Ridgeline eNews

RIDGELINE CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

SEPTEMBER

Thursday 9/3 Ridgeline 101: New Family Orientation 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Friday 9/4 Back-to-school forms due

Monday 9/7 Labor Day - office closed

Tuesday 9/8 No School - planning day

Wednesday 9/9 First day of school & 1:05 p.m. early release

Wednesday 9/9 Monthly Donor Drive kick-off

Wed 9/9 - Fri 9/11 ½ Kindergarten class in morning; ½ in afternoon

Thursday 9/10 Ridgeline Board Meeting 6:00 p.m.

Friday 9/11 Supply fees due

Tuesday 9/15 Back-to-School Picnic 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Friday 9/18 Jog-a-thon Committee Meeting 8:45 a.m.-9:45 a.m.

Friday 9/18 Student Profile updates due

Wednesday 9/23 Restaurant Fundraiser at Track Town Pizza

Wednesday 9/30 Picture Day

Wednesday 9/30 Monthly Donor Drive ends

Click here to view the full calendar as some dates may change.

***NOTE: Ridgeline’s calendar differs slightly from 4J elementary and middle school calendars.

FOR QUICK ACCESS:

ATTENDANCE:

To report an absence email: attendance@ridgeline.org
Planned Absence Form (complete at least 3 days in advance)

NEW NEWS

📰 eNews - Every Thursday

Our weekly eNewsletter is emailed to parent/guardian email addresses every Thursday.

Set a reminder now to check your email each Thursday evening—it takes about 10 minutes to read and is the best way to stay up to date on school news, upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, fundraising, and other important community updates.

The eNews is also posted on our website, making it easy to access anytime or share with others.

First Day of School - Wed., Sept. 9 - Arrive at 8:15 a.m.

🕐 SCHOOL SCHEDULES & EARLY RELEASE

Morning Arrival Times - What to Know:

8:15 a.m. - Classrooms open — We encourage all families to help their children arrive by 8:15 a.m.
8:30 a.m. - Classroom activities begin — Students should be in class and ready to begin.
8:30 a.m. and after - Tardy time— Students must check in at the front office and collect a tardy slip.
8:00–8:45 a.m.- Free snack cart — Available to all students in front of the school.

Day & Dismissal Times:

Monday @ 3:05 p.m.
Tuesday @ 3:05 p.m.
Wednesday ⭐ EARLY RELEASE HAPPENS EVERY WEDNESDAY @ 1:05 p.m. ⭐
Thursday @ 3:05 p.m.
Friday @ 3:05 p.m.

📣 RIDGELINE 101 is TONIGHT - Thursday, Sept. 3, 6-7:30 p.m.

Ridgeline 101: New Family Orientation is tonight! Join us for an introduction to how Ridgeline works, what makes our community unique, and how families and staff partner to support students.

Don’t miss this chance to start the year feeling connected, cared for, and equipped!

Complete Back-to-School Electronic Forms by Friday, Sept. 4

Back-to-School e-Packets were sent to parent/guardian emails on Friday on August 28.

Please read everything carefully and complete all required forms by Friday, September 4.

Questions? Contact the front office at ridgelineoffice@ridgeline.org or 541-681-9662.

💻 Annual School Supply Fees due by Friday, Sept. 11

We’re getting ready for a great year of learning! Our office is working hard to provide high-quality Montessori materials and general school supplies for all of our students, and your supply fee helps make that possible.

👉 Families can pay supply fee here by Friday, September 11.

If this fee creates a financial hardship for your family, please complete the Financial Assistance Form and the Benefit Program Eligibility Survey.

Thank you for helping us make sure our classrooms are equipped and ready for the year ahead!

📝 Student Profile Updates — Action Needed

On Friday, September 11, your student will bring home their Synergy Student Profile. Please review and return it by Friday, September 18, even if no changes are needed.

What you need to do:

Review the profile carefully and follow the instructions on the attached front page.
Make any updates directly on the profile using a RED pen.
Sign and date the profile.

Important:

Address changes: These require two proofs of address and cannot be updated in Synergy without them. If your address has changed, please contact cynthia.friedman@ridgeline.org to make arrangements.
Return the profile: Place it in the basket on the front steps or have your student return it to their classroom teacher by Friday, September 18.

💛 Ridgeline Back-to-School Picnic — Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 5:30 p.m.

Join us for a fun, casual evening on the front lawn! Bring your family, a picnic dinner, and a blanket or lawn chairs. New families are especially encouraged to join us—we’d love to welcome you to Ridgeline!

📅 Tuesday, September 15 | 5:30–7:00 p.m.

📍 Ridgeline Front Lawn | 4500 West Amazon Drive

🏸 Lawn games welcome! Sign up to bring a game

👕 T-Shirt Swap: Bring gently used Ridgeline gear and find a new-to-you size!

♻️ Blue Bags: Pick up a few Blue Bags to participate in the Bottle Drop recycling fundraiser and support Ridgeline!

We can’t wait to see you there! 🎉

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Volunteer Thank Yous

💚 Special Thanks!

Big shoutout to Madison McEwen for cataloging new library books over the summer. Thank you for all you do for the Ridgeline library and our families.

🌟 Volunteer Opportunities

Looking for a way to lend a hand? We have several volunteer opportunities available!

🚸 Crossing Guard — Pick a weekly 30-minute shift (or two!)

📦 Supply Closet Organizer — Help organize the supply closet (once a month)

🌿 Campus Care Helper — Help with light weeding, tree pruning, cobweb removal, and general campus clean-up on Sept 4 or Sept 8. Email bethany.dilla@ridgeline.org to sign up.

📚 Library Bulletin Board Designer — Choose a theme and decorate (once a month)

🌱 Volunteering at Ridgeline: What You Need to Know

Volunteers are an essential part of the Ridgeline community, and there are many ways to get involved! Each family is asked to contribute 40 volunteer hours per school year, and we’d love to help you find opportunities that fit your schedule and interests.

✅ Getting Approved

To participate, all volunteers must first complete a background check and sign the Volunteer Code of Conduct. Once these two steps are complete, the School Community Coordinator will email you to let you know you are green badge approved and ready to volunteer!

🙋 Ways to Get Involved

From serving on committees, preparing materials at home, and helping with grounds work to assisting in classrooms, chaperoning field trips, serving as crossing guards, and more—your time and talents make a big difference.

Join us for Volunteer Power Hour on Friday, October 2, from 8:45–9:45 a.m. in the Ridgeline Library to learn more about our volunteer teams and opportunities.

📅 Classroom Volunteering

Classroom volunteer opportunities will open on October 23, six weeks into the school year, once the Normalization period is complete.

💚 Learn More

Visit our website or contact Ridgeline’s School Community Coordinator, Bethany Dilla, to learn more.

🤝 Volunteer at Ridgeline: How to Get Started

New to Ridgeline? Track It Forward is where families sign up for volunteer opportunities and log their volunteer hours.

First-time users:

Visit Track It Forward or download the Track It Forward app from your device’s App Store.
Create an account or log in.
Sign up for volunteer opportunities and remember to log all of your volunteer hours!

💚 Why It Matters

Please make it a habit to track ALL volunteer hours throughout the school year. Your volunteer hours help us demonstrate community support when applying for grants and reporting to our sponsoring district, Eugene 4J.

RIDGELINE COMMITTEES

Ridgeline Board Work Retreat ReCap

The Ridgeline Board of Directors kicked off our upcoming service year last Sunday, August 30th, with our annual board retreat. A major highlight of our day was a facilities tour where we got to see our school community values in action. Seeing these updates that improve safety and honor student advocacy was truly a milestone we were all thrilled to celebrate.

In addition to the tour, the board spent the day getting to know each other, making updates to board documents, doing a self-assessment, and performing a first read of Policy KNA, KNA-AR(1), and KNA-AR(2). We also spent the afternoon hearing an update from our Executive Director, including information about the impact of SB141 on Ridgeline.

As we planned for the year ahead, we spent intentional time aligning on the true importance of our goals before selecting specific targets that fall into four categories: Board Governance, Program Development, Policy Work, and Facilities

It was a great kickoff to our service year, and we are all coming with a shared enthusiasm and deep commitment to the Ridgeline community, fully confident that the purposeful work we do this year will create a meaningful and lasting impact.

Ridgeline Board Meeting - September 10

Hello Ridgeline Community!

The Ridgeline Board of Directors invites you to join us on Thursday, September 10th at 6:00 pm for our first regular meeting of the year. Community members are welcome to attend either in person in the Ridgeline Library or remotely via Zoom.

The agenda will cover reports from our administrators, board officers, and committee members. The remaining topics on the agenda are as follows: policy adoptions and updates, approval of our work calendar and annual goals, a quarterly financial review, budget revisions, bank changes, and PACE renewal.

You can find the full agenda here.

Our formal public comment period happens at the start of the meeting. We welcome anyone to come and speak at that time, whether you are joining us in person or via Zoom. If you cannot attend the meeting but would still like to share your thoughts, please send your comments to board@ridgeline.org.

CONTINUING NEWS

Health & Medication Reminders

Whenever possible, please administer medication at home. If your child requires medication at school, please review the following reminders:

Medication Intake

The office cannot intake medication on the first day of school.
Please call Cynthia Friedman at 541-681-9662 to schedule your 10-minute medication intake appointment prior to the start of school. Available dates: August 31, Sept 1, 3, 4, or 8.

General Guidelines

All medication—prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medication—must be brought to the office by a parent/guardian in its original, non-expired container.
Office staff will intake medication, and parents/guardians will fill out a medication administration form.
Children may not carry or deliver their own medication to the office.

Medication Changes

Prescription medication must match the prescription label. Any dosage change requires a new prescription.
OTC medication may only be given per manufacturer’s directions. Any change requires a doctor’s note/prescription.

Health Forms & Care Plans

A new Health Assessment Form is required each year. Complete forms sent by Cynthia Friedman and return by September 4 or 8.
If your child has a health condition (listed below) and you have not been contacted, notify Cynthia immediately.
An Individualized Health Care Plan is required for conditions such as:
- Severe allergies requiring an epi-pen (doctor must fax Emergency Care Plan)
- Seizures
- Cardiac issues
- Swallowing issues
- Diabetes
- Adrenal insufficiency
- Asthma requiring an inhaler at school

Questions? Contact Cynthia.friedman@ridgeline.org.

🛍️ Operation School Bell - Assistance with Back-to-School Shopping

The Assistance League of Eugene’s Operation School Bell offers shopping days at Fred Meyer for students whose families need assistance purchasing clothing for school.

Ridgeline has been awarded a limited number of spots for our students to participate. If your family would benefit from this assistance, please contact Cynthia by Friday, September 11.

If you are requesting this program, please make sure you have completed the Benefit Program Eligibility Survey.

Please note: Depending on the demand, we may not be able to accommodate every request—but we definitely want to hear from you!

Get Out Your Sharpie and Start Labeling!

Please take a few minutes before the first day of school to label jackets, water bottles, backpacks, indoor shoes, and any other items that might get left behind on the playground or in the gym

A quick name on the tag makes it so much easier to return belongings to their rightful owner.

Ten minutes now will save you time and money (no need to replace that favorite jacket!).

Let’s keep the lost and found pile small this year! Label away!

Classroom Substitutes at Ridgeline! 🌱

Are you—or someone you know—interested in joining our amazing substitute pool for the 2026–2027 school year?

At Ridgeline, classroom substitutes support our Montessori classrooms as classroom assistants, working alongside lead staff to help maintain a calm, productive learning environment.

Whether it’s a pre-planned absence or a same-day need, we count on our substitutes to step in with flexibility, reliability, and care.

If you enjoy working with children and want to be part of a supportive school community, we’d love to hear from you!

👉 Learn more and apply here.

RIDGELINE REVEALED

Ridgeline’s Recommended Reading Articles

Ridgeline Revealed is a monthly article series that offers behind-the-scenes insights into the school, providing families with information on key aspects they may not typically see. Our goal is to share timely topics and increase transparency about day-to-day operations in a short, easily digestible format.

All articles can be found here

If you want to know more about a Ridgeline or Montessori-related topic, please let us know. Simply email your question or suggestion to ridgelineoffice@ridgeline.org with 'Ridgeline Revealed' in the subject line.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Interested in Carpooling?

Our family is looking for a carpool, we live in the River Road area, We are on central River Road, on Oakleigh Ln. Finnegan is starting 3rd grade, but willing to carpool with any age group. Contact Cord Slatton-Valle at cord42@gmail.com or (541) 357-7252 to discuss this opportunity in more detail.

Children's Art Classes

See the flyer below!

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