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MAY 2003 PARENT NEWSLETTER
Support your school at Silent
Auction fundraiser on May 7!
The Parent Booster Club and Board of Directors of The Community Schoolhouse presents the First Annual Tour
of Downtown/ Silent and Celebrity Auction on Wednesday, May 7, 2003, from 6 to 9
p.m. at the Reed Opera House Ballroom (189 Liberty St.).
The event will feature baskets of donated items and gift certificates for
auction. Also featured will be a
celebrity bid-off where local leaders and businesses will compete for the honor
of Schoolhouse Hero in their respective category. Funds raised from the event
will benefit the Community Schoolhouse’s efforts to maintain current
staff and program levels. For more information on this important fundraiser and how you
can help, please contact Tami Bingenheimer at 503-378-9053 or Barbara Kauss at
503-361-7943. Returning Student Enrollment Forms
due by May 12
A reminder that current students
planning to return to The Community Schoolhouse for the 2003-04 school
year MUST complete and return a Returning Student Enrollment Form by May 12,
2003. The forms were mailed to all
parents the week of April 28. A
signed Returning Student Enrollment 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 mid May (see Lottery Update below).
If a
student attending The Community Schoolhouse successfully completes the
school year – and has a sibling(s) who desires to attend – preference will
be given so the family members can attend the same school the following school
year if spaces are available. Families must indicate on the Returning Student
Enrollment Form (for their current student) that a sibling wishes to attend the
following year. An enrollment
application for the sibling may be submitted at that time. Lottery process update The 21 Century Community
Schoolhouse is currently conducting its open enrollment process for the
2003-04 school year. The school
plans to maintain a total enrollment of 150 students in grades 9-12 for the
2003-04 school year. An
Open Enrollment period is conducted each spring – with an initial application
deadline of May 7 – for available openings for the following school year.
At that time, if applications exceed the number of positions available, the
school will utilize a random lottery system based on state law. Based on the
number of students electing not to enroll, an additional lottery may be held in
early summer for all the newly available spaces. The school will then maintain a
waiting list/lottery pool during the school year.
The lottery will be governed by the following rules: ·
The spring
lottery for available openings for the following school year will be conducted
by May 15 from the waiting list of interested applicants for spaces available.
Applications submitted after May 7 may not be included in the initial lottery. ·
Students
successfully completing the prior school year are automatically allowed entrance
at the start of the school year. Returning
students must complete a Returning Student Enrollment Form by May 12 to ensure
their space for the following year. ·
If a student
attending The Community Schoolhouse successfully completes the school
year – and has a sibling(s) who desires to attend – preference will be given
so the family members can attend the same school the following school year
if spaces are available. Families must indicate on the Returning Student
Enrollment Form (for their current student) that a sibling wishes to attend the
following year. An enrollment application for the sibling may be submitted at
that time. ·
Siblings of
current students will not be allowed to enroll at the school during the current
year unless they are selected in a random lottery.
·
Former Community
Schoolhouse students who transfer to a different school will not be allowed
to re-enroll at the Community Schoolhouse unless they are selected in a
random lottery. The former student must re-submit an application to be included
in the lottery pool. ·
Siblings of
students who transfer to a different school will not be allowed to enroll at the
Community Schoolhouse unless they are selected in a random lottery.
·
Siblings of
graduates who completed the prior school year at the Community Schoolhouse
are allowed to enroll at the school for the following year. ·
A waiting list/lottery pool 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.
Lottery drawings are conducted throughout the year as space(s) become available. ·
There will be no restrictions in the admissions process based
upon ethnicity, national origin, disability, gender, sexual orientation, income
level or proficiency in English. Graduation/end-of-year event set
for June 27 The Community Schoolhouse will hold its first graduation ceremony on Friday, June 27, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Grand Theatre, located on the corner of Court and High streets in downtown Salem. This ceremony will honor and celebrate the school’s first graduates and the completion of the school’s third year of operation. All Community Schoolhouse students and their families are invited. Students are expected to attend. More information and invitations will be mailed later. Senior class news Seniors expecting to graduate this
year should be aware of the following important dates: Sat.,
May 10:
Last District Competency Tests @ North Salem High Seniors needing to pass a competency must
report at 7:45 a.m. Fri., May 30:
First draft of Senior Projects due to advisors Fri., June 20:
Final draft of Senior Projects due to advisors Wed., June 25
Last day to turn in class work for credit Thurs.,
June 26:
Last day to work on End-of-Term Project Fri.,
June 27:
7:45 a.m.
Senior Class/Staff Breakfast (place TBA) 9:15
a.m.
Graduation Rehearsal @ Grand Theatre
10:30 a.m. End-of-Term Project
presentations begin
5:45 p.m.
Seniors arrive at Grand Theatre
6:30 – 8 p.m. Graduation
ceremony and celebration** **
In order to earn a diploma on graduation night, seniors must have all
requirements fulfilled. A letter is being mailed to the parents of all seniors
showing how the senior student stands in terms of those requirements. Last
week of school & exit conferences The
last week of school this year is Monday, June 30 – Wednesday, July 2.
Students will have a field day/BBQ/celebration on Monday, June 30.
Tuesday and Wednesday, July 1 and 2, will be exit conferences for grades
9,10, and 11. Students and their
parents will have a scheduled appointment at the school with their advisor to
review student progress for the year and to make program plans and class
scheduling for the 2003-2004 school year. Advisors
will be contacting parents in June to schedule appointments. Instructional Block Updates
■ LANGUAGE ARTS The
Green Block Language Arts team is currently in the midst of a Mythology
unit that will influence the rest of the term.
Students have conducted research on creation myths from different
cultures and have created their own Pandora's Boxes. Some of their sources of evil included consumerism, greed,
big corporations, hunger, murder, poverty, hatred, terrorism, violence, slavery,
money, and obesity. The students
also spent two days on the issue of hunger and how charities do not address
long-term solutions. They are currently completing a final project based on
articles the students read that address hunger.
Activities anticipated for the rest of the term include looking at the
mythical journey, the hero, and sources of individual identity in different
cultures. Students can also look
forward to reading a novel by a controversial American author.
The
Drama class said goodbye to a few outgoing students and welcomed in some
new students. This term will focus
on technical aspects of theatre including set design, lighting, costume, makeup,
and a brief acting workshop. Two
highlights of the program include a guided tour of Willamette University's
theatre and an acting workshop led by an outside expert.
Plans for a production are currently up in the air but a summer trip to
Seattle is definitely in the works for some of the students. Please check with your local drama student for further
details. The
Red and Blue Blocks
of Language Arts are working through the term with current events in mind. Discussions, journal writing, projects and outcomes are all
centered on current events. We
recently completed a "Hunger Lesson,” which may translate into an
End-of-Term project. The research
paper is in full swing as students explore a current event with either personal
or historical significance. This
project will focus primarily on the process of gathering information and turning
it into students' own words. A trip to the Salem Public Library is worked in to
the sequential framework of the process. Students
have created a current events timeline and are journaling daily on the events
going on around them in today's world. ■ SCIENCE & SOCIETY
Red & Blue Groups:
This term, students are starting off on a continuation of a study of
basic government structure and processes in social studies and an exploration of
human genetics in science. The
third and final unit of the school year will be one that integrates government,
economics, and science and leads up to the end-of-term project.
All assignments for Science and Society can be found on-line at: www.communityschoolhouse.org/SS2002-2003.htm.
Green Global Issues: Students in the Global Issues class are continuing to present
their individual or small group full-hour lessons on an issue they believe needs
stewardship. Lessons so far this
year have included Tolerance for Disabilities by Marisa Saavedra, Gang
Violence by Rhoie Stewart, Censorship in Music by Alexia McPherson,
and Human Perspectives & the Nazi Death Camps by James Anderson. By
the end of the term, each student will present a lesson and submit a complete
and compiled Stewardship Scrapbook. Please see description of each online at: www.communityschoolhouse.org/globalissues.htm. Environmental Stewardship:
Ryan’s Environmental Stewardship class is busy learning about the
diversity of life on our planet. Students
will come away with an understanding about how life is classified and organized
and be able to explain why life is classified as it is.
In addition, there will be many opportunities for them to be out in the
field learning about the plants and animals native to Oregon. This will allow
students to gain a better awareness and appreciation for the biodiversity around
Salem. ■ WELLNESS & THE COMMUNITY Wellness
Blocks:
For the first several weeks of spring term, students are studying CPR and
First Aid. Students are
participating in curriculum designed by the American Red Cross.
All students who successfully complete their skills testing and score an
80% or better on the final exam will receive their CPR and First Aid cards.
Additionally, students are creating a children’s book
focusing on some form of risk prevention. These
books are being written for distribution to local primary students and focus on
subjects such as water safety, fire safety, and bicycle safety.
Community Schoolhouse students who create books that meet the
standards of the assignment may have the opportunity to take their book to a
local primary school student and read to them.
The book they create will be presented to the child along with a bookmark
to remember their “high school teacher.” Service Learning:
Tuesday, June 3 is the “big day” for all students who have been
participating in a yearlong service project.
On that day, students will be presenting their speeches and visual
representations of the projects they have conducted this year.
This event will be part of their Wellness block.
Students will receive guidelines for their presentation during the first
week of May. Community Garden: Six dedicated students are
planning the school’s third annual community garden. Two meetings have been held to determine the basics (i.e.,
what the students are going to plant and how they are going to acquire the
materials necessary to raise vegetables). Students
are working well together and are patiently waiting for the weather to cooperate
with them. Thank you to Amanda Reynolds’ mother for her helpful hints on
planning our garden. Any parents
who would like to be involved in this project are welcome. Please contact
Heather Burns if you have any questions. ■ MATH & TECHNOLOGY
Red
Block
Blue
Block
Green
Block
Technology
■ ENRICHMENT
ACTIVITIES
Cross-Training:
Ron's Personalized Cross-Training ER is still pounding the pavements of
Salem. Students have developed a
routine that includes a Monday run to Wallace Marine Park, a Tuesday workout at
Willamette stadium, a Wednesday indoor workout at the YMCA, and a Thursday run
through Bush Pasture Park. The
group meets Monday through Thursday at 8 a.m. in front of the YMCA and completes
its workouts before school starts at 9:30 a.m.
Student Organization:
The Student Organization is planning to fund-raise for the month of May
to help pay for some currently proposed ideas (BBQ and beach trip).
The organization is also completing the next volume of the student
newspaper that is hosting a poetry contest.
Plans for hosting another “Game Night” are also under way. Guitar: Guitar class currently has two sections running
simultaneously. One is a basic
group that is learning the notes on all the strings, two and three-string
chords, as well as shortened versions of pop classics.
The advanced guitarists are now learning the pentatonic, minor
pentatonic, and major pentatonic scales and how to play these over a basic
rhythm. International Schoolhouse: International Schoolhouse students have already tackled one
big task at the Oregon Garden Earth Day Event.
There, students developed a mural of a stream scene that was coordinated
with other teachers involved with the City of Salem’s Adopt-A-Stream project.
Additionally, students created some educational posters highlighting the life
cycle of the salmon and history of the Willamette Valley.
Also, for Earth Day, students picked up approximately 200 pounds of trash
along the Willamette River at Minto Brown Park.
The rest of the spring holds many opportunities for Local Action and
Community Education. On May 17,
students will be traveling to Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge to
participate in Down-by-the-Riverside and have an educational opportunity at the
Refuge. Teen Teachers: Students James Anderson, Jason
Anderson, Tom Howe, Britney Smith, Aubrey Smith, Sandra Velasquez, Amanda
Reynolds, Rhoie Stewart and Marisa Ceja have been working every Monday after
school implementing the new Community Learning Lab. This is an outreach service the students designed to assist
members of the Homeless Outreach Advocacy Project of Northwest Human Services
improve their employability. Students
teach basic technological skills such as computer literacy, word processing,
typing, FrontPage, Excel, and PowerPoint. Students
are making valuable connections with these members of our community and
providing a remarkable service. For
more information, visit: www.communityschoolhouse.org/teen_teachers.htm. |
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contact: school@communityschoolhouse.org |
The
21st Century