Congraluations on a Job Well Done

Core Knowledge Winter Showcase

Next Wednesday, December 18th, is the Winter Core Knowledge Showcase.

Students should arrive at school at 6:15 and be dropped off in their classrooms.  The gym and lunchroom will both be providing seating for families to enjoy the show.  The show begins at 6:30, with a slight lag, as classes are visiting two stages.  Students should wear their 12th night costumes.  The show should be over around 7:15.  Parents can then collect  children from their classroom and have a lovely evening.

Book Swap

Second grade is organizing a book swap for Cascade Heights.  Bring in books you have outgrown and trade them for new-to-you books.  Be sure to get your adults' ok first!  

Bring your books starting TOMORROW.  Bring books December 11, 12, 16, and 17.  You will get a ticket for each book.  Bring your tickets on December 17, and 18 to pick out new books.  The class that brings in the most books gets to go first.  Bring your books first thing in the morning to the Uniform Closet.

If you have questions, ask a second grader!

Play Bills

What a creative bunch we have! Here is a sampling of the amazing play bills created by our 8th grade class.

Free Handwriting Workshop

Save the date for our upcoming free Handwriting Success Workshop in January 2014:

Authors Inga Dubay & Barbara Getty Saturday, January 25, 2014, 10am—1pm Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Kempton Hall 147 NW 19th Avenue, Portland, OR 97209 To promote legible handwriting and celebrate National Handwriting Day Workshop materials provided Children accompanied by parents welcome Books available at special discount Trinity Cathedral Arts presents this free Handwriting Success workshop. Handwriting experts Inga Dubay& Barbara Getty teach everything you need to know to get started. They are co-authors of the popular books on handwriting -- WRITE NOW: The Getty-Dubay Program for Handwriting Success, ITALIC LETTERS: Calligraphy & Handwriting, and the GETTY-DUBAY ITALIC HANDWRITING SERIES for children.  Come early -- this is a free event and seating cannot be guaranteed. Download and print this information at www.handwritingsuccess.com. Suggested donation: canned or packaged food for Trinity Food Pantry.

New Writing Assignment

After the intensity of last week's character analysis, we're going for something a bit lighter this week. This week we will be creating a Playbill for our upcoming production, Twelfth Night. The rough draft will be created on 8.5 x 11. It must include the following elements:

• A picture
• 3 quotes from critics (yes, you'll be making these up) 
• date
• time
• location
• cost
• short summary of the play
• production company name

The final draft will be completed in class on Thursday. 

Winter Recess Policy

The temperature is dropping, so it's time to break out the cold weather recess policy! 

Winter Outdoor Recess Policy for Cascade Heights Public Charter School

It does get chilly in our part of the country, and students and families need to be prepared for it. Teachers will use the following guidelines and their own best judgment in ensuring your child is safe and relatively comfortable during the cold months of the year. You can do your part by sending your children to school with the following: coat, warm hat, gloves or mittens, scarf (ideal), warm boots (ideal). If you are unable to acquire the basics, please contact your child's teacher or Mrs. Denman, and we will happily help you.

Students need fresh air daily, and it helps reduce illness (being cooped up in a room with recycled air is the best way to spread germs), a bad case of the wiggles, and sleepy brains. As such, we will do our best to ensure daily fresh air for students, following the policy outlined below.

Please note:

• Frostbite CANNOT happen unless the ambient temperature (actual temperature+ windchill) falls below 32°F. Fingers may hurt, be cold and numb, but they are not frostbitten.
• Hypothermia can happen under a variety of temperatures and situations. Someone submerged in water that is 70°F for an extended period of time will succumb to hypothermia. Someone ill-equipped for the weather and left outside without movement at 20°F will eventually succumb to hypothermia. Students who wear coats (and possibly hats or hoods) at 35°F or so for 15-20 minutes, and who are (hopefully) moving, have no danger of hypothermia.

This policy was drafted taking into account average activity level, average recess time, and average regional temperatures for Portland, OR (the fact that our children are NOT used to the average temperatures of Fairbanks, AK was taken into account!).

Not accounting for windchill factor:

Children will eat outdoors and may make the choice about coats, etc.: 41°F and above

Teachers will require the wearing of coats (for activity time of recess): 40°F and below

Teachers will require the wearing of a hat and gloves/mittens (students without will not participate in the activity): 35°F

Eating (snack and lunch) will occur indoors with outdoor recess following one of the below guidelines: 40°F and below

Normal outdoor recess: 26°F and above

Shortened outdoor recess (5 to 10 minutes): 18°F-25°F

Indoor recess: 18°F and below

What you can do to ensure your child's comfort and health with the above policy:

• Send them to school with a coat, hat, mittens/gloves, and scarf
• Tell them they must wear the coat, hat, mittens/gloves, and scarf
• Send them with plenty of quality-calorie food for snack and lunch, as well as fresh water
• Tell them about the children in Fairbanks, AK, who go out to recess like normal unless it's colder than -20°F!).
• Teach them how to zip or button their coats
• 
  

Rube Goldberg Project

Today we began our physics project. Working in groups, students will be building a Rube Goldberg machine. This is an in class project but I'm sure you'll be hearing all about it at home!

Today we established the ground rules. The class created the rubric that will be used for scoring. This included what the machines should look like, how they should operate, and what scientific concepts it must demonstrate. It also included team work, an essential skill for the 21st century! You can see the rubric below. Tomorrow, each small group will work together to decide on their goal; what is it they are going to try and accomplish. In the past we've seen everything from lamps turned on to a glass of water poured. The idea behind Rube Goldberg is to create a long and intricate machine that completes an ordinary and simple task. Wednesday they will plan out their machine and turn in a written engineering plan. Thursday they begin to build.

This project is due on December 19th at 10:00 AM.