The Tuesday Notice

For over a decade, we've been gathering together under the maple tree to celebrate our first day of school and to to join first grade and sixth grade buddies. Cheers to new friends, old friends, new challenges and opportunities. Thank you, parents and community for wishing us well!

Dear Siskiyou School Parents,

Welcome to the 2023-24 school year!

Each summer we spend weeks preparing for the return of the children, and it’s so very exciting when finally the first day of school comes and the children are reunited with their friends and teachers. Today was that day! The children's eagerness to reconnect with their school community and re-engage with the curriculum in all the many forms offered was palpable.

Predictably, when after Opening Circle class teachers invited their students back into the classrooms to begin the work and lessons of the day, a special calm and quiet descended on campus--like on no other day! The children's readiness after their long summers, to be nourished by stories and meaningful work, was reflected in their heightened attention. Blessings on our teachers and their students!

The highlight of today’s Opening Day Ceremony was the welcoming of not only our new first graders, but also of the kindergarten children and their parents. Expanding our school to bringing in the “littles” has been a longtime dream of the faculty. It’s special when an earnest wish comes true! It was made possible thanks to many, many helping hands--the true essence of community; we all help together and through that collaboration achieve something so much better and higher than if we were to just do it on our own. Much gratitude to everyone who helped and gave of their time and love for the sake of the school.

Welcoming the students back to school is the first step. Next, we look forward to welcoming you all back. We will have this moment together next week at Parent Welcome Night on Thursday, September 14th from 5:45-8:00pm. We will start with our community dinner, have a moment to introduce ourselves to you, and then the class teachers will welcome you to their classrooms for the first parent evening. We hope to see at least one parent per student that night.

At Parent Welcome Night we will hand out the Parent Handbook which holds much important information. We hope you will take some time to look through it or at least refer back to it when you have questions regarding different policies and practices at our school. We will also publish important policies in the upcoming weeks through the Tuesday Notice.

We hope this school year will be wonderful, rich, joyous, deep and filled with most colorful events and experiences for everyone. I’d like to end today with the same blessing I shared with you this morning; a Cheyenne prayer for peace:

Let us know peace.

For as long as the moon shall rise,

For as long as the rivers shall flow,

For as long as the sun shall shine,

For as long as the grass shall grow,

Let us know peace.

Blessings on our school!

Warmly, Aurilia

This Week

Wed, Sep 6: Class 8 Parent Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Wed & Thurs, Sept 6 & 7:

• School begins @ 8:25 a.m.
• School ends, first grade: 12:20 p.m.
• School ends, Kindergarten without enrichment: 1:00 p.m.
• School ends, Kinder with enrichment & 2nd through 4th grade: 3:00 p.m.
• School ends, 5th through 8th grade: 3:10 p.m.

Fri, Sept 8:

• School begins @ 8:25 a.m.

• School ends, Kindergarten and first grade: 12:20 p.m.

• School ends, 2nd through 4th grade: 12:30 p.m.

• School ends, 5th through 8th grade: 12:45 p.m.

Next Week

Wed, Sep 13 to Fri, Sep 15: Class 8 Orientation Trip

Thurs, Sep 14: Main Lesson Tour, 8:30 a.m. - Open to our community!

Thu, Sep 14: Parent Welcome Night & First Parent Meetings, 5:45-8:00 p.m.

Looking Ahead

Mon to Fri, Sep 18 to 22: Picture Week with Bryon DeVore (see below for schedule)

Wed, Sep 20 to 22: Class 6 Orientation Trip

On Thursday, September 14th, all classes except Class 8 will have Class Meetings. Please join us at 5:45 p.m. for the community dinner followed by Class Meetings. Please be sure to line up childcare for your kids. We hope all families can at least send one parent. See you all there!

Timeline for Event:

• 5:45-6 p.m.: Community dinner provided by the school. Please bring dinnerware!
  
• 6:00-6:30 p.m.: Community Meeting.
  
• 6:40-8:00 p.m.: Parent Meetings with class teachers.
• Childcare will not be provided for this evening.

A few reminders:

• Please bring your own plates, utensils and cups to support this eco-friendly event.
• PARKING -- Please always use your best parking and driving manners on Clay Street and the surrounding neighborhoods.
  
• Drive SLOWLY (25 MPH or less) on Clay Street.
• Stay OFF cell phones while driving on Clay Street.
• Park APPROPRIATELY-- leave driveways and the road completely open.

If you have siblings on campus, please pick up at the LATER dismissal time. Thank you!

2nd week and all weeks Mon-Thu, starting on 9/11:

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

2nd week Pick-up times for all grades Mon-Thurs:

Kindergarten: 1:00 p.m. (for children without afternoon enrichment)

Grade 1: 2:10 p.m. (1st semester, September through end of January)

Grades 2-4 and kindergarten: 3:00 p.m. (with enrichment)

Grades 5-8: 3:10 p.m.

Friday Pick-up times:

Kindergarten and Grade 1: 12:20 p.m.

Grades 2-4: 12:30 p.m.

Grades 5-8: 12:45 p.m.

If you would like your child to wear a mask, please follow up with your child. Teachers are not responsible tracking mask usage during smoke.

If smoke continues in the valley around the start of school, we will have the air purifiers and AC units running at all times. We will track the air quality on AirNow, and decide on outdoor recesses or classes based on the following AQI scale:

• Good (green, 0-50): Recess and outdoor classes okay.
• Moderate (yellow, 51-100): Recess and outdoor classes okay.
• Unhealthy for sensitive groups (orange, 101-150): Recess and outdoor classes okay; masks recommended for sensitive children.
• Unhealthy (red, 151-200): Recess and outdoor classes moved inside. When outdoors, masks highly recommended.

Any index past red will automatically move all recesses and outdoor classes inside.

PLEASE SEND YOUR CHILD WITH A MASK TO SCHOOL on the first day of school in the case of smoke. Thank you!

Do you like to cook? There has been a long tradition of our helpful parents providing faculty lunches at the Siskiyou School. Our goal is to provide a warm and hearty meal every Tuesday throughout the school year. It is an act that means so much and is beloved by all our teachers.

If you feel called to do so, please consider signing up through the link below.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FwI21TroKPvs6Zhc15VeF1JhR2DGguukkejRatNd9Zc/edit#gid=0

If your child will be absent, please use the attendance voicemail box by calling the main office line and extension 14 when prompted (541-482-8223, ext. 14). Please leave a detailed message with your name, your phone number, the day you called, and the reason for your child’s absence. If illness related, please give detailed symptoms and note kids can return to school after 24 hours well. Absences will be relayed to teachers via Office Manager, Phyllis Cooley. Thank you.

Grandparents' Day comes in October! We'd love to get your child's grandparent an invitation to their mailbox (physical mailbox, not email). If you're unsure if we have your grandparent's mailing address, please send it to our Events and Fundraising Coordinator, Erin Dickinson, at erin.dickinson@siskiyouschool.org. Thank you!

We're happy to have alum parent Bryon DeVore take student and class photos. Please do all you can to ensure your child can join their class for their morning class photo. Please see the schedule here and mark your calendar.

Monday, Sept 18 –Classes 6 & 3

Tuesday, Sept 19 - Classes 7 & 2

Wednesday, Sept 20 - Classes 8 & 1

Thursday, Sept 21 - Classes 5 & 4

Friday, Sept 22 - Kindergarten

A new directory is coming!

We'd love to have your business in the Siskiyou School directory! Directory ads are printed in black and white in the back section of the directory. Ads are:

• $10 for ¼ page (about business card size)
• $20 for ½ page (about 5x8.5)
• $50 for a full page (8.5x11)

All we need from you is a high-quality jpg, png, or pdf file of your business logo (or a logo and some short text) and we can add it to the directory. We can put in any file really, it's just a matter of how crisp it turns out. Ads and payment are due by this Friday, September 8th. Send to kristin.beers@siskiyouschool.org.

Siskiyou School Sponsorship:

The Siskiyou School is dedicated to supporting our local businesses, while still attempting to meet our sponsorship goals for the year. If you would like to be a Sponsor of the school, please contact Erin at erin.dickinson@siskiyouschool.org.

Any time parents/visitors come to campus for any reason, they have to stop by the front office, check in, and get a visitor lanyard. Thank you for your attention to this.

Body Basics offers puberty education to youth and for the adults that support them grades 4-8. We now have two programs for boys with Luke Barbee for 6th/7th and 8th graders! To learn more and to register for classes for girls, go to bodybasicsandbeyond.com. To get your questions answered or to get information about the boys’ programs, email Karen O'Dougherty at karen@bodybasicsandbeyond.com

White Desk for sale/free! - Just make any reasonable donation to the school and it's yours! Let the office know, and please take it from Glendale Street. Thank you!

Hi all, I am seeking help 1-2 afternoons a week with pick up, homework help and dinner prep with our 12 year old Lily and 1 Saturday a month 9am-6pm with childcare for a group of 2-5 children of all ages—all of this is at our home outside of Ashland. $20 an hour (usually more on Saturdays). Our long term person is off to college—she was very reliable, had her own vehicle, and was able to flex with whatever came her way—I imagine someone out there knows someone with those qualities who’s looking for some extra money and a small but steady job. Thanks for any leads! Lexi 541-631-9456

Does your child need some extra academic support this coming school year? Experienced Waldorf class teacher available for virtual tutoring and curriculum support for grades 1-8 and highschool. Expertise includes math, reading, and writing. Check out my website and feel free to reach out.

catherinehdixon.com

Inner Guide Expeditions would like to thank our summer participants for an incredible trip season. There was solid adventure, deep & connective circles, and a few beautiful surprises along the way to feed the soul. We witnesses bravery, vulnerability, leadership, and look for our fall offerings in next Tuesday’s notice and our summer 2024 expeditions will open for registration later in the fall.

https://innerguideexpeditions.com/

Ohana Family Resources now open! Nina Gallwey, former Siskiyou School teacher and parent educator has opened a parenting resource center to support parents on their journey. We will be offering an on-going variety of parenting support classes offered by Nina and other specialists as we expand. Gift yourself with one of the current fall gatherings. Website under construction. For now, email ohanafamilyresources@gmail.com for more in-depth information on each offering and to register for one of the following:

PARENTING ESSENCE

Saturday, September 30, 9:00 a.m. -4:00 p.m.

A day-long, nurturing exploration into a deeper understanding of the unfolding child. Practical tools for supporting the physical, emotional, and cognitive development of grade school children as we look at how to support the unfolding of their unique gifts. Tools for self-care included. For parents of children age 6-14.

THE FOUNDATIONS OF LEARNING

Saturday and Sunday, October 21 and 22

9:00a.m.-3:00 p.m.

An in-depth weekend to explore and understand the neurological development that is the foundation for all learning and emotional wellbeing. This lively, informative weekend is a lifechanging experience that will leave you with a deeper understanding of not only how to enhance your child’s capacity to learn but also with a comprehensive profile of your own learning gateways. For teachers and parents of all age children.

TUESDAY TUNE IN COFFEE FOR PARENTS

Tuesdays 9:00-10:30 a.m.

September 26, October 3, 10 and 17

A series of 4 Tuesdays to be nurtured while tuning in to topics to support your parenting. Receive inspiration and support in a small group setting. Coffee, tea, and snacks provided! For parents of children ages 6-14.

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/