Principal Notes Feb. 16, 2007

Dear Community – I wanted to first add some late-breaking news and reminders to you, in addition to posting today’s Principal Notes:

1. NO SCHOOL MONDAY – As a reminder, Monday is Presidents’ Day, and all schools and offices will be closed.
2. FALL KINDERGARTEN – Our Full Day Kindergarten already has a waiting list! – We set a new record for sign-ups for Full Day Kindergarten this year; our half day program still has openings, as far as we know, but it is important for us to know about any students out there who are planning to come in the fall. Please let your friends and neighbors know that if they are interested in Kindergarten here in the fall, to come to school as soon as possible. Also, we have scheduled Thursday, May 17^th as our Kindergarten Open House, where students who know which class they will attend can come with their parents and meet the teacher, see the room, etc.
3. Kathie McNett surgery – I am sorry to have to report that Kathie McNett, our beloved Music Teacher, had to undergo unexpected colon surgery this past week, and will be out at least another 4 weeks. At this time, we have cancelled the Spring Sing until we know more about her recovery and process. She is in typically positive spirits, I’m sure she would welcome any messages or cards to be mailed to her home at 18555 Goetz Road, Gladstone, OR 97027.
4. Student Sicknesses and Handwashing – I just wanted to pass on a caution that handwashing is the best preventative for helping prevent and recover from the winter flu, and that there are reports that hand sanitizers do not work on this current virus – it should be washing with soap and water.

5. Scrip Pays for Staff

• Did you know that Scrip does not cost you anything - that if you pay $10 for a Scrip, it is good for $10 of merchandise?
• Did you know that the companies pay us a percentage on the gift cards that you purchase - that they pay us?
• Did you know that PROFITS FROM SCRIP PAY FOR OUR ENRICHMENT STAFF? - (it doesn't just go toward general funds or to PTA funds).
• Did you know that you can click go to our website at http://www.maplewood.pps.k12.or.us to get more information and a copy of the SCRIP ORDER FORM?

FAMILY ART NIGHT - Thank you to all of the families that purchased a Legacy Leaf on Jan. 26th. The purchases raised just over $3,300. The Playground Replacement Committee would like to send a thank you to the Parent Resource Committee for having us be apart of their wonderful event, to Mrs. McClenaghan for the use of paint brushes, to Art4Life for the use of painting smocks and paint brushes, and Miller Paint for the generous assistance with painting products and to the teachers that lent us their classroom easels for the night.

A reminder that the Leaf a Legacy committee will be hosting another evening of painting purchased Legacy Leaves on Thursday, March 1st at 7:00 PM in the schools cafeteria. Invite your neighbors and Maplewood Alumni to join us that evening and leaf their legacy.

Do you know someone who would like to buy a Leaf but not paint it? The “Leaf a Legacy” committee is kicking off a campaign to purchase a large size Legacy Leaf for every classroom so that all of the children will be able to locate a Legacy Leaf on the fence with their name on it. Please consider donating toward a leaf for the classrooms.

PLAYGROUND COMMITTEE - We are looking to recruit creative minds or folks that are just plain interested in fundraising efforts for the Playground Replacement Project. There will be a meeting Wednesday, February 21st at 6:30 PM in the Maplewood Library to brainstorm fundraising ideas. Please join us in this amazing effort to bring a new playground to Maplewood.

PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS CORE CURRICULUM - PPS will hold four meetings to discuss issues, myths and facts around our core curriculum. All meetings will run from 7-8:30 p.m. The schedule is:

Feb. 21 at Roosevelt High School-Cafeteria
Feb. 27 at Grant High School -Cafeteria
March 1 at Franklin High School -Cafeteria
March 13 at Wilson High School -Cafeteria

Also, the final public meeting for the Curriculum Materials Adoption will be March 7, at 7 p.m. at the BESC, 501 N. Dixon. Brenda Gustafson, Sr. Communication Officer 916-3155, bgustafs@pps.k12.or.us

THANK YOU MAPLEWOOD COMMUNITY!! - For supporting the fourth graders! All of the See’s chocolate you purchased leading up to Valentine's Day will definitely help to decrease the cost of our Oregon Trail Overnight fieldtrip coming in April. We greatly appreciate your support! Thanks, Liberty Looney

BOOKBAGGERS - COMING YOUR WAY APRIL 27 - Love books? Have a hobby, craft idea or skill you'd like to share? The Bookbaggers Committee is looking for Bookbagger Station Leaders! If you are interested in hosting a literacy-based session on this Friday overnight, please contact Lori Matlock at lmatlock@ltk.com or 503-246-7151 for more information, or even better, to say "of course I'll do it!"

LIFESKILL FOR FEBRUARY - Remember the saying, “Patience is a virtue”? Patience is waiting calmly without complaint; steadfast; faithful; dependable – all excellent character traits in a family member, friend, and an employee. The next LIFESKILL topic for our school is

PATIENCE

As family members, you understand how demanding one child or a few children can be. In the classroom, where we have many more students, the LIFESKILL of Patience is an extremely important skill for both the teacher and the students to use. Some of the ways we will develop a deeper understanding of the LIFESKILL of Patience include:

· Brainstorming constructive activities that can be done while waiting in a line

· Listing many situations in which we might need to be patient

· Role playing situations that show impatience and then patience

At home, you can further continue our study of patience by:

· Insisting that children take turns

· Reading chapter books – one chapter per night

· Encouraging your child to set some long-term goals, such as saving for a pair of roller blades, a bike, or a movie ticket

Family members are their children’s best role models. Help your child to become a better learner by modeling a sense of perseverance, patience, and inner strength.

GOOD HAND WASHING - KEY TO STOPPING SPREAD OF NOROVIRUS (“WINTER FLU”) I received the following notice from the County Health Department:

"Public health officials in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties have recently noted heightened community concern and awareness of viral gastroenteritis. Viral gastroenteritis is an infection of the stomach and small intestines, commonly caused by a group of viruses called Noroviruses. These illnesses were once called “the stomach flu”, or “winter vomiting disease”.

“Norovirus is a common virus and does not pose a serious threat to most people,” states Gary Oxman, M.D., health officer for Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington counties. “It is of most concern to the elderly and people with serious existing health conditions,” People can avoid getting Norovirus infection by taking these steps:

• Wash your hands often, especially after using the toilet or changing diapers, and before eating or preparing food.

• Carefully wash fruits and vegetables, and cook oysters before eating them.

• Using gloves, thoroughly clean and disinfect surfaces immediately after contamination with feces or vomit by using a bleach-based household cleaner.

• Immediately remove and wash clothing or linens contaminated with feces or vomit (use hot water and soap).

• Flush any vomit or feces down the toilet and make sure that the surrounding area is clean.

"It is always important for people to use good hygiene, including hand washing - even when they are not ill," adds Oxman. "People who have the infection should not prepare food for others while they are ill and for three days after they recover. People should be careful handling diapers, and always wash their hands thoroughly afterwards. Day-care center or nursing home workers should pay careful attention to hygiene, especially when attendees have had diarrhea.” No medicine can cure Norovirus and there is no vaccine to prevent infection. Antibiotics do not work because they work to fight bacteria, not viruses. By drinking fluids such as juice or water, people can reduce their chance of becoming dehydrated.

For further information, contact the communicable disease program for your county:

Clackamas County: 503-655-8411

Multnomah County: 503-988-3406

Washington County: 503-846-3594 Additional information is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/submenus/sub_norwalk.htm

Upcoming Events:

Feb 19 - President’s Day – NO SCHOOL

Feb 21 - Playground Committee Mtg – 6:30 pm, Library

Mar 1 - Legacy Leaf Painting – 7:00 pm, Cafeteria

Mar 2 - Read Across America!!

Mar 5-9 - Project 2^nd Wind Food Drive

Mar 8 - Read-Aloud-Athon – AM, All Grades

Mar 8 - PTA Meeting – 6:15 pm

Mar 16 - Teacher Planning Day – NO SCHOOL

Mar 19-23 - Maplewood Spirit Week!

Mar 26-30 - SPRING BREAK

Have a great, three-day weekend! - John

Principal Notes Jan. 27, 2007

My apoligies to you all for difficulties keeping up with the Principal Blog - things have been very busy (including snow day confusion!).

This morning I want to congratulate the parents who organized last night's first Family Art Night, including the painting of leaf shapes to be put on our fence. It was a remarkable example of the community feel here at Maplewood! More reports, and photos, to come!

Here are the Principal Notes that went home yesterday.

MAPLEWOOD IN SESSION? – YES on Tuesday but NO on Wednesday. To explain: Maplewood school is a Trimester School, and all the other schools in the Wilson Cluster (even middle and high schools), except for Capitol Hill, will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 30^th, but Maplewood is open for students this coming Tuesday. The next day, (Wednesday, Jan. 31^st) is an all-district Professional Development Day, and there will be no school on this coming Wednesday.

SCHOOLS CELEBRATE! – Interested in looking at school options for middle school, or want to find out about our kindergarten program? These are just some of the reasons to go to this annual event, where all schools and programs will have an information table. Where? - at the Portland Expo Center from 10 to 3 on Saturday, Feb. 3^rd. Maplewood will have a table there, as well, hosted by myself and our two kindergarten teachers, to give information about our programs here. Free childcare is provided for kids 4 and over. Go to http://www.pps.k12.or.us or call 503-916.6308 for more information.

FAMILY MATH NIGHT - Do you like mathematics? Do you wish you knew more about the mathematics your children are learning? You’ll enjoy our activities on Tuesday, Feb. 6^th starting at 6:00 p.m. in our gym, where you’ll hear about the foundations of our math curriculum, and get a chance to have your children work on some math activities with you! Please bring the whole family!

SCRIP UPDATE – Check out the new SCRIP BULLETIN BOARD in the hallway outside the kindergarten classroom. Here you’ll find your weekly order forms, the schedule of direct sales, and even information on how SCRIP works. There’ll be rotating displays with changing information, including future classroom SCRIP sales contests! Keep an eye on the display showing the amount that SCRIP raises for the Maplewood Foundation - watch and help it grow week to week! Thanks, Pat Zwartjes

YEARBOOK SAMPLES – Past copies of the Maplewood yearbook are in the library for viewing in the library only. They cannot be checked out. They are located at the end of the librarian's desk above the magazines. Order forms for the 2006/2007 yearbook coming soon! Thanks very much, Jelena Mrdjan

WANT A GREAT BOOK? – Look for the fourth grade fabulous top picks! Some students from Ms. Stanich and Mrs. Looney’s classrooms are reading Newberry awards, classics, and other really great books!!! They are labeling their selections with bright orange maple leafs to show that a summary is inside the back pocket.

WILSON YOUTH LACROSSE – Online registration is up and running! You just need to go to www.wylax.net and register via Pre-Enroll link. Registration deadline is February 14, 2007. All Wilson District boys (3-8^th grade) and girls (5-8^th grade) are invited to register.

Our current LIFESKILL is Initiative. To quote Henry Ford, “If you think you can, or if you think you can’t, you’re right.” These commanding words provide guidance to parents, teachers, and other adults playing a part in children’s lives because our reactions and feedback help to shape their self-image. Our words help paint the picture of

~Initiative~

We will be investigating the LIFESKILL of Initiative and searching for ways to incorporate this LIFESKILL into our daily lives by:

· Reading stories about people who take initiative

· Welcoming any newcomers to our classroom and school

· Understanding the place initiative occupies in the business world

· Volunteering to work on a school or neighborhood project (for example, collecting food items for the upcoming food drive in March, helping the Student Council’s efforts to become a “Green School”)

Your family can support the LIFESKILL of Initiative by encouraging your child to:

· Create, start, and finish projects

· Be an original thinker, a new-idea person

· Think for himself or herself and not blindly follow any group

· Welcome new children in the neighborhood

Please share with your child some of your experiences with the LIFESKILL of Initiative, both while growing up and as an adult. Together, our school and your home are shaping the thinkers and doers of the 21^st Century.

Upcoming Events:

Jan 26 - Family Art Night 5:30 – 6:30 pm

Jan 31 - Professional Development Day – NO SCHOOL

Feb 3 - PPS School Celebration 2007 – 10:00 – 3:00 pm

Feb 6 - Family Math Night – 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Feb 8 - Kindergarten Information Session @ 3:00 pm

Feb 8 - PTA Meeting @ 6:30 pm

Feb 12 - Author Visit – Roland Smith

Feb 20 - President’s Day – NO SCHOOL

State Scoring Committee Work

OPB News

Dear Community, I will be serving on this Committee next week for three days - This report went out on OPB news yesterday, and thought you might find it interesting. As the article mentions, the possible consequences for the setting of the score cutoffs can have very significant effects.

Students In Limbo As State 'Re-Calibrates' Passing Scores For Tests

By Rob Manning

Since the federal No Child Left Behind act became law almost five years ago, schools have to worry much more about low test scores. If scores are low enough, for long enough, schools can face sanctions -- like paying for student transfers, or restructuring the school entirely. Now, the feds are asking Oregon to re-calculate what constitutes "passing grades" on state assessments -- and to do it immediately. Oregon officials talked today about how they're going to do that, as Rob Manning reports. Imagine you take a test on a computer. It gives you a three-digit score right away. But it doesn't tell you if that number means you've passed. That's the situation for kids all over Oregon, as they sit down to take state tests this year.
Christine Garcia: "We've tried hard to just say, 'You know, we don't know what the passing score is, but take the test, and we'll let you know as soon as we do.'" Christine Garcia is the principal at Alder Creek Middle School. Most of the seventh graders in this Alder Creek math class are finishing up tests they started in October. 12-year-old Michelle Phelps says the pass-fail mystery is not a big deal to her. Michelle Phelps: "I'm not like, really stressing over it because I have a whole lot of other stuff of mine that's more important, so I don't really care right now. But I'm pretty sure I have a passing grade because I'm pretty high, so it's not really bothering me that much." That conclusion didn't surprise Michelle's teacher, Laura Hilsenteger, who says the kids are following her advice -- to just do the best they can. But for Hilsenteger, not knowing the benchmark is a hassle. Laura Hilsenteger: "It would be nice, it would be nice to know your target before you start." Federal officials told educators in Oregon that because it has been ten years since the state calibrated its exams, it can't wait another year. The change won't affect the questions themselves, only what a passing score is. The implication, especially for elementary and middle schools, is that the passing mark will go up, and grade schoolers will have to get more questions right to pass. Laura Hilsenteger says higher standards will likely press teachers to think more about the tests than they do already. Laura Hilsenteger: "Yeah, when it comes down to the wire, in that second round of testing, and you got to get these kids to pass who didn't pass in the fall, you do find yourself doing more actual -- this test question revamped just a little bit. And I know my colleagues are doing the same thing, everybody does the same thing. Because you want your kids at that magic number -- whatever it is." Principal Christine Garcia says she can see some value in aligning standards that she says have been off for years. But she says making the changes in a year will have some serious consequences. Christine Garcia: "The fact that you'll have more kids failing than you did before. I think we will see the fallout from that when the test scores come out. It's going to be hard to look at your class and instead of having fifty percent of my kids pass this test, we're going to see twenty five. And I think that's a pretty good possibility." That may in turn lead to more schools facing federal sanctions, especially this next year, when schools are less prepared for the changes. In explaining the changes, state education spokesman Gene Evans, says that's a tough outcome from the federal timeline. Gene Evans: "It's kind of a tough love thing -- these are the accurate cut scores, and unfortunately, the targets moved this year, but you're still required to meet those targets that we set up under the No Child Left Behind plan." Educators do see a silver lining. They say they've known for some time that standards have been off. The current process is bound to make the tests more relevant, and a better reflection of what kids should know, and are learning. The process to re-calibrate scores begins next week, and will involve more than 300 people, mostly educators. The result will be new scores for a passing grade in math, reading, science, and the test for English among non-native speakers.

Campaign Drawing for "Blanck Check"!

To help keep the fun in Annual Campaign, the committee is announcing a drawing: If your name is drawn, you get Mr. Blanck for one hour for your use (read a book to your child at home, chainsaw a tree, or ?: you think something up!)

TO ENTER: Every family who has made any contribution to this year's Campaign, no matter what the amount, no matter if it is cash, credit card or pledge, by Friday, December 15 will be entered into a drawing for the "Blanck Check"! Then Mr. Blanck will provide you with an hour of his time for whatever you'd like! "Your wish is my command!"

Principal Notes Dec. 1, 2006

REMINDER ! ! ! – NO SCHOOL FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8^TH ~ TEACHER PLANNING DAY!

IT’S MAPLEWOOD DAY IN MULTNOMAH VILLAGE!

Saturday, December 2, 2006 - Multnomah Village merchants will be supporting Maplewood Elementary’s efforts to raise money for a new playground by donating a percentage of purchases made on this day to our school. Here’s how it works:

Select a participating merchant. Go to the store and pick out what you want to buy. When you go to pay, tell the cashier you are with Maplewood. (You have to do this part for Maplewood to get the credit for the sale.) It’s easy, it’s fun and it’s a great way to support local merchants who are supporting your local school.

PARTICIPATING MERCHANTS:

Switch Shoes Thinker Toys Multnomah Antiques Birdie’s

Sweets, Etc. Indigo Traders Jules of Morocco Village Beads

Peggy Sunday’s Annie Bloom’s Books

Tell friends, family, neighbors and Maplewood alumni. Make your list today and plan your holiday shopping for this coming Saturday, December 2^nd!!

BOOKS RULE!! - Our Scholastic Book Fair was wonderful! We raised approximately $2,113 for the school. Due to your generosity, we also raised $90 for the "One for Books" program. Our classroom and specialist teachers also received approximately 10 books off their wish lists! The school's "birthday books program" was also issued $240 of product vouchers. We would like to thank all the Scholastic Book Fair volunteers for their time and commitment in ensuring the Book Fair was successful. Also, a big thank you to all the Maplewood staff, students, parents, families and neighbors for supporting the Book Fair. We look forward to next year! All the best, Annette Fagan and Amy McCleskey

SHAKESPEARE FOR KIDS FOR GRADES 3-5 - Students have a blast in this acting workshop designed to give kids a fun introduction to Shakespeare! Real Shakespeare actor will visit one class, and last class performance for parents includes an abridged version of a Shakespeare play. Tuesdays, Jan. 23rd-Mar. 19th 2:20-3:20 p.m. $85 per student. Flyers going home the first week of January. Visit http://www.theyoungplayers.com/ or call 503.624.7499 for more information.

TOY DRIVE – We are having a toy drive this holiday season. You can help by donating NEW toys for kids in the hospital. We need toys like:

• Cards
• Books
• Sketch Books
• Small Toys

A small toy can make a big difference to a sick child. Turn your toys into the donation mailbox in the hallway by December 15^th. Thank you!!

BREAKFAST WITH MR. BLANCK CONTEST – And the winner is…… Mrs. Looney’s class!! Overall the contest was very successful. There were a total of 40 orders placed, not counting the Scrip Table order. The profit to Maplewood from those orders came to $377.59. With the Scrip Table the profit for the week was $415.59. Please consider continuing to use this program at no cost to you! (see form attached)

INCLEMENT WEATHER

A MESSAGE FROM THE PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Winter weather is already making itself heard! Although rare, it is sometimes necessary to close school or delay the opening of school due to the unsafe weather conditions. In making the decision if schools should remain open or closed, first consideration is given to student and staff safety, while keeping in mind the importance of attendance and learning.

Before the school district makes the decision, local meteorologists, transportation officials, and traffic safety experts are consulted. The school district will attempt to make the decision as early as possible and communicate it quickly to the media and our website. Sometimes it will be possible to make the decision the night before, but often this decision cannot be made until early in the morning. The Student Transportation Department will be distributing the Alternate Emergency Snow Route Stops booklet to students who ride the bus. Please refer to this book when we announce through the media and our website that Portland Public Schools buses will be on snow routes.

As a general rule PPS will not close schools early. The potential negatives of children arriving home early without parental supervision or the ability to gain entry clearly offsets most foreseeable weather circumstances. All of our schools are safe and sound structures capable of providing shelter in place until the end of the school day. As always, parents have the individual choice of picking up their child prior to the end of the school day.

Local radio and television stations will broadcast closure and late opening information. You can also check for updates on the District’s website at http://www.pps.k12.or.us or Portland Info Net at http://pdxinfo.net

Bryan Winchester, Director of Student Transportation

916-6901 x403, bwinchester@pps.k12.or.us

I would personally add that the http://pdxinfo.net site is the one that T.V. and radio stations use to get their information, and are an excellent, up to the minute source. Keep warm and safe! - John

Best Regards,

Upcoming Events: Dec 4 - Cookie Dough Orders Due Dec 5 - 1st graders to Washington Square Sing at 10:00 am Dec 6 - Choir to Washington Square Sing at 10:00 am Dec 7 - PTA Meeting @ 6:15 pm Dec 8 - Teacher Planning Day - NO SCHOOL Dec 13 - Cookie Dough Delivered Dec 15 - Winter Sing Dec 18 - Jan 1- WINTER BREAK!! – NO SCHOOL Jan 2 - (Tuesday) First Day Back From Vacation Jan 15 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday – NO SCHOOL

Principal Notes Nov. 17, 2006

NO SCHOOL NEXT WEEK! - Due to conferences and Thanksgiving Day Holiday students will not have school all next week.

COOKIES AND COFFEE - Over the holiday break next week, remember to ask your friends and family if they would like to buy cookie dough and or coffee from Maplewood.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR - Will be open during conference time from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm Monday, November 20th; 8:00 am - 3:00 pm Tuesday, November 21st and 8:00 -12:00 pm on Wednesday, November 22nd. We will have baked cookies samples available to taste at the Book Fair during conference times. Stop in and browse the books and taste a few cookies!

STARBUCKS PRESENTS HOLIDAY ANGELS JOY DRIVE – Starbucks has joined with the Starlight Starbright children’s Foundation over the holiday season to deliver gifts to pediatric patients in the community. The Holiday Angels Joy Drive, in its fifth year, has provided Starlight Starbright kids with over one million toys and books to help brighten their days.

Garden Home Starbucks has decided to reach out to the community through placing joy drive mailboxes at local businesses and Maplewood School, along with the one in the store. Maplewood’s mailbox will be up until Friday, December 15^th. The toys collected at these locations will go to those at our local children’s hospital, Dorenbecher. We are collecting these toys here at Maplewood in appreciation for the fine work Dorenbecher’s did for the amazing recovery of Max Gardner, an alumnus of Maplewood. Thank you for your participation in the truly wonderful gift to our community.

Sincerely, Garden Home Starbucks

TAG NOMINATIONS DUE NOV. 30 - If you think your child would be eligible for Talented and Gifted services (that they would score at the 97^th %ile or better), you must turn in a nomination form to John Blanck by the end of November. There are nomination forms in the office; testing would be done by the TAG department early in December, and then the school would determine eligibility. Students may qualify in one of three areas: Reading, Math, and/or Intelligence.

THANKS TO/FROM THE CARNIVAL COMMITTEE - I want to give my humble thanks to the folks who made our Carnival such a wonderful event. I saw them follow it with a meeting in November to discuss what improvements this would make for the event for next year! The committee wrote this for you, as well: “What a success our “Under the Big Top” Carnival was! The carnival committee members would like to THANK YOU for your support of the 2006 Carnival. It was both successful and fun and it couldn’t have been done without all of you. We grossed $4228.00 and will net just over $3000. We heard lots of positive comments this year about the new layout, roomier atmosphere and an all-around cooler carnival. We appreciate that you noticed and want to say thanks! We do hope you understand about the goldfish this year. We had a lot of casualties last year and with giving out certificates for a fish this year we hoped to eliminate that!

We also wanted to thank a lot of other people as well:

• Candy donations – everyone! we ended up with just the right amount
• Stuffed animal donations – a lot of fun
• Raffle donations – lots of collectibles donated by the Coefield family
• Canopy donations – Hogans, Dacklins, Lehmans, Reeses, Smiths, Conkles (through Entercom radio stations) and Principal Blanck for the school canopy
• Pizza Caboose – Kathy Powers and her kids for baking all those yummy pizzas
• Treasurer – Amy McCleskey for all her financial wizardry
• All the parents - came in on Thursday and Friday to help set up
• Alumni students - for their volunteering at the games
• The fabulous teachers and staff - who gave their precious time to help out
• The Carnival committee – Angela, Kimmy, Susan, Annette, Jelena, Joan, Renae, Cyndy & Bryan who pulled this all off without a carnival chairman
• Principal Blanck & David Kaplan – for all their hard work on, and at, the Jail
• All the parents – for bringing your children and letting them have fun!

We would also like to thank:

• Lamb’s Thriftway for baking 100 cakes
• Purato’s Bakery Supply for supplying enough ingredients and boxes to make the 100 cakes
• Western Pet Supply for the gold fish
• 105.1 The Buzz, AM 1080 The Fan, 99.5 The Wolf for canopy donations
• Switch shoes for gift certificate
• New Seasons for plastic bags
• Portland Trail Blazers for 4 Blazer Tickets
• Big Town Hero for the gift certificates
• Suzanne Smith for the raffle items
• Club Sport for the yoga mat and month membership

What a great event! Thanks so much, “The Carnival Committee”

MY THANKS TO YOU! - As Thanksgiving approaches, I want to make sure that I express my appreciation for so many things here; thanks go to:

VOTERS – The election results for Multnomah County will surely make our school district breathe easier, as well as be able to provide more stability and service to our students. Vicki Phillips recently wrote, ““With five years of stable funding for our operations, Portland Public Schools will keep the momentum building:

• Challenging our students of all ages to excel – in writing, reading, math, science, social studies and all academic pursuits;
• Maintaining and building back the full curriculum in our schools, including arts, music, PE and library services; and
• Increasing the rigor AND relevance of our middle and high schools – preparing kids for higher education and higher wage jobs.

PARENTS AND COMMUNITY - I want to thank you for what your contributions have done for the students at Maplewood; for the last several years, it has enabled us to have a half-time staff person here, with benefits too numerous to mention. This year, we also have the extraordinary benefit of having Elin Kordahl be here not only as a computer teacher, but also as our librarian half time. We wouldn’t have had a librarian this year without the contributions from last year. The excitement and skill she has brought there is something that is having an incredible effect on our students. The extra staffing that your contributions and your Scrip purchases provide us will continue to be there, making the campaign just as important this year as last. As a follow-up to messages from the campaign committee, and because people have been asking me for it, I am attaching a campaign form.

REMINDER - NO SCHOOL (for Maplewood and Capitol Hill Schools only) on Friday, Dec. 8^th. The rest of the Wilson Cluster Schools will be in session that day, but the two schools that are on Trimester System will NOT be in session. This is one of the four days when our schedule will be different than the schedule for other schools. January 30 and April 12 will be days when Maplewood is open but the other Cluster Schools will be closed, and on Dec. 8^th and March 16, we will be closed and the rest of the cluster will be open. I will be giving reminders of this to you as those days approach.

LIFESKILL OF EFFORT - Thanks go to Jenny Morgan (Pitts), our Character Education Specialist for this reminder about our Lifeskill of the month: “Our students have been focusing on effort, a crucial ingredient; it may be the determining factor between success and failure. While effort alone doesn’t create achievement, it keeps us moving toward that goal. Therefore, any way we can nurture the development of this behavior in children, will surely increase their quality of living.

Students have been learning to:

· Identify the attributes of personal effort

· Identify and observe citizens who are models of the LIFESKILL of Effort

· Identify effort as both process and product; the way we work and the outcome of that work

Ways you can help at home to emphasize the LIFESKILL of Effort include:

· Share personal examples of times when you, as parents, have used the LIFESKILL of Effort

· Teach your child how to create a timetable for short- and long-term projects

· Discuss with your family examples of the LIFESKILL of Effort on the evening news

By working in partnership, schools and parents can stress the importance of effort for a successful life.”

Best Regards,

Upcoming Events: Nov 20-23 – NO SCHOOL! - Parent/Teacher Conferences Nov 24 - NO SCHOOL! – Thanksgiving Day Nov 25 - NO SCHOOL ! – Down Day Nov 27 - “Anansi the Spider” Tears of Joy Theatre Presentation at 9:00 am Nov 27 - Vision Screening – Kindergarten Nov 30 - TAG Nominations Due Dec 4 - Cookie Dough Orders Due Dec 5 - 1st graders to Washington Square Sing at 10:00 am Dec 6 - Choir to Washington Square Sing at 10:00 am Dec 8 - NO SCHOOL! – Teacher Planning Day Dec 13 - Cookie Dough Delivered Dec 15 - Winter Sing

Apologies for Delay in Responding

Dear Community,
I simply want to acknowledge that many people have been sending emails to me , or talking to me, with some great questions or ideas or requests, and that I have not been able to get back to everyone very quickly.
There are not any "emergency" reasons for this; I simply have been swamped with these messages this year, and haven't been able to respond as quickly as I'd like.
The education of children is a passion of mine, and there are always way too many ideas for improving this work than there seems to be time or resources! Please accept my apologies for this, and also accept my appreciation for your patience, and for your hard work, in helping provide the students with the best education possible!
With appreciation, John

Principal Notes Nov 9, 2006

NO SCHOOL THURSDAY AND FRIDAY – A reminder that children do not attend school anywhere in the District on these two days coming. We’ll see you Monday! To make sure you are prepared for another important date: on Friday, December 8^th, for Maplewood and other Trimester schools only, there will be NO SCHOOL as well. All the other schools in the Wilson Cluster will be open, but not Maplewood and Capitol Hill. We, like about one third of the schools in the District, are on a Trimester system, not a quarterly system.

PICTURE RE-TAKE ON TUESDAY, NOV. 14^TH – Our Picture Re-takes will happen from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. that day. So if your child was absent on Picture Day, or needs his/her portrait retaken, or you just want to order an additional package, please have him/her pick up a flyer at school for more information. The original package must be returned for a retake.

CONFERENCES COMING SOON – Students will not be attending school during the whole Conference week (Nov. 20^th – 24^th). Please call the school and schedule a time with your student’s teacher if you haven’t already done so.

INCLEMENT WEATHER INFORMATION – The season is upon us: It's time to gear up for storms that could disrupt school schedules, bus schedules, etc. In the event of hazardous weather or other emergencies, many radio and television stations carry school closure and schedule change information. If you have access to a computer, it will also be available through the PPS website and Portland Info Net: http://pdxinfo.net This website is the one used by the media, and is updated very frequently. I encourage you to bookmark this webpage!

BOOKS ROCK!!! – We will be hosting our 2006 Maplewood Scholastic Book Fair in the school library from November 13th - 22nd. The Book Fair will offer specially priced books and educational products, including new releases, award-winning titles, children's classics, interactive software, adult books, and current bestsellers from more than 150 publishers. We are also selling raffle tickets throughout the Book Fair for some very special prizes! Support Maplewood and give the gift of knowledge. Any questions please contact Annette Fagan, 503-452-5123 or Amy McCleskey, 503-244-0558.

TARDIES – Our number of students coming late is improving, but we are still seeing the need to be “Ready at 8:00”. I read the following on a teacher’s newsletter home last week and thought that it expressed it well: “As the weather changes, it is harder and harder to get everyone up and going in the morning. While I know it is difficult, it is best for our classroom if everyone is able to get to class in a timely manner so that we can begin our day. Please try to get your children to class on time… the first bell is at 7:50 and the students should be in class and settled in by 8:00. If you arrive after 8:15, please check in with the office to get a tardy slip as I will have already completed attendance on the computer system.”

JAPANESE GARDEN FREE ADMISSION ON FRIDAY – This Friday, November 10^th (No School That Day), the Japanese Gardens of Portland is offering free admission. There will be free Garden tours that day, as well, at 10:45, 1:00, or 2:30. The Gardens will also be showing “Autumn Leaves”, the world-renowned Weyerhauser Pacific Rim Bonsai Exhibit.

Upcoming Events:

Nov 9 - NO SCHOOL! – Teacher Planning Day

Nov 10 - NO SCHOOL! – Veteran’s Day

Nov 13 - Scholastic Book Fair Begins

Nov 13 - Cookie Dough Sale Begins

Nov 14 - Picture Retake Day @ 8:00 am

Nov 16 - PTA Meeting @ 6:15 pm

Nov 17 - Vision Screening – 5^th grade

Nov 20-23 – NO SCHOOL! - Parent/Teacher Conferences

Nov 24 - NO SCHOOL! – Thanksgiving Day

Nov 25 - NO SCHOOL ! – Down Day

Nov 27 - Vision Screening – Kindergarten

Nov 30 - TAG Nominations Due

Dec 8 - NO SCHOOL! – Teacher Planning Day

Principal Notes Oct. 27, 2006

Mark Calendar for Nov 20!

This is a reminder that there is NO SCHOOL THE WHOLE WEEK OF NOV. 20^TH – 24^TH .

Most schools have school on a half-day on Monday, the 20^th, but we received a waiver to have NO SCHOOL on MON. NOV. 20 at all; this gives teachers more time for conferences with their large class sizes, and avoids a week of school where students would have only attended for a half-day.

Conferences are an important way to get to have teachers and parents get to know each other, and to focus their thoughts on helping the students! Please make every attempt to make the scheduled conferences that week to make the timing as efficient as possible.

NO SCHOOL NOV.1

Next Tuesday, all Portland Public Schools will be closed, as all staff will be in all-day training and professional development.
Voting

As I’ve mentioned in other communications, we know that teaching citizenship to our students also includes modeling good citizenship as adults. Taking part in voting is a great way to discuss with them your ways to make decisions. One of the measures you are deciding on is the Local Option. If you would like more information on the levy is posted on the Portland Public Schools website, www.pps.k12.or.us, under the "Local Option" link. That includes answers to these questions: How much would the local option cost me? How many teaching positions would the local option maintain at my school?

Also posted on the website: Local option information translated into Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese and Chinese.

Work Party Sunday

This Sunday at 10:00, you can come out and enjoy the nice (?) weather and help our Garden Committee to renovate the grounds around our raised beds. We have landscape cloth and new bark chips, and need your help (and your shovels and rakes and wheelbarrows) to help with this!

During that time, Multnomah Presbyterian Church will be painting our Portables for us as a volunteer project for our school!

Thanks to Volunteers

Every year I feel badly that I can’t name everyone who comes and volunteers, either here at school or at home. But be sure that we couldn’t be NEARLY as effective here at Maplewood without your help!

If you have ideas or want to volunteer your time, feel free to contact your child’s Room Parent, or our Volunteer Coordinator, Kimmy Nadeau 503.245.9750

Reminders to Students
Costumes can be brought to school on Tuesday, but not put on until after lunch, for the 12:30 parade.
Reminders to Parents

Costumes – Please make sure they are not bloody, violent, or too mature. The PTA has had some costumes donated in case your student wants to dress up. See the office.

Ready at 8:00! - Our Tardy numbers are decreasing, which helps your child, and helps classes get off to a good start in the morning!

Wish List

• Powerwash this Saturday
• Repair Garden Bench
• Tennis Balls (used or new)
  

Next Week’s Highlights:

Tuesday

12:30 Costume Parade on playground (if it rains, in gym)

Wednesday

NO SCHOOL – Professional Development Day

Upcoming Events

NO SCHOOL Nov. 9^th/10th

Planning Day Thursday and Holiday Friday

NO SCHOOL WEEK OF NOV. 20TH

Maplewood will NOT have school AT ALL during that week of conferences.

Picture Re-Takes Nov. 14th

PTA MEETING THURSDAY, NOV 16 6:15

NO SCHOOL FRIDAY, DEC. 8TH

On this Friday, Maplewood and Capitol Hill will NOT have school for a planning day, as we are on Trimester systems, but the other schools in our cluster will be in session that day!

Thank You For Safe Driving!

We are making special efforts this year for safety, which includes NO U-TURNS in and out of the pull-out lane – this avoids congestion and unsafe backing and turning for the kids.

I could use special help from people to make sure that you don’t park in any marked areas for no parking, such as bus zones or area across the street by the crosswalk.

Summer Almost Over

Happy August!

Today is the first day back for our wonderful Secretary Kathy Shimizu, who will be here in the office from 7:30 until 4:00 each day (with time away from the desk around noon each day). If you need to come to the office (register your child, etc.), this would be a wonderful time to do it.
WE had a wonderful event hosted by the Maplewood Neighbor Association July 23rd. It was a picnic/ice cream social, with commuity booths, and a cooling visit from the local fire station! It was fun to see all the adults, as well as the kids, giggling and screaming as then got hit by the fire hose! Our appreciation goes to Anne-Marie Fischer and everyone with the Maplewood Neighborhood, for all their work and thoughtful preparation!

We are looking forward to Multnomah Day this Saturday, August 19th, where Maplewood parents will be hosting a booth (that will give some information related to our upcoming plans to replace the playground, as well as give you a parent perspective on our school).

On August 27th (Sunday), will be our third annual Community Care Day; come to Maplewood at 11:30 to help beautify our school for the start of another year!
Looking forward to seeing many of you again in early September! - John