LS Weekly Memo Week 30:  March 10 - 14

The two thought provoking events from the week:

• Jenny Cleveland’s comments calling us to think about what we wish to feast on and fast from.Tonya’s class was so inspired they made their own list of possibilities based on their hero research.
• Dori King’s guided reflection on American Promise and inclusivity at our school

Thank you to those who supported the auction through donations, volunteering and attending.  The auction was the most elegant ever along with being very philanthropically successful.  Many of our PGD experiences are funded by the auction.

Here we go! Let’s all remember that how ramped up our students can get as we roll into Spring break.  The weather promises to be Spring-like in the coming week, so we  can anticipate a bought of  Spring fever

COMMUNITY

Busick Play

Tasha and her students present “Twelfth Night” this week.  Attend and enjoy.

Families Not Returning

Please let David or Chris know if a family revealed at conferences that they are not planning on returning next year.  This helps us forecast the number of new families to accept.

Wellness Fair, Tuesday 3/11 from 6:00 am - 12:30 pm

See Rebecca’s email with details - Biometric screenings, free massages and more.

PE team will graciously move their classes outdoors unless it is pouring rain. Please send off your students dressed accordingly for the weather.

Admissions

Admissions decision were sent out on Sunday.  Due to the high number of applications and high quality of applicants there are a number of people connected to our school; staff, faculty, current families and alumnae,  who will be offered a place in our waitpool, awaiting a spot for their child.  Either Sarah or I are available to meet with families if they approach you.

Thank you to those of you who are helping host the Welcome Night for New Families on Thursday.  

Second Grade Boys

For the time being, JR will continue to have lunch recess as his one opportunity to play competitive sports and games.

Reminder…

JR can play competitive sports at lunch recess ONLY. Scott and Lauren, who are out at 1-3rd recess will "shadow" J and his competitive 2nd Grade classmates, until further notice. Before school recess (he's there sometimes), morning and afternoon recess he may shoot hoops, kick the soccer ball against the wall, climb on climbers, play imaginative games, etc.

These children are into basketball at the moment, so that means someone else other than Scott or Lauren needs to cover the field.  We will need everyone on First through Third Grade lunch recess to be flexible, depending upon whether PE teachers are on the field or by the basketball court.

PROGRAM

LSLT Meeting 3-10-14

Kathy Narramore’s Room, 3:15 - 4:45

• Agreements - check-in
• Expectations review
• Chapel
• Recess
• Lunch
• Uniforms
• Transitions
• SEL Conference - our questions/ needs
• Character Education Conference - 4/14 at OES

Faculty Meeting 3-13-14 - Team/ Department Meeting

See Team Leader/ Department Chair for agenda

LSCTF , 2.24.14

We had a great meeting.  Take a look at the notes. Talk to David, Chris or a representative if you have any questions. LSCTF Meeting Notes 2.24.14

Team Leader Meeting 3-3-14 NOTES

If you have questions about any of these topics please see your team leader.

During the meeting we discussed the following:

• LSCTF debrief
• LS Faculty Meeting Plan
• Curriculum Design Check in
• Skills by April 1
• Assessments by May 1
• Social Studies completed by June 1
• Summer Stipend Work

David Away on 3/12 and 3/17

• NCCE Maker Summit - March 12 - Chris will be in charge

• Promoting Social Emotional Learning in Lower Elementary Classrooms - March 17.

Jenny Cleveland and Patti Beyer will be in charge.

Spring Trips

3rd, 4th and 5th grades will be needing chaperones for their overnight trips. Sign up in the Doc below.  We will be needing approximately 10 faculty for each trip.  Trip Leaders - please indicate exactly how many chaperones you need.

Lower School Overnights 2013-14

Character Education: What Really Works - CSEE on 4/14 at OES

Portland: Character Education: What Really Works for 2014.

April 14, 2014, Oregon Episcopal School, Portland, OR

Registrations for this event are open

Read More

OES is hosting this conference here on campus so a limited number of OES faculty can attend for free.  Let me know if you are interested. This looks like a good companion conference to the Social Emotional Learning conference in Seattle.

Sign Up for Professional Growth and Development with Louise Cadwell, Wednesday, June 18th

Cadwell Workshop, June 18th, Sign Up

Intercultural Competency Training

This training is the priority for PGD on 3/31 for faculty and staff in all three divisions.

Please register for the training by completing this short form.

US Students Available to Help during Winterim - March 17 -20

See email from Robin Weitzer

PGD -

We have limited PGD funds remaining for 2013-14.  Priority wil be given to inquiry focussed workshops and conferences.

Mt. Hood Climb Service Day, Wednesday, May 14th

It is not too early to begin thinking about how a MHCSD Service Learning project  can link up with your current inquiry-based project work.  

As in the past, Jenny will put out a Google doc where you can log in your project details, including supplies and volunteers needed. Look for a Google doc after we return from break, or possibly sooner. See Jenny if you have questions.

OPERATIONS

Calendar Upkeep

We are coming up to Spring Break and then the post-Spring Break dash to the finish.

Please keep your Grade Level events up to date in the Google faculty calendar.  

Taking a Field Trip? Class Not Eating Lunch?

If your class or grade is not eating in the cafeteria for a special occasion be sure to notify the kitchen at least 72 hours in advance.  We are reimbursed for the food cost @ about $40/class.

Custodial Notebook

See Lyn’s email for location of the log in each wing.  Record current needs and any future needs that custodians should be aware of.

LS Weekly Memo Week 29:  March 3-7

I find it hard to believe that it is March already. Chris and I are spending a great deal of time finishing up  admissions decisions.  I am tremendously appreciative of all your work to share observations about the applicants.  We are fortunate to have such a strong applicant pool.  Be sure to thank Susie, Sarah and the rest of the Admissions Department for their yeomans work guiding families and students through the application process.

COMMUNITY

Chapel - A Busy Week

Monday, March 3: We have a special visitor and a special event. Wear you coats as we will be outside for a bit.

Wednesday, March 5:  Ash Wednesday Chapel at 11:50 a.m. for Primary through 5th grade.   BRING YOUR ALLELUIAS.

Friday, March 7: Chapel at 8:10a.m. for 2nd-5th grade

See email from Jenny Cleveland for more details

Service Learning Coffee

Thank you to Jenny Cleveland and Laurie Price for coordinating the Service Learning Coffee for parents.  They explained the value of service in learning and the development of Essential Competencies, some examples of student service projects and ways that parents can help support their child’s service learning at home.

Peter Pan

I hope many of you had the chance to see the play.  It is amazing what the Performing Arts Department can do.  What a joy to see current and former Lower School students step on to the stage or play in the orchestra and be so entertaining.  Thank you Margaret and Tasha for helping make it all possible.

Auction

Thanks to those who are attending, volunteering and who donated to the auction.  The Auction is sold out and promises to be quite a festive event.

OBOB - from Chris Myers

If so, consider volunteering at the Oregon Battle of the Books Region 1 Competition, Saturday, March 15, at Westview High School. Lots of different kinds of jobs available—moderating battles, scorekeeping, timekeeping, running scores, helping with registration and check-in. The competition runs 9 a.m.-1 p.m., with a short training beforehand, but shorter shifts are available.

Families Not Returning

Please let David or Chris know if a family revealed at conferences that they are not planning on returning next year.  This helps us forecast the number of new families to accept.

PROGRAM

LS Faculty Meeting

3-6-14 7:40 -8:40, LS Art Room

Agenda

• Appreciations
• LS Agreements
• A time when you would have used them.
• What could it look like when you use them?
• Inquiry
• Louise’s questions
• ERB
• Overview

LSCTF - 2-24-14

During the LSCTF meeting last week we discussed the following topics

• Inquiry based learning with Cadwell
• ERB Results and reflection on curriculum implications
• Curriculum Design check-in

Team Leader Meeting 2-24-14

During the meeting we discussed the following:

• Check-in
• Cadwell Collaborative plan
• Plan for LSCTF meeting

Louise Cadwell Follow-Up - We will work on collecting input on these two questions during the faculty meeting on 3-6-14.  You may enter your own reflections before then.

Louise Cadwell's Feedback- Break-Throughs and Challenges.

Sign Up for Professional Growth and Development with Louise Cadwell, Wednesday, June 18th

Cadwell Workshop, June 18th, Sign Up

Intercultural Competency Training

This training is the priority for PGD on 3/31 for faculty and staff in all three divisions.

Please register for the training by completing this short form.

US Students Available to Help during Winterim - March 17 -20

See email from Robin Weitzer

DRA Entries and Updates

Please be sure to send Lyn your new or updated DRA  scores so she can enter them into our spreadsheet.  If you have  students who are not meeting benchmarks, contact Art to schedule a

Spring Trips

3rd, 4th and 5th grades will be needing chaperones for their overnight trips. Sign up in the Doc below.  We will be needing approximately 10 faculty for each trip.  Trip Leaders - please indicate exactly how many chaperones you need.

Lower SChool Overnights 2013-14

OPERATIONS

Calendar Up-Keep

We are coming up to Spring Break and then the post-Spring Break dash to the finish.

•Please keep your Grade Level events up to date in the Google faculty calendar.  

•Make sure Anne’s Final Site calendar is up to date with postings that are relevant to parents

•Consult both calendars when posting a new date, bear in mind that most parent meetings happen on Wednesdays

•Culminating Events- Try not to book a culminating event when another grade has already posted a culminating event on a given day or if parents have a school function at the same time.  We would like to avoid possible conflicts for parents with multiple children, and prevent double-booking problem for David and Chris. We like to attend as many culminating events as possible!

Benefits Survey

Thanks to those who completed the survey. The benefits Committee will be analyzing results over the next several weeks.

Wellness Fair, 3/11 from 6:00 am - 12:30 pm

See Rebecca’s email with details - Biometric screenings, free massages and more

Feeding your Pets

Students are coming in and making salads off the dining room salad bar and taking it back to their classrooms for classroom pets.  Please do not do this.   

Kelly is willing to work with teachers and their students to find a  pre-arranged  time for them to pick up pre-consumer veggie scraps from the kitchen for their pets - a more sustainable approach.

Early School Closure

We met Thursday to clarify future early closure procedures. Please read and familiarize yourself with our plan. Lyn will save this in our important docs folder.

Lower School Early School Closure Procedure

Class Not Eating Lunch?

If your class or grade is not eating in the cafeteria for a special occasion be sure to notify the kitchen at least 72 hours in advance.  We are reimbursed for the food cost @ about $40/class.

Custodial Notebook

See Lyn’s email for location of the log in each wing.  Record current needs and any future needs that custodians should be aware of.

LS Weekly Memo Week 28: February 24-28

What a great way to end the week with Tina’s outstanding premier of Ima’s Twisted Tales to the interactive Connect with Nature Assembly.  The offerings throughout the day really allowed great opportunities to connect around shared affinities. Bravo, Marty, Doug, Claire, Scott, Tracy and Kristen.

COMMUNITY

OBOB - The offer from Chris Myers

If so, consider volunteering at the Oregon Battle of the Books Region 1 Competition, Saturday, March 15, at Westview High School. The competition features over 70 teams from 55 different schools in Washington County and the northwest corner of Oregon, including three teams from OES—Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School!

Lots of different kinds of jobs available—moderating battles, scorekeeping, timekeeping, running scores, helping with registration and check-in. The competition runs 9 a.m.-1 p.m., with a short training beforehand, but shorter shifts are available.

Second Grade Boys

So Friday, for the first time, JR played competitive sports at lunch recess ONLY. Scott and Lauren, who are out at 1-3rd recess will "shadow" J and his competitive 2nd Grade classmates, until further notice. Before school recess (he's there sometimes), morning and afternoon recess he may shoot hoops, kick the soccer ball against the wall, climb on climbers, play imaginative games, etc.

These children are into basketball at the moment, so that means someone else other than Scott or Lauren needs to cover the field.  We will need everyone on First through Third Grade lunch recess to be flexible, depending upon whether PE teachers are on the field or by the basketball court.

Families Not Returning

Please let David or Chris know if a family revealed at conferences that they are not planning on returning next year.  This helps us forecast the number of new families to accept.

Deborah’s Sabbatical Substitute

We are working our way toward a final decision.  Two outside candidates visit this week.

PROGRAM

Admissions - Specialists - last call for your feedback about visiting candidates.  Admissions decisions will be made this week.

LSCTF - 3:15 - 4:30, Monday 2-24-14, Claire Kucera’s classroom

1. Inquiry based learning with Cadwell

2. ERB Reflection

3. Curriculum Design check-in

Louise Cadwell Follow-Up

Thanks to all who shared their break-throughs and challenges at last week’s meeting. Chris captured your thoughts in her documentation.  Louise would like to hear from all of you. Please take a minute to respond to Louise’s prompts (see questions below) on the following shared document - Louise Cadwell's Feedback- Break-Throughs and Challenges. No need for names, only if you want to identify yourself.

1. In your practice of Inquiry Based teaching and learning, choose one example of a breakthrough in learning for yourself and your students that you are excited about.  

2. In your study and practice of Inquiry Based teaching and learning, choose one aspect of this approach that is challenging for you and that you would like to focus on for future growth.

Sign Up for Professional Growth and Development with Louise Cadwell, Wednesday, June 18th

We’d like to get a sense of who is available to attend our Professional Growth day with Louise in June.  I would like to have as many faculty as possible attend. Let us know if you plan to attend or unable to attend because you already have plans.  If you haven’t done so, please sign up using the  Google doc. link below.

Cadwell Workshop, June 18th, Sign Up

Intercultural Competency Training

During our school-wide professional development day on March 31, 2014 the cohort of intercultural competence facilitators will be offering the Day 2 training.  Building intercultural competence to better support all of our students and enhance our work together is an important strategic initiative for the school.  

This training is the priority for PGD on 3/31 for faculty and staff in all three divisions.

Please register for the training by completing this short form.

Reading Endorsement

Laura Morton,  volunteer in Janet’s classroom and M Ed student at PSU, needs to do a Reading Endorsement practicum. Let me know if you have your reading endorsement and if you would be interested in working with Laura on this requirement.  She needs to work with a faculty member who works with students in grades 1st - 3rd.

SST and Conferences

Let any SST member know if you want support after your recent conferences.  It is a good time to strategize how to support students and set goals for the second half of the school

Maria McIver’s Needs Your  Scholastic Points to Buy Books for Her Winterim Trip to Costa Rica

Maris is once again leading a Winterim service trip to a school in Costa Rica.  She would like to bring new  children’s books written in Spanish to the school in March. She is hoping that you will use some of your Scholastic points to purchase books for the school in Costa Rica.

If  you would like to do so, and wonder what to buy, check out Lisset’s wonderful  library  collection in her Galleria. Time is short.  Let me know if you would like to help out.  More details to follow.

Service Learning Affinity Coffee, Rescheduled for Tuesday, February 25th

Many thanks to Jenny Cleveland and Laurie Price for their work preparing for the coffee.

Teacher Visits from Cascade Academy Friday

Thanks to all who took time to chat with our guests in your classrooms and in the art room over lunch. They were thoroughly inspired by their visit!

US Students Available to Help during Winterim - March 17 -20

See email from Robin Weitzer

DRA Entries and Updates

Please be sure to send Lyn your new or updated DRA  scores so she can enter them into our spreadsheet.  If you have  students who are not meeting benchmarks, contact Art to schedule a

OPERATIONS

Calendar Up-Keep

We are coming up to Spring Break and then the post-Spring Break dash to the finish.

•Please keep your Grade Level events up to date in the Google faculty calendar.  

•Make sure Anne’s Final Site calendar is up to date with postings that are relevant to parents

•Consult both calendars when posting a new date, bear in mind that most parent meetings happen on Wednesdays

•Culminating Events- Try not to book a culminating event when another grade has already posted a culminating event on a given day or if parents have a school function at the same time.  We would like to avoid possible conflicts for parents with multiple children, and prevent double-booking problem for David and Chris. We like to attend as many culminating events as possible!

Benefits Survey Extended - CLOSES MONDAY, 2/24

The Benefits Survey closes on 2/24

Thus far Lower School has a very low completion rate.  We will be using this information to help determine the benefit mix for the coming year.  Your input matters.

Feeding your Pets

Students are coming in and making salads off the dining room salad bar and taking it back to their classrooms for classroom pets.  Please do not do this.   

Kelly is willing to work with teachers and their students to find a  pre-arranged  time for them to pick up pre-consumer veggie scraps from the kitchen for their pets - a more sustainable approach.

Early School Closure

We met Thursday to clarify future early closure procedures. Please read and familiarize yourself with our plan. Lyn will save this in our important docs folder.

Lower School Early School Closure Procedure

Class Not Eating Lunch?

If your class or grade is not eating in the cafeteria for a special occasion be sure to notify the kitchen at least 72 hours in advance.  We are reimbursed for the food cost @ about $40/class.

Custodial Notebook

See Lyn’s email for location of the log in each wing.  Record current needs and any future needs that custodians should be aware of.