Tuesday Notice

Dear Siskiyou School Parents,

Last week we welcomed Phyllis Cooley as our new Office Receptionist! We are so grateful she has joined our team to welcome all parents, students and visitors in the front hallway, support the front office, and help with the smooth running of the school. Welcome, Phyllis!

With the start of February, we have entered our second semester, the moment when our first graders move up to being full-time students, with classes all day up to to 3:00pm Monday through Thursday!

It's also the time when grades 1-5 switch from learning Chinese to Spanish. Classes 1 -8 will now be having Spanish with Senora Diez until the end of the year, with grades 1-5 having their first Spanish lessons of the year this week.

Last week at our Friday Assembly, we acknowledged and expressed our gratitude to our Chinese teacher, Jennifer Carroll, for her teaching since September. In her response to our thanks, Ms. Carroll expressed her love of working with the children and wished us all a Happy Year of the Tiger!

In other happenings around campus, the 4th grade is now preparing their play which they will perform at the end of the month, the 3rd grade just finished their incredibly beautiful shelter projects, and the 4th grade completed their Native American Tribes projects! The 8th grade is getting ready to offer the community Singing Valentines in support of their 8th grade trip. Please consider purchasing a Singing Valentine for your family and friends. It will touch your loved ones in an unexpected way on that special day and support the 8th grade as well. When a group of 8th graders appears on Valentine's Day and sings beautiful love songs -- it's a gift, a most touching moment.

Regarding ongoing health protocols, we have amended our face covering and vaccination policies.

The changes are as follows:

• Outdoor masking requirement has been removed.

• Substitutes, contractors and volunteers have now two options; to either be vaccinated and show proof of their vaccination card, or sign the exception form and follow the testing guidelines 24-hours prior to working at the school.

You can also view the latest guidelines we are required to follow at these links:

CDC’s Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools
OHA ruling on masking in certain scenarios

Oregon Department of Education’s “Ready Schools, Safe Learners Resiliency Framework for the 2021-22 School Year”

Parent-Teacher conferences are in two weeks. Please be sure to sign up!!

Also note that we are back to offering child care during conferences.

Blessings on our school!

My best to all, Aurilia

Next Week:

Wed, Feb 9: 1st Grade Enrichment Evening, 6:30pm. Zoom.

Fri, Feb 11: Open House for enrollment, 2:00pm.

Looking Ahead:

Mon, Feb 14: 8th Grade Singing Valentines.

Thurs, Feb 17: No School - Parent-Teacher Conferences, 7th Grade Bake Sale.

Fri, Feb 18: No School - Parent-Teacher Conferences, 7th Grade Bake Sale.

Fri, Feb 18: Read-A-Thon reading begins.

Please sign up for a Parent-Teacher conference by clicking the link HERE. The link will CLOSE at noon on Tuesday, February 15th. If you need to make changes after Tuesday, please call the office.

• Click on the tabs at the bottom of the page to get to your class teacher’s page.

• After entering your information, click to another location to “save” your work.
• These times have been carefully chosen by the teachers, please do not alter them.
• If you cannot make the times available, please contact your teacher. Please note, make-up conferences are reserved for emergencies only. Two household families, please sign up for ONE conference time.
• If you need help signing up, please call or email the office.
• Class 7 and 8 families, please sign up for an additional MATH conference with your child’s math teachers.
• Class 6, 7, & 8 families, please sign up for an additional LANGUAGE ARTS conference with Mr. Dilansa.
• All conferences will be in person.

If you need help signing up, please call the office at 541-482-8223 or email Kristin.beers@siskiyouschool.org. Thank you!

We’re excited to be able to offer childcare for conferences again! Please note that masking will be required for all children indoors and out for conference childcare. Childcare will be available from 8:00 to 4:00 on Thursday and 8:00 to 3:00 on Friday. Children stay free during your conference time, beyond that time childcare is $10/hour (cash or check only please).

We’re looking for a responsible adult to help manage our Childcare for conferences (February 17 and 18). If you’re interested, please contact kristin.beers@siskiyouschool.org. Thank you!

Help support the 8th Grade with their fundraising for their end of the year trip, while at the same time warming the heart of a friend or a loved one. Forms are now available and orders will be available until Wednesday, February 9th. The cost is $20 which includes a friend or loved one being serenaded to on Valentine’s Day and receiving a card and a bar of chocolate. This is an annual tradition for the 8th grade class and our community, and you can really make someone’s day!

You can learn more about the Read-A-Thon works, along with all the fundraising details below. For easy access, you can access your class fundraising links below. These links can be sent to Friends & Family, via social media, text, email, etc. As a reminder, the ask is for your student to be "sponsored" to read for the Read-A-Thon. You do not need to collect money after they read.

Each class has its own class fundraising link with class-specific sample letters:

• Class 1- Ms. Tourzan Fundraising Page & Sample Letter
  

• Class 2 - Mr. Criswell Fundraising Page & Sample Letter
  

• Class 3 - Raven - Fundraising Page & Sample Letter
  

• Class 4 - Blue Heron - Fundraising Page & Sample Letter
  

• Class 5 - Forest- Fundraising Page & Sample Letter
  

• Class 6 - Dragonfly - Fundraising Page & Sample Letter
  

• Class 7- Hummingbird - Fundraising Page & Sample Letter
  

• Class 8 - Dolphin - Fundraising Page & Sample Letter
  

If you would like to donate to the general fundraising page, you can do so HERE.

Need Help with Online Fundraising? Please see the Online Fundraising Tutorial Here.

If you have any questions, please contact Lora in the office via email: lora.wilde@siskiyouschool.org or phone: 541-613-1146.

Class Four is just about to embark on our long-awaited play block. We completed a full program of Native American studies over the last four weeks. The class studied the Dine from the Southwest, the Iroquois Confederacy of the Northeast, the Southeastern Caddo Nation and the tribes of the Pacific Northwest. We covered much detail about the culture, region, ceremonies and social structure of these fascinating groups of indigenous peoples. In addition, each student studied a particular North American tribe and created a poster board collage or a diorama and ALSO shared a written report and an oral presentation of his/her independent research! The oral presentations were especially engaging. The students had such intelligent and thoughtful questions for each other. Bravo, 4th grade! Now, onward with our Norse Mythology play block! ~ Mrs. Martin

"Let no person ignorant of geometry enter here."

The legendary saying inscribed above the entranceway of Plato's Academy hints at the mystery and truths to be uncovered in exploration of movement and form.

The Forest Class sprang into 2022 with a discovery of numbers and new measurement through freehand geometry. From their own movement and their first freehand drawings of the circle, truths about the nature of geometry - in rotation, length, measurement, and absolutes - unfolded. The mathematical discoveries through their freehand work were supplemented with lessons of history and ancient civilizations. From the priestly astronomers atop the ziggurats of Mesopotamia to the Egyptian surveyors who mastered nearly perfect forms in marking the foundations and structures of great temples, geometry has been a portal of wisdom for human beings since the age of ancient mystery schools. The Forest Class children, through their own exploration, began to discover even the simplest truths of number.

The class now turns its gaze to Greece, beginning first with the great mythologies then turning towards biographies and histories. Perhaps more clearly than any aspect of the fifth-grade curriculum, we discover in this shift the consciousness of the fifth grader. Once within the realm of story and a sense of oneness with the world, now burgeoning towards the dawn of early adolescence with the first roots of critical thinking, logic, and rationality, the fifth grader is ready to rise to the light of Ancient Greece. This is the beauty of the fifth grader - still fully within the world of imagination and beauty, yet just beginning to show the seeds of right discourse and discernment. It is a joy to teach them in such a harmonious age. ~ Miss Benson

Are you ready to take your singing voice to the next level? Mia currently offers voice lessons to kids, teens and adults and has openings M-Th after school (other times arranged upon request). All levels welcome! We focus on the fundamentals of singing, including breath support, posture, diction, tempo, pitch, tone and performance/audition techniques. She provides a fun and relaxed environment and lessons are available in or outdoors (depending on weather and comfort level- masks not required for students) or via Zoom. Mia has over 25 years of experience in Musical Theatre and has been teaching in the Rogue Valley since 2014. $30 for 30 min lessons.

Call (323) 552-6812 for more info!

A first grade parent is announcing a 3 bedroom townhome for sale. The Townhome is located at 1221 Calypso Court. It's a 3 Bedroom Townhouse for sale, offered at $395,000.

HOME FEATURES:1472 sq. ft. open floorplan, utility room, in a co-housing community. The house is located in a co-housing neighborhood where people share resources and make decisions collectively. It is within easy walking distance to Garfield Park, North Mountain Park, several schools, and the Rogue Valley Growers Market. There are various common areas for community members including a grass lawn, kids play structure, outdoor gas fireplace, and a large patio, great for group gatherings.

Fieldguides Outdoor Education is offering a three-night Spring Break backpacking trip in Point Reyes National Park (bay area) for 11-17 year olds. Transportation to/from Ashland is provided.

https://www.fieldguides.org/spring-break-trips.html

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/