Sunday, October 14, 2012

Coming Up This Week

This week in seventh grade we'll be exploring the new technologies developed during WWI. We'll be studying tanks, early aircraft, and trench warfare among other things.

On Thursday students will need to wear jeans and their red field trip t shirt. They should also bring a change of shoes and socks. We will be getting extremely messy! Also, if you happen to have a shovel that we can use on Thursday, we would greatly appreciate it.

Thursday night is one of my favorite nights of the year. Please join us for the annual Harvest Festival. The Harvest Festival is a free night of family fun for all ages. Yes, even middle schoolers can enjoy a night of games, crafts, and baked goods. If you are planning to enter the baking contest, you may bring it to school on Thursday anytime before 3:30.

School Uniform Reminder

Dear Falcon Families:

The weather has changed, which makes it a good time for reminders about shoes for children.
We greatly appreciate it when children follow dress code. Staff would prefer not to issue uniform violations and you can help at home by reviewing the uniform code with your children. Please remember these important uniform code guide lines:

From the Parent Student Handbook:


· SHOES:
* shoes must offer firm support,
*closed heel and closed toe, resist slipping, and stay on feet.
· *Solid black, white, brown, or navy shoes only (small logos and stripes ok) *Clarification: No red shoes, no fluorescent or brightly colored (except school colors) shoe laces.

Students may NOT wear:
· Crocs
Heelies
Boots of ANY kind (including UGGS and rain boots)--if time permits, children may change into rain boots for recess, but with the new campus, this is quite uneccesary.
High heels
Five-finger shoes
If you need more clarification about appropriate shoes, please check in the office.
On rainy, cold days, children may bring boots to change into for outdoor play. If feet are cold, wear warm socks and shoes.
· SOCKS: solid white, black, or navy socks must be worn and visible with all shoes
· Children run and play in PE and at recess every day at our school. They need shoes that facilitate this. We have minimal janitorial services at our school, and carpet cleaning/vacuuming is left to teachers and parent volunteers; boots wreak havoc on our carpet!

Friendly Reminder

Cascade families: Being a good neighbor is a continuous endeavor, and we need your help. Just like last year, please follow these guidelines:

  • Do NOT park in the Vision Clinic parking lot OR in front of the building.
  • Do NOT park in the Chiropractor and Architect lot across from the church.
  • You MAY park south of the telephone pole in front of the white church.
  • You MAY park in either of the school lots (paved or gravel).
  • You MAY park on side streets, as long as you do not interfere with driveways or traffic.
Please abide all traffic laws and show courtesy and consideration when driving and parking around our school. We hope to be welcome in our new neighborhood for many years to come, and you can help that happen!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Night of the Notables

Just exactly what should a concientous student have done so far?
  • Resources located and in hand. These should be brought to school each day and brought home each evening.
  • Buisness letter written, proofed, final drafted, and mailed.
  • 5 - 7 notecards with 3 - 5 facts on each card written about their childhood.
  • 5 - 7 notecards with 3 - 5 facts on each card written about their adulthood.
  • 5 - 7 notecards with 3 - 5 facts on each card written about their education.
We are checking in daily and spending time problem solving, working together, and sharing cool facts. I am impressed by the enthusiasm and genuine curiousity expressed by everyone.

What should a concientous student be looking ahead to?

The next big thing that needs to be done is the interview. Tomorrow in class we will be brainstorming who to interview, how to contact them, and how to conduct an interview. First contact should be made by Monday.

Field Trip Week

This Friday is our first field trip of the year. We will be meeting at school at 7:00 AM. Yes, you read that correctly, we are meeting at school a full hour early. This is to guarantee we are all ready to get on the bus and make all of our appointments.

Students will meet me in the classroom at 7:00 in their regular uniform. Regular uniform means white shirt, navy blue bottoms, and red sweatshirt. Please be sure to bring an extra jacket, we will be heading up the Gorge and it's usually much cooler there.This field trip does not qualify for the red t shirt, as we will not be getting dirty. Everyone should have with them a healthy low waste lunch that can be eaten quickly and a full water bottle. We will assemble our bus work in class. Students may not bring electronics of any kind. This includes cell phones and mp3 players. Students may bring a camera but not if it's attached to a cell phone.

The bus will pull out of the parking lot at 7:15. Students that arrive late will miss the bus.

We are due to arrive at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center at 9:30. We have 2 guided presentations and some browsing time. We will then eat a quick lunch before loading the bus and leaving for the Maryhill Museum. At Maryhill we will tour the museum and the grounds. The Maryhill Museum is home to several important collections, one of which is the Russian Art Exhibit. These date back to the Russian Revolution, which we study this month.

We will head for home in time to arrive between 4:00 and 4:30. While it is a long day, it's filled with new sights and knowledge that students just can't get in the Portland Metro area.

Thank you to my chaperones, Mr. Olsen and Mrs. Moutos. If you wanted to join us AND have already done all your chaperone paperwork, please let me know. I have two more spots for chaperones. If you're chaperoning, don't forget your lunch and a warm jacket!

See you all early Friday morning.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

The Fun Never Ends!

One of the greatest things about Cascade Heights is the involved and active community we have built. We have numerous opportunties to work and play together and we love every minute!

In October we have several opportunties to celebrate this community aspect of our school. Please join us at one or all of these events!

October 8th:
VIP Day - VIP Day is a chance for important people in our lives to visit our school and spend some quality time with their favorite Falcon. VIPs can be grandparents, aunts, uncles, or a family friend. VIPs should arrive 15 minutes before our jog a thon time. They will be welcomed by Mrs. Denman and then will be escorted to the jog a thon area. After the jog a thon, VIPs will join us in the classroom for some reading time. At that time VIPs have the option to visit the book fair with their student. Middle School VIPs should arrive at 10:50 and will be done by 12:00. They are of course welcome to stay and have lunch with us from 12:00 - 12:30.

Book Fair - On October 8th we will have the book fair open for parents, VIPs, and students to browse. It will only be here for two days (8th and 9th), so you won't want to miss it.

Jog a Thon - The jog a thon is one of very few fundraisers that occur at Cascade Heights. It is a chance for students to show off the benefits of daily PE and to celebrate the fun of being outside. Middle School will be running at 11:00. Parents are welcome and encouraged to join us track side to help cheer them on, mark laps, tally pledges, or jog a few laps yourself! Pledge sheets should be turned in to classrooms this Thursday. If you need another one, let me know and I'll get one for you!

October 9th: Family Dine Out
Mark your calendars!! CHPCS Family Dinner Nights! Come support our school and enjoy a tasty dinner at California Pizza Kitchen from Tuesday, October 9 through Thursday, October 11. California Pizza Kitchen donates a fraction of their profits to our school. More details to come.

October 12th: Field Trip Friday
Yes, it's time for our first field trip of the year. We will be headed out the Gorge to two wonderful locations. Our first stop will be at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center where we will be learning about early Oregonians and about birds of prey. From there we will continue out to the Maryhill Museum to view the Russian Art Exhibit which highlights the art and artifacts of the Russian Revolution. We will be leaving school at 7:15 and returning at 4:30. It will be a long day, but it's very worth it. Students will wear their regular uniforms and bring a healthy lunch.  I still need parent volunteers. If you can join us, please let me know as soon as possible!

October 18th: Harvest Festival
Join the CHPCS community on October 18th for a fun filled evening of free family frivolity. The Harvest Festival is a chance for CHPCS families and friends to get together and celebrate the turning of the season with music, games, and a baking contest. Hayrides, pumpkin decorating, tug o war, and needle in a haystack will keep the young and old entertained for hours. The fun begins at 6:00 and ends at 7:30.

Are you a baker? Are you the keeper of Great Granny’s apple pie recipe? Now’s the time to put on your chef hat, dust off your apron, and whip up your favorite apple or pumpkin themed recipe! The baking contest is open to all adult/child pairs. Baking with children is not only fun, but is great math practice and provides one on one time that encourages open communication. All baking entries are due on October 18th no later than 3:30 p.m. for judging. After ribbons are awarded, the baked goods will be sold at the Harvest Festival for $1.00 a piece.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Where Are We?

N.O.N - Today we mailed business letters and learned how to take notes. Students should have their resources in hand, or at least on the way from other libraries. Everyone will use a minimum of two books, one periodical, two Internet resources ( not wikipedia), and an interview. We will continue to work on note taking strategies in class all week.

Math - As of today we are through lesson 14. 15 will be tomorrow with the next quiz on Wednesday.

Jekyll and Hyde - Today we finished chapter 5. The discussions and predictions are flying fast and furious.

Writing - Today we took notes on a film for our next writing project. Each student will be creating a newspaper in the computer lab. The newspaper will contain a feature article, political cartoon, obituary or letter to the editor, and a period correct product advertisement.

Reading Groups - This week our reading groups are working on discerning word meaning from the context of the passage.

History - Today we learned about the assasination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. We will be talking about this event's implications all week.