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MAY 2002 PARENT NEWSLETTER

Support your school at April 29 fundraiser!

Thompson’s Restaurant (3575 Liberty Rd. S.) is sponsoring a fundraiser for The Community Schoolhouse on Monday, April 29 from 5 p.m. – midnight (see enclosed flyer).  Thompson’s – a McMenamins restaurant – has agreed to donate half of its gross profits generated during this seven-hour period to The Community Schoolhouse.  Proceeds will be used to purchase textbooks and instructional materials at the school.

Please plan on stopping by for dinner at Thompson’s on April 29.  Be sure and spread the word to your family and friends to help make this a profitable evening for your child’s school!

School welcomes two new staff members

The Community Schoolhouse welcomed two new staff members this term.  Jamee Jakes is our new Special Education instructional assistant, replacing Jessica Pembroke, who is taking a leave of absence for the remainder of the school year due to a family illness.  Also joining the school staff is Yesenia de la Pena, our school’s new bilingual instructional assistant.

For the past year and a half, Jamee has worked one-on-one with students at Salem-Keizer Public Schools' Lifeskills Community Transition Program.  She previously served as a para-professional for GFW Schools in Minnesota.  There, she worked closely with high school students in small groups in the mainstream classrooms.  After graduating from Salem's Sprague High School in 1986, Jamee began her professional career as a clerical specialist with the Oregon Department of Revenue.  She also worked for Farmers Insurance before her introduction to a career in education. 

Yesenia has worked as a bilingual instructional assistant for Salem-Keizer Public Schools since 1994, serving at Myers, Lake Labish and Highland elementary schools.  She also worked as an instructional assistant for the Migrant Summer School Programs and was a tutor for the Migrant Program at Highland Elementary. Yesenia is currently enrolled at Chemeketa Community College in the Education Program, working to obtain her teaching certificate. 

Please join us in welcoming Jamee and Yesenia to The Community Schoolhouse team!

Ropes Course Review

Community Schoolhouse students participated in a fun and exhilarating teambuilding activity April 16, 17 and 18 at Youth With A Mission (YWAM) ropes course in south Salem.  The ropes course is a variety of obstacles designed to encourage participants to work together in order to accomplish specific goals.  Each element is made up of various cables, wooden beams, ropes, tires, and surrounding trees.  The elements encourage the development of trust, teamwork, confidence, cooperation, perseverance, communication and interdependence.

On each of the three days (April 16-18), approximately one-third of the school’s students traveled to YWAM to participate in ropes course high and low element activities.  The day began with a quick overview of activities designed to build confidence and awareness among teams of 8-10 students and staff.  Groups then moved outside where three or four teams rotated activities for the remainder of the day. 

Imagine climbing 35 feet up a tree and then rocketing down the "zipline,” or climbing up a 25-foot high rock wall, or hurtling through space like a pendulum 80 feet off the ground, or standing atop a 20-foot high pole and being asked to jump out and touch a ball suspended seven feet ahead of you.  A safety harness alleviated all of these possible dangers.

Many of us learned to trust other team members and to share ideas to help accomplish a goal.  We also learned a little more about ourselves and to just go for it!

End of Winter Term School-wide Project

Coming To America, the school-wide end-of-term project from March 13-21, was a great success!  Students worked together in teams of 10 and focused on a particular immigrant group and time period.  Immigrant groups represented were the Italians, Mexicans, Jamaicans, Cambodians, Chinese, Koreans, Pilgrims, Native Americans, African-Americans, and Jewish and Irish immigrants. Students wrote journals from the perspective of a family member who immigrated.  Students also created maps showing the path of immigration and the push/pull factors causing the family to immigrate.

Additionally, students wrote essays, gave persuasive speeches, wrote poems and songs, told the life story of a famous immigrant, and created cultural cookbooks.  These were shared with the rest of the school at a celebration on March 21.  Some students even prepared recipes from their cultural cookbooks (Jason Pettibone’s Irish Potato Soup was a real hit, as was Anthony Rossi’s Indian Fry Bread!). 

A lasting tribute to the students’ work and to the immigrants who make America what it is today can be seen in our school’s main hallway in the form of a mural painted by students from each team. 

Returning Student Enrollment Forms due April 30

A reminder that current students planning to return to The Community Schoolhouse for the 2002-03 school year MUST complete and return a Returning Student Enrollment Form by April 30, 2002.  This signed form helps assure your student’s enrollment at the school this fall.  It will also assist us in determining the number of new students to be selected in the school’s lottery drawing in early May.

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.

Enrollment and lottery update

The Community Schoolhouse is accepting student applications through April 30 to be included in the school’s initial lottery drawing for the 2002-03 school year.  The school currently enrolls 130 students and will increase total enrollment to 150 students in grades 9-12 for the 2002-03 school year.

The total number of applicants randomly drawn in the spring lottery (for the 2002-03 school year) will depend on the number of returning students from the current school year.

As always, a lottery waiting list will be maintained throughout the school year.  The waiting list is not ranked according to when applications are submitted.  All eligible applicants remain in the lottery pool for the next available lottery drawing.  If another lottery needs to be conducted for new students, it will be scheduled.

Student survey

Enclosed with this newsletter is a letter and permission slip explaining a student questionnaire designed to help us better understand the nature of The Community Schoolhouse student body and to better plan our instructional programs. We are requesting your permission to have your student participate in this survey.

Please indicate on the reverse side of the enclosed letter whether or not you grant permission for us to ask your student to participate.  Return this signed page to us by April 30.  Thank you for your assistance.

Instructional block updates

SCIENCE & SOCIETY

Freshman/Sophomore Blocks

In the 9^th/10^th grade blocks for Term 3, students will finalize their requirements for their 20^th Century Studies social studies credit and their Integrated Science credit. 

In science this spring, students will focus on the physical sciences in a series of “Physics is Phun” units that look at Mechanics (motion, forces, work, and mechanical efficiency) and Energy.  Students will explore the concepts through a number of hands-on labs and activities that culminate in a Rocketry unit where students build and launch their own model rockets. 

In social studies, students will complete two major thematic units.  The first unit focuses on the political, economic, social and cultural impacts of the Great Depression.  Students will relate historical lessons from the 1930’s to recent and current economic conditions.  The second unit focuses on historical background, cause, effects and the long-term impacts of World War II. 

11^th grade Block – Chemistry

Chemistry students will begin this term learning about acids and bases through a variety of lab experiences and applications to real world scenarios.  Finally, students will focus on the chemistry of water and water quality, conducting a number of water quality analysis tests on our own local streams, including the Willamette River. 

11^th grade Block – US History

Students in the 11^th grade are in the process of earning a full unit of credit in U.S. History.  During fall and winter terms, students have been working on the following instructional contracts: World War II; The Cold War; The Struggle for Civil Rights; Protest and Change; The Vietnam War; and War to Watergate.  During spring term, students will complete the following instructional contracts: The 70’s; The 80’s; and Today’s World.

Please make sure you take the time to follow your child’s progress.  If your child has fallen behind, they may still complete the contracts by accessing them at: www.communityschoolhouse.org/us.history.contracts.htm.

All Science and Society assignments can be found at: www.communityschoolhouse.org/assignments2001-2002.htm.

ENGLISH

As we start up the last term of our school year, many changes and adventures are in store.  The first few weeks of the term will focus primarily on Spanish as English teacher Ron Burkhart will be taking some time off to become a father for the first time; the baby is due the last week of April. When Ron returns, students will dive into a "music week" and handle the intricacies of a small research paper.  Current events will help students develop a cause and effect paper, and the year will end with students giving final speeches (of famous speeches) in front of their classmates.

MATH

Rick’s Math Classes

• Pre-Algebra is starting a thematic module on Aviation.  Students will test and analyze two designs for gliders.  The mathematical concepts covered around that theme are Inequalities, Polygons, Probability, Square Roots, Area, Similarity, Parallel Lines, and Volume.

• Advanced Algebra is beginning a chapter on Systems of Equations.  The study of systems applies to businesses and/or organizations trying to minimize or maximize aspects of their operations. 

 Zac’s Math Classes

• Algebra class is continuing its study of linear relationships.  We are examining relationships that increase or decrease in a constant manner, like the hours worked vs. the pay received, or time vs. distance traveled.  The goal is to have every student leave algebra with a firm grasp of linear relationships, along with the graphs and equations that represent them.

• Junior Geometry class is beginning a study of polygons.  We will examine some relationships between lengths and angles in polygons and how the number of sides affects some of these measurements.

• Freshman/Sophomore Geometry class is currently reviewing some material from last term.  They will then examine circles in more depth.  We will then use tessellations, like M.C. Escher drawings, to study translations and symmetry.

Global Issues partnership with Willamette University

A group of Community Schoolhouse students are currently partnered with Willamette University students in a unique service learning partnership.  The students are working together to complete a college-level Globalization project under the leadership of Professor Robert Dash.  

By completing the program, Community Schoolhouse students earn a half credit of Global Issues.  Students will complete a Web site and mural reflecting past and current immigration trends in the United States.  They are also focusing on the many ways immigration has impacted the Salem-Keizer community.

Budget status

As most of you know, the State School Fund and Salem-Keizer School District is facing deep budget cuts. The financial impact on The Community Schoolhouse – as well as other public charter schools in Oregon – will remain unknown until late spring or early summer, following the vote on Measure 13 and another possible emergency session of the legislature. 

One potential outcome keeps the Schoolhouse’s per-student funding amount at its current rate; the other reduces it by more than $300 per student.  The latter scenario would reduce the Schoolhouse operating budget by approximately $50,000 for the 2003-03 school year (based on an enrollment of 150 students).  This would directly impact staffing at the school next year.

Uncertainty, unfortunately, often creates confusion, speculation and rumors – especially in the case of public charter schools. Because of this, it’s important to clarify the following:

• The Community Schoolhouse will enroll 150 students in grades 9-12 for the 2002-03 school year.

• The Community Schoolhouse will continue to receive 95% of the dollar amount allotted for each student under the state school funding formula.

• With this reduced budget, The Community Schoolhouse will continue to pay for its operating costs and for support services normally provided to other public schools. This includes building lease payments (facilities), payroll costs, instructional materials, insurances, student transportation (monthly bus passes), and janitorial and maintenance services.  Add to this the high start-up expenses for any new school and the costs of providing a quality program to a high needs student population: a low student-to-teacher ratio, experienced fully-licensed teachers, an engaging curriculum, extensive technology resources, and a growing list of business partnerships.

• During its first two years of operation, approximately 25% of The Community Schoolhouse’s annual budget has been generated through fundraising and in-kind contributions in order to maintain the school’s current level of services. The school’s executive director and Board of Directors will continue to seek additional financial support and partnerships during the 2002-03 school year (and beyond) to maintain and enhance the school’s current level of services.

• A reduction in the State School Fund (noted above) would directly impact teaching and instructional support at The Community Schoolhouse unless additional funds are raised from outside sources.

• The Community Schoolhouse will continue to employ only fully licensed teachers.
  

Take Your Community To Work Day

Eight Community Schoolhouse students participated in United Airlines’ Take Your Community to Work Day on Wednesday, March 6 at Portland International Airport.  Throughout the day, students were exposed to different types of careers available in the airline industry.  This began with visits with airline employees that supervise the loading and balancing of luggage, freight and fuel. These employees emphasized the importance of developing strong skills in mathematics as it relates to their job performance.  From there, students moved through the maintenance department, onto an aircraft and a peak at the cockpit, baggage check-in and handling, and the ticketing and boarding areas.

After enjoying a lunch of “airline food,” students listened to catering service staff share their job descriptions and training. This was followed by presentations by a United Airlines pilot and flight attendant, who explained their education and training from high school to their current positions. 

Throughout the day students were allowed to ask questions of all the people they met.  For those students curious about a career in the airline industry, the opportunity to view the action behind the scenes was quite informative.  Our school hopes to participate in this engaging opportunity once again next year.

Time to purchase yearbooks

The Community Schoolhouse yearbook committee will be taking orders for the 2001-02 yearbooks at lunchtime beginning April 29.  This year’s edition will be a hard cover book that includes many photos of Community Schoolhouse students in action. The yearbooks will cost $20 each.  Checks can be made out to LifeTouch.

Can we reach you by email?

The Community Schoolhouse is compiling a group email list for parents and key community leaders.  Our goal is to provide newsletters (like this) and other important school updates to you more efficiently and economically if possible.

If you have a working email address that you check regularly – and would like to be included in our group email list – please email the following information to us at school@communityschoolhouse.org:

• Your name and address

• Your child’s (student’s) name

• Your email address

 Also, please indicate whether you would like printed copies of all newsletters and updates mailed to your home as well.

In next month’s newsletter…

Look for the following news items and updates in the June parent newsletter:

• Community Schoolhouse building expansion

• Community Technology & Learning Lab grant project

• The International Schoolhouse

• Community Schoolhouse promotional video

• Community Recognition Night

• State school funding update

contact: school@communityschoolhouse.org