for using your turn indicators coming up and down Clay Street. It's so helpful to gauge the traffic!

Thank you to all the parents that have volunteered their time to help with pumpkin carving this coming Monday, October 30. Please check the link HERE to confirm your time on campus. More instructions will be provided, but please join us first in the front parking lot and we’ll go from there to the pumpkin patch!

Parents, please do NOT bring knives or tools from home, the school will provide safe carving instruments. Thank you!

Halloween Details: This festival is one of our favorite ones at school. We will celebrate Halloween on Tuesday, 10/31 with our traditional in-house assembly here at school. We will have a half day and dismiss per our half day dismissal schedule. The early dismissal will give families a little time before going to the Ashland Halloween parade. Here at school, the children come dressed in costumes and we celebrate with music, pumpkins and a parade around the campus.

Costume guidelines: When we think of getting dressed up, let’s ensure that we are thoughtful about the costumes we choose to wear to school. We want to be mindful that all students will feel safe and honored.

• Be creative and keep in mind we have young ones on campus.

• Please no scary costumes, blood, or weapons. Just bring fun.

• NO CANDY is to be brought to school on or after Halloween.
• If you’re not sure if your child’s costume will “work”, please check in with their class teacher before Halloween.

Aside from these guidelines, please talk with your student to make sure that the costume that they have selected does not portray a stereotyped image of a culture or group of people. In addition, please help students make sure that their costume is not offensive to any racial, ethnic or religious group, or any people with disabilities or illnesses. While students might choose to dress as a famous person or character who’s identity is different than their own, please reinforce the importance of not darkening skin or using makeup to change a child’s skin color to match the person who they are dressing up to be. Students are often unaware of the long history these traditions have and that it can be hurtful to those people.

Some examples of costumes that can be problematic include: Indigenous American costumes involving head dresses or feathers, dressing as a homeless person, dressing up in a moustache/sombrero, dressing as a geisha, dressing as a person with any physical or mental disability, or dressing in any costume that portrays a narrow or negative stereotype about a specific ethnicity, religion or race.

We look forward to celebrating with all of the students on Halloween and appreciate your help in making sure that it is a fun day for everyone. If you have any questions at all regarding this day, please feel free to reach out.

THE BATTLE IS ON! Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) is coming back to The Siskiyou School for the second year! OBOB is a statewide voluntary reading motivation and comprehension program sponsored by the Oregon Association of School Libraries and Library Services and Technology Act grant. Students in 3rd-8th grade regardless of ability, are exposed to quality literature representing a variety of literary styles and viewpoints. OBOB’s mission is to encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading, to broaden reading interests, to increase reading comprehension, promote academic excellence, and to promote cooperative learning and teamwork among students. Students will form teams, read at least 4 books (up to 16) from the OBOB titles, and compete in battles with the support of a parent coach. Reading, team meetings, and battles will occur outside of school hours. The Siskiyou School has again sponsored our enrollment so this is a cost free program.

To learn more about OBOB please view their website at www.oregonbattleofthebooks.org or reach out to Amy Bull at amy.s.bull@gmail.com. Please see attached permission slips for more detailed information, as well as an email that will be sent to each classes’ social email. Parent Coaches are needed! We need awesome adults to help lead the teams, please let Amy know if you'd like to help with this amazing program.

At the heart of childhood is the important development of the EQ, the emotional intelligence of the child. A healthy EQ is critical for all further intellectual and relational pursuits as it supports sound decision making, the ability to build collaborative relationships, stress management, and the capacity to deal with change. How can we understand the anatomy of the emotional body and create supportive environments for children to explore the “heart of childhood” at home and in our classrooms? This series is inspired by the work of Kim John Payne, award winning author and parenting specialist. Nina Gallwey will share parenting tools and insights from her trainings with him and her many years of experience as an educator.

Nina Gallwey has 33 years of experience in classroom teaching and special education. She currently is opening Ohana Family Resources in Ashland offering support, education, and trainings on child development to parents and teachers. Nina has been teaching, lecturing, and running workshops for over 20 years.

We're looking forward to hosting grandparents and grandfriends on Friday. Anyone planning to come should please RSVP as soon as possible to: erin.dickinson@siskiyouschool.org

We have lots of grandparents and grand-friends coming to see us and we’d love your help. We need volunteers to bring food items (ideas and suggestions can be found on the signup sheet) and to be onsite during the event, handling traffic flow, logistics, and hospitality. Please sign up with the link below.

Please note that we will be offering times for photos with grandparents and student throughout the day, but we do hope that grandparents will take the first moments on campus getting a photo. If you can help remind our older friends to get a photo first thing, that would be most helpful! Thank you!

The second graders are full of enthusiasm and engagement! Our math block is nearing its end. Next will be our saints and inspirational people block. We have begun making our lanterns for the upcoming lantern walk and they are beautiful. The second grade children really are delightful and each day is filled with laughter, learning, and lessons that come alive.

~Mrs. Bartow

With eagerness to explore beyond the known horizon, the seventh graders set sail through studies of the Age of Exploration, presented by Mr. Alvarez. Preceding the Age of Exploration, the class was led through their “1491” block, an exploration of the state of the world just before colonization, allowing for another perspective to the famous tales. The stories of European seafarers and conquerors provided rich ground for discussion of the consequences of their legacy - from rising wealth and power of European countries to the exploitation and decimation of indigenous peoples.

This week, the class dives into a geographical, cultural, and historical study of Africa.

~Miss Benson

The most powerful way to change the world is to live in front of our children the way we would like the world to be. -G. White

We continue to add opportunities for you to nourish yourself. Take a moment, join us for a coffee circle, a Mini Morn, or an evening gathering to step back and gather perspective, step in and connect with other parents, and step forward with renewed resolve (and some new tools) to meet the many demands that parenting asks of us.

We are the change we wish to see, so let’s come together to co-create peace in ourselves, our homes, and our community.

COFFEE CIRCLES:

NOVEMBER ROOTS CIRCLE ADDED TO THE CALENDAR: for parents of children ages 4-8 years. Wednesdays, November 1, 8, and 15 9:30-11:00.

NOVEMBER TWEEN CIRCLE ADDED TO THE CALENDAR: for parents of children ages 8-12 years. Tuesdays, November 7, 14, and 21. 9:00-10:30

MOMS OF BOYS CIRCLE with Janet Allison November 3, 10, and 17. 9:00-10:30.

MINI MORN: Crossing the Bridge: Guiding the child through the heart of childhood for parents of children ages 7-12 years. November 11, 9:00-12:00.

EVENING GATHERINGS: Parenting from the Pulse: For parents of teen children (See schedule online).

TO LEARN MORE OR TO REGISTER: email ohanafamilyresources@gmail.com or go on-line to the website: ohanafamilyresources.com

Aurilia is looking for a parent with a truck to help move a big plant/tree into the 7th grade classroom. Please contact her if you have a moment to help with this; Aurilia.mcnamara@siskiyouschool.org. Thank you!

Aurilia McNamara

The Clayfolk Show and Sale will again be at the Medford Armory but on the weekend of November 3rd to 5th . Please note that these are new dates this year.:

• Friday, November 3rd : 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Saturday, November 4th : 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Sunday, November 5th : 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Admission is free!

The Children’s Clay activity is available Friday 3-6, Saturday 11-6, and Sunday 11-1.

Children’s Clay is a hands-on clay experience for kids of all ages.

When kids arrive at Children’s Clay they receive a hunk of clay to play with in whatever way they want right there at the table. A Clayfolk potter is on-hand to give suggestions and advice, as well as, offer use of some tools of the trade such as sticks, stamps, molds, and textures. If desired, kids can take home their creations and/or a hunk of clay to continue playing with clay on their own. It’s a great place to drop off an independent kid if a parent wants to shop at the show.

The Clayfolk Show & Sale is a Southern Oregon Potters’ Association signature event. The event features a variety of functional, sculptural and whimsical work by more than 70 member artists from across Oregon and northern California. The Clayfolk Show & Sale is the largest of its kind in southern Oregon.

Help needed 2/10-2/17/2024 with chicken feeding and care of two dogs while we are away. We live near Valley View nursery. Compensation $20/hour or daily rate can be discussed with additional consideration of driving reimbursement if needed. Text or call or email if interested -206-535-5886. Liamcmacleod@gmail.com

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/