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Parent Newsletter - Nov./Dec. 2001A message
from the Executive Director
Thank you to all the parents that attended our Open House
event on October 8. The event
provided a nice overview of our instructional program and allowed parents to
meet and present questions to staff and the school’s Board of Directors.
Additional thanks to the small group of parents that responded to our
Board’s request for volunteers. We
appreciate your efforts to help us maintain and enhance the educational
opportunities available to your child. Parent
support, in many forms, is essential to the success of any school, especially at
The Community Schoolhouse. Enclosed
is a follow-up letter from the Board related to the need for parent support. The fall
academic term ends Monday, December. 10.
There will be no classes for students on Tuesday, December 11, which is a
staff work day. The Community Schoolhouse will be closed for winter
break from December 12, 2001 through January 1, 2002. Students are to return to school on Wednesday, January 2.
Jane was
instrumental in garnering local, state and national support for our school and
skillfully guided the Schoolhouse Board of Directors during its inaugural
year. Her passion, drive, and
tireless efforts to make our school a reality will be sorely missed. We all wish
Jane and her family the best of luck in Chicago. Finally, on
behalf of the entire Community Schoolhouse staff and Board of Directors,
I want to extend best wishes to you and your family this holiday season.
It is our sincere hope that you enjoy a safe, healthy, and peaceful
winter break. - Tom DeJardin Inclement weather
policy/school delay schedule
The Community Schoolhouse
will follow, when appropriate, all Salem-Keizer School District delays and
school closures due to snow, inclement weather, or emergency situations. For a
complete description of the district’s inclement weather and school closure
policy, please visit the district Web site at: www.salkeiz.k12.or.us/schools/closure.html. End-of-term project
Soon after the Thanksgiving holiday, students of The Community Schoolhouse will embark on their first school-wide integrated project of the year. This performance will be the culmination of work for fall term and be a significant portion of the student’s grade in each of their academic classes.
End-of-term projects are in lieu of final exams.
The projects give students the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills
gained over the course of each term in each of their Learning Areas.
Teaching teams collaborate together to build these projects at the end of
each term.
The fall term integrated performance task will reflect the
school’s chosen theme of Journeys.
Parents will be mailed a copy of the project during the last
week of November. The expectations
and requirements of the project will be described so that parents can follow
along with their student’s work. Fall
term report cards Fall term
report cards will be mailed to parents during the winter break. Community
Schoolhouse report cards are tailored specifically for our school’s
instructional programs. A
traditional Salem-Keizer School District report card will be distributed at the
end of the school year. The Community Schoolhouse Levels of Mastery
system (see “Documenting Student Achievement” section in the Parent-Student
Handbook) will be used to assign letter grades and credits for this district
report card. Teaching blocks update
So far this
term, the students in Science & Society Block have been focusing on:
Each of the
units of study above and the student’s assignments can be found on our Web
site at: www.communityschoolhouse.org/assignments2001-2002.htm If you have
any questions, you can contact Molly Kellar and Andrew Goldstein at 503-763-8958
or email them at: molly@communityschoolhouse.org or
andrew@communityschoolhouse.org.
Math/Technology Block Rick’s Math Classes:
Zac’s Math Classes:
Language Block Many
positive things have happened in October and November in the Language Block.
Freshmen and sophomore students have shown great progress in creative and
descriptive writing assignments. Students have been collaborating with Jessica
Mills, a Western Oregon University intern English teacher, to express
themselves in their journals. This
“journaling” activity has proven to be a valuable tool in helping students
open up and share their thoughts and feelings while vastly improving their
writing. Finally, students are just setting out on the reading of the
novel, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, with a special focus on mental
health. Juniors,
in their contractual block, are still working hard at meeting the analytical
demands of poetry and the creative demands of personal essays. Home,
Family and Heritage have all been areas of focus. Julie Theophanes
has joined our teaching staff as a substitute teacher while Martha Torres
takes an extended leave due to a family illness. Julie brings both a Spanish and
English background to the class. Mentorship
Program Community
Schoolhouse students that have completed their resumes and
cover letters are beginning to be placed in internships. Please check your student’s progress report to determine if
they have completed both of these assignments. Thank you to
parents that have helped your students assemble job references to be included in
their resume. A number of students
were unsure if baby sitting, yard work and other odd jobs counted toward their
work history. Heather Burns, our
Community Classroom teacher, has assured them that those jobs most definitely
count! In the
coming weeks before the end of term, Heather will be visiting the ER teams to
interview students regarding their preferred placements in internships.
In addition, basic interviewing skills will be presented to new students
and reviewed among our returning students. Service Learning Update
Sixteen Community
Schoolhouse students participated in a service project in support of
Marion-Polk Foodshare during October. The
event was called Chef’s Nite Out and was held at Willamette Valley Vineyards.
Our students performed admirably. Linda
Kromer, event coordinator, said “The professionalism of every student was outstanding.
They were always ready to take on new challenges and followed through to
the very end.” Our students enjoyed themselves and plan to make this an
event they will support each year to help fight hunger in the Salem area.
For a review of our school’s participation at Chef’s Nite Out, please
visit the Web page at: www.communityschoolhouse.org/Chef's%20Nite.htm Currently
our school and staff are participating in two service projects for the holiday
season. Four students are
coordinating a food drive at school and in the community to benefit Marion-Polk
Foodshare. A second group of
students will be coordinating the Salvation Army Adopt-A-Family project.
Our entire student body will be involved in both projects.
Students may bring in canned or nonperishable food to donate to the food
drive. They may select a name and
gift request from our Holiday Giving Tree and provide new, unwrapped presents
for one of the children or family members in our “adopted” families. Additionally, the school will be accepting cash donations in
order to purchase food supplies for the adopted families.
These
two school-wide projects offer Community Schoolhouse students, parents
and staff a unique opportunity to reach out to those in need in the Salem-Keizer
community. It provides our school
community with a personal way of brightening this year’s holiday season for
those less-fortunate. Volunteers needed
The
Community Schoolhouse is still in
need of volunteers in a variety of instructional and support areas. Please
contact Jessica Pembroke, instructional assistant, by phone at 503-763-8958, or
by email at: jess@communityschoolhouse.org if you or anyone you know is
interested in volunteering at the school. |
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contact: school@communityschoolhouse.org |
The
21st Century