Tuesday Notice

Dear Siskiyou School Parents,

First Day! Wow! I hope your children came home today with bright faces and wonderful stories. We couldn't have been happier to see them! It felt as though we hadn't been together in a long, long time and that it certainly was time to welcome them back!

I hope you saw my email this morning with the slight smoke policy adjustment. If not, I have attached it again below for your review. Today, we are also highlighting other policies from the Parent Handbook. Take a moment to review those over the next few days.

Last year our first day of school fell on September 8th which, as I'm sure you remember, was the day the Almeda fire broke out and swept through our valley, taking many people’s homes and belongings. Tomorrow we will especially hold and remember all those directly affected families in our hearts, knowing that so many are still struggling and have still not been able to move back into new homes. We will remember as well the generous response and relief efforts that were launched in support of those who lost their homes and all the first responders to whom we owe so much. So many teachers, parents, alumni and friends of the school pitched into that relief effort Lora spearheaded last year, here at the school. We hope our community can make a difference for people in our valley once again this year.

Our Parent Welcome Night is next Thursday, September 16th, from 6:00-8:00pm. Please save the date! We will meet on Zoom with the whole community at first and then all parents will join their class teachers for the second part of the evening. Please also arrange for child care if you plan to attend that evening.

We look forward to giving all we can to our wonderful students this year and to enriching you also as best we can through parent enrichment moments. We all need soul and heart nourishment in these dynamic times. On that note, I would like to share this beautiful poem from Rudolph Steiner today.

Have a wonderful first week of school and thank you for all your support and trust in our Siskiyou School Team!

My best, Aurilia

This Week:

Tues, Sept 7: First Day of School.

Tues-Fri, Sept 7-10: Half Days; 8:25am to 12:20pm (Class 1) /12:30pm (Classes 2-5) /12:45pm (Classes 6-8). Parents with siblings, please pick up at the later pick-up time.

Next Week:

Mon, Sept 13: Full-Day daily schedule for all classes begins; 8:25 to 2:10/3:00/3:10. Please check the website each morning at 6:30am for smoke updates.

Thurs, Sept 16: Parent Welcome Night & First Parent Meetings, 6:00-8:00pm.

Looking Ahead:

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

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

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

Please Note: Office closes at 1:30 on Smoke/Half Days.

ADMINISTRATION

Administrator: Aurilia McNamara 541-494-0030 (direct)

Business Manager: Cynthia Bower ext. 16

Director of Fundraising: Lora Wilde ext. 37

Office Manager: Kristin Beers ext. 11

CLASS TEACHERS

Class 1: Leann Tourzan ext. 21

Class 2: Jeremy Criswell ext. 22

Class 3: Javier Alvarez ext. 23

Class 4: Heidi Martin ext. 24

Class 5: Christine Benson ext. 25

Class 6: Kelly Tisdel ext. 26

Class 7: Jen Franczak ext. 27

Class 8: Ghigs Razi ext. 28

1st week and all Fridays & half days, (9/7-9/10):

Drop-off for all grades: 8:10-8:25; the bell rings at 8:25.

Pick-up times for all grades:

• Grade 1: 12:20pm

• Grades 2-5: 12:30pm

• Grades 6-8: 12:45pm
  

2nd week and all weeks Mon-Thur, starting on 9/13:

Drop-off for all grades: 8:10-8:25; the bell rings at 8:25.

Pick-up times for all grades:

• Grade 1: 2:10pm (Sept-Feb)

• Grades 2-5: 3:00pm

• Grades 6-8: 3:10pm

Below is important information about Drop-Off, Pick-Up, Bike Riding, & Walking to School:

• All students arriving at school need to stop by the front drop-off area for their check-in screening on all school days. If your child is walking, coming from Clay Street Park, or riding their bike, they need to always check-in at the front of the main building for their screening.
  

• After their screening, they will be directed to walk around the main building to their classroom.

Students Walking to School:

If you are walking your student to school, please follow the same screening protocol by waiting at the crosswalk to be called over by the faculty where they will be greeted and sent in the appropriate direction to their classrooms. If you are coming onto campus, you will need to wear an appropriate mask.

Riding Bikes to School:

Students need to utilize the Takelma path and not Clay Street when riding their bikes to school. If you have a question, please contact the office.

Join us for our Back to School Parent Welcome Night on Thursday, September 16th on Zoom. At 6pm we will meet with the whole parent community and then at 6:45pm-8pm there will be individual class meetings, also held on Zoom. During the class meetings, you will hear from your child/ren's class teacher about the school year and curriculum. This evening is for parents only. Please make certain that at least one parent is able to attend.

Your student will come home with a Parent Welcome Night packet on September 16th. That packet will have very important information pertaining to the school year, your child/ren's class and the administration. We look forward to seeing you all then!

Canvas is our online education platform we use to keep students and parents connected to online learning resources and for our Middle School homework tracking.

Canvas is up and running for classes 5 through 8. If you're new to the school you will have received an email (or will today) with login information for your student. If you've forgotten your login from last year, please email Kristin (kristin.beers@siskiyouschool.org) and she can send you your login and password.

Classes 1 through 4 will be using Canvas minimally, but have pages with Zoom links (for use during student quarantining). Again, new families will receive emails with more information shortly.

Please send all Canvas question to Kristin (kristin.beers@siskiyouschool.org). Thank you!

To get to Canvas, login at: siskiyouschool.instructure.org

During smoke season, please check our website daily by 6:30am (www.siskiyouschool.org). The green banner at the top of the page will indicate whether we will be having a full day or a half-day schedule, as determined by the real-time and projected AQI level for the day.

Having the children and teachers keep their masks on for a full 6.5 hour school day while staying in one classroom and maintaining social distancing as required by health protocols during Covid is too much to ask of students and teachers. The policy below allows us to be flexible and accommodate student and teacher needs during the coming weeks. The school schedule for the next few weeks of fire season will depend on the AQI levels and be as follows:

• School will operate with our full-day schedule if the AQI is 0-151.

• School will operate on our half-day schedule when the AQI is forecasted to reach 151 by 12:00 noon. On these days, students are to be picked up at 12:20/12:30/12:45; there will be no afternoon classes.

• If the AQI unexpectedly rises above 151 after 12:00 noon, we will do our best to keep the kids out of the smoke and indoors and school will continue under the full-day schedule.

• If we start the day with the projected half-day schedule and the AQI unexpectedly drops below 151, we will not change course; we will expect kids to be picked up according to the half-day schedule.

• On days when the AQI is above 151 all classes will be held indoors.

• Snack will always be outdoors no matter the AQI level.

• Recess will be held outdoors anywhere from 0-175 AQI level.

• Mask break opportunities will be incorporated as needed.

Masks and COVID/SMOKE Protection

We will supply each student with a N95 mask on the first day of school. During smoke season, we recommend the children wear their N95s while traveling to and from school and then switch to their lighter COVID masks once they enter their classrooms. During smoke season, children can continue to wear their N95s even in the classroom if they prefer; this is something to discuss with your child.

Keeping Smoke Out of the Classrooms

Under COVID, we keep doors and windows open to ensure maximum circulation and ventilation. However, when smoke levels rise, we close the windows and doors to reduce the amount the children breathe in. All classrooms are equipped with air filters, air purifiers, and air conditioners.

The morning bell rings at 8:25, and class teachers begin their morning activities with their students promptly at that time. We place great importance on timeliness and very much appreciate parents doing everything they can to get their children to school 5-10 minutes before the bell rings so the children have time to land. Late arrivals are a distraction and affect the rhythm of the morning for the teacher and class. Arriving late does not feel good for the child either. Any child arriving after 8:25 must stop in the office to get a late slip. A late arrival is either an excused tardy or an unexcused tardy.

Excused tardies include dentist or doctor appointments, family emergencies, or a car breakdown on the way to school. Please send in a note to your child’s teacher or call the office to explain excused tardies.

Unexcused tardies cover a range of possibilities from “I overslept” to “I couldn’t find my homework,” etc.

The child will hand the tardy slip to the class teacher, class assistant, or place the tardy slip in a designated spot in the classroom as they enter.

Protocol for children in Grades 1-5:
• If a child receives five unexcused tardy slips within a semester, parents receive an email reminding them of our school tardy policy.
• At the seventh unexcused tardy, the office or Administrator calls parents to discuss solutions to the tardiness issue.
• With the tenth unexcused tardy, the Administrator calls a meeting with the parents.

Protocol for children in Grades 6-8:
• If a child receives five unexcused tardy slips within one semester, parents receive an email reminding them of our school tardy policy.
• At the sixth unexcused tardy, parents are notified that the next tardy will result in detention.
• With the seventh unexcused tardy, parents are notified that their child will be having a detention and will bring home a detention acknowledgment form for them to sign. The form requiring a parent signature acknowledges the student will stay after school to perform 45 minutes of community service, administered by the office.

For your reference, please click on the links below regarding policies for: Covid & Zoom, Sickness, Hair Dyeing, Dress Code, Tardies and more.

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

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

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/