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SunRidge Auction Kick-Off This Saturday
The Foundation is holding a kick-off for the annual SunRidge on-line auction this Saturday, January 10, in the school library starting at 10am. If you are keen to find out what the makes the auction such a success and would like to be involved in sourcing items, come along and meet the team! The success of the auction is dependent on the number and variety of items donated by local and corporate businesses and your help will directly contribute to the amount that is raised for the school. The proceeds of this year's auction will go to enhance the wonderful gardening / farming program that the kids learn so much from. Please RSVP to Robert Simmons (707 823 3065 / robert24simmons@gmail.com) or Cheryl Koskela (707 481 4533 / cklocks@aol.com) by midday on Friday this week so we can make sure there will be enough yummy food. We look forward to seeing you there.
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Cyber-Civics Comes to SunRidge
On January 15, 2015, from 6-8pm, in the SunRidge School Library, parents are invited to a hands-on experience of an award-winning program, Cyber Civics; a Digital Media Literacy project that spans the middle school years and was developed in a Waldorf-inspired charter school. This pioneering curriculum addresses the developmental, social-cultural, and educational needs of 6-7-8th graders, incorporating ethics with knowledgeable use of technology. For more information, check out: www.journeyschool.net and look under the “Specialties” tab. A donation of $15 is requested to help defray the presenters' traveling costs, but no one will be turned away...
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Falling Leaves Festival Funds to Classes
The final net revenue from our fabulous Falling Leaves Festival in November was $8,828. Those funds have now been proportionally allocated to each class’s field trip fund. Congratulations to everyone for making this possible!
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More Funds for Field Trips!
Our Foundation recently received a generous $20,000 donation from an anonymous donor targeted to support the costs of our students’ overnight field trips in grades 3-8. The funds will be allocated proportionally to those classes, based on the costs of overnight night field trips for each class. This donation will significantly reduce the costs of overnight trips for parents, and support the school’s ability to continue our rich field trip program for our students.
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Let’s Dance!
Cold winter nights? Warm up at SunRidge's first annual mid-winter community dance! Friday, February 6th 6:00-8:30 pm in the multipurpose room. Easy to learn dances led by a professional caller and accompanied by musicians. Refreshments provided by your friendly Parent Council. Fun for all ages! More info to come.
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Charter Council Meeting Next Wednesday
Our usual Charter Council meeting schedule is experiencing some fluctuation this year due to members’ scheduling needs. Our January meeting will be next Wednesday, January 14, at 6:00pm in the school library. Items on the agenda include a progress report on our “Local Control Accountability Plan” (LCAP), and discussion and possible action on the future unifying of our kindergartens and grades on one campus. The meetings are open and guests are welcome. The article about the kindergarten location in last week’s bulletin has been included again this week (see below) to ensure that parents are fully informed.
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Thinking about Independent Study?
If you are going away, or your child is unable to attend school for some other reason for three days or more, the school (and your child) can benefit if you and your child commit to completing “independent study” while away. This process does entail some extra work on the part of your child’s teacher and the office though, so please remember to do the following: 1) Give Theresa in the office at least two weeks notice (longer preferred) before the independent study would begin; 2) Meet with Theresa for a brief “in-service” on what your responsibilities are in the independent study process; 3) Help your child complete all the assigned work on your independent study agreement; 4) Turn in all the completed work by the second day after your return. When the state requirements are met, SunRidge receives full funding for students on independent study. Thank you for helping us meet those requirements!
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Check the Lost and Found from Hassanah Meechan
Are you sad that the “Season of Giving” is coming to an end? Prolong the season by “giving” yourself the chance at finding your lost items – imagine the exhilaration as you are paired back up with the garment you have been searching for, it will be like Christmas all over again! There are a lot of pink, blue and black items hanging there, all sizes are there—stuff for kids young and old…
This is a joint lost and found between SunRidge and REACH, please only take what is yours. At the end of this month, the first batch will be donated to charity. Any item that has been there for 30 days or more will go. The newly lost items will stay on the racks for the new go around.
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Make-Up Day for Missed Pizza Lunch on Dec. 12
There will be one day of credit if you ordered pizza and/or salad for your child on Friday, Dec. 12, 2014. The make-up day is January 23, 2015. Please mark the new order form with the word "credit" on January 23 and fill in the exact order you made for Friday, Dec. 12. Thanks from Jane Schultz and Pamela Gould.
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Rummage Sale
The 7th Grade is holding a Rummage Sale in April 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.
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Pledges received for
July-December:
$91,385
Current Pledge Participation Rate: 76%
Pledges pay for Teaching Assistants, kindergarten food supplies, and classes in Handwork, Eurythmy, Woodwork, Choir, Instrumental Music & More!
100% participation is our goal.
Please pledge at whatever level you can.
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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)
Position Openings at Permaculture Artisans
Permaculture Artisans is a local (SunRidge parents) ecological landscape contracting company looking for a lead Project Manager and a new Bookkeeper/Administrator. They specialize in Ecological/Permaculture based design and installation throughout Sonoma County, building many landscapes a year including many distinct elements—hardscaping, ponds, water harvesting systems, market gardens and orchards, homesteads, native gardens, sustainable forestry, animal systems and more. They work with private clients, municipalities, schools, and other businesses and organizations. They are hoping to find a qualified project manager who can help take their installation potential to the next level. They are also looking for a new Bookkeeper/Administrator. This person will run the books, payroll, overall company budget and more.
For more information contact: erik@permacultureartisans.com
Housing Needed
Family of four looking for a home to rent while they look for a home to buy. Prefer shorter term 2-3 bedroom rental, but willing to sign a longer term lease for the right place. Willing to sublet. Prefer to have the option of moving our cats and dog with us, but willing to find other arrangements for them in the case of a short term rental. Husband is a general contractor and is willing to trade work for rent or reduced rent. Family is willing to maintain or improve gardens and landscaping, as well. Please contact Allie at 650-283-0375.
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Kindergarten Location Decision from Mr. Mark
Now that we have a long-term lease secured for our town campus, we are poised to take major new steps in SunRidge’s future. This includes formalizing a decision about the future location of the kindergartens, and updating and implementing a strategic long-range plan for both campuses.
Almost a year ago, our Charter Council thoroughly analyzed the multitude of factors involved in a decision about the best long-term location for our kindergartens. The conclusion Council members overwhelmingly came to at that time was that the best interests of the school would be served by unifying the kindergartens with the grades on our town campus when that option became possible. This position was based primarily on the following factors:
- Larger Room Size is Critical: Our current kindergarten rooms are too small and significantly impact our teachers’ ability to address the needs of a full class. By moving to larger quarters (our current Kindergarten rooms are about 500 sq. ft., “normal” rooms are 960 sq. ft.), our kindergarten teachers and assistants would be able to have vastly improved classroom spaces and facilities that could serve more children.
- Significant Financial Benefit: With normal size rooms, we could increase enrollment to 22 students per kindergarten from the current 16 and 20. That increase of 8 students would generate over $50,000 more in annual state revenue.
- Improved Kindergarten Support: There is no cost-possible way to provide ongoing but intermittently needed administrative support and oversight to the kindergartens in their separate location. This has been a recurring problem since we moved the grades to the town campus two years ago. If located at the town campus, administrative and maintenance support would be readily available to the kindergartens when needed.
- Improved Faculty Connections: Another recurring concern since our move is the isolation of the kindergarten teachers and assistants from both the administration and the rest of the faculty. By unifying on one campus we would once again have regular, ready connection and communication amongst all members of the SunRidge faculty and staff, something that is so critical to the overall cultural health of the school.
- Improved Parent and Student Connections: Isolation of the kindergartens on a separate campus has made it extremely difficult for administrative staff and grades teachers to get to know parents and students during the crucial year(s) when they first become part of the school. Locating the kindergartens on the town campus would facilitate both forming those important connections and also the transition of the kindergarteners into first grade. Again, this would contribute to the overall cultural health of the school.
- Less Driving for Parents: One unified campus would facilitate the drop-off and pick-up task for the many parents who have children in both kindergarten and the grades.
While the above reasons are very significant, Charter Council members—like all parents whose children have attended a SunRidge kindergarten—fully recognize the unique benefits of the current kindergarten location for the children and their teachers. These include the country setting, the protective environment, the “farmhouse” character, and ready access to the wild area below the property. Moving the kindergartens would mean losing this one-of-a kind environment, and for many, going through a transition period of loss, until we live into new spaces that, while not the same, can also be beautiful and imaginative for our kindergarten children. We went through such a loss transition when we moved the grades from the country campus in 2012, and it was not easy. But that challenging transition has been more than made up for by the new gains of having a stronger and more stable school, larger and better classrooms and facilities, and much expanded field and playground space. Our students love the change, and, far from having a negative impact on our enrollment, our move to the town campus has enabled our grades to grow by 30% in less than three years.
Obviously, moving the kindergartens to the town campus will require skillful and creative planning so that the kindergarteners and their teachers begin in a new location that is inviting, spacious, protected, and beautiful. Fortunately, our Foundation has funds reserved for that kind of site development, and there is room on the town campus for our imagination and our enthusiasm to bring it to fruition. Keeping a strong connection with the country campus must also be part of the plan, as we will want the children to have regular access to the country environment that is so important to their healthy development. This planning process will begin shortly.
At the January 14 Charter Council meeting, the Council plans to vote on a planned move of our kindergartens to the town campus. This move would not take place before the beginning of the 2016-17 school year, since we need next year to firm up our financial stability and do adequate planning and preparation before making such a major move. If you would like to give input to the Charter Council about this decision, feel free to email comments to me and I will forward them to the council members. Parents are also welcome to attend the Charter Council meeting on January 14.
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