Tuesday Notice

Dear Siskiyou School Parents,

Here at school, we are finishing up with all the good work in the classrooms. It seems like the right timing for everyone that winter break will begin soon.

On Saturday we had the most wonderful Holiday Sing-A-Long with Mrs. Archer on zoom: Thank you, Mrs. Archer, for hosting this fun event with your beautiful music; and thank you, Kristin, for making it possible with your beautiful decorations, the second edition of the songbook and the tech set-up.

This week we are in the middle of filming little clips of class presentations to share with you on Friday.

Thanks to so many parents for writing notes to the teachers and giving to the Teacher Cards and Gift Fund. As it turns out, Santa’s elves informed me that they found a treasure chest offered up by a loving Siskiyou School alum parent: This parent will offer to match every dollar given to the fund up to $1,000! I would like to encourage everyone to take a moment to write a note to the teachers, and the monetary gift (which will be matched!), will mean the world to them. Please see the links below. You have time for this until Friday at 12pm. Thank you!

Parents, I wish you a most wonderful winter break with your children at home. May it be filled with warmth, love and light! I’m deeply, deeply grateful for each Siskiyou School family and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your unwavering support and faith in the school during this very challenging year. Here is to a good New Year 2021!

With all my best, Aurilia

The Teacher Cards & Gift Fund was started many years ago and we continue the tradition this year. Since we are living in different times, we are offering an alternative on how we "write" the cards and are offering an online way of donating to the fund. Below is a link for a spreadsheet that you can write words to each of your child’s teachers. If you would like to give to the fund, please click on the link below. This will take you to a landing page through Give Lively. There you can make an anonymous donation into the teacher gift fund if you feel so inclined. If you would rather give in cash or by check, please drop that off in the payment box at school and be sure to note the envelope “teacher gift fund."

The last day for writing the cards and donating is Friday, December 18th at 12:00 PM.

The office will be closed starting at 3 pm on Friday, December 18th through 8:00 am on January 4th. Please feel free to drop off your tuition payments in the outdoor dropbox, outside of the main office. The payment box will be checked regularly over the break.

This Week:

Tues-Fri, Dec 15-18: Winter Bundle & Holiday Market Pick-Up at the Siskiyou School.

Fri, Dec 18: Last Day of School Before Winter Break.

Looking Ahead:

Mon, Jan 4: School Resumes.

WHEN THE SCHOOL MIGHT NEED TO GO TO REMOTE LEARNING:

Our Ashland community has been impacted by the high number of cases in our county. We are constantly evaluating the health and risk for our school. As we evaluate, we determine whether we need to take the school to remote learning temporarily. We will of course inform you ahead of time; additionally, as stated in the fall, we might need to take 1-2 faculty prep days while changing from in-person learning to remote learning. We hope this will not need to happen, but we will see what the next few winter months will bring. If all is manageable, we will return to school in early January and move to the 3 hour in-person schedule.

COMMUNICATING COVID CASES AND ILLNESSES TO THE ADMINISTRATOR OVER THE BREAK:

If your family experiences COVID or illness over the holiday, please let Aurilia know via a brief email. Thank you!

We have a few things still available in our Holiday Market. We will keep the store open until Thursday at 5 pm. Make sure to place your order before then!

If you have items in the office, please make sure you pick them up before Friday at 3 pm. This includes Holiday Market items, Auction items, and Winter Magic Bundles.

Thank you to everyone that supported this fundraiser! It was such a HUGE success and we are very grateful.

We've been doing lots of elf work in first grade--painting and crafting! The chill is in the air, and the anticipation of Winter Holiday fun is palpable! We light Advent candles each day, in honor of Nature's four kingdoms, and we'll light the menorah these next three days too. I'm wishing all of you the happiest, healthiest, distanced holidays ever!!! Take Joy!! ~ Ms. McKissick

Thank you to all Siskiyou School families for your support. We made it to winter break! It has been such a joy to be with the children in person. Happy holidays! ~ Mr. Alvarez and the Raven Class

Dear friends, we will all certainly never forget the year 2020, and thankfully it is soon coming to an end. Nevertheless, I have received a wonderful gift this year and I've given a gift, too. I have received a third grade class, beautifully formed by my dear friend Magda Paz. The Blue Heron Class is a precious group of children! The gift I give is my labor of love-- educating them during a pandemic, sharpening their academic skills and bringing joy to their learning with the third grade curriculum....amidst less than ideal teaching conditions this year. We made it! Happy holidays to all! We have so much to be grateful for. ~ Mrs. Martin

The Forest Class is celebrating the Human and Animal kingdoms in Main Lesson, as the children stitch up loose ends and ready themselves for a much-deserved break from an autumn of good work. Happy Holidays from the Foresters to all the Siskiyou School community! ~ Miss Benson

Fifth Grade is finishing a Greek Myths block this week with the epic story, The Iliad. We have some 5th graders learning from home this week and some here in the classroom. Through it all, the stories we share and the places those stories can take us can bring us together in this time. I wish you all a holiday filled with warmth and light. ~ Ms. Mahlstadt

The sixth grade is finishing up Business Math. The block is culminating in an entrepreneur project. See Ezra Wight’s advertisement below! Happy holidays, everyone! May your holiday time with your family bring light and joy in these turbulent times. ~ Ms. Franczak

This year, the whole world changed. We are still living the big ramifications of this change and we, the Dolphin Class, have found our way through this new time, together. We’ve navigated new territory, and we have discovered new worlds — worlds that I don't think any of us knew existed only 10 short months ago. I am consistently struck with the Waldorf curriculum and all the ways it reflects our experience as human beings. The 7th Grade Curriculum centers around the Age of Exploration and the Renaissance — a period in history that marked major shifts in thinking on all levels. Well, it appears we are undergoing such a shift at this very time on Earth, and here the Dolphin students are sailing through these unchartered waters together! I am grateful to be on this journey with all the students of the Dolphin Class. Thank you, parents, who have continued to put your trust and support in our school. With gratitude for the learning this year has brought and with an open heart toward what will come, I wish you all a wonderful Holiday Season and a joyful, healthy New Year. ~ Ms. Razi

The 8th grade finished Eastern Religions to complete their Waldorf education on our World's Religions. The art pieces from this block were stunning. I had to send some along for you all to see! May each of you find deep peace and nourishment over this Winter Break.. soak in the beauty of this season, hold your loved ones close. Best wishes and Happy Holidays! ~ Ms. Tisdel

What a year it has been! Let me start by saying how grateful I am to each and every family of the Siskiyou School community. Seeing your children every day (in-person & online), fills me with warmth and rhythm. Being together and doing good work with our hands is a gift. I am grateful to my colleagues for their commitment to figuring out how we could make in-person learning happen this Fall. I am grateful to all of the Essential Workers who make everything possible. Lastly, I am grateful for my family for taking it one day at a time and doing the best we can. I know it’s still 17 days away (who is counting?) but I would like to be the first to wish everyone a “Happy & Healthy New Year!”

~ Mr. McGlone

Knitting, purling, crocheting, and sewing, we’re getting it done here at the Siskiyou School! I really love having the children for four days in a row at a time. This is a new experience for me, a new way of presenting my curriculum. I am so impressed with how much progress they can make with these four consecutive days followed by two weeks of zooming. I love seeing their sparkling eyes and abundant enthusiasm for Handwork. Here’s to lots of crafting over our Winter break! ~ Ms. Bower

It has been so wonderful to be with students both in person and on Zoom this year. We have been able to sing many seasonal songs and even play our flutes and recorders on Zoom. I appreciate how eagerly they approach new material and how much they love the old, familiar tunes. Here’s to a new, bright year! ~ Mrs. Archer

It's a wonky year for sure. After experiencing the closing of the school in the spring, I am beyond grateful to be able teach the children in-person. Thank you, dear parents, for trusting and believing in our school. I am loving every moment of being with the children, and the children are clearly appreciative to be back at school. In grades 1-5 we play tag games, holiday games, and a lot of ball skills and ball type games. First and second grade are primarily working on throwing, catching, and dribbling. I’m so enjoying getting to know the first grade. Third Grade is learning four square. Fourth and Fifth are learning the preparatory skills of kickball, basketball, scoop lacrosse, and dodgeball. Fourth grade also begins their first team sports with pre-sport type games. Sixth grade has had a week of scoop lacrosse and a week of archery. Seventh grade had two weeks of ultimate Frisbee, and Eighth grade a week of European Handball. Once again, I am bursting with gratitude for being able to teach and play with your children in such a wonky time.

Enjoy your Winter break! ~ Ms. Glatte

Have something to share on our Community News and Classifieds section?

Here are the guidelines for the Classifieds:

Please keep your classified ads brief and succinct. We will run ads for two consecutive weeks. Flyers and pictures are appreciated! Send classifieds to Lora Wilde at lora.wilde@siskiyouschool.org by noon on Tuesday.

The Siskiyou School is not responsible for the content.

Focused on experiences of resiliency, courage, and hope, each evening will offer a selection of stories from our Spanish and English speaking communities (with bilingual translations).

Hosted by Mark Yaconelli and Erica Ledesma, the gathering was filmed at Camelot Theatre in Talent and will be presented online for two special showings on December 17th at 7pm and December 18th at 7pm.

Tellers include Judith Corona Chavez, Darby Ayers-Flood, Estefania Ortiz-Madera, Elib Crist-Dwyer, Leonso Solis, and Misty Muñoz. Musicians include Juan Sauceda and Sage Meadows.

Sponsored by Southern Oregon Education Services District Migrant Ed, along with Blackstone Audio, Ashland Food Co-op, Community Counseling Center of Ashland, Waggedy, and People’s Bank.

We are grateful to Oregon Cultural Trust, Oregon Community Foundation and The Ford Family Foundation for additional support.

All are welcome. Donations appreciated and will benefit the Rogue Valley Relief Fund.

Reserve your tickets here: https://thehearthcommunity.com/almedafires

If you are interested in providing holiday gifts for children affected by the fires please follow the link below and sign-up next to an item. Unwrapped items should be brought to school December 14th-18th with the child's ID written clearly on the gift. Your child can place items in the bins in front of the school at drop-off. If you have any questions or would like to help further with this effort (delivering items or sponsoring more children) please contact Tamara Fields at 707-497-9689 tamaraf76@gmail.com.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1095DleDYrFI5lSyfB9_-N1QT6ATElJkPuu62cL1hlM8/edit?usp=sharing

The Bass (and extended) family has “adopted” a family for Christmas who lost their home in the Almeda Fire. There are 7 children and one on the way. We wanted to reach out to the Siskiyou School Community specifically about the coming baby. Our son Ben, is in 7th grade and we no longer have baby things around our house. We were wondering if any families have any baby gear (high chair, car seat, crib, bouncy seat etc) that they would like to donate to this mama. Additionally, if there are any gently used baby clothes for sizes anywhere from newborn to toddler that families would like to donate that would be amazing. The baby is a boy. If you have something you would like to donate please contact Ann Bass at 541-482-0617 - calling or texting is fine.

Thank you for your consideration and we wish you warm and joyful winter days.

The Bass Family

Nurturing, fun, holistic nanny available, over 20 years experience with all ages, lots of time outside, nature walks, creative play, and reading. CPR and first aid certified. $25 an hour for one child $5/hr more per child minimum 20 hrs per week. Contact Kamalla McNamara for more information call 541-488-6616.

Seeking temporary Nanny/Babysitter for our 8-year-old Siskiyou School Student. Must have experience and references. Requires someone who is reliable, energetic and organized, and able to assist with meal prep, and tutoring. Must have a safe, reliable vehicle. 15-20 hours per week through January. Please call or text Abby, 541-787-1238.

Tenor Trombone for Sale, $990: Professional model, Jupiter XO, lacquered, Wedge delrin plastic mouthpiece, original hard case with custom straps and hinge to keep open, trombone stand included. Contact Darran @ darran1@live.com, or 541-690-7171.

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/