Tuesday Notice

Many, many years ago, when I had just turned 12, my mother took me to the United States to visit my grandparents for the first time in my life. It was my first ever trip on an airplane, and we finally arrived in Philadelphia. What a new world to be in the US! That fall I experienced many things I had never heard of: I harvested cranberries with my grandfather in their backyard (there are no cranberries in Europe, Halloween was so new and exciting to me, and then came Thanksgiving. I was filled with awe by the stories of the pioneers and natives, the traditions and the foods everyone cooked and shared, and the warm, loving feeling that could be felt in all the families around me.

It’s that loving warmth which keeps us all going in these challenging times. I hope all families will be able to gather and spend some warm, loving and peaceful time together. Today I give thanks for each and every Siskiyou School family; we wouldn’t be here without your support. Thank you for sending your children to our school and for helping us continue to stay strong. We wish you a good break and look forward to seeing the children again next week for the three-week stretch until winter break. From my heart to yours, Aurilia

Please do your best to keep the office staff safe. When possible, email or call the office and drop off your tuition payments in the outside tuition box.

This Week:

Wed-Fri, Nov 25-27: Thanksgiving Break, no school.

Next Week:

Mon, Nov 30: School Resumes.

Tues, Dec 1: Global Day of Generosity - Giving Tuesday

As a reminder, if your family is planning to stay home or go remote (Touchstone at Home) for any reason, and especially after Thanksgiving, know that we support you. Please read the following guidelines. If you have any questions, please contact Kristin in the office.

• Please notify your teacher and the office as soon as possible (we require at least 1 day advance notice for remote participation) and for how long you intend to use the Touchstone at Home program.

• “Livestream” (Zoom) of in-person classes will only be available starting Tuesday, December 1st, not Monday, 11/30.

• Supplies (if applicable) will be available no earlier than Wednesday, December 2nd.

Thank you for your attention to this and we are grateful to be able to accommodate your family during this time with the remote option.

In light of the huge uptick in covid cases in our county, we now ask that if any members of your Siskiyou School student's immediate family are sick, PLEASE KEEP YOUR STUDENT(S) HOME until your doctor advises you that it is okay for your student(s) to return to school. Asymptomatic children sharing a household with an ill family member need to be carefully monitored at home for symptoms until your doctor tells you otherwise. We are more than willing to accommodate your child on Touchstone at Home during the quarantine period. Please remember to notify the office as soon as your child is not attending school for any reason and please keep the office updated on the status of your child’s health and return to school. Thank you and please take good care of yourselves!

The Siskiyou School’s food drive was a HUGE success. The fifth grade has been keeping a tally of all the donations and today they reached a final count of over 1200 items donated! After moving dozens of boxes of food, some fifth graders and their parents delivered all your donations to Carpenter Hall. The food will be distributed by Rogue Food Unites to members of our community that were affected by the fires. Wow, Siskiyou School! What an incredible effort. Thank you for being a part of helping the community. Happy Thanksgiving. ~ Ms. Mahlstadt

Calling all 6th, 7th, and 8th graders interested in joining the Siskiyou School's 3rd Brain Bowl team! Our 2021 middle-school team will be competing in the Southern Oregon Middle School Brain Bowl organized by SOU Youth programs. For more information go to: https://inside.sou.edu/youth/competitions/brain-bowl-ms.html. Brain Bowl questions range over an entire spectrum of curriculum and include current events, sports, and popular culture, so we need all kinds of brains on the team! The matches this year will be remote over Zoom (they're still working on the format) and we're not quite sure how practice will be conducted, but if you'd like to join, please let Kristin know at kristin.beers@siskiyouschool.org.

Please see the link on your child’s main class page on Canvas for their updated schedule, including Zoom specialty classes.

The Second Grade has received their class name—The Raven Class!

This beautiful bird with black and iridescent purple feathers is known for its intelligence and playfulness. These are the qualities I see in the second grade. They are strong individuals who work hard and play hard. The raven is often featured in mythology throughout the world, and many cultures believe that the raven is a messenger from the invisible world to the visible world. I certainly see this quality as well in the 2nd graders. Every day they teach me something new. Fly high, Raven Class!

~ Mr. Alvarez

We have been having great fun in 7th Grade these last few weeks. We have been studying Simple Machines, and our classroom has felt like a busy workshop. We have experimented, and we have observed. The students modeled their own wheel and axle cardboard cars, and they also fashioned their own gears. The 7th Graders brought a tremendous amount of enthusiasm, focus, and energy to the classroom each day, and their work has been tremendous. The 7th Graders also just completed a two week African drumming block. It was AWESOME to listen to the children gain a new skill! By the end of the two weeks, the 7th graders were so present and engaged in the drumming. When I looked around the room, I saw kids fully and completely engaged — eyes closed and drumming with all their might. It was super fabulous. There is lots to be grateful for in 7th Grade. I wish everyone lovely, peaceful Thanksgiving Break. ~ Ms. Razi

The Siskiyou School is participating in "Giving Tuesday" on December 1st. Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving and unity. Now in its twelfth year, Giving Tuesday is recognized as an opportunity for people and communities to come together in the spirit of generosity.

In just one week we welcome you to join this global movement and support The Siskiyou School through our Annual Giving campaign. Now more than ever we are calling on our community to help us through this year. We are also excited about our Scholarship Fund that will allow us to give back to our community.

This year we have made it easy to donate via Give Lively, or you may choose to donate via cash or check. Every dollar, in support of our school, is received with so much appreciation and gratitude.

If you give before the end of 2020 you will be able to claim the tax deductions on this year's tax return.

This Saturday is "Shop Small Business Saturday." We encourage you to shop at our online Holiday Market and Online Auction. The student gifts are so beautiful and you can see the care and attention that went into making them.

The market has items such as: Class 1- candle bases, Class 2 (still coming), Class 3- soup in a jar, Class 4- salt and sugar scrubs, Class 5 (available next week), Class 6- lanterns, Class 7- beeswax candles, and Class 8 just finished their wreath sales. Ella Lovett, Class 8 student, is also selling a collection of cookies in a jar to raise money for her class trip (see picture to the right).

While we're not able to host our beautiful and fun WinterFaire this year, you can bring a small taste of the magic home! Featured on the Siskiyou School store, along with the other Holiday Market treats, is a "Winter Magic Bundle". Inside the bundle are special gifts from the Fairy Queen, Pocket Person, and Go Fish Gnome. Also included are kits for making your own nut-butter bird feeder and one of the wildly popular peppermint lemons. Winter Magic bundles help bring the fun of the season to your home and support our amazing school. Bundles are $20 and available to order through Wednesday, December 16. Bundle pick-up will begin Monday, December 14.

We have a great deal to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Of course, we’re thankful to have each other, and to be safe and well in these difficult times. Plans for our rebuild are moving apace, and we’re very appreciative of Ben Treiger’s support in this process. We’re also excited to announce that the site of our home has been cleared of wreckage. It’s very gratifying to be making actual tangible progress toward returning home. More than anything, we’re so very grateful to be a part of the Siskiyou School community. It’s been so wonderful to be the recipients of this community's generosity. The continuing meal train, organized by the 7th-grade families, opened to the greater community, and facilitated by Ruth Nelson-Moore, has been such a blessing as we’ve struggled to put our lives back together. Not only that, but continual acts of kindness - blankets, a Rhys-size acoustic guitar, books, clothing, snow gear, bed linens, baking supplies, bikes for the whole family, art supplies, a dresser and bed for Kiva, to name just a few - have come our way from every direction and warmed our hearts. Further offers of support and assistance, both great and small, come to us on an almost daily basis. Thank you so much, Siskiyou School community, for holding us while we find our footing on this long road home. ~ 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/