7th Grade Daily Schedule

Here is our daily schedule. Keep in mind that assemblies, projects, or the class mood can have a significant impact on our schedule. You may notice that we begin learning at 8:00 and work straight through to the very last minute. Please leave home a few minutes early so that students are in their seat at 7:45 and schedule afterschool events so students do not need to leave until 3:30. Thank you!

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
8:00-8:15	Spelling/Vocab Test
8:15-8:30	Math Block
8:30-8:45
8:45-9:00
9:00-9:15
9:15-9:30
9:30-9:45	Core (History/Lit/Science)
9:45-10:00
10:00-10:15
10:15-10:30		ART, T		IEW
10:30-10:45
10:45-11:00
11:00-11:15	B/O/MA	IEW	B/O/MA	Science Lab
11:15-11:30
11:30-11:45
11:45-12:00
12:00-12:15	Lunch
12:15-12:30
12:30-12:45
12:45-1:00	WL	WL	WL	WL
1:00-1:15
1:15-1:30	Spelling/Grammer
1:30-1:45
1:45-2:00	GR	GR	GR	GR
2:00-2:15
2:15-2:30
2:30-2:45	PE	PE	PE	PE
2:45-3:00
3:00-3:15
3:15-3:30

Welcome to 7th Grade 2012

Dear 7th Grade Families,

 

My name is Mrs. Melanie Adams and it is my pleasure to be the 7th grade teacher at Cascade Heights. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to partner with your family during this critical time in your child’s life. I believe that together we can create a positive learning environment that will allow your student and the entire class, to excel both academically and socially.

I have worked continuously in the field of education since 1991. I started as an educational assistant in special education working with a variety of students in grades K-8. From Mt. Hood Community College, I earned my Speech Pathologist certification in 2001 and then graduated from Concordia University with a Bachelors Degree in Education. After teaching for a year I returned to Concordia to earn my Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. I also earned my certification as a Reading Specialist. My teaching certification authorizes me to teach all grade levels from Preschool through Eighth grade. I plan to continue my education over the next 10 years earning my National Board Certification and my Doctorate Degree. I believe it is a teacher’s ethical obligation to continue to seek out the best practices in their field in order to better meet the needs of every child. I have been at Cascade Heights since the inception and can’t imagine teaching anywhere else. I believe strongly in the mission and vision of our school and look forward to working with the 7th grade class to make the mission and vision come alive in our classroom.

 

Outside of the classroom I have a wide variety of passions. I am an avid reader and writer. I read a wide variety of books from biographies to science fiction. My favorite authors include Robert Heinlein, Mercedes Lackey, JK Rowling, and Diana Gabaldon. Most weekends you can find me in the woods hiking new trails in the pursuit of letterboxes. I believe that being outdoors is very important and spend a significant amount of time outside with my two children swimming, hiking, bike riding, and camping.  I was born in Portland but grew up in Northern California, returning to the Portland area in 1995. I can’t imagine ever living anywhere but the lush forests of the PNW, even with the rain!

 

It is my goal to foster a passion for learning, help students find their personal place in the world, learn to stand up for what is right, and how to work with others to create incredible works they are proud to show off. I have monthly field trips planned that coincide with our units in history, science, PE, art, and literature.  I believe that education is a family affair and believe that each and every child is capable of excellence.

 

Our first day of school is Wednesday, September 5th.  Doors open to our classroom at 7:45 a.m. each morning.  School ends at 3:30.

Students are expected to be in full uniform for their first day of school. (Navy blue bottoms and a white collared shirt; black, brown, navy blue, or white shoes. A fire engine red sweater, vest or sweatshirt is optional) Don’t forget to remove finger nail polish before the first day! This is the uniform violation we see most often in seventh grade. A VERY detailed uniform code is available on our website. Our PTA offers a uniform resale as well. Each piece is $3.00 and there is a full inventory of very nice uniforms in all sizes! Please shop the PTA FIRST to benefit our school. The uniform exchange is also available at all major school functions. Dennis Uniform and Land's End both have Cascade Heights registered uniforms. You may also purchase pieces from any local department or thrift store.

 

Our healthy snack policy is one reason many families love Cascade Heights! A fresh bottle of water and snacks like celery and peanut butter, pretzels, whole wheat crackers, low sugar, low fat yogurt, fresh vegetables, or fruit will help growing bodies get through the morning and do their best. We also strive to be "zero-waste" which means we do not impact the environment by throwing away packaging each day. A cloth sandwich wrapper rather than a Ziploc bag, a permanent water bottle that can be washed each day rather than disposable water bottles, Tupperware-type containers that can be recycled rather than "open and toss." Reusable containers are most desirable. We study the importance of protecting our earth and we want to practice what we teach. In seventh grade, we have a morning snack and then lunch. Some students find that their body works best if they have an afternoon snack as well. I am fine with this as long as it’s a “quiet” snack.  Please pack accordingly; we work and play hard and need lots of nutritious food!

The PTA is hosting a “Get to Know You Tea” on Tuesday from 12 - 2, which is also a great chance to drop off your supplies and see the room. 

Mark your calendars! Back to School Night is Thursday, September 6th from 6:30-8:00 PM. We are offering two half hour sessions for parents with more than one child. This event is an important time to come and learn about the classroom procedures, rules, policies, and general schedule. I will also have sign-up sheets available for fall conferences. Those who are here will get first pick!

Volunteer training is required for everyone who would like to be in the classroom or chaperone on field trips this year. In addition to the required 20 minute training session, if you are interested in driving on field trips, you must submit a copy of your current automobile insurance and driver's license to Mrs. Marlatt in the main office. All volunteers must also complete a background check for $3.50 with Mrs. Marlatt.

I look forward to seeing you at the Tea Party, on the first day of school, and at Back To School Night!

With my deepest regards,

Mrs. Adams

Fort Stevens Day 2

We were greeted on the 2nd day of our camping trip by rain! Being hearty souls, we put on our warm jackets and got to work. Half of the boys were in charge of breakfast, so they chopped, diced, and scrambled. We all enjoyed our boil in the bag omelletes in the warmth of our yurts.

After breakfast we spent an hour working in our yurts on math until it was time to leave for the military museum. At the museum we watched the training films from WWII, studied the scale model of the fort, and of course sat in the jeep.

The sun came out just in time for us to tour the batteries. We learned all about the disappearing rifles (and the difference between rifles and cannons), dark spooky hallways, military life, camoflauge techniques, and the long history of the fort.

Just as our time at the battery ended, the rain started again. We returned to camp where half the class took their script and 3 parent chaperones and filmed their WWII movie at Battery Russell. The other half worked with me to learn to carve stamps. The groups switched after an hour. We then grabbed the supplies for dinner and took it to the covered picnic area by the lake. Many of the students wanted to swim, so swim they did. For about 5 seconds. They quickly learned that the lake was COLD! One group managed to stay in for an entire 5 minutes before I was mean and made them get out.

A fire in the firepit was very welcome, both to those that jumped in the water and those that didn't.

The night ended with very tired students returning to their yurt to enjoy a few minutes together before lights out. In my yurt that meant it was time for manicures.

Fort Stevens Day 1

The first stop on our trip was at the Astoria Maritime Museum. There we learned about the maritime history of the area. We learned about the Graveyard of the Pacific, maritime jobs, native traders, maps through history, and WWII ships. We also toured the Coast Guard lightship.

After arriving at camp and settling in to our yurts, we went to the beach to run off some energy. There we learned that running on the beach is hard, but skipping is fun. We learned that a frisbee can entertain an entire 7th grade class for hours. We learned about crabs, birds, and water depth.

After dinner and the beach, it was back to work. With the rain coming down in true Oregon style, we learned that you can put 24 7th graders in one yurt. We read several scenes from Cyrano and learned that 7th graders can fall in love with books written in 1897.

And that ended our first day at camp. Everyone was wet, happy, and exhausted so off to bed we went!

Fort Stevens Agenda

Just in case you're wondering what we're going to be doing while we're in Fort Stevens, here is the schedule. Remember that the schedule could change at any moment in order to take advantange of a learning opportunity!

Monday

8:30 - Drive to Astoria

10:00 – Snack

10:30 – Tour Maritime Museum

12:00 – Lunch in the park

12:30 – Astoria Column

1:30 – Leave Astoria Column and travel to camp.

1:45 – Check in and set up camp

3:45 – Cyrano/Math

5:00 – Head to beach, play on beach, eat dinner

10:00 – Lights Out

Tuesday

8:00 – Revellie

9:00 – Breakfast

9:30 – Writing Scripts and filming/ stamp carving/lunch packing

12:00 – Travel to Fort

12:30 – Half take Battery Mishler tour, half take truck tour, tour museum, eat lunch

3:30 – Back in main camp – Swimming

5:00 – Dinner Prep

6:00 – Dinner

7:00 –Cyrano/Math

Dark – Campfire with poetry readings

Wednesday

8:00 – Revellie

9:00 – Breakfast

10:00 – Go to beach, visit Wreck of the Iredale, build sand castle maps of WWII

12:00 – Lunch

12:30 – Break down camp

1:30 – Leave for home

Final Fort Stevens List

The list is complete! Thank you to all of you for donating. Please double check the list below and make sure it's correct. You can bring food Monday morning and we'll get it packed away before we head to the beach.

Don't forget to check the packing list, which can be found below, to ensure they have everything. (And that shorts are not too short and swimsuits cover everything that should be covered) Medications and pocket knives should be packaged seperately so they can be put in my tender loving care Monday morning.

Item needed	Family/Families  responsible
Bread – 6 loaves	Sherley
Cheese – 2 large packages	Sherley
Lunch meat – 3 large packages	Sherley
Chips – 5 family sized bags	Sherley
Apples – 3 dozen	Sherley
Condiments: for sandwiches and hot dogs	---
Mayonnaise	Doan
Mustard	Paulk/Read
Ketchup	Doan/Read
Relish	Vas
Sauerkraut	Loeffl
60 Hot Dogs	Green/Hendrickson
60 Hot Dog Buns	Green/Henrickson
Carrot sticks	Tompkins
Celery sticks	Tompkins
5# potato salad	Loeffl
For omelets:	---
5 doz. eggs	Manzon
Diced ham	Manzon
Grated cheddar cheese	Manzon
Onion	Read/Manzon
Peppers	Manzon
mushrooms	Manzon
Tea	Loeffl
Hot chocolate	Kiesz
3 dozen oranges	Kiesz
5# Noodles	Paulk
5 LARGE cans of spaghetti sauce	Ashcraft
5 loaves of garlic bread	Kiesz
2 LARGE Bags of salad	Read
Salad dressing – 2 kinds	Paulk
3 LARGE Boxes of graham crackers	Kiesz
2 packages of marshmallows	Paulk
3 – 6pks of chocolate bars	Paulk/Read
5 dozen muffins	Palomeque/Russell
40 bananas	Vas
10 bags of ice	Tompkins

Fort Stevens Information

Hello 7th Grade Families,

Mrs. Loeffl is having email issues so we're going to try a different route! Here is the current food sign up list. If you can help, please call or text Mrs. Loeffl and she'll get you added! If you're not on the list, she didn't get your email. Thank you for all your help and generosity. Please be sure to contact her before doing your shopping so we don't overlap with things we already have!

This is the current list as of 9:00 on the 15th of May.

Item needed	Family/Families  responsible
Bread – 6 loaves	Sherley
Cheese – 2 large packages	Sherley
Lunch meat – 3 large packages	Sherley
Chips – 5 family sized bags	Sherley
Apples – 3 dozen	Sherley
Condiments: for sandwiches and hot dogs	---
Mayonnaise	Doan
Mustard	Paulk/Read
Ketchup	Doan/Read
Relish	Vas
Sauerkraut
60 Hot Dogs	Green/Hendrickson
60 Hot Dog Buns	Green/Henrickson
Carrot sticks
Celery sticks
5# potato salad
For omelets:	---
5 doz. eggs	Manzon
Diced ham	Manzon
Grated cheddar cheese	Manzon
Onion	Read/Manzon
Peppers	Manzon
mushrooms	Manzon
Tea
Hot chocolate	Kiesz
3 dozen oranges	Kiesz
5# Noodles	Paulk
5 LARGE cans of spaghetti sauce	Ashcraft
5 loaves of garlic bread	Kiesz
2 LARGE Bags of salad	Read
Salad dressing – 2 kinds	Paulk
3 LARGE Boxes of graham crackers	Kiesz
2 packages of marshmallows	Paulk
3 – 6pks of chocolate bars	Paulk/Read
5 dozen muffins	Palomeque/Russell
40 bananas	Vas
10 bags of ice