The Tuesday Notice
October 20, 2026
Dear Siskiyou School Families,
It was in the faculty meeting circle that I and The Siskiyou School teachers learned of the tragedy in Bend. The heaviness of grief was real and deep for us as we sat in silence. Our hearts are with the families, the Silver Rail Elementary school faculty and staff, and the entire Bend community. As a school community, we know what it means to hold children in our care. That is why a loss like this reaches us so deeply.
Supporting our children.
Each of our families will chose to address the news in different ways. Some of our families chose not to discuss this event and some chose to talk about it with older children. For some families, they will have fully processed the events and some will still be working through things. Our faculty will be attentive and gentle, and will meet our children with calm and care. We will not bring this news into our classrooms, but we will be ready to listen if a child brings it to us. If you would like to talk with your child’s teacher about how your child is doing, please reach out.
For families looking for guidance on talking with children about violence and grief, I've always found this little pamphlet (link below) featuring the wisdom of Mr. Rogers to be very helpfully grounding, especially when it comes to "finding the helpers".
Our commitment to safety.
I also know that news like this brings questions about safety closer to home, and I have heard from some of you. Thank you. Your care and your questions matter. Keeping our children and faculty safe is at the center of our work. We are also taking a fresh look at our campus. Our safety committee and our school board are reviewing our practices, and I am meeting with Chief O'Meara from the Ashland Police Department for a campus walkthrough and to talk about the neighborhood around our school. I will share what we learn and any changes we make.
If you ever notice something that concerns you, whether on our campus or in the area around it, please tell the front office right away, or call the Ashland Police non-emergency line (541-488-2211) or 911 as appropriate. You are our partners in this.
In times like these, I find myself grateful for the closeness of our community, for our faculty who show up with such tenderness each day, and for the families who look out for one another. That care cannot take away the grief, but it helps us carry it together.
Please reach out any time if you would like to talk.
Thank you to the flower fairies! They brighten our days with small and colorful bouquets in the classrooms!
As the weather changes, branches with beautiful fall colors, interesting shaped grasses, and fun berries are perfect additions. Please never feel obligated to visit the store!
There's plenty of open spots for next week, please take a look with the link below and consider signing up to be a Flower Fairy.
School photos by ZoomIn’ Kids Photography (still Bryon DeVore) are now online!
Last week ZoomIn' Kids sent a direct link to your photos via email. If not, please check your junk mail for ZoomIn’ Kids, and if it's still not found, please email Bryon at photo@zoominkids.com to get your link.
The deadline for 10% off and FREE delivery to school is this Sunday, October 25th.
A few weeks ago we featured Callum from our Kindergarten, whose family had brought in a whopping 7 blue bags’ worth of cans and bottles for our school. Callum’s family continues to bring in a box or bag of cans every week or so. Paisley’s mom, Noel Porter (see the thank you below!), then takes them to Shop ‘N Kart to turn in, and they become cash that the school can spend on maps and four-square balls for our children. We’d love to have your family help out too!
Feel free to drop off cans and bottles in the mornings with your children or bring them at pick up, and we’ll take it from there!
Missing a jacket, water bottle, or lunchbox? Lost and found will out front of school during Conferences so please take a look! Please claim your items by the end of conferences on Friday, Oct 23. All unclaimed items will be donated after conferences.
The Siskiyou School offers two options for childcare during our conference days. Our Conference Camp and our Quiet Reading Room.
Conference Camp will be led by our Kindergarten assistant teacher, Ms. Kay, and will offer a fun, engaging program that includes music, crafts, and outdoor play. Camp is a full-day program, with hours on Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and on Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Families may sign up for one or both days. The cost is $60 for Thursday and $40 for Friday, $100 for both days. Children must be registered for Conference Camp in advance using the link below. Camp sign-up will be available on a “first come” basis, is limited, and due by Wednesday, October 21.
For families who need care only during their scheduled conference times, we will also offer a quiet, calm, supervised space for reading or coloring.
Thank you, and we look forward to supporting your family during conference days!
This festival is one of our favorite ones at school! We will celebrate Halloween on Friday, October 30, with our traditional in-house assembly here at school. We will have a half day and dismiss per our half day dismissal schedule. The early dismissal will give families a little time before going to the Ashland Halloween parade. Here at school, the children come dressed in costumes and we celebrate with music, pumpkins and a parade around the campus.
Costume guidelines: When we think of getting dressed up, let’s ensure that we are thoughtful about the costumes we choose to wear to school. We want to be mindful that all students will feel safe and honored.
- Be creative and keep in mind we have young ones on campus.
- Please no scary costumes, blood, or weapons. Just bring fun.
- Reminder!! It is important that we can identify students and see their faces. Please, no masks.
- NO CANDY is to be brought to school on or after Halloween.
- If you’re not sure if your child’s costume will “work”, please check in with their class teacher before Halloween.
Aside from these guidelines, please talk with your student to make sure that the costume that they have selected does not portray a stereotyped image of a culture or group of people. In addition, please help students make sure that their costume is not offensive to any racial, ethnic or religious group, or any people with disabilities or illnesses. While students might choose to dress as a famous person or character who’s identity is different than their own, please reinforce the importance of not darkening skin or using makeup to change a child’s skin color to match the person who they are dressing up to be. Students are often unaware of the long history these traditions have and that it can be hurtful to those people.
We look forward to celebrating with all of the students on Halloween and appreciate your help in making sure that it is a fun day for everyone. If you have any questions at all regarding this day, please feel free to reach out.
Halloween is made so special here with over a hundred grinning jack-o-lanterns arrayed in Pine Hall. Come help the children carve with their buddies on Thursday, October 29. Different classes carve at different times, click on the link below to sign up and help! Thank you!
The Siskiyou School
Email: office@siskiyouschool.org
Website: www.siskiyouschool.org
Location: 631 Clay Street, Ashland, OR, USA
Phone: 541-482-8223