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April – May Parent Newsletter
Welcome
Back and Looking Ahead The Community Schoolhouse
welcomed back students on April 16th for the start of the third
academic term of the school year. We
hope you and your families had an enjoyable and restful spring break. Winter
term report cards and summary score sheets for the end-of-the-term integrated
project were mailed last week. 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 will be used to
assign letter grades and credits for this district report card. Our
school’s third academic term runs through Monday, July 9th.
The regular Friday mentoring program ends Friday, June 29th
(see Mentoring Program Update).
All students should report to school for a full instructional day on
Friday, July 6th. There
will be no school on Wednesday, July 4th. Parent
Conferences Thank you to all parents who have taken the time to attend Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences. These conferences have proven valuable in communicating about students’ progress and academic needs within the school setting. If you have not been contacted by your son/daughter’s Enrichment and Remediation Advisor to schedule a conference, please call the school at 503-763-8958. Enrollment Update The 21st Century Community Schoolhouse
is currently conducting its open enrollment process for the 2001-02 school year. If fundraising goals are met to finance additional building
space, we plan to increase the school’s total enrollment to 130 students in
grades 9-11. Students
currently enrolled in The Community Schoolhouse are guaranteed admission
for the 2001-02 school year. However,
current students planning to return to The Community Schoolhouse for the
2001-02 school year MUST complete and return a Returning
Student Enrollment Form by April 30, 2001.
This form was mailed to parents last week.
If
a student currently attending The Community Schoolhouse has a sibling(s)
who desires to attend the school, preference will be given so the family members
can attend the same school. Siblings
of current students must submit an application form by April 30 to be eligible
for enrollment at the school this fall. Please
indicate the name of the current student (sibling) on the application form. Applications
for NEW students must be submitted by April 30 to qualify for the initial
lottery drawing next month. State
Testing April 23-26 State testing for tenth-grade students at The
Community Schoolhouse will be administered April 23-26.
Tenth-graders will take math, reading and science tests.
The
state tests – given annually to third-, fifth-, eighth- and tenth-graders –
measure student performance against state standards. Teachers use the tests to identify students’ strengths and
weaknesses and determine ways to help students do better. High school students
will be eligible to receive a Certificate of Initial Mastery (CIM) based on
their scores on the state tests and assignments called work samples, which are
scored using state scoring criteria. Ninth-grade
students will take off-grade tests in reading and math on April 23-26.
Called Consortium Off-Grade, or COG, these tests are given at the same
time as the state tests. The tests also help teachers identify students’
strengths and weaknesses and determine ways to help students do better. The
tests help predict how students will do on state tests in grade 10. State
tests and COG tests can’t be crammed for the night before the test – they
measure knowledge gathered over time, not a small set of facts from a few
chapters in a book. With that in
mind, make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep before the test.
Also, let your child know that doing well on these tests are important,
but that regular attendance at school, classroom assignments and homework are
also important. Planning
for Next Year
Staff is already planning curriculum programs to meet
the needs of next year’s 11th graders.
Plans will be finalized over the next month and during a Teacher
Inservice Day scheduled for Friday, May 25.
Please note that there will be no school that day for students.
For
families who will have an 11th grade student attending The
Community Schoolhouse next year, planning and scheduling for the
student’s individual academic programs will take place in early June.
More information will be sent out in late May.
Academic
Focus for Spring Term
We are continuing with our Adventure, Challenge
and Discovery year-long theme this term.
A snapshot of the academic program for the students is as follows: English
Students
will continue to focus on the various writing modes and state writing standards
through the lens of Adventure, Challenge and Discovery.
Students will also have the opportunity to explore this theme through
literature. Health Students
will complete their study of health this year by exploring human physiology and
sexuality in order to understand and respect how the body works.
Students will also focus in on the effects of drugs, alcohol and smoking
with emphasis on maintaining good health and making good decisions. Math During
the first two weeks of this term, students will be assessed in their math
knowledge and skills to determine progress towards the state Certificate of
Initial Mastery (CIM) benchmarks. Through
these assessments, students will be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills not
only for the CIM, but also for credit as well.
Each student will have a chart demonstrating what standards they have
successfully met and which areas require more work. Spanish
True
to the theme, students will explore the countries of the world where Spanish is
the primary language. The use of
video, projects and activities will allow students to “travel to” and
discover a variety of places and cultures.
Spanish vocabulary and grammar skills will be enhanced throughout the
term. Science
and Society
Spring
term will provide students with the opportunity to earn their Economics credit
in Social Studies and to complete their full science credit.
We begin by examining the basic economic concepts of resource scarcity
and opportunity costs at an individual level, a societal level, and at a global
level. Scientific concepts involved
in the physical and earth sciences will be woven in by examining the real-life
resource scarcity we face today. These
include our energy resources, water resources, forest resources, and climatic
changes and how those impact species and our biological heritage. An in-depth
study of the natural, political, and economic environment of the Willamette
River and its watershed will be a focus of the class later in the term. English
Program Update Heather
Burns, Community Schoolhouse Health teacher, is going back to a half-day
schedule so she can spend more time at home with her two small children. Heather will be at the school during the first two blocks of
the academic day and will focus primarily on the mentoring program. Jessica Mills, a Western Oregon
University intern, will be assisting Ron Burkhart in the English department. Creative and persuasive writing, as well as research writing,
will be components of the English classes.
Health will focus on addictions and teen pregnancy.
Daily journaling and reading time will continue to be parts of our day. Here is a quick reminder about the upcoming yearbook. Our small staff is working hard to develop a small, but exciting, yearbook. We need your help to make the book a success. If you have any baby pictures of your student we would love if you sent them to the school with your child. Of course, don’t forget the $20 cost of the book. All students have received a Yearbook Order Envelope complete with ordering instructions. Our deadline for pictures and monies received is May 4th. Math
Program Update Ron Wiebe, Community Schoolhouse math teacher,
is taking a parental leave of absence for the next six weeks. He will continue
to provide lesson plans and grade major assignments. Ryan Kinnett will serve as
the interim instructional lead for the math program during Ron’s absence.
Martha Torres will serve as math co-lead and will be assisted by Jessica
Pembroke, a graduate student at Willamette University. Mentoring
Program Update A
majority of our students are working in mentorships in the community.
If your child is currently working at a mentorship site, please talk with
them about their experiences at their site. Community Schoolhouse
students are working at a variety of job sites and have interesting stories to
tell. Some
students are mentoring elementary school children helping them improve their
academic skills. One student is
helping with the carousel construction project at Riverfront Park while another
is working at Morton's Restaurant exploring his interest in becoming a chef. Two of our students are involved in governmental mentorships,
working at the offices of Congresswoman Darlene Hooley and state representative
Vic Backlund. Another student is
learning about auto mechanics at Broadway Garage in Keizer.
And the list goes on and on. Congratulations
to all of our hard working students! Students not already participating in internships are
expected to be at school on Fridays from 8:40 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
These students will be placed as mentorship matches become available and
students complete the required course assignments.
The regular Friday mentoring program ends Friday,
June 29th.
All students should report to school for a full instructional day on
Friday, July 6th. International
Schoolhouse Students participating in the International
Schoolhouse project have been busy working on theme identification and research,
and conducting work sessions through live chats with students in Japan via the
Internet. The students at The Community Schoolhouse have identified “Willamette
River: point source and non-point source pollutants” as their research
topic. Student application packets for
the upcoming youth summit in Japan were due March 22.
Students who successfully completed and submitted the packets will be
interviewed by a review panel on either April 26 or 27th. Students will be contacted regarding their interview time and
location. The interview panel,
comprised of education, business and community leaders, will help select the
North American delegation for The International Youth Environmental Summit in
Toyama Japan, July 31- August 7. Welcome
Michelle Harryman
Michelle Harryman
is the newest member of The 21st Century Community Schoolhouse
team, joining the staff as office manager in mid March.
She previously served as Senior Clerical Specialist for Salem-Keizer
School District’s Student Services Department.
Michelle replaces Lora Catton, our previous manager,
who resigned to take a job in the mortgage brokerage industry. Michelle
brings a tremendous amount of experience, enthusiasm and creativity to her
office manager position. She is
highly skilled in a variety of school office procedures, including student
record and reporting systems, file management for Individual Education Plans,
and payroll administration. She is
proficient in several technology programs and has coordinated and conducted
training sessions for public and private sector employers.
Michelle also has produced a variety of company publications for
customers and employees. Michelle
is often the first contact that parents and community members make at The
Community Schoolhouse. It is
here that two of Michelle’s most important strengths – her warm, friendly
disposition and strong communication skills – shine through on a daily basis.
Michelle and her husband live in Keizer and have two young children
attending school in the Salem-Keizer School District. Service
Learning Project Promotes Reading, Service Learning
Students from The 21st Century
Community Schoolhouse visited Grant Elementary School on Thursday, March 1
to help celebrate the National Education Association’s “Read Across
America” Day – one day early! Approximately
90 Schoolhouse students read to first- and second-graders at Grant from
9:30 to 10 a.m. Schoolhouse
students selected a variety of books matching Read Across America’s theme of “Oh,
The Places You’ll Go.” Published
in 1990 by Dr. Suess, this book offers a wealth of wisdom on setting goals and
meeting challenges. Schoolhouse
students also used Oregon’s kindergarten-third grade state scoring guide to
help assess the elementary students’ reading comprehension. Bilingual
students from the Schoolhouse read in Spanish to their elementary reading
partners. This offered these students a good opportunity to apply their skills
in their second language and, for some, their native language. The Community Schoolhouse hopes to continue this type of educational partnership and service learning project with Grant and other elementary schools. Community Schoolhouse had a great time reading to their elementary “buddies”- many of whom could hardly let their new friends go back to the Schoolhouse. |
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contact: school@communityschoolhouse.org |
The
21st Century