LS Weekly Memo Week 38 : May  27-31

Another great week filled with big events: Pre-K and Kindergarten Moving Into Coffees, Third Grade Overnight, Pre-K Learning Celebration (Oh, I wished you could have seen the art installation in the Wetlands- breath-taking beautiful work!), First Grade Field Trip to Zenger Farm, 4th Grade Spanish Field Trip to Woodburn Family Learning Center, culminating in the raucous Fifth Grade Uniform Parade. Wow, what a week!

Get ready. Next week looks just as busy- Primary and First Grade Coffees, Spanish teacher finalists visit (see below for details), Lifer Lunch and Kindergarten and Primary Learning Celebrations.  Let us know if you have a big upcoming event that you want us to attend.

COMMUNITY

First Grade Boys

Our thanks to all who have worked very hard to make the playground safe for all First Grade boys. We will continue with our safety plan next week. Look for an email update if you supervise or teach the five students we tracked this week.  

Kris Van Auken Retirement

Thursday, May 30th, is the Lower School Spring Concert from 6:30 - 8:00pm. It will be Kris van Auken’s final performance at OES with her 3rd - 5th grade choir.  Kris established the Kodaly method of music instruction here at OES.  She retired from regular teaching a few years ago and kept conducting her choir. Now she has decided that she is ready to retire from her choir conducting position as well. Please join us for a reception after the concert in her honor and in celebration of her 18 years of service to OES.

Specialists and THA

Thank you to all the Specialists who made the time to meet with THA. They are well on their way to putting the puzzle together that will be the LS building.

PROGRAM

Consulting with Ari or Patti

As you begin contemplating reports, both Patti and Ari are available for consultations about students.

Update on Hiring for the Spanish Teaching Position

Two semi-finalists visit next week.  Annie Ericson, on Tues., May 28th and Lissete O’Neil, on Wed., May 29th.  Our thanks to Kirstin, Carole, Erin and Kiah who host the demonstration lesson in their classrooms. We appreciate that this is a very busy time of year to be fitting in a special lesson.  

Annie and Lissete will have full days of interviews and tours.  

Specialists Reports

Consider writing comments that could serve a number of students (something like a template).  Good to have a male and female version for each in my experience (keeping his, him, she, her straight). Have a colleague proof your comments/templates before you actually write the reports and insert students’ names. That cuts down on typos and errors that get repeated multiple times.

Stipend Decision

Stipend Decisions will be coming out this week.

OPERATIONS

All LS Faculty Meeting on Thursday, May 30th, 7:30-8:30

We’ll meet in the DVR to do our “sprint to the finish”  end-of-year planning.

Room 10

Thank you to Karen Meenen for her heroic effort in Room 10 cleaning up Lost and Found and Used Uniforms.  The 5th grade uniform parade added piles of clothes on Friday so be patient as she works her way through. You can do your part by being sure that you neatly store your things in Room 10.

Promotion Ceremony, June 12

Hard to believe it is only 2.5 weeks away.

Specialists, please sit with your buddy class.

5th grade buddy Specialists please help with crowd control as the 5th Graders line up to enter the Chapel.  At the end of the ceremony, 5th grade Specialists, please leave the ceremony promptly and head to the MS Commons to help supervise the 5th Grade Reception in MS Commons.

Book Donations

Sidney Gold, former head of LS, is assisting a book drive for the Children’s Book Bank. If you have extra books you are looking to pass on at the end of the year, The Children's Book Bank  can clean them up and give them to children who would benefit from read-aloud books at home.  You can check their website http://www.childrensbookbank.org    for more info.  Sidney will arrange a pick-up at the end of the year fro any books you are willing to donate.

Last Day of School

Schedule will come out on Tuesday.

LS Weekly Memo Week 37 : May  20-24

Last week the 4th grade International Fair was a huge success. The 5th graders were terrific at Camp Hancock. The 1st graders celebrated their learning with their parents. Jane and her Legoites put on a great show at the zoo.  My thanks to all who made these experiences possible for our students.

This week we look forward to Moving into Coffees, class placement meetings, the 3rd Grade Pioneer Camp, Primary-2nd Grade Discovery Day, PreK learngin Celebration and more.  Keep your eyes on the calendar.

COMMUNITY

Duties

As students sense the approaching end of the school year, they benefit from our diligent supervision to help guide them to making good choices.  When on duty be attentive, walk around and be aware.

Friends with Plans:

Will Trunzo

Will is working hard to manage his physical and verbal impulsivity.  Chris or David should be informed immediately if Will has issues with either.  Thank you to Asha for providing extra structure and care for Will.  

Cole Taylor

Cole has reported to his parents that he has been on the receiving end of significant bullying by other 1st grade boys. We all need to be extra vigilant of Cole to help us understand the social dynamic that is happening.  Chris and Doug have developed extensive plans to manage the issues.  Please inform Chris and me immediately if you see Cole or other 1st grade boys engaging in excessively rough and/ or unkind behavior.

Recess Supervision

Thanks to all who helped support the First Grade boys.  We hope to send out photos early in the week. Look for photos in your box if you supervise these children at lunch or recess.

AP Exams Going On Thursday, May 24th

We need Fourth and Fifth Grade students to enter and exit the dining hall quietly Thursday morning as Upper School students will be taking AP exams.

Please have students walk quietly up and around the Middle School and enter the dining hall through the back door.

PROGRAM

Faculty Meetings

• Team Meetings, Thursday, May 23th
  See Team Leaders for agendas.

• All LS Faculty Meeting, May 30

End of Year review

• LS Faculty Meeting, June 6

Report Card preparations

LSCTF Met Last Week

Topics explored-

• Update on EoY Inquiry Work/Learning Celebrations
• Inquiry Inspiration for Next Year
• The Five Year Plan for Curriculum Renewal
• Materials to Hand Up to Next Year’s Teacher
• EoY Faculty Meeting Planning

This was our first meeting since February. The LSCTF met fewer times this year, shifting curriculum renewal work to Team Leaders and their Team Meetings. Everyone agreed that we need to meet more frequently in this vertical group to tackle these big tasks. We will find a time to meet before the end of the year. This meeting may need to take place over lunch.  Lyn will help us find a date and time that most members can attend.

Summer Stipends

We will meet to review stipend requests in the coming week.  Look for more information in the coming days.  Thank you for submitting your request by the 5/17 deadline.

OPERATIONS

Managing Confidential Information

I received two reports of students being exposed to confidential information: one due to a misspelling of a teacher’s name in the email address line, the other due to confidential information being left on a teacher’s desk.  Take the time to be sure you are being careful with sensitive information.

LSLT Meeting, Monday, May 20th @ 3:15 in Tonya’s Classroom

We’ll meet to wrap up the year and look ahead to the start of next year.

Report Card Forms

Brad Baugher and Debra Thomas are working to ensure the report card forms are available to you for the long weekend.  Do not begin completing forms in PCR until we have communication that the forms are ready for use.

Raised Beds Update

A number of you expressed concerns about watering raised beds over the summer.  We will reinstall timers (the first timers disappeared) and look for alternative methods of watering.  We know that gardening is an important part of the Pre-K through Third Grade science curriculum and want to support that work, but we need to come up with solutions that don’t involve Mark, and Scott as summer landscape support.

Last Week of School for Faculty

6/13  Thursday 8:30 – 12:00 – wrap up of 2012-13 year

6/14  Friday – report writing

        THA – possible meetings, Specialists and Team Leaders

6/17  Monday  - 8:30 – 12:00 - LS Faculty Meeting

        THA meeting with All LS Faculty and Staff  1:30 – 3:00

6/ 18 Tuesday -  8:30 - 11:00 Report proofing and posting

All F/S Meeting              11:00 – 12:00 pm

All F/S Chapel                 12:00 – 12:30 pm

All F/S Lunch                   12:30 – 2:30 pm

Emergencies and Media

When news agencies learned of the arrest of the Bon Appetit employee two weeks ago, some news representatives made their way to campus.  If you find yourself being approached by the news media about school issues, do not offer comments, but direct the media to Marty Jones, Director of Communications.

AP Exams on May 23

Be quiet as enter the US building for lunch.  They will be testing in the Platt Global Classroom as well as other rooms. (I communicated something on this topic above. Take a look)

LS Weekly Memo Week 36 : May 13-17

Thank you to all who helped make MHCSD such a success; from the opening Belltower gathering, to the great variety of projects you took on over the course of the day.  This was one of our best. 

May the 5th graders have a great week at Camp Hancock and the 4th graders enjoy the inaugural International Fair.

COMMUNITY

School Building Work

Thank you for your work with the THA team.  From the observations last Tuesday and the conversations on Thursday, they left campus with a lot of information about us to guide the design process.  They are reviewing what they learned and with whom they would still like to converse.  We will plan a report out meeting with THA and the LS Faculty on June 17 or 18.

School Building Ideas Submitted to David by May 17th

The Team Leaders and Kirstin McAuley, Building Committee Representative, with work with THA about next steps

Last 4.5 Weeks of School

This time of year is that challenging convergence for our students of special activities and projects, excitement about summer, and some fatigue and tired minds.  We have seen a recent increase in accidents and behavior issues. Be aware of the pace, stress and energy of your students.

International Fair

We are full of anticipation, wondering what the first International Fair  will look like. We hope that all of the grades/classes will get a chance to see and experience (on an age-appropriate level) this amazing event. Our thanks to the Fourth Grade Team for their hard work and dedication putting this massive project together.

Camp Hancock

As you all know, the Fifth Grade heads out Monday morning for their 5 day adventure at Camp Hancock.  David will join them from Wednesday through Friday. Chris will be in charge in his absence.   Please check the duty coverage list to see if you can help out with duties. Thanks in advance for your help.

Lego Exhibit at the Zoo

Jane and her Lego devotees will put on another spectacular show at the zoo next Saturday and Sunday (5/18 and 5/19). Come see our amazing Lego designers, builders and engineers in action!

PROGRAM

LSCTF, Monday, May 13th 3:15-4

Our final meeting of the year to talk about:

• Inquiry projects
• End of year meetings
• Agreements on what to hand up to the next year’s teachers
• 5-year curriculum plan for Pre-K through Fifth Grade.

Requests from Mark Henningsen- Raised Beds Gardeners

Mark asked that everyone clean up their raised beds this spring.  Raised garden beds are the first thing you see when you drive up to the main parking lot. Raised garden beds are the first thing families and visitors see when they approach the school from the Loop Road parking lot.  Mark asked that if you plant a summer crop, that you arrange for reliable help with watering.  They can’t take on extra watering jobs.

OPERATIONS

Recess Supervision

In recent weeks we’ve had a spate of broken bones, chipped teeth and excessive roughness. There have been issues in the lunch room too.  It is spring and energy runs high. Please circulate and be vigilant when on duty!

•We need extra supervision for a group of First Grade boys who have been engaging in rough and sometimes, unsafe and unkind play. Most of these boys are in Doug’s class, one is from Marty’s class.  We hope to give them new outlets for recess play with natural building materials. Doug is working on that early next week.  We hope that PE folks could introduce them to the rousing game of kickball, or other fast, active games that have rules and might promote teamwork.  Look for an email early next week identifying who these children are.

We would like one designated person at each recess to keep an eye on their play, be proactive and redirect them when necessary.  Please let Doug and/or Marty know right away if their play goes awry.

•Clarification of what is and is not safe on climbing structures

•Rock Hounds Unsafe Rock Smashing

A group of First Grade boys love to break open rocks to see what is inside. While we can all understand this fascination, it is an eye safety concern.  They are also removing large basalt rocks from WW to smash the rocks. Not good. Please talk to your students about these issues. Folks on duty, please be sure to supervise this area and keep children safe.

•Natural Builders

There is a group of First Grade boys that need positive play choices. It so happens that they love to build with natural materials.  Next week we plan to collect natural materials from around campus to use in their constructions.  They will come up with agreements on how they will use and store these materials in the shed.  

If you have Second or Third Graders who might be interested in this endeavor, please let Chris know. We want this to be an inclusive project. Stay tuned for more details.

Lunch Room- Mix and Mingle with Next Year’s Potential Classmates, First through Fourth Grades

Just a thought...

What if we assigned children to lunch tables, mixing and mingling them, with potential classmates for next year, or something less structured, with children who might not know each other, but could potentially be friends, share affinities.  Grade level teams would need to agree with this, of course.  We thought this might be helpful, especially for some fragile children who are having difficulties with challenging friendships.

Last Day of School Year for Faculty - Tuesday, June 18th

• All F/S Meeting              11:00 – 12:00 pm
• All F/S Chapel                 12:00 – 12:30 pm
• All F/S Lunch                   12:30 – 2:30 pm
• We may need a LS meeting in the morning to work with the architects.

LS Weekly Memo Week 35 : May 6 - 10

10 events in 10 days and May has only just begun:

1. PNAIS accreditation visit
2. BS Movement Program
3. BS Chapel
4. 2nd Grade Hero speeches
5. 3rd Grade Musical
6. 4th grade Experiential Ed trip
7. 5th grade Immigration Day
8. LS Assembly – 5th graders leading us in Jai Ho
9. LS Writing Celebration – ECHOES
10. LS/MS Lego Show

Things are happening in Lower School.

COMMUNITY

BS Movement

What a joyful, action-packed display of PE skills!  I wish my PE class looked like that in elementary school!  The children clearly had a terrific time showing off for their parents, teachers and guests. Scott, Stephanie and Lauren did a terrific job of preparing the children for this informance.  Of course, the highlight of the program was getting the entire audience to participate in a line dance version of the Cha-Cha with the children.  Bravo, PE team!

5th Grade Immigration Day

Thanks to the 5th grade teachers and a fleet of volunteers, Immigration Day was a memorable event.  Despite encountering some gruff and critical immigration officers all teh 5th graders made it safely into the United States.

Mount Hood Climb Service Day

Jenny has done a fabulous job communicating details about the event.  The schedule of the day is below.  

7:30am - Eucharist in the Chapel (open to all)

8:15am. - Belltower Ceremony for PreK through 12th grade

8:45am - 2:15pm - Service Learning Projects

2:25pm - All School Ice Cream Social at the playground

1. Teachers will pick-up bags of popsicles at 2:25 by the door to LSCH and will choose where to have the class eat.
2. All classes will return to classrooms for dismissal by 2:50
3. The LS Covered area will need to be MS and US student free by 2:55 so LS students can assemble for riding the bus
4. LS Bus students will gather in their usual place under the covered area.
5. LS EC students will meet in the LSCH as usual.
6. After School Classes will meet on the stage in the LSCH.

2:30pm - 3:15pm - Parent gathering at Aardy's Field House by the field

Get Your Student’s Emergency Medicines and Forms on MHCSD, Field Trips- On and Off Campus

Please remember to collect emergency forms and medicines if you are taking a field trip off campus.  If you are take a hike on campus, and have a student with a bee sting allergy, please be sure to collect medication in the office.

Elaine will have first aid packs for all going on hikes.  If you are going to a site that is equipped with first aid, you will not need to take the first aid pack.

MHCSD Duties

Be sure to complete the MHCSD Duties spreadsheet by the end of the day Monday so we can work out a duty schedule for the day.

Bees and Hornets

As you head out into the great outdoors be sure you know which of your students have bee allergies and that you have what you need to care for your students. Mark, our groundskeeper, said that this is likely going to be a bad year for bees and hornets. Be on the lookout for nests in the ground and in trees!

PROGRAM

THA Visits May 7th and May 9th

Steffi, David and Jane, THA architects will be on campus next Tuesday, May 7th touring classrooms, specialists class and shared spaces, getting a sense of school life and our environments. On Thursday, May 9th, they will return to meet with teams. As we’ve done in the past, we will line up substitutes to cover your classes.  Look for a schedule early next week.

Moving Into Coffees

Moving Into Coffees begin next week with Fifth Grade.  If you are representing your team, please make an appointment through Lyn to review the MIC PowerPoint with David and/or Chris.  

DATES	GRADE	TIME	LOCATION
Tuesday, May 7	Moving into 5th	8:00 – 9:00	LS CH
Tuesday, May 21	Moving into PK	8:00 – 9:00	LS CH
Wednesday, May 22	Moving into K	8:00 – 9:00	LS CH
Tuesday, May 28	Moving into Pri	8:00 – 9:00	Morris House
Wednesday, May 29	Moving into 1st	8:00 – 9:00	LS CH
Monday, June 3	Moving into 4th	8:00 – 9:00	LS CH
Tuesday, June 4	Moving into 2nd	8:00 – 9:00	LS CH
Wednesday, June 5	Moving into 3rd	8:00 – 9:00	LS CH

Technology Update

As Debra announced in the faculty meeting, the Technology Dept is short handed with Scott Thomas out on leave and Angela away on her sabbatical.  The tech team will provide support for all ongoing initiatives and will be putting extra effort into preparing for the next school year.  The team will not be able to support new initiatives until the summer.

Summer Stipends

The Summer Stipend Request Form is ready for your input.  Summer stipend proposals are due Wednesday May 15.

OPERATIONS

Uniforms

We are simplifying and altering the uniform policy for next year.  Thank you to the Team Leaders and Parent Grade Representatives for their feedback.  I have upload the Uniform FAQ for you information.

Class placement Meetings

Do initial sort before first meeting. We will complete our first round of placement meetings mid-week and have specialists review and give recommendations at their early meeting Thursday.

Check the google calendar for dates and times of your team’s meetings. Please try to be on time.  We have a limited amount of time and big tasks ahead.

All placement meetings will take place in Ari’s office.

Chapel Prayers

Please remind your students that quiet respectful praying is welcome while the sacristans read our prayers.  Cheering for a payer is not OK.

Photo Shoot

Marty Jones has a photography team on campus Monday - Wednesday.  Pleae be patient with any distraction they might cause.  The photos will support new admissions materials, a website upgrade and the LS Building project.