SKYRIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL 5220 NW PARKER ST, CAMAS, WA 98607

PHONE: 360-833-5800 ~ FAX 360-833-5801 ~ ATTENDANCE 360-833-5806

HTTP://SCHOOLS.CAMAS.WEDNET.EDU/SKYRIDGE/

HOME OF THE SKYHAWKS DECEMBER 2018

Hello Skyhawk Families,

We are gearing up for another busy December. Our wrestling and volleyball teams are in the middle of their sea-

sons and will be wrapping up competition at district tournaments right before break. Both groups are working

hard and having successful years so far. Our Science Olympiad and Mock Trial teams are also putting in a lot of

work preparing for their competitions. We have had a lot of success in these arenas in the past and I am looking

forward to seeing their practice translate into the competitive season. Finally, don’t forget about our winter con-

certs coming up for both choir and band this month. Our choir concert will be on December 11 and our band tak-

ing the stage on December 17. Both concerts will start at 7 PM in the Skyridge Wood Gym. I look forward to see-

ing you there!

I want to thank you all for your support of our food drive that took place last month. While we started slowly, in

the end, I think we have collected the most food since I have been at Skyridge. Our ASB students have been busy

packing it up in boxes and will “Stuff the Bus” on December 7! It is always great to see our kids rally and bring in

food for those in our community that are less fortunate. Sawubona Skyhawks! We see you and appreciate all of

your support.

Hopefully, your students has discussed with you our ASB and staff motto this year. We borrowed the term

“Sawubona” this year from South Africa, and it means “We see you”. One of our staff members has a daughter

serving in the Peace Corps in South Africa and told her dad about the phrase We decided it would fit nicely with

what we are doing at Skyridge. Our goal is to “see and serve” each student in our building to help them become

the best they can be. In order to do that, we need to get to know the strengths and challenges of each child in our

building. “Sawubona” felt like a new and unique way to say that we see each student as individuals and are seek-

ing out how we can support them. We hope that it resonates with people and will stick with them throughout the

year.

Finally, let me close this month by wishing you all a safe and happy winter break, full of

great memories with friends and families! These next three weeks will fly by and we

will be on winter break before we know it.

Go Skyhawks!

Clint Williams, Principal

SKYRIDGE ATTENDANCE

24 HOUR PHONE LINE: 360-833-5806

Call directly to report any information regarding absences, bus passes, and student emergency messages. The voice mail box is checked fre-

quently for messages.

WHEN TO KEEP SICK KIDS HOME

The rain will return. Please be sure your student dresses for the weather on the way to and from school. In the event a jacket or sweatshirt is left behind at school, the Lost and Found can be lo-

cated outside the LMC in the Mt. Rainier hallway.

Staying warm and dry will help your student stay healthy, as well. Cold and flu viruses can spread rapidly in classrooms. Please review the Guide-lines for Keeping Ill Children Home from School to prevent the spread of these viruses. These guidelines can be found on the district website under Schools & Resources/Health & Wellness.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Daily calendar review is available on our website: http://schools.camas.wednet.edu/skyridge/

Dec 1—Holly Days Craft Bazaar/Pancakes with Santa @ Liberty

Middle School

Dec 2—End of Grading Period

Dec 11—Choir Concert @Skyridge @7PM

Dec 12—Math Olympiad Parent Meeting 5-5:30PM

Dec 13—LATE START

Classes begin at 11 AM

Buses run 2 hrs. later than normal times

Dec 14—Ascenders Team Winter Open House

Dec 14&15—District Wrestling Tournament

Dec 17—Band Concert @Skyridge @7PM

Dec 18—District Volleyball (8) Tournament

Dec 18-20—Boys Basketball Tryouts

Dec 18—Frog Night (Condon)

Dec 20—6th Grade OMSI Field Trip

Dec 20—PTO sponsored cookie exchange for staff

Dec 24—Jan 4 NO SCHOOL - Winter Break

Jan 7—School Resumes LOST n’ FOUND

Our lost n’ found is located in the hallway outside the LMC and is quite full. Items not claimed are donated to charity over Winter and Spring breaks.

KINDNESS

This past month students focused on

kindness. Students were encouraged

to write thank you notes and in re-

turn, received a “Be Kind” bracelet.

Students were also encouraged to

bring in food items to support the

annual “Stuff the Bus” competition

with Washougal and the “C.A.R.O.L.”

program. Thank you to our families

through these contributions. Many

local families will feel this act of

Kindness later this month.

CAMAS SCHOOL DISTRICT HIGHLY CAPABLE PROGRAM Any parent, educator or community member may refer a student in grades 2 through 6 for program consideration during the nomination window, Novem-ber 1 through December 15. Students referred for selection may be screened prior to any formal assess-ment process. This screening process will include a review of recent student assessment data, grades, and reports, and may include a short screening test. Based on current evidence and data, students who clearly do not qualify for eligibility may be removed from the selection process. Parents who have re-ferred their children will be notified if this is the case. Students who are referred by December 15, will be assessed in February dur-ing the regular school day for potential placement in the program the following school year. Additional assessment dates may be scheduled in the summer for students who enroll in Camas School District after the winter nomination win-dow. Referral forms (paper) are available here: HCP Parent Referral Form.

Learn more about

this amazing travel

opportunity here.

EAST COAST TRIP

Is your child interested in traveling to the East Coast with a group of

students for a week? This 8th grade trip will be June 21-28, 2019.

On this trip, we will visit Colonial Williamsburg, Washington D.C.,

Lancaster, PA, Gettysburg, PA, and New York City. To find out more

about this trip, email jeanette.romano@camas.wednet.edu for in-

formation.

The Camas School District does not sponsor

or endorse this event.

YEARBOOK ORDER DEADLINE!

Order before winter break for

the low, low price of $25 which

includes your student’s name

on the cover. In January the

price goes to $30 for the year-

book and will not include stu-

dent’s name on the cover.

THANK YOU!! Staff Appreciation – Check out this amazing spread provided on the morning of November 19 for staff appreciation! The K-cup donation drive was a smashing success. Thank you so much to all who donated! (We received far more than what is pictured here.) Staff had this to say in re-sponse to your kindness: “What a wonderful treat. Staff feels so appreciated and are thankful for our Skyridge families. These treats, K-cups, and the grants recently awarded to some of our teachers; our families truly make a difference at our school.”

BOX TOPS Still collecting Box Tops from your

elementary school days? Did you

know that our Skyridge Special

Education department collects

these? So continue to collect and

send your Box Tops for Education

coupons to Skyridge attention:

Beth Ceron.

WEEKEND BACKPACK PROGRAM

Skyridge offers a supply of nutritious meals and snacks for children over their weekends and extended breaks, free of charge. Bags are distributed by their counselor on the last school day before the weekend or break. Any child enrolled at Skyridge is able to receive these weekly bags of food. If you believe your family could benefit from this program, we encourage you to sign them up by contacting your student’s counselor. This information is kept confidential. Once your family is signed up, they will receive a backpack with food each week until they leave the district or until you no longer wish to participate. We encour-age you to take advantage of this program for your family and your children. Questions or concerns? Please contact Mrs. Thielbar or Mrs. Loren

SKY PTO NEWS & REVIEWS

Skyridge Staff Holiday Treat Exchange – Let's show the staff some holiday cheer by sharing yummy holiday treats! You can help make this event extra special by bringing in 3 dozen or more of your favorite cookie or candy treat to share on Thurs. Dec. 20. See full details and sign up at http://bit.ly/SkyCookies2018. If you drop off before 9:00 on Dec. 20, stay for coffee & treats with Principal Williams and Skyridge PTO from 9:00-9:15 AM and attend a quick meeting 9:15-10:00 AM. *Free Skyhawks ornament to all attendees.* ———————

Portland Trail Blazers Fundraising Nights – Skyhawks friends and family who purchase a ticket through http://bit.ly/BlazersSkyPTO will have access to that night's exclusive fan experience and a portion of each ticket pur-chased will be donated back to Sky PTO! Tickets start at $15.00. Dates available:

12/6 vs. Phoenix - Early Entry at the Moda Center to watch warm-ups before doors are open to the public!

12/21 vs. Utah - Postgame Free Throws: Come onto the Moda Center court after the game to shoot a free throw, just like the pros!

12/23 vs. Dallas - Early Entry at the Moda Center to watch warm-ups before doors are open to the public!

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Giving Tuesday – Thank you to all who donated to Sky PTO on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28! By midday we already had $200 in donations delivered to the school. But we’re not done! Our Sky PTO “Direct Drive” – which is a one-time donation that lets us avoid sales-type fundraisers with gimmicky rewards – lasts the whole year through. More giving from you = more giving to Skyridge students & staff! In the last four years, we’ve doled out over $7,000. And this year alone, we’ve fulfilled several phenomenal requests, including these:

A huge sheet music refresh for Brenda Sappington's Choir program and R. Michael Sanchez's Band program

A preservation mask art project for the entire 6th grade

US History escape rooms for Language Arts and Social Studies lessons across the whole 8th grade

Please help us continue to make a difference by printing this form, http://bit.ly/SkyDirectDrive1819, and sending it to school via child or US Mail (5220 NW Parker St.) with a donation in any amount. Thank you!!

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Holiday Shop at Fred Meyer & Earn $ For Skyridge – In addition to our Direct Drive, we hope you'll consider link-ing your Fred Meyer Rewards account to Skyridge PTO; after you do, every time you shop, Skyridge PTO automati-cally received funds through the Fred Meyer Community Rewards program. It's free and easy. Sign up at http://bit.ly/ShopForSkyPTO.

——————— Spirit Wear – Nearly 50 Skyhawks families nabbed their Skyhawks Spirit Wear this fall! Do you have yours? The next ordering window is Jan. 8—Feb. 8. Order directly online to receive it at the end of February. Browse now at www.brainlesstees.com/skyridgems. (The shopping cart feature will be disabled till Jan. 8.)

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River Who? Riverview! – A big shout out to the staff of Riverview Community Bank, 192nd location, for their help and flexibility getting our bank signers and accounts up to snuff. They went above and beyond to offer assistance. ———————