Weekly Bulletin

IN THIS WEEK'S ISSUE:

SunRidge Auction Needs Data Entry Helpers

Immunization Informational Meeting

SunRidge Library Update

Welcome Makena

In the Garden, from Tess

Pajama Day, Thursday, January 21^st

Middle School Movement

Important news from the Parent Council

Pledge Report

Waldorf at Weill Hall

School Closed January 28^th & 29th

Visiting Day Jan 30 2016

Canned Food Drive

Rummage Sale

Chess for Kids

Lost and Found

Whole Foods Scrip Made Easy

Parent Handwork Group Continues to Meet

Community Events

Classified

Calendar

Wednesday, January 13^th, 7pm:

Immunization Meeting at French Garden

Thursday, January 14th, 6:30-8:30pm:

6th Grade Parent Evening

Monday, January 18th:

School Closed for Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

Tuesday, January 19th, 6-8pm:

3rd Grade Parent Evening

Wednesday, January 20th:

First Girls' Basketball Game Vs. Summerfield

Wednesday, January 20th,

Depart 8:50am, Return 12:30pm:

Dragonfly to Pastures

Wednesday, January 20th, 6-9pm:

Charter Council Meeting in Library

Thursday, January 21st, 5:30-7pm:

2nd Grade Parent Evening

Friday, January 22nd, 9-11am:

Foundation Meeting in Library

Wednesday, January 27th:

Waldorf at Weill Hall Orchestra Performance

Thursday and Friday, January 28th & 29th:

School Closed for Parent/Teacher Conferences

SunRidge Auction Needs Data Entry Helpers
Auction donations are now being received and we need 10-15 people to help enter the items into the system. The process is quite easy once you have been shown how and this activity can be done from home at times that suit you or at the school when the library is not being used.
The amount of time you spend is also up to you, though at least 4 hours between now and the start of the auction is about what to expect. Please email sunridgeauction@gmail.com to register.

Welcome Makena
To start off the New Year we are happy to welcome Makena Collin to the SunRidge team as the new Administrative Assistant. She comes to us with over a year of administrative experience from a local educational non-profit. Makena earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and French Studies from the University of Portland in Oregon. After she graduated she spent a year teaching English in France at two primary schools. Along with her background in administrative work, she also has many years of experience working with children as a camp counselor, and a teacher’s assistant. Makena is thrilled to be a part of the SunRidge community, and is looking forward to the many opportunities that lay ahead.

In the Garden, from Tess
Welcome Back SunRidge!! Look what we have been up to in gardening class! First, second and third grade have been working hard beautifying the pick up zone and play area, designing and installing a garden/play area for the arrival of the Kindergartens, and removing bermuda grass in the library corridor. They have composted and used the compost, installed and put together worm bins and learned how to make coleslaw, sauerkraut, pumpkin soup and apple cider vinegar, to name a few. They and their dedicated parents have done an amazing job and we have had a lot of fun. They have built the boxes, moved irrigation, installed beds and planted, sifted tons of dirt, and best of all, created homes for the fairies who are the ones who keep the garden alive and magical. Our students can do anything, and I can see a bright future in the garden with them.
Now it is time to design and install a new garden area for the cooking program. This garden will provide us with food and infinite opportunities for students to learn about how nature and people can work together. The garden is the living classroom where students know what they know, because they did it. The shared knowledge and experience lasts forever and builds the relationships that mean the most to us. Please come join SunRidge Students and I to decide on a location and begin the installation of our new and permanent garden site at this campus. We have done this before and it was a rich and rewarding experience. All of the people who participated are friends for life with cherished memories. Students who participated had an invaluable experience.
First gathering: Thursday, January 20^th, 8:25-9:30am in the school garden kitchen. Join us and be part of the foundation of the new SunRidge Community Garden and Cooking Program. RSVP to: sunridgegarden@gmail.com even if you cannot make the meeting, but want to stay informed.

Pajama Day, Thursday, January 21^st
Pajamas are in order for Thursday, January 21^st, so our dress code is slightly adjusted for that day. Please make sure your child’s sleep wear still generally abides by the parameters of what is appropriate for a school setting in the areas of appropriate images, decency in coverage, etc. For space reasons, we ask that any “stuffies” that your child would like to bring be kept on the smallish size, and that they are not media image figures. Please consult with your child’s teacher for any specifics for his or her class on this day. Also, if your child wears slippers, be sure he or she also brings shoes for recess play.

Middle School Movement
We're closing in on our goal of 3,000 miles of running sea to shining sea. This week we passed the 2,000-mile mark of Davenport, IA, near Chicago. Grades 5-8 are running once or twice a week, plus we're counting aerobic activity done in extra-curricular activities. Aerobic activity is defined as exercise that works large muscle groups and elevates your heart rate (swimming, running, basketball, walking the dog, rollerblading, etc.) Only 1,000 miles to go! - Mr. T

Important news from the Parent Council
We had much success at our Falling Leaves Festival! Not only was it a ton of fun and such a wonderful way to play together, we brought in $10,116.21 for our class field trip funds and the kindergarten enrichment fund! Give yourselves a hearty pat on the back for all the efforts and ways you contributed to its success!
Now it's time for some good old-fashioned community fun, no fundraising involved! Please mark you calendars (there's been a date change) and get ready to dance the evening away at our Community Dance on Friday, March 4, 2016! Keep an eye out for all the details, coming soon!

Waldorf at Weill Hall
The SunRidge Middle School Orchestra led by Mr. Eddie Guthman will be performing this year at the beautiful Green Music Center's third annual Waldorf at Weill Hall Concert on January 27th at 6:30pm. Last year's performances created awe-inspiring images of each school's dedicated and artistic endeavors and the excellence, wonder and beauty inherent in a Waldorf education. Please respect the larger community by ensuring that any tickets that are ordered are used the night of the performance as there are nine schools' proud community members involved and this event "sells out" every year. Tickets are free and limited to 2 per household and will be available beginning January 11th.
Online orders: www.gmc.sonoma.edu
Phone orders: 1-866-055-6040

School Closed January 28^th & 29th
On Thursday and Friday, January 28^th and 29^th, SunRidge School will be closed for parent/teacher conferences for students in grades 1-8, however, both the grades and Kindergartens will be closed those days. Kindergarten parent/teacher conferences are being held in the fall (already completed) and the spring. Please be sure to sign up for a parent/teacher conference for your child/ren in grades 1-8. Teachers will be posting schedules soon.

Visiting Day Jan 30 2016
Interested in becoming a Waldorf teacher? Know someone who wants to become a teacher? The Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training is having a visiting day on January 30th. This link has more information: http://www.sunridgeschool.org/events.html

Canned Food Drive
SunRidge Student Council is encouraging all members of our community to contribute non-perishable food (cans are best) in an effort to feed hungry people in our community. First, we'll collect food (container in front of Mr. T's office); then we'll design a "Canstruction" art structure out of the cans for display at Coddingtown Mall February 20th-28th, and then the food goes to the Redwood Empire Food Bank. Each student bringing one can = 250 cans! As REFB puts it, "One can make a difference." More info here: http://www.refb.org/canstruction/index.html

Rummage Sale
The 7th Grade is holding a Rummage in April in the SunRidge Multipurpose Room (the gym) to raise funds for their 8th Grade field trip. If you have anything you would like to donate that is in reasonable to good condition, please drop off in the 7th grade class room before or after school with a note stating "rummage" or call Rosalie on 823-3065 or email rosalie.simmons@gmail.com if you want items picked up from your house or office.

Chess for Kids
Beginning January 21^st, Chess for Kids will offer a 7-week session of instructional chess classes at SunRidge School. All skill levels welcome. Studies have found hidden rewards for students of chess: Critical and logical thinking skills; improved concentration, pattern recognition and memory; patience, decision-making, planning, and sportsmanship skills.
Classes are held on Thursdays after school from 1:05-2:05 in the SunRidge library. Cost is $85 per child, siblings always half price (scholarships considered). Sign up early to ensure space! Enroll online at www.chessclubforkids.com
For information only, call (707) 527-6427.

Lost and Found
Please take a moment over the next week or so to go through the lost and found items to see if anything belongs to your family. Photos of some items can be viewed through the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/sunridgereachlostandfound
All lost and found items will be donated to a charitable cause on Friday, January 15^th, 2016.

Whole Foods Scrip Made Easy

Whole Foods scrip/gift cards are now available for purchase in the school office. Using scrip/gift cards when shopping at Whole Foods Market is an easy way for SunRidge to raise thousands of dollars each year for school needs (WFM donates 3% of every dollar to SunRidge). If you shop regularly at Whole Foods, we want to make this easy by providing individual reminders when Whole Foods scrip cards are available for you to pick up in the school office. It is also possible for you to “re-load” a WF card through the scrip website on your own, and you can re-load up to $400 on your existing card at one time, so you don’t need to keep buying new cards each month or to carry around multiple cards. Want to receive personal reminders or learn more about reloading your own card? Go to: http://www.sunridgeschool.org/whole-food-market-scrip-e-scrip-and-store-cards.html scroll down to the bottom of the page to download the form. Send or bring in the completed form. We’ll take it from there.

Parent Handwork Group Continues to Meet
The handwork group is open every Tuesday morning from 8:30-10:30. Come join us for all or part of the time, have a cup of tea, and slow down from the busy time of the year. Come nourish your creative spark! It brings us much joy and strengthens our will.
We are planning our next project: wet-felted wool birdhouses for the Spring Fling Dinner & Auction. Of course, any donations of wool and/or wool roving would be greatly appreciated.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

A Note from SunRidge Parent Belle Sweeney:
(1/13) I recently returned from Lesbos, Greece where I joined volunteer efforts to receive and support arriving refugees. I will return in March 2016 and invite anyone interested in supporting this effort through donations or by joining me as a volunteer, to contact me at belle.sweeney@gmail.com.

PIANO LESSONS AVAILABLE
after school / at school
$35 per month -- Affordable & Accessible
Move Over Mozart Est. 1988 Lynn Fleck (707) 824-0307. Click here to download the sign up form: http://www.sunridgeschool.org/forms.html

CLASSIFIED
(We can list rentals, parents selling used items, free items, lost and found, or trades. With the exception of private, after-school care available for SunRidge students, we do not list for-profit business ads)

Gabion Cage Experience Needed
Do you have any experience installing gabion cages or know someone that does? I want to have a gabion cage/basket retaining wall installed where a runoff ditch enters a culvert. Let me know if you have any info regarding this type of project.
Callie Almand - 824-2276 message okay

Free Piano!
SunRidge School has a piano up for grabs to a good home. The lucky recipient will need to arrange their own pick up and transport of the piano from school to its new home. Contact Kalen Wood if interested: kwood@twinhillsusd.org.