Ridgeline eNews

Full calendar: http://www.ridgeline.org/calendar

Ridgeline’s 24-25 Events Calendar

MAY

Thursday 5/1 Jog-a-thon pledge packets due - now extended to 5/15!

Thursday 5/1 6th graders return from Outdoor School

Friday 5/2 No School - Planning Day

Monday 5/5 Fundraising Meeting 9am

Wednesday 5/7 Bike, Walk, & Roll to School Day Challenge 7:45 am - 8:30 am

Wednesday 5/7 Equity Committee Meeting 7pm

Wednesday 5/7 Budget Committee Meeting 8:40-10:10 am

Thursday 5/15 Last day to turn in Jog-a-thon donations and pledge packets!

Friday 5/16 Budget Committee Meeting 8:40-10:10 am

Friday 5/16 Board Info Hour, 12-1pm (drop-in) at Hideaway Bakery

Saturday 5/17 Student Marketplace 10am-12pm at Ridgeline

Monday 5/19 Spirit Week Starts

Monday 5/19 Site Council 5-6:30 pm

Wednesday 5/21 Handel’s Ice Cream Fundraiser - all day

Thursday 5/22 Board Meeting 6pm

Monday 5/26 Memorial Day - No School

Wednesday 5/28 Budget Committee Meeting 8:40-10:10 am

Thursday 5/29 End-of-year Picnic 5:30-7pm at Ridgeline

Thank you to everyone who has turned in pledge packets and made online donations—woo hoo! We’ve raised $7,534.43 so far and we’re getting closer every day!

Want to see our progress? Check out the goal meter posted just left of the school’s front doors—Principal Michelle and the red arrow are tracking the journey to $10,000!

Good news! The deadline for collecting and returning pledge packets has been extended to Thursday, May 15—so if you haven’t had a chance to contribute yet, there’s still time! Donations can be made by cash, check, or online here.

Ridgeline students are so excited about the silly stunt Principal Michelle has promised to perform if we reach our goal. Let’s make it happen before the May 21 assembly!

Let’s do this, Ridgeline! We’re in the final stretch!

Let’s shower our amazing Ridgeline educators with love, snacks, and heartfelt surprises all week long!

This year, we’re putting the spotlight on meaningful messages—simple notes, cards, or poems from students. These heartfelt gestures truly mean the most.

Thinking of giving a gift? We kindly suggest saving classroom-specific gifts for birthdays or winter holidays.

We know it’s a busy season with the Jog-a-Thon wrapping up, and Student Marketplace coming up, so please don’t feel like you have to do everything.

How to Get Involved:
🍪 Sign up to cook, bake, or bring snacks to keep our staff feeling appreciated.
🌸 On Tuesday and Thursday, students are invited to bring non-food tokens of gratitude.
📝 Sign up here and don’t forget to log your hours separately in Track It Forward!

Thanks for helping us make Ridgeline staff feel seen, supported, and celebrated! 💛

We’re excited to join the spring Bike, Walk, +Roll to School Challenge—and we want every Ridgeline family to take part! Whether you walk, bike, scoot, skate, ride the bus, carpool, or “Park & Stride” (park a few blocks away and walk the rest), your participation makes a difference!

Why It Matters:

Active and shared transportation keeps students healthy, focused, and independent, while also reducing traffic and pollution around our school.

May 7 - Bike & Walk Groups:

Ridgeline will have two organized groups you can choose to join next Wednesday morning (see the flyer below).

BONUS:

We’ve got awesome swag and raffle prizes for all students participating! Be sure to stop by the hospitality table near the bike racks after your morning commute to pick up swag and enter the raffle.

Volunteering:

Volunteering is a great way to get involved and get more hours! Please contact Bethany Dilla for more information or sign up here in Track It Forward. We can’t wait to see you there—it’s a great way to build community and celebrate healthy habits!

Interested in Ridgeline’s Finances? Now’s a Great Time to Get Involved!

Curious about how Ridgeline's budget works and want to have a voice in the process? Join our budget committee! It's a valuable opportunity to learn, contribute, and engage in shaping our school’s financial future.

To get involved, simply email Chrystell Reed.

Don’t miss the first meeting—we’ll walk through the budget line by line and review historical data to give you a clear understanding of where we’ve been and where we’re going.

All meetings are open to the public and held from 8:40–10:10 a.m. on the following dates:

• Wednesday, May 7

• Friday, May 16

• Wednesday, May 28 (tentative, if needed)

We’d love to have your perspective at the table!

📅 Saturday, May 17 | 10 AM – 12 PM at Ridgeline

The Student Marketplace is a student-led arts and crafts fair where Ridgeline students get to create, sell, and give back to their school. It’s a fun way to explore creativity, learn a bit about business, and support Ridgeline!

Keep crafting and submit your proposal by May 9 if you'd like to participate!
📝 All proposals are considered approved unless you hear otherwise by email within 2 business days.

💡 Examples of Past Student Creations:
✨ Magnets, buttons, melty bead art, plant starts, stress balls, wind chimes, rice bags, etc
✨ Homemade cat and dog treats are OK (Note: no human food unless made in a commercial kitchen with a food handler’s card)

📌 Important Guidelines:

• Students set their prices and donate a minimum of 20% to Ridgeline.
  

• Students can participate solo or team up with friends and share a table!
  

• Adults can help, but students must do the majority of the crafting.
  

• Items must be handmade—no reselling of pre-made or store-bought goods.
  

• Need materials? Check out community resources like MECCA or Buy Nothing groups!
  

• Open to all students in grades K–8.

📅 Sign Ups:
Click here to submit your student’s proposal!

Current Ridgeline families: we will assume you plan to return to Ridgeline next year, unless we hear otherwise. No action is needed at this time. If you are planning to make school changes, please complete the Intent to Withdraw Form by May 9. Contact enrollment@ridgeline.org if you have any questions. We look forward to a great rest of the school year!

When: Friday, May 10, 2–5pm
Where: Ridgeline Montessori

Join us for an afternoon of fresh air, teamwork, and sprucing up Ridgeline’s beautiful outdoor spaces, just in time for Student Marketplace the following weekend! We’ll be weeding garden beds, clearing sticks, de-cobwebbing, spreading mulch, cleaning drains, and relocating playground mulch. Bring your favorite weeding tools and gloves if you have them—we’ll have a few extras on hand too.

Many hands make light work — and we’d love your help - sign up here! See you there! 🌼✨

Ridgeline boasts a robust workplace culture marked by a strong sense of unity and pride among staff members. The team works together, fostering an environment that nurtures learning and mutual respect. With the administration being accessible and receptive to feedback, the majority of staff feel respected, heard, and appreciated. There's a collective dedication to delivering quality education and maintaining a respectful, supportive workplace. See previous survey results here: https://drive.google.com/.../1T2fkQTbTJpTi5pOYfUO.../view...

Huge thanks to our incredible 6th grade Outdoor School chaperones!

• Devin Monte, Marci Davis, Becca Lambeth-Anderson, Jenna Quillen, and Jennifer Weaver — thank you for your time, energy, and dedication to making this special trip a memorable one. We appreciate you so much! 🌲❤️👟

Spring Bike, Walk, +Roll

The spring Walk+Roll to school day is coming up on Wednesday, May 7. Ridgeline will be hosting two morning commutes– a group bike ride from Amazon Park and a group walk from Kincaid Park. This event is a great way to foster deeper relationships within the Ridgeline community, promote healthy exercise, and commute safely to school. Sign up to participate (and volunteer here!)

Spring Outdoor Clean-Up Day
Friday, May 10, 2–5pm
At Ridgeline Montessori

Bring your favorite weeding tools and gloves if you have them—we’ll have a few extras on hand too.

Many hands make light work — and we’d love your help - sign up here! See you there!

Crossing Guard Coverage

We need volunteer crossing guards to pick-up unclaimed shifts! Currently, we do not have any help on Wednesday mornings. If you can fill in for the last 6 weeks of the school year, please sign up here!

More Volunteer Jobs!

To learn more about additional volunteer jobs, check out Track It Forward.

There's always room for more helping hands. Click on the links below if you want to be part of one of the fun volunteer teams! These groups are a great way to connect with other Ridgeline families and get in your volunteer hours!

Event Teams

• Student Marketplace - Sign-ups available!

• Walk, Bike, & Roll to School - Sign-ups available!

• Middle School Events - Sign-ups available!

• Student Talent Show - concluded for this year!

• Silent Auction & Rock Paper Scissors Fundraiser - concluded for this year!

• Jog-a-thon - concluded for this year!

Ongoing Teams

• Library Team - Sign-ups available!

• Facilities - Sign-ups available!

• Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) - Sign-ups available!

• Hospitality - Sign ups available!

• Office Support - Sign-ups available for Office Fairy!

• Crossing Guard - Sign-ups available!

• Community Engagement - Sign-ups available!

• Parent Education Team - Sign-ups available!

1. Volunteers are an integral part of the Ridgeline Community and there are many different ways to get involved. Volunteers serve on committees, prepare materials at home, assist with grounds work, act as crossing guards, help in classrooms, chaperone field trips and much more.

2. Families pledge to complete 40 hours of volunteer time per school year. To fully participate in volunteer opportunities, volunteers must first complete a background check and volunteer code of conduct.

3. The School Community Coordinator will notify you via email when these 2 steps are complete and you are green badge approved!

4. We would love to get you connected in the ways that best fit your time and talents. Please visit our website for more information on volunteering. You can also reach out to Bethany Dilla, Ridgeline's School Community Coordinator at bethany.dilla@ridgeline.org for more information.

If you are new to Ridgeline and have not yet created a Track it Forward account for logging your volunteer hours, please take a moment to do so.

If you are a first-time Track It Forward user and have not set up an account you will need to create an account first. If you already have an account, skip to step two.

1. Go to https://www.trackitforward.com/user

-Select sign in

-Create your account

2. Go to the app store on your device and search for Track It Forward

-Download the app

-Log In

You are all set!

Why It Matters

New beginnings prompt the opportunity to form new habits! When it comes to volunteering, we need everyone to consistently track ALL volunteer hours throughout the school year in Track It Forward. Volunteer hour reporting is important for us to show support for Ridgeline when applying for grants and for reporting to our sponsoring district, Eugene 4J.

The Ridgeline Board of Directors is a group of committed, curious Ridgeline parents whose work supports the unique mission of our school. We are delighted to welcome new members who have the time, energy, and skills to support our community.

Would you like to learn more? If so, please join us for a drop-in BOARD INFO LUNCH HOUR on Friday, May 16, from noon-1:00 at Hideaway Bakery!

Whether you’re curious about what the Board does, interested in getting to know Ridgeline Board members, or thinking about applying for the Board sometime in the future, we’d love to chat with you. The best ways to understand Board work are attending several Board meetings and talking with current members. So please join us!

As always, you can reach the Ridgeline Board of Directors at board@ridgeline.org.

Hey Ridgeline families! We'd love to hear about the fun things you have been doing in the community! Maybe you’ve taken your kids to an event and thought, "This would be so much better with more Ridgeline families here!" 👫🌟

Great news! 🎉 You can now send activity suggestions to the Community Engagement Team at CET@ridgeline.org (one of Ridgeline's awesome volunteer teams!) 📧. We’ll share your ideas through grade-specific channels so everyone can join in the fun! 🙌

🏀 Planning to attend a UO game?
🥾 Thinking about a hike up Spencer Butte?
🎨 Visiting an art exhibit?

Let us know! The more, the merrier! 🎊 Just try to give us 1-2 weeks heads-up so we can spread the word through the weekly eNews, Ridgeline's Facebook page, and our fabulous Classroom Organizers. 💡 Let’s keep building community and connection through the activities we already love to do with our kids.

See you out there! 🌈💙

Marty Wilder & Laura Allen

On Behalf of the Community Engagement Team
📧 CET@ridgeline.org

Don't miss this! Reserve your CSA box by May 1 for the full season. Ridgeline families - be sure to use our special discount code: "ridgelinefamily". For more information check out the Camas Swale Farm website or visit in www.CamasSwaleFarm.com.

Check out the Back2Youth Summer camps here!