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DEC. 2003 – JAN. 2004 PARENT
NEWSLETTER
Fall
School-wide Integrated Project For
the last two weeks before winter break, students at the Community Schoolhouse
are participating in the Fall School-wide Integrated Project. This year,
we are focusing on the theme of gender and our first integrated project will
allow students to conduct scientific experiments to determine if there really
are any measurable differences between males and females. Areas of study
include: short-term memory differences; word knowledge and recognition
differences; communication differences, both verbal and non-verbal;
problem-solving differences in terms of logic and math; physical differences in
terms of strength, dexterity, agility, flexibility, reaction time, speed and
endurance; and differences in the five senses. Each group of three
students is designing three scientific investigations that will elicit measurable
responses from the males and females in the school. During two "field
days," students will conduct and participate in each other’s experiments
across the school. Results will be mathematically graphed and analyzed and
conclusions drawn. Each group will present their gender-based
scientific experiments on Friday, December 12. Parents are invited to
attend these presentations. A complete copy of the "Who
Is Better? Measuring Gender Differences" School-wide
Integrated Project can be found online at: http://www.communityschoolhouse.org/2003-04assignments.htm.
Each student will need
to contribute $3 to the project fund to help pay for supplies and printing for
the project. NOTE: There
will be no ER classes during the week of December 8-12. Winter
vacation schedule
The final day of the fall term for students at the Community
Schoolhouse is Friday, December 12.
The three-week winter break runs from Monday, December 15 through Friday,
January 2, 2004. Students are to
report back for the start of winter term on Monday, January 5, 2004. Parent
conferences set for February 11-12, 2004 This year's
parent-teacher-student conferences will be held on February 11 and
12, just after the end of the first semester. Advisors of your
student will be contacting you sometime in late January to schedule your
conference. At the conferences, report cards will be available and
progress towards graduation and the Certificate of Initial Mastery will be
discussed. Parent
Booster Club sets meeting for December 10
Community Schoolhouse
parents interested in participating in the school’s Parent Booster Club are
encouraged to attend a meeting on Wednesday, December 10th at 6:30 p.m. at the
school. The Parent Booster Club assists with and coordinates fundraising projects, coordinates school events and activities (such as the graduation/year-end celebration), generates in-kind contributions (such as equipment, supplies and services), and provides additional staff support. A member of the Community Schoolhouse staff and Board of Directors also assist the parent group. For more information, please contact Tom DeJardin, executive director, at 503-763-8958. School
Board parents introduce 20-50 fundraiser Parent board representatives of the Community Schoolhouse are introducing a "20-50" fundraising program to lessen the impact of funding reductions and to maintain the existing quality education experience at the Community Schoolhouse. The program seeks 50 parents, relatives or friends of the school that are willing pledge $20 a month to support school operations. Please read the attached letter for more information on this important opportunity to support your school. Instructional Updates n
SCIENCE
& SOCIETY Students in Science & Society
have studied the time period between 1935-1950. For 20th Century Studies,
students have learned about the background, causes and effects of World War II
and the post war period known as the Cold War. In Integrated Science,
students have been learning about the major technological and scientific
breakthroughs of the time, as well as studying the atom, isotopes, radioactivity,
half-lifes, radiation, the atomic and hydrogen bombs, and nuclear energy. By the end of January, students will have completed three
portfolio installments: “1935-1941: The Rise of Power...The Threat of
War”; “1941-1945: Civilians & Science at War”; and
“1946-1950: The Cold War and the Hot Nuclear Arms Race.”
These portfolios assignments are large, in-depth projects designed to
have students research and apply their knowledge and critical thinking skills in
both history and science in a variety of formats: writing, visual,
timelines, diagrams, and creative outcomes. All assignments, including the portfolio
installments are online at: http://www.communityschoolhouse.org/science&society2003-04.htm n
MATH & BODYWORKS Morning Math Program.
In Rick’s Statistics and Problem Solving class, students are learning
appropriate techniques in applying statistical methodologies, specifically in
calculating confidence intervals and performing significance tests on sets of
gathered data. Students begin their
last project in this class on December 1. The
Algebra I students are studying inverse
variation, linear graphing, and problem-solving techniques.
As well, the Algebra students are learning how to utilize the graphing
calculator and its applications to help in processing mathematical
investigations. Bridge Program.
As the administrator of the Bridge Program, Rick is
continuing to oversee all of the students' online interactive coursework.
Bridge students are enrolled in a wide range of courses (depending on
their needs for graduation) from World History to Biology to English Literature
and more. They work at the school
and also work at home vis-à-vis the Internet.
At this point, students should be nearly done with 1.5 credits of
coursework in their online classes alone. BodyWorks. Students have been studying the issue of addiction in
America. The unit began with a
brief overview of the history of drugs in America, where students learned about
a problem that has existed for a long time.
Then the students were taught the biochemistry of addiction and the
impact and effect of drugs on the brain. With
the information presented to them in class, students were assigned a project
that dealt with researching addiction to a particular drug, as well as
considering current drug policy and treatment.
Students worked in conjunction with the English department and were
required to write a persuasive speech answering the question:
What is your solution to the drug problem?
Students will be defending their stance on this issue in class. n LANGUAGE
& THE ARTS The second quarter in Language Arts
started with a pre-Halloween scary unit on Edgar Alan Poe.
This led into a week-long glimpse into the art of horror story writing.
The stories were graded on the Certificate of Initial Mastery scale.
These narrative horror stories, while frightening, needed to be
structurally sound and grammatically correct. Next, students delved into the intimidating world of
speeches. Students started off with
30-second impromptu speeches and were then introduced to the persuasion speech.
In partnership with the Bodyworks class, students set out to answer the
question, “What is the solution to the drug problem in the United States?”
The subsequent answer was then the focal point for the persuasion speech. Journaling, a mainstay of the curriculum, continues to be an
every-other-day task, while two new “teacher-read” novels are being given.
The boys’ block is listening to “The Long Walk” by Stephen King,
while the girls are hearing “The Girls of Huntington House” by Blossom
Elfman. After the Thanksgiving break, and prior to the School Wide
Integrated Project, students will embark on a one-week study of humor.
n ENRICHMENT
& REMEDIATION (ER) International Schoolhouse.
Most of the work the students have done this year has related to the
Fairview Mitigation Wetland: Fender’s Blue Butterfly Project.
The class has visited the site at least once a week for the past seven
weeks. During that time students
have prepped the site by raking up piles of grass cut by the City of Salem,
planted over 750 plants, and documented their work while being on site.
On a chilly Thursday (Nov. 20th), International Schoolhouse
students and students in Diane’s Integrated Studies Block were excused from
school to plant 500 native plants (spirea, red osier dogwood, ninebark, and
nootka rose) at the site. To do this, students had to wear rubber boots and work in a
wetland fully saturated with about 6-8 inches of water.
It was FANTASTIC!! The International Schoolhouse students also had an overnight
fieldtrip to the Oregon Coast. Students and staff left after school on Friday,
November 14 for Beverly Beach State Park, where the group camped in yurts and on
Saturday drove to the Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
There, students participated in some wetland restoration by sticking
willow spikes in the ground in a previously blackberry-dominated wetland.
The group also received a history lesson from Matt Love, the Refuge
Manager, on the Nestucca Bay Fishery, where students got to see what was left of
the remains of the fishery from the early 1900’s. W-3.
The
Watersheds, Wildlife, and Whatnots (W-3) class has participated in several field
trips around the county. These
include fish seining on Pringle Creek, a field trip to Geren Island to learn
about Salem’s drinking water, a weekend trip to the Oregon Coast learning
about spawning salmon, and a visit from the Audubon Society where students
learned about birds. Some upcoming events include native plant restoration,
forest-ecology, tree identification, and orienteering. Drama.
The drama elective class is having a great time exploring emotions and
situations through theater games. Currently,
the students are working on dialogues that will be performed in front of the
class prior to winter break. All of
the students are excited about the new year and looking forward to making visits
to theaters around the area. Student Organization/Yearbook.
The Student Organization has had a very busy past few months.
The group sponsored a Halloween Party that featured a pumpkin pie eating
contest and a costume contest. In
November, the Student Organization organized a Dress Up week and is currently
holding a blanket and coat drive. This will be going on until the winter break.
Yearbook students are working hard on completing the cover and the middle pages. In the spring, students will be conducting some fundraisers to help lower the cost of the overall book. If you did not receive one of last year’s yearbooks, they are still available for purchase. Please contact Michelle in the front office. Senior News As 2003 draws to a close and the 2004 year
begins, the graduating class of 2004 has some things to look forward to and some
deadlines to be aware of:
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contact: school@communityschoolhouse.org |
The
21st Century