Brian's Class Blog | Trillium

Beginning of School Overview

2011-09-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Families of the Primary Class,

Greetings! A new school year is quickly approaching and we wanted to write a letter to both welcome and prepare you for the coming year. We are so excited to see returning families and welcome our new families into the Trillium community!
Thank you for taking the time to read through some important information that will help you, your child and us have an amazing year

The Primary Team
This year Brian is excited to welcome Lyndsey (former Intermediate advisor) and Aron to the primary team. Aron comes to us from Tumbleweed Infant House, a constructivist and emergent curricula-based school in SE Portland, and brings amazing energy, creativity and knowledge to our team. Together we have a shared commitment to innovative teaching and learning, specializing in integration, emergent curriculum and young literacy! We love working as a team to provide your child with the best personal education we can, and we thank you in advance for partnering with us in your child's education.
Your child's advisor is your main contact at school. You can expect regular communication via email and blog posts. Please subscribe to your advisor's blog to keep up to date on the latest information and to see our learning adventures in action! Blogs may also be accessed through the Trillium website. If you do not have regular Internet access at home, please let your advisor know.
If you have any questions or concerns throughout the year, please first contact us. We are very open to conversations. For more in-depth conversations we prefer setting up a time to talk in person. Please save the at-home calls for urgent matters ONLY before 8 pm.

Advisor Visits
This year introductory visits with your child's advisor may take place over the course of the fall. The goal of these visits is to begin or to rekindle student-advisor-family relationships. We are prioritizing home visits for students who are transitioning from Kindergarten or are new to Trillium. We will be scheduling visits as soon as possible, but many may not happen before the school year starts and will take place throughout September. Returning students are also invited to schedule an optional visit throughout the fall.

Schedule (Monday-Thursday)
This year brings some changes to our routine; besides two new advisors, you will notice that recess and lunch will be from 10:55-11:45 for the entire lower school. All students will eat in the multi-purpose room. We will continue to have a snack break and recess at another point in the day. Students will continue to have art class with Joy and music class with Heidi once a week, and will also participate in Service Learning experiences with our new Service Learning Coordinator, Em. Fridays continue to be a half day for students, with a 12:00pm dismissal, and all other days are 8:30 am to 3:00 pm.
Here is an overview of the flow of a typical day for the beginning of the year; things change as the year progresses since the collective needs, interests and passions of the students guide our work.

8:30 Class begins – Please be on time – may include: Check in, Morning Meeting, calendar, Literacy and math games, choice activities, morning challenges and announcements.
9:00-10:00 Reader's Workshop
10:00-10:55 Math
10:55-11:20 Recess
11:20-11:45 Lunch
11:45-12:45 Writer's Workshop/ Art
12:45-1:30 Literacy/Choice Explorations/PE/Snack
1:30-1:50 Afternoon Recess
1:50-2:50 Theme Exploration/ Music

2:50 – 3:00 Clean up and dismissal, Please be on time!*
*If you have not picked up your child by 3:15 pm, he/she will be escorted to After-Care and you will be charged hourly.

Friday Schedule
8:30 Class begins – Please be on time – may include: Check in, Morning Meeting, calendar, Literacy and math games, choice activities, morning challenges and announcements.
9:15-9:45 Class meeting- may include: Games, Proposals, Discussions, Problem Solving
9:45-10:15 Sharing
10:15-10:25 Snack
10:25-10:50 Recess
10:50-11:50 Literacy/Choice Exploration/Theme
11:50-12:00 Clean up
12:00 Dismissal - Please be on time*

Supplies
We are including a supply fee of $25 for your child’s class supplies. You do not need to bring in any classroom supplies. If you have yet to pay, please see Reis, our new business manager, in the front office! We may ask for special items to be brought during projects, but they should be things you find around the house.

What to bring (and what to leave at home!)
*Extra clothes in a Marked Zip-loc bag (Mark with child’s name on clothes)
*Any completed forms and fees that have yet to be turned into the front office
(forms can be printed from website if you missed the Open House events)
*Leak proof water bottle
*Treasure bag-
We will be starting off the year with an activity called “Treasure Bag”. Students, please bring a bag with three items that are special to YOU. These can be natural treasures, photos, toys, drawings, or any item that can tell the class about what you treasure about yourself, your family and your world. Be ready to share about the items you bring!
Optional items:
Indoor shoes/slippers
Old paint shirt for classroom art use

As you may know, our classrooms are small and we decide as a class what supplies are needed. Therefore, please keep backpacks at home unless they are really needed to transport something. Remember, students do not need to bring basic school supplies; however, they may bring a favorite book, a sketchbook, or a favorite pencil, pen or pencil box.

Theme
Our beginning theme this year is an exploration and inquiry into ourselves, our families, and our role in our community. We will be exploring identity and community through field trips, literacy and math investigations, map and genealogy studies, and oral histories. We will keep you updated as field trips are scheduled, as we will be in need of drivers and chaperones!

Snack
We encourage you to pack a healthful snack for your child each day. Please make it something nutritious and fast to eat with no preparation needed. We will not provide class snacks.

Conflict Resolution

We use peer mediation as a form of nonviolent conflict resolution at Trillium. We want to give students the tools to solve their own problems. They do so with the support of their teacher and other staff. Please familiarize yourself and your child with our constitution and our bill of rights and responsibilities. This serves as a foundation for our mediation process and how we frame our responsibilities as members of the community. These documents are available on the Trillium website. Mediations are not punitive, but rather a way to fully understand and solve issues, as well as reflect and make behavioral changes necessary for successful learning and friendships.

If the same behavior keeps occurring over and over, then the issue can be taken to Judicial Committee. This is a group of students who ask questions and help to come up with solutions to the ongoing issue. It is much like a multi-mediator mediation. Once again, the goal is to solve issues nonviolently and in a way that works for all members involved. If you have questions about this process, please ask. Please support your child in developing nonviolent conflict resolution skills.

Activity Fee
There is an activity fee that is all-inclusive this year. It covers all field trips, our spring campout at Cape Lookout on May 17-18, and additional supplies for class activities. The cost is $125.00. These fees make field trips possible. Additional siblings or family members that attend must be paid for separately and in advance. We should not have to ask for any additional money for our class this year. Please make the arrangements for payment or work out a payment schedule with Reis in the front office.
If you qualify for free and reduced lunch you can receive a scholarship from TFT by filling out the scholarship request form in the front office.
You must fill out the scholarship form however. TFT cannot access free and reduced lunch information so you must request the scholarship.

TFT
TFT or Together For Trillium is a parent organization that supports the school. It sponsors Trillium in Bloom, classroom activities and various social activities to enrich the Trillium community. Please consider participating in their monthly meetings, and or attending the community events!

SleepUnder
We have a SleepUnder on October 6th, beginning at 6:00pm with a pizza dinner, fun activities and games to be enjoyed by all. Parents are invited to come and play and stay if they want or leave their children in our care for the evening. Children should be picked up by 8:30pm to go home to sleep and return for a group breakfast with us the next morning. It will be a lot of safe fun and community building for all!

Campout
We will be having a primary campout on May 17th & 18th. We will go to Cape Lookout State Park on the Oregon Coast, 12 miles southwest of Tillamook. We leave in the morning of May 17th and return on the 18th at about 3:00pm. One parent is strongly encouraged to come, as this is a community activity and a chance to meet with fellow parents and welcome new families to Trillium. All three primary classes will share 12 yurts. Each yurt sleeps a maximum of 8 people. Three tent sites are also reserved. If you are planning to bring a whole family you will need to make your own campsite reservations since we will not have room for everyone’s entire family. The cost of the campout and food is included in your child’s activity fee for your child; any additional family members attending will need to pay an additional fee of $25.00 or $10.00 for those 4 or younger.

Sharing
Students will have the opportunity to share from their lives outside of school frequently in reader's and writer's workshop, theme explorations and a weekly sharing time. In order to make sharing an interesting and valuable part of our day, each class will have a sharing schedule that will be posted in the class. Sharing is not a time to share toys one may own. DO NOT SEND TOYS. We will have a schedule with a theme for sharing. Please make sure the item or story they share is related to the topic for the week. Check newsletters, and blog entries or calendars for the current themes.

Birthdays
We would love to celebrate your child’s birthday in class. Students with summer birthdays can celebrate their birthday on their half birthday or at another time that we can arrange during the year. Please let us know in advance if you are planning on bringing a snack that we can all share in the afternoon. Snacks should be healthy and not sugar laden. Advance notice is necessary so we can address food allergies.

Communication
All newsletters and important class and school information will be distributed through three avenues: the home files located in/outside each classroom, through electronic emails, and on our blog at the addresses listed at the end of this newsletter or through the main Trillium Website. Please check your file daily to keep up with all of the new and exciting activities in the primary classes and at Trillium. Talk to your child’s teacher if your family needs more than one home file. Make sure we have the correct email, home address and phone information for your family. The Trillium News is another avenue for all-school information, as well as the information board postings in the common area!

Recess and Park Activities
We would love to be able to go outside daily throughout the year to play and work! Please send your child to school with appropriate outerwear/raingear for the beautiful wet Oregon days.

Volunteers
We are looking forward to a year of partnering with all of the adults in the lives of our students. We hope to be able to learn from your experience with your child so that together we can make his/her experience at Trillium a great one. We have a wide range of opportunities to volunteer in and out of the classroom. Please contact your child’s advisor to help or talk to the classroom liaison (TFT will help us find a willing candidate for the liaison position) to help. Each class needs volunteers for ongoing projects:

Reading Group Facilitators – Help work with small groups of students in reading groups with guided, leveled oral reading and word work.
Documentarians – Helps document student learning and assist in recording student's great ideas by writing, recording and photography.
Portfolio Assistant – Scans and assists in getting high quality work into electronic portfolio system.
Theme Exploration Assistant – Helps advisor acquire necessary supplies and books for integrated theme study. Helps advisor with whole group, small group and individual inquiries in science, social studies, and literacy by assisting with preparations, set-up and small group management.
Before School, Lunch and Recess Duty Helpers – Help assure safety of children during these times and supervise games.
Copy/Cut Expert- Help advisor make necessary copies, construct small books, and cut out needed manipulatives or tools. This can be a before and after-school job, as well as much of it can be done at home while watching a movie or drinking a glass of wine!
Expert Visitors- Share an interest or passion with our students as a guest expert. Perhaps you have talents and expertise that aligns with a current theme of study and you have the time to share those talents with us, please contact your child's advisor to set up a meaningful learning experience with the kids that the two of us can collaborate on!

Please contact your child’s teacher if you would be willing to work on one of these projects. Your help is incredibly appreciated!
Trillium and PPS have a policy to help ensure the safety of our children and community. If you are planning to help in any way that gives you access to other people’s children we are required to complete a criminal background check. Those forms are available through the school.
When we go on field trips and you choose to chaperone, remember you are there to help and it is okay to reinforce positive behaviors of children as well as remind them of appropriate limits. Check with any of us if you have questions. Remember that if you volunteer to chaperone we are expecting that you make that your priority and that you take care of all children in your charge just as carefully as you would your own.
While we generally have an open door policy when it comes to parent involvement in the classroom, we are requesting that for the first two weeks of school parent volunteer time be limited to work outside the classroom. We would like for the first two weeks of school to give the students an opportunity to form a tight-knit community with one another and allow us to form our own relationships with the children. We are excited to welcome parents in the classroom beginning in our third full week of school, on September 26th.

Contact Information
Lyndsey, Brian, and Aron can be contacted by telephone or email for questions and concerns. Since drop-off and pick-up time are usually busy, please feel free to call or set up an appointment if you need a longer time to chat.

Aron Steinke 360.903.4618 email:aron@trilliumcharterschool.org
Blog:

Brian Porter 541.941.0515 email: brian@trilliumcharterschool.org
Blog: http:// brianskids.blogspot.com

Lyndsey Arnold 541-515.5437 email:lyndsey@trilliumcharterschool.org
Blog: http://lyndseyarnold.wordpress.com/

All the best,
Aron, Brian, and Lyndsey

Dates to Remember: June 2011

2011-06-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

6/3, 5:15 - 7:30 pm. Performance Night! Schedule of events: performances at 5:30; potluck at 6:30; view projects in classroom; community dance and clean-up by around 7:30.
6/4 and 6/5, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. Trillium Front Yard work party: add natural plaster to the trillium bench, mosaic the benches in the wall, and beautify everywhere!
6/6. Monthly SCRIP orders due. Last order of the school year; think ahead for summer! Summer movies, camping equipment, summer birthday gifts, back-to-school shopping, and weekly groceries can all be purchased with Scrip, which supports Trillium.
6/7, 5:00 -8:00 pm. Old Town Pizza Dine-Out. Trillium receives 30% of proceeds from the event; printed flyer must be presented at time of order.
6/8. Early registration ends for Trillium Summer Day Camps.
6/10, 8:30 - 9:30 am. TFT Coffee Klatch; coffee, tea, treats and community.
6/10. Berries for Garden orders due. Raspberries, blackberries, marionberries, strawberries, and blueberries; $10 for 2.5 lbs, $15 for 5 lbs. Proceeds support our Garden Program.
6/10, 11:00 am. Publishing Party in Brian's class. Students will read aloud stories they have written this year.
6/14, 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Together for Trillium (TFT) meeting in the Commons (outside the kitchen and art room). All are welcome, and childcare is provided.
6/17, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm. Moving Up ceremony, to celebrate 2nd graders moving to the 3-4-5 classes, and 1st graders taking on the leadership roles next year. Families are invited to bring a potluck snack to share.
6/17, 12:00 - 4:30 pm. "Support Japan" community event to aid disaster relief in Japan, organized by Trillium's Japanese Program students and teacher Yoko Niki-Breyfogle. Multi-purpose room.
6/21, 12:00 - 3:00 pm. Community Appreciation Celebration. Eat pizza, buy a contest-winning Trillium T-shirt, enjoy music, and celebrate each other and our hard work this year! Trillium Front Yard.
6/21, 12:00 - 4:00 pm. Berries for Garden pick-up. The berries are frozen, so no late pick ups.
6/21. Last Day of School!

Picture Day = Wed, 4/20

2011-04-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday is picture day!

Payment is due on the day the pictures are taken, if you want to order photos. Make sure to fill out the form, and include a check for the proper amount.

"Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com"

Update on Music Basket

2011-04-13T23:18:00.000-07:00

Here's an update on the Music Basket, our class donation to the Trillium auction on May 7th.

Remember, all donations must be turned in by this Friday, April 15.

Current Contents:

25+ CDs of popular music
5 hours in a professional recording studio
DJ services for an event
Apple iPod Nano music player
two tickets to a Portland Symphonic Choir concert plus two recordings

Wanted Items:

Apple iTunes gift card
Gift certificates to local music stores, or instrument stores (Music Millennium, Portland Music Company, Everyday Music, Trade Up Music, Rhythm Traders, etc.)

Other really cool ideas:

Music lessons (Ethos Music Center and Sound Roots have already donated to the auction)
Tickets to the opera, musical theater, Oregon Symphony, etc.
Apple iPod Shuffle
Cash

I almost wish we could have *two* music baskets -- there might be a slightly different audience for Death Cab for Cutie, and the Portland Symphonic Choir, for example. There are only two days left, but if we collect two or more gift cards for music stores, and perhaps some cash with which to order a second music player, or tickets to the Oregon Symphony, we could have a Classical Music Basket, too. Very cool.

Please contact me immediately with any donations you have.

Thanks,
Johanna Norton
AKA Tory's mom
Brian's class liaison

Dates to Remember: April 2011

2011-04-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

4/9, 11 am - 4 pm. Sakura Cherry Blossom Festival: kids games, cooking show, Ninja show, Maid-Cafe, food, drinks and much more. Festival in Trillium multipurpose room; benefits Japanese program.
4/11. Monthly SCRIP orders due.
4/12, 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Together for Trillium (TFT) meeting, including grant allocations. All are welcome, and childcare is provided.
4/14. Trillium in Bloom auction donations due.
4/15. Snow day make up. **School is in session.**
4/18, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Board meeting. All are welcome.
4/18, 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Village Building Convergence design & planning meeting. Meet in the preschool room across from the front desk. All are welcome.
4/22. Run for the Arts. Sponsorship forms due; volunteers needed.

Trillium in Bloom Music Basket: Donations Due

2011-04-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

Auction donations are due!

Remember, our class contribution to the Trillium auction is a music-themed basket. The completed basket is due next week (Thurs, April 14) so I need your donations ASAP. Here's how:

Bring your donations to school, before or after class.
Contact Johanna Norton to make other arrangements: johanna [at] crashbox [dot] com, or call 971.409.5071

So far, our class contribution includes several CDs, DJ services for an event, and five hours in a professional recording studio.

Additional suggested donations:

Music player
Concert or musical tickets
Art design for concert poster or CD cover art
Gift certificates: music stores, music lessons, instrument tuning, etc.

Thanks, everyone!

Auction project = Music-themed basket

2011-03-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

A music-themed "basket" will be our class contribution to the Trillium in Bloom auction. (There might be another contribution as well, but we are "Go" for launch on the music basket.)

Here are some ideas for donations:

Concert tickets
Music player
Gift certificate to local music stores
Gift certificate for online music stores
CDs from local bands or choruses
CDs from other bands -- out-of-town friends, perhaps?
Coupon for DJ services
Coupon for time in a professional studio
Offer of a band performance
Tickets to a musical (could be for kids, or not)
Music lessons
Music-themed art
Concert posters

We're also looking for someone who can organize this basket, or share the responsibility with another. Contact me as soon as possible, if you can take this on.

Go forth and be musical!

P.S. Please post other ideas in the comments below.

Dates to Remember: March 2011

2011-03-01T20:55:00.000-08:00

3/4, 5:00 - 7:00. Movie Night fundraiser for Japan Program. Pokemon and Godzilla, shown in separate rooms concurrently. Cost is $3/person, with additional donations accepted. Snacks and beverages available for purchase.
3/5, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. Planning meeting for Trillium's 2011 Village Building Convergence project. Help decide what wonderful, creative project that Trillium will take on this year!
3/8, 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Together for Trillium (TFT) meeting. All are welcome, and childcare is available.
3/12, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Family Movie/Game Night, hosted by TFT.
3/19 - 4/3. NO SCHOOL (Spring Break).
3/21, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Trillium Board meeting; all are welcome.

Class contribution to the Trillium in Bloom auction

2011-03-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

Trillium's major fundraiser this year will be an auction, held on Saturday, May 7. Each class is asked to contribute a "project" -- an item, a group of items, experience, or combination thereof -- for the fundraiser. Since our project needs to be completed by April 20, and Spring Break is coming up soon, we need to come to a consensus about what we want our project to be.

Ideas for class projects are endless, but here are a few thoughts to get your creative juices flowing.
. Painting party
. Yard clean-up work party
. Gardening work
· Painted furniture
· Quilts
· Glass work
· Framed art from our students
. Planter boxes built by the class, and filled with flowers or veggies
. Group paintings
. Mosaics
. Decorated flower pots
. Biking basket
. Cooking/kitchen basket
. Dessert of the month
. Music basket
. Overnight stay at a beach or hotel

Other ideas include experiences for which multiple people can sign up, with each paying a fee to participate.
. Classes on various subjects
. Dinner party
. Musical concert
. Pajama pancake party for kids

And finally, here's a link to Emerson's auction last year, for yet more ideas! http://emersonschool.schoolauction.net/2010/homepages/show

So, what do we want our contribution to be? What talents and areas of expertise do we have in our group, that we can draw upon? What inspires our passion? Email me with your ideas.

Sharing Topics

2011-02-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

During our class meeting, the students voted on sharing topics for the next few weeks.

2/18 an art project or art work that the student did
2/25 a favorite game
3/4 a favorite finger character or lego "ningao"
3/11 favorite food
3/18 my lucky ______

Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

We will be having a Valentine's Day celebration on Monday afternoon. Students may bring cards as long as they bring one for everyone and there is no candy.

Work Party O' LOVE

2011-02-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

Come join the Trillium Family on Sunday, February 13th from 9:30-1:30 to spread some LOVE around our school grounds. Our winter work party will start sharply at 9:30. We'll have snacks, coffee and tea for the morning, and will provide a small lunch around 1:00 pm.

Here's our list of items to accomplish:

General trash pick up
Raking out garden beds on the Interstate side
Tidying up the multi-purpose room
Leaf raking
Repainting four square lines
Add more gravel to our bike pit

And if it's dry we'll:

Plaster the cob wall
Work on the Trillium bench

If you can't spare time to help at the work party, we'd gladly and graciously accept your donation of food. Email Meg (meg [at] trilliumcharterschool [dot] org) with what you may provide.

Dates to Remember: February 2011

2011-02-01T21:13:00.000-08:00

2/1, 11:00 am - 9:00 pm. Pizzacato Dough for Dollars. Trillium receives 20% of all food, drink, and gift certificate purchases at Pizzacato location at 4217 NE Fremont.
2/3. Chinese New Year. Students encouraged to wear red (but not white). Other traditional suggestions for good luck: do not wash hair on this day, and avoid the number 4, especially with regards to meals.
2/7-2/8. NO SCHOOL (Staff Retreat). Day camp available for grades 1-6; see Marc Molencamp for details.
2/9, 9:15 - 11:30 am. Field trip to Tears of Joy Puppet Show, "Bridge of the Gods."
2/10, 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Information Session.
2/11, 8:30 am. TFT Coffee Klatch in art room. Coffee, tea, treats & conversation.
2/14, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Trillium Board meeting; all are welcome.
2/15, 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Together for Trillium (TFT) meeting. All are welcome, and childcare is available.
2/21. NO SCHOOL (Presidents' Day).

Pizzicato Dough for Dollars

2011-02-01T09:05:00.000-08:00

Today only, Trillium will receive 20% of ALL SALES at the Pizzicato restaurant at 4217 NE Fremont. That's all sales, all day at this location: woot!

Remember: Pizzicato has vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free pizza options. Also, if you pre-ordered food or gift certificates, pick those up today also, 3:00 pm at Trillium.

So, call the neighbors! Wake the kids! Tell everyone you know it's Pizza Day.

See you there!

Hibernation Hoedown!

2011-01-20T12:55:00.000-08:00

Howdy, y'all. This Saturday is the Hibernation Hoedown benefit concert for Trillium, organized by our very own Christen Derr, aka "Hazel's Mom." Come on down, have fun, and help Trillium!

Hibernation Hoedown
Saturday, Jan. 22
5:00 - 11:00 pm
$5 cover; kids under 8 free
Lucky Lab Tap Room
1700 N Killingsworth
Bands start at 6:00
All ages until 10:00

Featuring: Bad Assets, Marisa Anderson, Flash Flood and the Dikes, Chad Lee Williams, and DJs all night long!

Provide Paper for Our Pupils

2011-01-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

Trillium doesn't buy textbooks; buying copy paper is our equivalent. One way Trillium families can support the school is by donating a case of paper. Or if you can't purchase a whole case, bring as many reams as you can. No paper will be turned away.

I'll be posting a sign-up sheet for paper donation this week, with room for three families to sign up each month from January - June. Please look for it, pick a month, and provide paper for our pupils!

Image courtesy of clipartpal.com

Dates to Remember: January 2011

2011-01-10T04:58:00.000-08:00

1/7, 8:30 am. TFT Coffee Klatch in art room. Coffee, tea, treats & conversation.
1/10, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Trillium Board meeting; all are welcome.
1/11, 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Together for Trillium (TFT) meeting. All are welcome, and childcare is available.
1/17. NO SCHOOL (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day).
1/22, 5:00 - 11:00 pm. Hibernation Hoedown musical fundraiser for Trillium, at Lucky Lab Tap Room on Killingsworth. All ages until 10 pm. $5 cover; free for kids under 8.
1/27, 6:30 - 8:00 pm. K-8 Project Fair.
2/1, 11:00 am - 9:00 pm. Pizzacato Dough for Dollars. Trillium receives 20% of all food, drink, and gift certificate purchases at Pizzacato location at 4217 NE Fremont.

TFT meeting on Tuesday, 12/14/10

2010-12-13T23:34:00.000-08:00

Together for Trillium (TFT) is our school's parent-teacher organization. All members of the Trillium community -- parents, staff and students-- are automatically members of TFT.

Meetings are on the second Tuesday of each month, from 6:30-8:30 pm in the Multipurpose Room. Childcare is always available: just contact the TFT president (1) or the front desk (2) by the end of school on the day of the meeting.

For December, we'll be discussing fund-raising, and upcoming dates on the school calendar. Your input, especially regarding school fund-raising, is welcome and encouraged. If you have comments or concerns, but can't make it to the meeting, please see our classroom liaison, Johanna Norton (3).

December TFT meeting
Tues, 12/14/10
6:30-8:00 pm
Multipurpose Rm.

(1) nikos [at] trilliumcharterschool.org
(2) ramona [at] trilliumcharterschool.org
(3) trillium.joh [at] vtn3.com

Performance Night plus Party

2010-12-10T00:12:00.000-08:00

It's a busy weekend ahead of us!

Performance Night is tonight, Friday 12/10.

Students should arrive no later than 5:45 pm.
Performance due to start at 6:00 pm.
Bring a potluck treat for the following feast (cookies, crackers, fruit, chips or juice).

Brian's Class Party is Sunday, 12/12.

Join us 2:00-4:00 pm in the Multipurpose Room.
Students and families will get together, play, talk, and EAT.
Please RSVP to trillium.joh@vtn3.com or 971.409.5071

Dates to Remember: December 2010

2010-11-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

12/3, 8:30 am. TFT Coffee Klatch in the art room, next to the kitchen. Coffee, tea and treats, plus stunning conversation and small projects to help our teachers.
12/5, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. Geek the Halls winter craft fair at Trillium. Joint fundraiser for Trillium and PDX Browncoats, plus food drive for Oregon Food Bank.
12/10, 6:00 - 8:00 pm. K-1-2 Performance Night!
12/12, 2:00 - 4:00 pm. Brian's Class Party!
12/13, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Trillium Board meeting; all are welcome.
12/14, 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Together for Trillium (TFT) meeting. All are welcome, and childcare is available.
12/17. Last day of classes in 2010.
12/20 - 12/31. NO SCHOOL (Winter Break).

Party! Party! Party!

2010-11-18T18:17:00.000-08:00

Brian's Class Party

Sunday, Dec 12
2:00 - 4:00 pm

Bring a finger food to share!

We know it's getting close to the holidays and other events may coincide,
but we don't want to miss an opportunity to get together, play, talk,
and most especially, EAT.

RSVP

trillium.joh@vtn3.com

971.409.5071

P.S. Yes, we'll have another party (or two) next year as well. :)

Pets, and Klatch and Thanksgiving! (Oh, my.)

2010-11-18T13:51:00.000-08:00

Reminders for the next week:

Tomorrow, Friday 11/19, Sharing Time will be about pets. Students can bring photos of their pets, or the pet itself if a family member can stay, and take it home immediately afterward. No Doggie Daycare in Brian's class; sorry. :)
Tomorrow at 8:30 am is also the TFT Coffee Klatch. Coffee, tea and treats will be available in the Art Room (next door to the kitchen) until about 9:30; parents and younger sibs are welcome. Some easy projects will be available, to help out our teachers while we chat. Stop by for a cup before Sharing, then grab a refill afterward, if you're staying.
No school all next week, for Thanksgiving Break. A class directory is available in each student's folder, to help with play date arrangement and the like.

Pet day on Friday, and lice!

2010-11-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

Someone in our room was found with lice over the weekend. So please check your child's head. We will be doing a head check for everyone tomorrow at school. The school policy is that anyone with live lice or nits will be sent home. If you have questions about lice let me know.

Also this coming Friday, November 19 is going to be pet day in our class. We will have sharing first thing in the morning. Pets can be brought from home if you are willing to stay with your pet and then take it home once you child has shared the pet. Pets cannot stay for the whole morning. You child can also share pictures of the pet if bringing the living pet is too difficult. This is usually a very exciting day for the students.

Dates to Remember: November 2010

2010-11-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

11/8, 6:00 pm. Special Board meeting re: next steps on Director's position, including interim and permanent posts.
11/9, 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Together For Trillium (TFT) meeting. All are welcome, and childcare is available.
11/11 - 11/12. NO SCHOOL (Veterans' Day + Planning Day).
11/15, 8:35 am. TFT Coffee Klatch (rescheduled); location TBA.
11/15, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Regular Board meeting. All are welcome.
11/22 - 11/26. NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving Break).

Sharing Topic for Friday, October 15

2010-10-14T22:42:00.001-07:00

The sharing topic for this week is "your favorite stuffed animal". Sharing is a voluntary activity which your child can choose to do or not. It will be fun to see the family of animals that comes to school tomorrow.

Dates to Remember: October 2010

2010-10-03T20:54:00.000-07:00

10/4. Scrip monthly über-orders due. Gift cards available for *all* retailers offering scrip once a month; Fred Meyers and New Seasons available every week. [ order form ]
10/5-10/7. Middle and Upper School Camp-Outs.
10/8. NO SCHOOL (Statewide Inservice Day).
10/11. NO SCHOOL (Staff Retreat).
10/12, 6:30 - 8:30 pm. TFT meeting, including leadership elections and TFT grants. All are welcome, and childcare is available. Note meeting change to 2nd Tuesday of each month.
10/14, 8:35 - 9:00 am. TFT Coffee Klatch, in Common Space outside kitchen and art room. Tea, coffee, sugary carbohydrates, and most importantly, community.
10/18, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Trillium Board meeting. All are welcome.
10/20, 9:15 am. Field trip to attend Northwest Childrens' Theater production of "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day."
10/27, 9:30 am. Field trip to attend OMSI Omnimax movie, "Hubble."

Lice in School

2010-10-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

They're back!

Lice, that is. And the little buggers have been found in upper school, middle school, and lower school classes, no one is immune.

Last year about this same time Brian posted information and links to some online resources, so get more info here:

http://brianskids.blogspot.com/2009/10/lice-in-our-classroom.html
http://brianskids.blogspot.com/2009/10/another-way-to-deal-with-lice.html

Additionally, here are some amusing and informative videos detailing a 5-point plan to get rid of lice, and how a professional nit picker (who knew?!) checks a person's hair:

http://www.headliceinfo.com/freemovies/flash/

Constant vigilance!!

Notes from Back-to-School Parent Night

2010-09-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

Back to School Night
Thursday, September, 23, 2010

Events
A. Field Trips
.....Need Drivers: 9/29 to OMSI at 10:15 to noon and 10/20 to NWCT from 9:30 to 11:30
.....Please turn in field trip permission slips

B. Sleep Under 9/30
.....Begins at 6:00, go home at 8:30 pm
.....Event for kids in grades 1-2; parents can stay if they want
.....Includes pizza dinner, games and fun; return in the morning for breakfast

Curriculum Focus
A. Reading
1. Methods
.....Want to develop love of reading and strategies
.....Use “Growing Readers” by Kathy Collins as guide
.....“Read Well” program for kids needing extra help with phonics
2. Classroom Help
.....Please sign up to help with Read Well program or with literature circles.

B. Writing
.....Making books is a primary writing focus
.....Inventive Spelling: Encourage your children to be “brave spellers;” don't just tell them how to spell a word. We go into editing later and help kids get to conventional spelling.
.....Need volunteers to make books and copy the books created by kids.

C. Math
.....Investigations Curriculum -- card games, dice games, practical math in real life.
.....Number talks -- write a simple equation, and ask students to show "silent thumbs" (quiet thumbs-up sign in front of chest) when have an answer. Then ask for all the answers, without reference to accuracy, and ask students to explain their reasoning -- how they got to the answer. OK to change their answer as they continue to think or talk their way through the problem.
.....Students grouped by ability for math; studies show math is an area where ability grouping really helps

Art, Music, Garden, Physical Education, Science, Service
A. Most of these subjects are in the mornings.
B. Service projects will likely be in and around school grounds.

Clubs
A. Clubs will be on Fridays; grades 1-2 combining with 3-4-5 students.
B. Will have several choices (chess, jump rope/hula hoop, etc.)
C. Some clubs are just one week; some require a commitment for a few weeks.

Parent Volunteers
A. Sign up sheets outside the class.
B. Some things can be done at home, such as book assembly, etc.
C. Volunteer opportunities at school:
.....driving for field trips
.....assisting with classroom work such as reading, writing, math
helping with clubs
.....photocopying, folding and stapling, other misc. tasks

Snacks
Please bring one for your child every day.

Performances
A. Times:
.....in December in the Multipurpose Room
.....in June outside, with a potluck.
B. Make sure your child comes! We work really hard for those days.

Dates to Remember: September 2010

2010-09-16T22:40:00.000-07:00

We're just getting rolling in the 2010-2011 school year; here are a few dates to remember in September.

9/20, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Trillium Board Meeting. All are welcome.
9/21, 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Together for Trillium (TFT) meeting; parents encouraged to attend. Childcare is available; sign up in the front office.
9/23, 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Back-to-School Parent Meeting, for grades 1-2.
9/30, 6:00 - 8:30 pm. Pizza dinner, fun activities and games for the evening, then students go home to sleep. Return for a group breakfast in the morning.
10/1, 8:30 - 9:30. TFT Coffee Klatch on 1st Friday of every month. Tea, coffee and "some sort of refined sugar-laden, nutritionally deficient carbohydrate product" available.

First & Second Grade Handbook 2010-11

2010-08-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

First & Second Grade Handbook
2010-11

Dear Families,

Thank you for taking the time to read through some important information that will help you, your child and us have an exciting year. Keep this handbook for future use.
Beth, Brian, and Whitney are all excited to be back at school this year. We love working as a team to provide your child with the best personal education we can. This year’s theme is “Time Machine.” We will be learning about our world. We will frame our studies through thematic questions about community, caring for our world, the animals that are there and more. Once again we have a winter performance night planned and an end of the year feast. You will find those dates and more information in the following pages noted below. Thanks for reading this and remember to ask any questions you might have!

Table of Contents
Monday through Thursday Schedule 2
Friday Schedule 2
Supply List 3
Field Trip Information 3
Snack 4
Lunch 4
Conflict resolution 4
Activity Fee 5
TFT 5
SleepUnder and Campout 5
Sharing 6
Birthdays 6
Parent meeting nights & Project Nights 6
Communication 6
Recess, Park and Garden 7
Volunteers 7
Contact Information 8

Monday through Thursday Schedule

Our typical schedule for the beginning of the year looks as follows, things change as the year progresses and special topics are developed and classes planned. Note that there is a different schedule for Fridays as Friday dismissal is at noon.

8:30 Class begins – Please be on time – Check in, Morning Brain Teasers, Morning Message, calendar, and announcements.
9:00-10:05 Art/P.E./Garden/Science rotations/Music for Brian
10:05-10:20 Snack
10:20-10:45 Recess
10:45-11:45 Reading Workshop – Tuesday music for Beth and Whitney
11:45-12:45 Lunch – lunch recess
12:45–1:45 Math and Literacy Menus
1:45-2:45 Writing Workshop/Theme Activities
2:45 – 3:00 Clean up and dismissal, Please be on time!

Friday Schedule
8:30 Class begins – Please be on time – Check in, Morning Brain Teasers, Morning Message, calendar, and announcements.
8:45-9:15 All-school meeting
9:15-9:45 Class meeting
9:45-10:00 Sharing
10:00-10:10 Snack
10:10-10:30 Recess
10:30-11:30 Science or Cooking Friday
11:30-11:45 Clean up
11:45-12:00 Story or Closing Activity
12:00 Dismissal - Please be on time

Supplies
We are including a supply fee for your child’s class supplies. You do not need to bring in any regular supplies. We ask that you pay this fee directly to your child’s teacher. It is $30.00. We may ask for special items to be brought during projects, but they should be things you find around the house.
First Day Things to Bring:
Extra clothes in a Marked Zip-loc bag (Mark with child’s name on clothes)
Emergency Contact Information, and all other paperwork.
Activity fee and other forms from website
Old T-shirt to be used as a paint shirt by the class community
Inside shoes (slippers or flip flops) for in-class wearing
Leak proof water bottle

Field Trips
We have planned the following field trips to enhance our learning experiences during the year. Many of these will require drivers. All will require chaperones. They should be great fun and educational as well.

Date Location
Sept. 23rd Back to school Parent Meeting
Sept. 29th OMSI Cardboard Rocket 10:30 am
Sept. 30th SleepUnder- Games & Fun! 6:00 to 8:30
Oct 1st Group Breakfast
Oct. 20th NWCT Alexander & the Terrible … 9:15
Oct. 27th OMSI Hubble Omnimax movie 9:30
Nov. 5th OMSI Fossils – here at Trillium
Dec. 10th Performance night 6:00pm
Mid Jan. Swimming at Mt. Scott
Jan 31st – Feb 4th Intensives
Feb. 9th TOJ Puppet – Bridge of the Gods 9:15
Mar. 8th OMSI PB& J Robot lab 10, 11, or noon
April 7th NWCT “Go Dog Go” 9:15
April 19th OMSI Birds Lab, 10, 11 or noon
May 19/20 Campout, Cape Lookout
June 3rd Project Night - FEAST! 5:30 – 8:00

Snack
We encourage you to pack a healthful snack for your child each day. Please make it something nutritious and fast to eat with no preparation needed. We will not provide class snacks.

Lunch
Lunch is eaten in the classrooms. Lunch should be sent with your child daily or hot lunch may be purchased. Please try not to send food that your child cannot prepare by her/himself. Please remember to send utensils and food that does not require refrigeration or heating. School lunches are available this year made in-house. The cost is $3.25. These lunches are also available at free and reduced cost. Breakfast is also available for $2.50. Please complete the PPS form for eligibility to receive a free or reduced lunch, even if your child chooses to bring their own lunch. If you qualify for free lunch please complete the form because it qualifies Trillium for additional funding for special programs. Check the Trillium website, http://www.trilliumcharterschool.org/index.php?page=home-visit-packets , for the link.

Conflict Resolution

We use peer mediations as a form of nonviolent conflict resolution at Trillium. We want to give students the tools to solve their own problems. They do so with the support of their teacher and other staff. Please familiarize yourself and your child with our constitution bill of rights and responsibilities. This serves as a foundation for our mediation process and how we frame our responsibilities as members of the community. Mediations are not punitive, but rather a way to fully understand and solve issues.

If the same behavior keeps occurring over and over, then the issue can be taken to Judicial Committee. This is a group of students who ask questions and help to come up with solutions to the ongoing issue. It is much like a multi-mediator mediation. Once again, the goal is to solve issues nonviolently and in a way that works for all members involved. If you have questions about this process, please ask. Please support your child in developing nonviolent conflict resolution skills.

Activity Fee
There is an activity fee that is all-inclusive this year. It covers all field trips, a campout, supplies for class activities for your child. The cost is $115.00. These fees make field trips possible. Additional siblings or family members that attend must be paid for separately and in advance. We should not have to ask for any additional money for our class this year. The only other charge could be an intensive your child chooses. Please make the arrangements for payment or work out a payment schedule with the front office. Please give all payments to your child’s teacher so that we can keep our accounts accurate.
If you qualify for free and reduced lunch you can receive a scholarship from TFT by filling out the scholarship request form in the home visit packet.
You must fill out the scholarship form however. TFT cannot access free and reduced lunch information so you must request the scholarship.

TFT
TFT or Together For Trillium is a parent organization that supports the school. It sponsors Trillium in Bloom various social activities to enrich the Trillium community. Please consider participating and or attending the Potluck, skating party, swimming party, and Auction. It’s your chance to help the school, be involved and meet new friends.

SleepUnder
We have a SleepUnder on September 30th, beginning at 6:00 with pizza dinner and fun activities and games to be enjoyed by all. Parents are invited to come and play and stay if they want or leave their children in our care for the evening. Children should be picked up by 8:30 and go home to sleep and return for a group breakfast with us the next morning. It will be a lot of safe fun for all.

Campout
We will be having a primary campout on May 19th & 20th. We will go to Cape Lookout State Park at the Oregon Coast, 12 miles southwest of Tillamook. We leave in the morning of the first day and return on the second at about 3:00. One parent is strongly encouraged to come, as this is a community activity and a chance to meet the community members and welcome new families. Between the classes there are 12 yurts. Each yurt sleeps a maximum of 8 people. Three tent sites are also reserved. If you are planning to bring a whole family you will need to make your own campsite reservations since we will not have room for everyone’s entire family. The cost of the campout and food is included in your child’s activity fee for your child; any additional family members attending will need to pay an additional fee of $25.00 or $10.00 for those 4 or younger.
Sharing
We love to be able to give the opportunity for all students to share each week. In order to make sharing an interesting and valuable part of our day, each class will have a sharing schedule that will be posted in the class. Sharing is not a time to share toys one may own. DO NOT SEND TOYS. We will have a schedule with a theme for sharing. Please make sure the item or story they share is related to the topic for the week. Check newsletters or calendars for the current themes.

Birthdays
We would love to celebrate your child’s birthday in class. Students with summer birthdays can celebrate their birthday on their half birthday or at another time that we can arrange during the year. Please let us know in advance if you are planning on bringing a snack at 10:00 for the class. Snacks should be healthy and not sugar laden. Advance notice is necessary so we can address food allergies.

Parent Meeting and Project Nights
We will have a back-to-school parent meeting night on Thurs, Sept. 23rd. The parent meeting nights are for parents only. We will focus on classroom support and we will answer questions you have. We have two project nights, Dec. 10th and June 3rd.Project nights are for sharing work!

Communication
All newsletters and important class and school information will be distributed through three avenues: the home files located in/outside each classroom, through electronic emails, and on our blog at the addresses listed at the end of this newsletter or through the main Trillium Website. Please check your file daily to keep up with all of the new and exciting activities in the primary classes and at Trillium. Talk to your child’s teacher if your family needs more than one home file. Make sure we have the correct email an actual home address and phone information for your family.

Recess, Park and Garden Activities
We would love to be able to go outside daily throughout the year to play, work in the Trillium garden and play at the park. Please send your child to school with appropriate outerwear/raingear for the beautiful wet Oregon days.

Volunteers
We are looking forward to a year of partnering with all of the adults in the lives of our students. We hope to be able to learn from your experience with your child so that together we can make his/her experience at Trillium a great one. We have a wide range of opportunities to volunteer in and out of the classroom. Please sign up with your child’s teacher to help or talk to the classroom liaison to help. Each class needs volunteers for a few ongoing projects:
Book Assemblers – Copies and assembles books from Reading A-Z library for student use. Many volunteers make this an easy job. It is a job that fluctuates with the calendar and your schedule.
Dictation – Either takes dictation from students in class or types up recorded dictation that students have made in class.
Portfolio Assistant – Scans and assists in getting work into electronic portfolio system.
Reading Group Facilitators – Help work with small groups of students in reading groups with guided, leveled oral reading.
Menu Time/Project Time Helper – Help with math and literacy menus so that children have adult support in their small group learning.
Before School, Lunch and Recess Duty Helpers – Help assure safety of children during these times and supervise games.
Project helpers – Help students work on ILP projects.

Please contact your child’s teacher if you would be willing to work on one of these projects. Your help is incredibly appreciated.
Trillium and PPS have a policy to help ensure the safety of our children and community. If you are planning to help in any way that gives you access to other people’s children we are required to complete a criminal background check. Those forms are available through the school and help us all to feel better about who is working with our kids. Thanks for your cooperation in completing these quickly so that we can all be involved.
When we go on field trips and you choose to chaperone, remember you are there to help and it is okay to reinforce positive behaviors of children as well as remind them of appropriate limits. Check with any of us if you have questions. Remember that if you volunteer to chaperone we are expecting that you make that your priority and that you take care of all children in your charge just as carefully as you would your own.
While we generally have an open door policy when it comes to parent involvement in the classroom, we are requesting that for the first two weeks of school parent volunteer time be limited to work outside the classroom. We would like for the first two weeks of school to give the students an opportunity to form a tight-knit community with one another and allow us to form our own relationships with the children. We are excited to welcome parents in the classroom beginning with our third week of school, September 21st.
If you have time before the school year begins we would really appreciate volunteers for all sorts of reasons. Thanks, in advance, for your help.

Contact Information
Beth, Brian, and Whitney can be contacted by telephone or email for questions and concerns. Since drop-off and pick-up time are usually busy, please feel free to call or set up an appointment if you need a longer time to chat.

Beth Molenkamp 503.706.6742 email: beth@trilliumcharterschool.org
Blog: http://bethk-1-2.blogspot.com

Brian Porter 541-941-0515 email: brian@trilliumcharterschool.org
Blog: http:// brianskids.blogspot.com

Whitney Sweet 503-975-2246 email: whitney@trilliumcharterschool.org
Blog: http://whitneysclass.blogspot.com

Thank you for your dedication to our students and our school. We look forward to working with you.

*Beth, Brian, and Whitney

Spruce Up for School!

2010-08-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

Work Party to Spruce Up for School
Saturday, Aug 28 | 9 am - 4 pm

Clean dirt & dust from making cob
Weed rain garden along Interstate, parking strip along Maryland
Add cedar shakes to roof for cob wall
Reorganize bike parking?
Neaten, cleanse, enhance, and generally beautify!

Performances Friday, June 4

2010-06-03T19:16:00.001-07:00

TOMORROW is the PERFORMANCE NIGHT at 5:30 here at school. There is a sign up sheet outside the classroom for the POTLUCK. This event will be outside under a tent, if it's not too wet. Otherwise it will be inside. It is RAIN OR SHINE!

Berry Pick-Up Today (Wed, 6/2)

2010-06-02T04:26:00.000-07:00

Time to collect your frozen berries!

If you purchased frozen berries as part of a fundraiser for the Garden Program, pickup will be Wednesday, June 2nd at the end of school.

As berries are frozen and should be kept frozen until you are
ready to eat them, please arrive with coolers and be ready to get them
home as quickly as possible. Trillium does not have freezer room for
storage.

Dates to Remember: May & June 2010

2010-05-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

Holy Priceless Collection of Etruscan Snoods, Batman! Can you believe we only have 13 more school days??

5/30, 9:00 am. Trillium Front Yard Kick-off Breakfast + Intro to Cob talk. Start building!!
5/30 - 6/5. Trillium Front Yard 10-day work party (Village Building Convergence)
5/31. SCHOOL CLOSED for Memorial Day. (Cob building does continue, however.)
6/1. Final SCRIP order of the school year; plan ahead for summer!
6/4, 8:30 am. TFT Coffee Klatch, in Aftercare room. All are welcome.
6/4, 5:30 - 8:00 pm. Grades 1-2 World’s Fair Project Night + Feast.
6/5, 6:00 - 9:00 pm. The Peace and Love Concert, a senior project featuring student musicians. Tickets $5; all proceeds to benefit Humble Hearts School in Kenya.
6/6, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Trillium Front Yard Showcase.
6/7-6/10. All-school Intensives week. Contact Polly if you can teach, or assist with a class
6/11, 6:30-8:30 pm. "A Thousand Cranes" play by Trillium students, Da Vinci Middle School. General admission tickets $7; students & staff $5.
6/17. LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!! Classes end at noon.
6/17, 7:00 pm. Staff appreciation party. Yay, Trillium staff!

The camping! It's coming!

2010-05-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

Some dirt on camping:

Monday, 5/17, 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Pre-campout meeting for parents of students attending the campout.
Make sure you've paid for family members attending with the student: $15 per person ($5 for children under 3).
Drivers at Trillium 9:00 am Thursday, May 20 to load vehicles.
No electronic games. No knives, or other dangerous items.
Yes! to acoustic instruments.
Mark your child's name on everything you pack, using permanent marker.

Fun, fun!!

Upcoming Trillium "Front Yard" events

2010-05-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some upcoming dates for the Trillium "Front Yard" project:

Sat, 5/8; 1:00 - 4:00 pm. Meeting to prepare for upcoming work parties.
Sat, 5/15 - Sun, 5/16. Work party to bust up asphalt, place fence posts.
Sat, 5/22 - Sun, 5/23. Work party to lay foundation for cob wall.
Fri, 5/28 - Sun, 6/6. Village Building Convergence (VBC); i.e., the 10-day work party with lots of community help, to build the cob wall along Interstate, and wood fence along border with IFCC parking lot.

More information will be coming soon, via email from Rob VanNood.

Reminders for May 2010

2010-05-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

Due ASAP:

Criminal background form for any adult attending the campout
All raffle tickets, sold and unsold
Run for the Arts pledge money (by 5/7)
Camp out information form (by 5/7)

Dates to remember:

5/7, 8:30 am. TFT Coffee Klatch, in Aftercare room.
5/7, 9:00 am. Raffle drawing in All-school meeting, Multipurpose room.
5/10. PGE Park baseball field trip. Students bring bagged lunch.
5/10, 6:30 pm. TFT meeting. Meet in lobby; childcare available.
5/12. Potluck for 2nd graders and families; meet 3-4-5 advisors.
5/17. Camp out meeting for parents.
5/20-21. Camp out for grades 1-2!
5/28. Final SCRIP order of the school year; plan ahead for summer.
5/28 - June 6. Trillium Front Yard 10-day work party!! (Village Building Convergence)
5/31. SCHOOL CLOSED for Memorial Day.
6/4, 8:30 am. TFT Coffee Klatch, in Aftercare room.
6/4, 5:30-8:00 pm. Grades 1-2 World’s Fair Project Night - FEAST.

Extra Board Meeting Tonight, May 3

2010-05-03T16:45:00.000-07:00

There is an extra Trillium Board meeting tonight, beginning at 6:00 pm, to discuss school finances. All are welcome and encouraged to attend, but there will not be childcare available.

Board director James Hindes wrote in his email dated April 26, 2010 that Trillium is losing money; tonight's meeting will include discussion of expenses and ways to raise revenue, and offer time to ask any questions you may have.

Field trip to PGE Park

2010-05-03T05:37:00.000-07:00

Monday May 10th, we will have a field trip! We were offered a free field trip to PGE Park. We will be riding the MAX to PGE Park for a baseball game. Before the game OMSI will do a demonstration about the science of baseball. Each class will need about three chaperones for this field trip. I will have a sign up sheet by my door.

Run for the Arts money + Raffle tickets due 5/3

2010-05-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

Reminder for Monday, May 3:

Turn in all remaining sold *and* unsold raffle tickets.
Bring in pledge money for Run for the Arts.

Thanks for supporting our school!

First and Second Grade Campout

2010-04-28T05:48:00.000-07:00

Dear camping families in K-1-2,

      The campout is almost here! We’re really excited. Here’s some information for you to help in planning. The fee for the campout for your child is included in the annual activity fees. If you have not paid the activity fee, please understand how important it is and pay now! The fee for the campout for other family members is $15.00 each person. Children 3 and under are only $5.00. Please pay by Friday May 14^th. Pay your child’s teacher directly, please.
      All three classes are going together. We will leave Thursday, May 20^th and return on Friday, May 21^st . We are staying in yurts at Cape Lookout, which sleep 8 rather cozily. You will need to expect to share with another adult or 2. What a great opportunity to meet new people! The yurts have a queen bunk, extra large twin, and a queen futon. You will need your own sleeping bags and pillows and maybe extra sleeping mats, but it’s mostly comfy.
      Due to the fact that we have 120 spaces in the yurts and if each child were to be accompanied by one adult that is 116 people, we are limited on our space. We have booked two tent sites as well. We would really like this to be a campout for the kids and one of their parents. It is a time for them to bond and for parents to meet and bond as well. If all family members come it changes the feel of the campout. We would like to encourage all families to have their child attend and one adult family member. If you cannot attend, you can decide if your child is ready for an away-from-home sleepover. We would really like to discourage older siblings from attending as they completely change the experience of our campers. We do understand that younger siblings may need to tag along. Just remember it will be cozy. If you really want to bring the whole family we would like you to rent your own campsite to assure your comfort and the comfort of the group. You will still be welcome for meals and all group activities. We will have a pre-campout meeting on Monday, May 17^th to go over details before we leave.
       If you are driving please be here about 9:00 to load vehicles. We will be staying at Cape Lookout state park again. We can check into the group site right away. We have to wait until 4:00 or so to check into the individual yurt spots. We can have one car at each yurt included in the cost. Additional cars must have a parking permit which we will make sure you have. Two at each yurt is the limit, otherwise parking is allowed in the overflow area with a fee too. We will have structured and unstructured activities and meals and snacks. We have to be checked out by 1:00 on Friday.
      We have a sign up sheet for our planning. Please return these to us by Friday, May 7^th. It is very difficult to estimate the amount of food and yurt assignments without necessary information. Thanks for your help on this. Any parents planning to attend have to complete a criminal background check form. This is required by the Portland Public School district and Trillium. We’re sure everyone will feel more confident knowing that we have documentation of no criminal history while other parents may be with your child. This form must be returned by Friday, April 30^th. We need time to process them so that we have the information back in time for the campout. If we do not have one completed you cannot attend. If you have one from last year you do not have to fill it out again.
      Each year water safety is an issue. We are at the beach, but none of us are lifeguards. We invite you to enjoy beachcombing or playing on the beach but children can only enter the water up to their knees if an adult is holding their hand. We really cannot have exceptions to this rule. It really is a matter of life and death. If you want to stay at the campground and extra day and play according to the guidelines that your family feels comfortable with that’s great. However, we need the adult supervision in the water rule to be followed by all.
      DO NOT Bring electronic games. Also, although you may allow your child to use a knife while camping with your family this is a school outing and therefore dictates that knives are NOT allowed. Please do not bring them or any other potentially dangerous items. If your child were to bring one, or exhibits behavior that is unsafe to themselves or others they will have consequences that could include leaving the campout. Bring along acoustic musical instruments if you have them. This should be fun! Let us know if you have any further questions.

Children should bring the following items, MARKED WITH PERMANENT MARKER, in an easy to pack bag. Space is limited when driving to the coast.

Sleeping bag
Pillow, if needed
Flashlight
Coat – Windproof is best
3 Pairs Pants
3 Shirts
2 pair shoes
5 pair socks
4 pair underwear (more if your child has problems in this area)
Pajamas
Towel
Bag to keep it all in
Board games, kite, Frisbee, beach game (optional)
Toothbrush & toothpaste
Optional – sleeping mat

Last week of the 2010 Raffle!

2010-04-25T21:45:00.001-07:00

Only one more week to sell raffle tickets!!

Our overall goal is $20,000 and so far $5,000 has been raised. There are approximately 200 families at Trillium; if every family sells 20 tickets, we can get there.

This our our school's main fundraiser. We've moved to a raffle, instead of an auction, so that we can reach out to the community... often an auction raises money mostly from families already within a given school. Also, it allows folks to contribute in smaller increments; $5.00 at a time, rather than $25 (or more) per person to get into an auction, then whatever money to bid on auction items. That can be out of reach for a lot of families; a $5.00 ticket may not be.

Thanks for all your hard work collecting donations and selling tickets so far... now let's bring it home!

P.S. Your friendly neighborhood liaison (me) will be working the Raffle Central table most afternoons this week. Stop by and check out some tickets! :)

Trillium Front Yard - Cob Wall & Gate - Meeting 5/1

2010-04-24T22:29:00.000-07:00

Oh, but it's coming together beautifully!!

This is the latest draft of our Trillium Front Yard design: a curvy cob wall, with small benches inside and out, some planting spaces, a metal gate, and community bulletin board.

Notable changes from the previous draft:

the planned roof structures over bike parking in the northwest corner, and the gathering corner in the southwest corner will wait for now (perhaps to be added this summer or fall).
the gate has been moved a few feet south and angled, to allow for better access from the driveway (e.g., for an ambulance); a nice side benefit is that the gate now points to the front door.
instead of small roofs over the top of the wall -- to protect the cob structure from rain -- the top will have wood shakes imbedded, which will shed the rain; it should be easier to build, and less visually cluttered to boot.

The next meeting is this coming Saturday, May 1, from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. Folks are needed for four main groups:

Artist and design types will create a scale clay model of the cob wall we want to build.
Welders (and those who want to learn) will begin to design and plan the 12 foot still fence.
A group will organize volunteers for the upcoming work parties, and find ways to encourage local businesses to participate in our effort.
Those with construction interest and experience will plan the foundation of the cob wall; the foundation needs to be in place before May 28th.

Remember: Village Building Convergence, the 10-day event when we'll build our awesome project, is May 28 - June 6. See you there!

Got Tickets?

2010-04-20T18:43:00.000-07:00

Sooo... our goal for the raffle is $20,000. Amount currently turned in? Only $2500. Yikes!!

If you haven't done so, please stop by Raffle Central (the table just inside the front doors) and sign out some tickets to sell to friends, neighbors, family, or you know, the stranger walking by with their dog. These are *awesome* prize collections, worth between $1413 and $3039, and the tickets are just $5.00.

Ways people have sold tickets:

sent an email to everyone on their contact list (*)
set up a table at the Columbia Park Bike Fair
placed a printed "table tent" on their desk at work, and talked to coworkers
set up a display at place of worship
talked to biking neighbors about Alternative Transportation tickets
talked to folks with great gardens about Gardening tickets
posted info on their Facebook page

Thanks for all your help so far; let's work to make this raffle a great success!

(*) To purchase a ticket, the buyer must be in the state of Oregon at the time of sale. So perhaps one can leave out-of-state friends and family off any mass emails. :)

Re-Imagining Trillium: From Ideas into Action 4/17

2010-04-15T03:39:00.001-07:00

On Saturday April 17th (from 9:30 am to noon) we will be breaking up into teams to help plan for the big work party (May 28th-June 6th). While we will be working with City Repair and The Mud Girls (a collective of cob designers and builders), there is much that our community needs to do to get ready for this big construction project.

The Design Team will be working to finalize cob structure ideas.
The Fundraising Team will be working to find ways to go out into the community to encourage involvement.
The Volunteer Team will be working to find people to help.
The Materials Team will be working to secure materials for the project.

Please join us. We need your help and support! EVERYONE is encouraged to come.

(from an April 6 email by Rob VanNood, 3-4-5 teacher and Reimagining Trillium lead organizer)

Re-Imagining Trillium: May 28 - June 6

2010-04-15T03:01:00.000-07:00

Save the Dates! May 28 - June 6

These are the dates of a huge work party at Trillium, when we'll transform the empty parking lot into an amazing courtyard enclosure. Our work party will be one of many across Portland, part of the Village Building Convergence organized by City Repair Project.

There are four goals this year:

Cob wall and metal gate along Interstate Ave.
Gathering corner, with bench seating and roof
Fencing between Trillium and IFCC
Removal of chain-link fence that divides playground from current parking lot

We'll have help from outside Trillium -- labor, material, food donations -- as well as from within. Students, teachers, parents and friends of Trillium will all be needed to make this magical transformation. In fact, right now we need the services of an engineer: if you have these skills or know a family member or friend that may, please share!

See you there May 28 - June 6!!

P.S. Support the Trillium Seed Company! These are 3-4-5 students who sell packets of seeds for $1.00 before and after school daily. All profits benefit the Re-Imagining Trillium Project!

Time to sell Trillium in Bloom raffle tickets!

2010-04-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

It's time for the Annual Trillium in Bloom Raffle. Buy a ticket—or 10! Encourage everyone you know to buy a ticket. Take a chance on winning fabulous prizes! Click the links below for a description of each basket, all of which are awesome.

There are 1000 tickets for each basket, and each ticket costs $5. If we sell all 4000 tickets, we'll raise **$20,000** for Trillium! Raffle tickets are on sale through the month of April; the drawing will be held on Friday, May 7, and four lucky winners will be chosen.

Stop by Raffle Central in the front lobby to purchase tickets for yourself, or sign out tickets to sell to friends, neighbors and coworkers.

Spread the word about Trillium Charter School to the broader community. And raise much-needed funds for our wonderful K-12 public school!

P.S. The class that sells the most tickets wins a $100 gift certificate for its teacher; second place scores $50 for the teacher.

Run for the Arts on Fri, 4/23

2010-04-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

Trillium is once again participating in the Run for the Arts jogathon, on Friday, April 23rd. (The rain date is one week later, 4/30.)

Here's a description from their web site:

"Run For The Arts is an opportunity for schools to raise the funds that make it possible to bring artists into their classrooms, pay for field trips to see performances and exhibitions and purchase art supplies. It is an annual jogathon conducted by individual schools throughout Oregon & SW Washington and coordinated by Young Audiences. Students secure pledges for laps run, earn points, win prizes and raise funds to ensure the arts are present in their school."

Look for opportunities to volunteer; one or two people are needed for each class, to mark the number of laps a child has run or walked.

Booster Seats & More Drivers for 4/7

2010-04-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

A reminder: if your child uses a booster seat in the car, bring one to school tomorrow. It will be needed for the rides to and from the play, "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!"

Drivers are still needed, as well. At the end of school today, Brian's sign-up sheet listed room for only 10 students. If you can help, please let Brian know.

Arts & Architecture reference links

2010-04-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

Students in grades 1 & 2 have been participating in rotating Arts & Architecture classes since early March. This week begins another 2-week session, and the topics are (1) Bridges, (2) Sky Scrapers, and (3) Landscape Painting.

Here are some online references to use if you'd like:

www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/
great site for both bridges & skyscrapers; interactive labs and challenges. Make sure to check out the "Webology" section for both bridges and skyscrapers, which provide more online resources.

www.emporis.com/application/?nav=skyscrapers
more info about the tallest skyscrapers

www.skyscraper.org/WHAT%27S_UP/COOL_STUFF/coolstuff.htm
fun Flash animations about tall vs. large buildings; also map of New York City skyscrapers, and how the city grew in time

www.artprojectsforkids.org/2008/03/acrylic-dry-brush-landscape-painting.html
describes some basic techniques for layering colors with acrylic paints, how to use accent colors

painting.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&zTi=1&sdn=painting&cdn=hobbies&tm=120&f=00&tt=14&bt=1&bts=0&st=23&zu=http%3A//www.hitentertainment.com/artattack/cheatslandscape.html
step-by-step tutorial for drawing a rural landscape; includes some neat tips on creating perspective

Field Trip! Drivers needed

2010-04-06T15:11:00.000-07:00

Show time! The kids are headed to Northwest Children's Theater on Thursday to take in a play. We are leaving at 11:25 for a 12:00 show, and should be back by 1:30.

Here's the thing: drivers are urgently needed. So far? No one has signed up. Yikes! So, please sign up outside the classroom if you can drive. Thanks!

Busy Two Weeks!

2010-03-01T14:58:00.000-08:00

School pictures are tomorrow afternoon!
Brian's spring class party this Saturday at Trillium, from 4:00-6:00.
Spring Raffle Basket Donations due next Wednesday.

Picture Days 3/2-3/3

2010-02-25T12:43:00.000-08:00

Picture days are next Tuesday and Wednesday (3/2-3/3), from 9:30 - 2:30. 'More info when we know which day Brian's class specifically will be photographed.

Raffle Baskets

2010-02-24T10:42:00.000-08:00

It's time for Trillium's annual Raffle Basket fundraiser. Each grade cluster is creating a themed basket for the raffle; our theme for grades K, 1, and 2 is Alternative Transportation. Juli Maus (parent to Eleni in Beth's class) is coordinating the donations for our cluster.

The suggested donation per family is $10-15. Here are some suggestions for donations:

TriMet passes
Gift certificates to bike shop or sports gear store (great thing to buy through SCRIP)
Bike gear: rain gear, bags, lights, helmets, fenders, pumps, tire repair kits
Gift certificate for transport-themed experience: bike camp, bike maintenance class, etc.
Zip Car membership
Other ideas? Talk to Juli. It is totally open.

If everyone contributed, we could add something really cool, like a bike or Xtracycle kit.

You can leave your donations for Juli in 1) Eleni's box, or 2) Beth's room. Feel free to call Juli Maus (503 735 3040) or email her with questions.

Thank you for your help!

TFT Family Swim Party, Fri 2/26

2010-02-22T17:45:00.000-08:00

You're invited!! But please note: you must sign up at the front desk, or email Leigh Ann Kennedy ( leighannkennedy@yahoo.com ) no later than tomorrow, Tuesday, 2/23. Please provide the name of the adult, and the number of children who will be coming (# under 3 y.o., # over 3 y.o.)

TFT Family Swimming Party

Friday February 26
1:00 - 3:00
Mt. Scott Community Center,
5530 SE 72nd Avenue

The pool is reserved just for Trillium!

**Adults must accompany children into the water.**

We are asking for a donation of $1 or more per person at the door to help cover our costs (actual cost: $2.20 per person for ages 3-17, $3.40 per person for adults).

Dates to Remember: February & March 2010

2010-02-11T23:59:00.000-08:00

Here are some important dates to remember for February and March, 2010.

2/12, 9-12. Valentine's Day activities.
2/15. NO SCHOOL: PRESIDENTS' DAY.
2/17, 6-7 pm. Single Parents' Group.
2/22, 6-8:30 pm. Trillium Board Meeting (Ken's room). All welcome.
2/26, 1-3 pm. Trillium all-school swim party, Mt. Scott Community Center. Sign up required @ front desk.

3/1, 8:20-8:45 am. SCRIP über-order due.
3/5, 8:30-9:00 am. TFT Coffee Klatch, in Aftercare Room. SCRIP order pick-up.
3/6, 4-6 pm. Brian's Class Party.
3/8, 6:30-8 pm. TFT meeting. All welcome (and encouraged!); childcare available.
3/10. Due date for Spring Raffle Baskets donations.
3/14. Daylight Savings Time: Spring Forward.
3/15. Trillium Board meeting, Ken's room. All welcome.
3/22-4/2. SCHOOL CLOSED: SPRING BREAK.

Save the Date! March 6

2010-02-11T22:05:00.000-08:00

We've started planning for the next class party, so please save the date!

Saturday, March 6
4:00-6:00 pm

Valentine's Day activities, Friday 2/12

2010-02-11T21:58:00.000-08:00

We will be doing a variety of math, literacy and craft activities at school on Friday, 2/12, related to Valentine's Day. If anyone would like to bring a healthy-type treat to share, we will also have a party.

It is the student's choice whether to participate in the valentines exchange. If they choose to give valentines, they should give them to everyone in the class. If anyone is available to assist with some activities that morning, Brian could use the help.

If you have any question please contact Brian: 503.285.3833 or brian@trilliumcharterschool.org

Adult helpers needed TOMORROW

2010-02-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

The students in grades K, 1, and 2 will be attending a performance by Tears of Joy puppet theater tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 4. They'll ride the MAX train downtown for the show, and adult volunteers are needed to accompany students on the field trip (4-5 volunteers per class).

One caveat: Trillium seating is limited, so extra (free) tickets for younger children of chaperones are not available. Children ages 3 and up are able to accompany chaperones, per Tears of Joy policy, as long as there is no disruption to the performance.

If young children (3 and up) do attend with an adult chaperone, they can sit on the adult's lap, or an additional ticket may be purchased at the venue (as of 2/3 @ 9:30 am, additional seats are still available).

Trillium Project Fair Schedule- Thursday (tomorrow)

2010-01-27T20:27:00.000-08:00

I hope you will all join me tomorrow night for the Trillium Project Fair from 6:30- 8:00pm.
The schedule for the evening is:

6:30- 7:00- K-5th grade classrooms open - This is the time to come visit our Amazon rain forest.
7:00- 7:30- performances in the multi-purpose room
              7:00- 1,2 grade drummers
              7:05- 3,4,5 grade drummers
              7:10- upper school drummers
              7:25- Brian's elective block dancers- circle dance with participation from all invited
7:15- 7:30- Shadow Puppet performances (Lyndsey's elective block class) - in the after care room (next door to our classroom)
7:30- 8:00- Upper school rooms open

This is the tentative schedule. There will be updated information about the evening tomorrow at the end of the school day.

Reminder- there is no school on Monday or Tuesday.

Elective Block Offerings- Make Your Choices

2010-01-21T20:57:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to the elective block class offering for the next quarter. I will also have some paper copies of the catalog in my classroom to look at. Please fill out and return the worksheet that I am sending home, with your child's choices for the elective block. I need these by Wednesday, January 27 so that we have time to create the new groupings to begin the classes on February 3. The following is a link to the catalogs for all grade levels. Please look at the catalog for grades 1,2.

The following link will direct you to the latest course catalogs and schedule worksheets for all grades.

http://www.trilliumcharterschool.org/trillium-info/course-offerings

All School Project Fair , Thursday, January 28

2010-01-21T20:36:00.000-08:00

The All-School Project Fair will be next Thursday evening, January 28 from 6:30 - 8:00pm. Your whole family is invited to attend. There will be some group performances and presentations in the multipurpose room during the evening. I will post the schedule for you when it is finalized. There are several students performing from our class. It is an opportunity to see and experience some of the things happening at all levels of our school not just the first and second grades. Our classroom will be showing our projects related to our study of the Amazon rainforest in particular. I hope that you can all make it. If you have questions please let me know.

Terrarium Project Beginning: Help Needed

2010-01-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

First, I want to say thanks to everyone for the amount of bottles that were brought in over the last week. We now have enough for all classes to build terrariums. Awesome! We are planning to start our growing process Tuesday afternoon. To be prepared, we do need to do some prep work in advance. We need to cut each bottle (something probably not suitable for our students to do) and also copy growing journals for each student. We will be doing this prep work after school on Monday. Any help from families would be really great. If it works within your schedule, there will be play activities for all ages while we get to work. I can't imagine it will take too long. No need to confirm, but if you have an extra half an hour, it would really be appreciated.

January 2010 Dates to Remember

2010-01-05T16:29:00.000-08:00

1/6, 6:30-7:30 pm. Safe Routes to School mtg. Multipurpose room?
1/11, 6:30-8:00 pm. TFT mtg, multipurpose room. Childcare available.
1/18. NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
1/25, 6:00-8:30 pm. Trillium Board mtg, Ken's room. All welcome.
1/29. All school project day. (Last day of 1st semester).
2/1-2/2. NO SCHOOL -Teacher Planning Days

Rain Forests

2009-12-24T17:32:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone is enjoying a break from school. I wanted to let everyone know that we begin a unit on the rain forests of our world when we return back to Trillium. Beth's class will be studying the Asian rain forest, Whitney's class will be studying the African rain forest, and we will be studying the South American rain forest. Anyone excited about jaguars and anacondas?

One of the projects we will be doing is having each child build, care for, and collect data on their very own terrarium. To do so, we need 2 liter clear plastic bottles. 19 of them. So if you have any around the house, please bring them back as early as possible in the week that we return. We have a project fair in late January, so the quicker we can get to building our terrariums, the better. Ok, thanks for your time and enjoy the holidays.

Lice Again

2009-12-13T21:46:00.000-08:00

A student in our class was discovered with several live adult lice on Saturday night. So please check your child everyday for the next couple of weeks to make sure that s/he is lice free. If you have any questions please check with me...Brian

Intensives

2009-12-11T14:23:00.000-08:00

Intensive Learning Classes

Dec. 14 - 17
9:00 - 12:00 pm

Volunteer opportunities: (Email Polly if you can help)

a classroom helper for as many days as will work with your schedule
a driver for as many days as you can
help with logistics, set up and clean up (mostly done Dec 11-13 + Dec18)

Class assignments were placed in take-home folders Friday morning.

Performance Night Tonight!!

2009-12-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

Bringing in the Light

A Winter Performance in Four Parts:
how we bring light into a dark time of year

Tonight, Friday, 12/11
6:00 pm

**Students should arrive by 5:45**

Bringing in the Light

2009-12-02T20:57:00.000-08:00

As many know, we will be having our first Performance Night on December 11th at 6:00pm at Trillium. We will be featuring 4 varied acts and it will be a blast. More details will come soon as to when students should arrive for preparations the night of.

Our theme this year is "Bringing in the Light". We explore ways in which different cultures "bring light into the dark time of the year". We came up with a spectacular idea of allowing each child if they choose to bring in their own light to share with our community. What this means is students may bring in some type of electric light (non-flame) next week and as part of our celebration we will light them at once to brighten our school (and hopefully not short out the whole building). Anything from electric tea candle lights to Christmas lights or even lamps are welcome. We are asking that no one brings any lights with sentimental value as they may end up going missing or broken. Put a piece of tape on the cord with your name on it so you can take it home after the performance. Please bring the lights to school next week. Can't wait to see you all there!

All-school SCRIP Contest in December

2009-11-30T11:15:00.000-08:00

Our SCRIP program is running a contest for the month of December. The class with the largest dollar total of SCRIP sales will win their advisor a Powells gift card! Please remember to put the name of your child's advisor on your order*, or mention it to the SCRIP coordinators when you buy SCRIP on hand.

"On-hand" SCRIP -- for Fred Meyers and New Seasons -- can be purchased in the lobby on Monday and Friday mornings in the lobby, from 8:15-8:45 am. During the TFT Coffee Klatch on the first Friday of each month (8:30 am), track down your friendly neighborhood SCRIP coordinators in the multipurpose room enjoying coffee and donuts.

SCRIP über-orders, which include all available SCRIP items, are due Monday, November 30, and Monday, December 14. Think ahead for holiday shopping!

*If you have more than one child at Trillium, include the names of each advisor on the order form. They'll figure it out later. :)

2009-11-30T10:50:00.000-08:00

December 2009 dates to remember:

12/4, 8:30 am. TFT Coffee Klatch: free coffee, treats & conversation (multipurpose room). Pick up SCRIP here, too.
12/6, 4:00 -6:00 pm. Sunday Shindig : Brian's Class Party. Potluck + dancing in multipurpose room.
12/11, 6:00 pm. Performance Night!! (multipurpose room).
12/14, 8:15-8:45 am. Last big SCRIP order due (SCRIP pick up on 12/18).
12/14, 6:00 pm. Trillium Board meeting.
12/14, 6:30-8:00pm. TFT Meeting, multipurpose room. Childcare available.
12/14 - 12/18. Intensive Learning Classes.
12/18. Last day of school in 2009.
12/21 - 1/1. NO SCHOOL - Winter Break (two weeks).
1/4. First day of school in 2010!

Sunday Shindig: Potluck + Party (12/6)

2009-11-28T12:43:00.000-08:00

Sunday Shindig: Potluck + Party

Sunday, Dec. 6 | 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Trillium Common Space
Brian's class + families

shin·dig (shĭn'dĭg') n. 1. A festive party, often with dancing. 2. And food. Definitely food. 3. Also cowbell. Gotta have more cowbell!

It's high time to get together as a class for a bit of socializing, noshing, and yes, probably even dancing. Bring a dish to share, plates and table service; we'll eat, talk, laugh and then move.

P.S. We're headed into (already in the depths of?) the holiday season, and times are hard to come by, so we'll definitely schedule one or more opportunities for 2010, as well. Whee!

November dates for your calendar

2009-11-02T23:10:00.000-08:00

Here are some important dates to remember for November, 2009:

11/6. NO SCHOOL.
11/9, 6:30-8:00pm. TFT Meeting, multipurpose room. Childcare available.
11/11. NO SCHOOL - Veterans' Day.
11/15, 6:00 pm. Trillium in Bloom 2009 wrap-up mtg - successes & improvements.
11/16. Online survey for Re-imagining Trillium's Front Yard due.
11/17, 6:30. Reimagining Trillium's Front Yard (space-making) meeting.
11/23-11/27. NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break.

Halloween Parade this Friday at 11:45 am

2009-10-27T21:44:00.001-07:00

We will be having a Halloween Parade at Trillium on Friday, October 30 beginning at about 11:45 am. Your child is invited to bring a costume to wear for the parade. Please do not send them to school in the costume. Please do not send them with any weapons. Masks may only be worn during the parade. We will start getting ready for the parade at about 11:15. The parade will go around the park if the weather is good otherwise it will go throughout the school. We will also be doing some Halloween choice time activities in the morning with the first and second graders and I could use a couple volunteers to help with these activities from about 9am to 10:15 am. Let me know if you can help out. School gets out at the regular Friday time of 12 noon.

Field Trip to World Forestry Center this Thursday, October 22

2009-10-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

All of the first and second grade classes are going on our first field trip this year to the World Forestry Center on Thursday. We will be leaving at 9:00 am to catch the MAX. The World Forestry Center is near the zoo. We will be at the Forestry Center from 10:00 am to about 11:30 am. We will then eat our sack lunches and then go on a hike outside. After the hike we will ride the MAX back to school, returning somewhere between 1:00 and 2:00 pm. Afternoon pick-up is at the regular time of 3:15.

To help make this a successful trip:
* Send your child with a sack lunch that they will not need to bring home (lunch boxes become difficult to keep track of and to carry)
* Make sure that you have filled out all of the forms from the beginning of the year home visit packets, especially the field trip permission form and that you have paid your activity fee. If you have questions about this see me (Brian).
* Have your child wear appropriate clothing for doing a hike outside. We will do this unless it is raining hard.
* If you are joining us on this trip bring a backpack so that you can help carry some of the kid's things.
* Have your child at school by 8:45 am, so that they can be part of the expectations for the day and that we can all leave at 9:00 am.

I am looking forward to our adventure this Thursday. If you have any questions please ask me (Brian)?

Another Way to Deal with Lice

2009-10-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

Fairy Tales Rosemary Repel Hair Care uses organic herbs of rosemary, tea tree, citronella oils to help prevent head lice. It has been proven to work. Their Lice Good-Bye is the best way to get rid of lice and nits - unlike other methods that only use pesticides and don't get rid of nits. Visit the site at www.fairytaleshaircare.com. Use the Spray everyday and have remained lice free during outbreaks.

Lice in Our Classroom

2009-10-13T16:03:00.001-07:00

Today I checked all the kids (two were sent home with nits and one was already home with lice) and I thoroughly vacuumed the risers and carpets. Now it is up to you to help out. Below is some helpful information, please read it. PLEASE CHECK YOUR CHILD DAILY FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS as I can't take time each day to do it. TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY. If there is just one child who has lice and isn't properly or fully treated we could get back into a situation where many kids get it. IF your child does have lice OR nits please let me know.

Head lice are extremely contagious. Close contact or sharing personal belongings, such as hats or hairbrushes, puts people at risk. Children ages 3-11 and their families get head lice most often. Personal hygiene has nothing to do with getting head lice. Parents, please express to your child how important it is for your child NOT to share hairbrushes and combs, barrettes and rubber bands as well as hats.

As a school, we cannot stress how important it is to be vigilant in following the proper procedure when dealing with lice &/or nits. The school requires children to be free of lice and nits before returning to the classroom.

Below is information gathered from Medline Plus http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/headlice.html

Head lice are parasitic wingless insects. They live on people's heads and feed on their blood. An adult is called a louse and is about the size of a sesame seed. The eggs, called nits, are even smaller - almost like a dandruff flake. Lice and nits are easiest to detect at the neckline and behind the ear, but they can really be found anywhere on the head. The students that I sent home today both had nits on the TOP of their head.

Symptoms are

Tickling feeling in the hair
Frequent itching
Sores from scratching

The most important step in treating head lice is to treat the person and other family members with medicine to kill the lice.

How can I treat head lice?

Head lice can be treated with over-the-counter or prescription products. Shampoos and lotions that kill head lice contain pesticides and other chemicals, so it is important to talk to your doctor before using these products, especially if you are pregnant or nursing, or if you have allergies or asthma. It is also not safe to use products with pesticides on or near your eyes. If you find head lice or nits in eyelashes or brows, talk to your doctor.

The products that kill head lice don't usually kill all nits. To reduce the risk of another lice infestation, pick the remaining lice and nits by hand or by using a special comb (one brand name: LiceMeister comb) to remove them. Comb through all of the hair one section at a time every 3 days or more often, for at least 2 weeks or until you stop seeing head lice and nits.

You should also use hot water to wash any bed linens, towels and clothing recently worn by the person who had head lice. Vacuum anything that can't be washed such as the couch, carpets, your child's car seat and any stuffed animals. Because head lice don't live very long away from the scalp, you don't need to use lice spray on these items.

Additional information regarding non-toxic methods can be found at http://blogs.webmd.com/healthy-children/2006/02/got-lice.html and detailed instructions at http://www.nuvoforheadlice.com

Here are some other tips and suggestions that might be helpful:

Steps to take at home

1. Children WITHOUT lice should lather up their heads with hair gel each morning before school. Lice do not like hair gel. And girls should wear their hair in a braid or pony tail every day.

2. Place your child's hats and coat in a very hot dryer the moment you come home from school.

Preventative Care:

I've read (several places) that head lice are repelled by tea-tree oil & rosemary. You can find all natural shampoo, conditioner & hairspray formulated to repel head lice (supposedly) here: http://www.fairytaleshaircare.com/catalog/default.asp?category=3

Also, I found at New Seasons Giovanni shampoo and conditioner that has tea tree oil & rosemary oil.

Additional tips and suggestions:

http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/welcome/treatmentguides/lice.html

http://www.cdc.gov/lice

http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/conditions/a/head_lice.htm

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/headlice/Head_Lice_Treatment_Guide.htm

http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/wselcome/treatmentguides/lice.html

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/lice/factsht_head_lice.htm

LiceGuard Robi Comb (available at drug stores)

Retail Price: $35.00
Web Price: $29.95

International Bestseller
ZAP LICE dead on contact while combing DRY hair.
As the comb slides through the hair, it makes a soft humming sound until it encounters a louse.
The humming sound stops and a small electrical charge passes from the comb's teeth through the louse. Using the small brush included in the package, the user removes the dead louse from the comb's teeth and resumes combing.
The comb can be stored and used repeatedly by the entire family!

Thanks for attention to this matter,

TFT meeting on Monday, 10/12

2009-10-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

The monthly Together for Trillium (TFT) meeting is Monday, Oct 12th, 6:30 - 7:30 pm (or so).

October is the month of elections for TFT leadership positions within TFT. Please come and take part and join in! We'd love to have your involvement & input. Check out the list of leadership positions here: http://www.trilliumcharterschool.org/tft

Childcare will be provided. Contact Kerri Creager (current TFT president) if you need childcare, or sign up at the front desk during school hours on Monday.

No School on Friday

2009-10-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

No School on Friday! No sharing this week. We will have our weekly class meeting on Thursday. This is a time when we hear proposals for the class and we also talk about levels.

Field Trip to the World Forestry Center on October 22
We will be having a field trip to the World Forestry Center On Thursday, October 22. We will ride the MAX. We will need parent volunteers to join us. There will be a sign-up sheet outside of Brian's room for parents that can join us for the field trip. We will need to leave about 9am and will take sack lunches with us. We will return after lunch.

Walk + Bike to School Day = Tomorrow (10/7)

2009-10-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday, Oct. 7th, is Walk and Bike to School Day!

You are also invited to join a group walk from the southwest corner of Peninsula Park (NE Ainsworth and NE Albina). Nikos Tzetos (dad to Thalia, Whitney's class) is leading this group, which will leave the park at 8:00 AM and walk to school.

A few of the event's goals:

Encourage physical activity
Raise awareness of how walkable a community is, and where improvements can be made
Raise concern for the environment
Reduce crime and take back neighborhoods for people on foot
Reduce traffic congestion, pollution, and speed near schools
Share valuable time with local community leaders, parents, and children

http://walknbike.org/

Art donations for Trillium in Bloom

2009-09-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

Create art!
Print donation form and fill it out.
Bring art donation and completed form to Front Desk by next Monday, 10/5.
Attend Trillium in Bloom, and check out (perhaps even purchase!) the fabulous creative efforts of our amazing Trillium community.

"Sleep Under" this Thursday!

2009-09-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

Get ready for the Grade 1-2 Sleep Under with Brian, Beth, and Whitney.
................................................................
All the fun and excitement of a sleep-over,
but with more actual sleeping -- at home!
................................................................
Thurs, 10/1 6:00-8:30 pm
Fri, 10/2 8:15-8:45 am

Thursday evening: pizza party, activities + games (students only)
Thursday night: all kids sleep **at home** this year;
pick up students by 8:30 pm
Friday morning: waffle breakfast at school before class starts

2009-09-23T23:48:00.000-07:00

Friday's sharing is "Something from Nature"

Next Thursday SLEEP UNDER!
6-8:30 - play, eat pizza, talent show, big parachute. Not for parents or siblings - just the students. Next morning (Friday) when you come to school we will make waffles and have breakfast together.

October dates for your calendar

2009-09-23T23:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some important dates to remember for October, 2009.

10/1, 6:00-8:30 pm. Grades 1-2 "Sleep-Under". Pizza dinner, activities+games; all kids sleep **at home** this year, breakfast the next morning before class.
10/2, 8:30. First Friday Coffee Klatsch. Coffee and treats in the Multi-Purpose room.
10/7, 8:00 am-? Safe Routes to School event. Walk or bike to school; equipment give-away.
10/9. NO SCHOOL: INSERVICE DAY.
10/9-10/10. Trillium in Bloom music festival, school showcase, place-making workshop, and art sale.
10/10, 7:00-11:00? Trillium in Bloom Bash. Adults only; music + appetizers + spirits.
10/23. Run for the Arts fundraiser, Patton Park. Parent volunteers needed.
10/24, 4:00-8:00? All-School Potluck and Movie Night (TFT event). Halloween costumes welcome!

First and Second Grade Back to School Night

2009-09-23T06:18:00.000-07:00

September 22, 2009

This is what we talked about last night. If you have questions about any of these, please talk with me (Brian).

Communication

Blogs
Mailboxes
Please provide correct email and contact information
Conferences in November and March, report cards in February and June. Schedule additional conferences as needed for a mutually agreeable time.
Liasons, each class has a liason or two that helps facilitate communication and improve the climate of the classroom

Volunteers

Sign-up sheets
Math and Literacy in the morning is for skills development. More math focus.
Reading workshop – parent help for “Read Well” program that helps kids with decoding skills. Important for kids to have one-on-one experience with specific strategies learned during each session. Would like to have one meeting per week for kids with the need.
Writing workshop – parents to help with conferencing on written work.
Morning help – supervise kids in the classroom who get to school between 8:15 and 8:30. Gives kids a less hectic place to meet before school. Activities will be out for the kids, just supervise them so they’re safe.
Criminal background checks required for all people working with kids. Please get them done as soon as possible. If you have one on file from last year, no need for a new one.

Sleep Under

For the class members only, not a family activity. A couple of parent volunteers per class would be great. Will have Pizza dinner, talent show, crafts, games and dancing. Time is 6:00 to 8:30 next Thursday, Oct. 1^st.
Breakfast the next morning is 8:15 till done. Parent helper would be great.
Please let us know about food allergies; complete the form, please.

Writing Curriculum

Using the book “About the Authors” for focus.
Please encourage children to be brave spellers and use inventive spelling.
It increases what is written rather than having kids stressing out about spelling correctly.

Reading Curriculum

“Reading Workshop” curriculum
Reading at home is important, use the forms to keep track of the reading that they do.
Check the strong readers list for traits to help kids with.

Math Curriculum

“Investigations” curriculum foundation.
Play math games and help kids create connections.
Avoid teaching algorithms that have no connection to actual numbers. Let kids explain how they think about numbers instead.

WANTED: Co-liaison for Brian's class

2009-09-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

Brian was on track this summer to have two co-liaisons, but one of his students moved and no longer attends Trillium. And for some strange reason that child's parent is no longer available for liaison duties. Go figure!

So, we have an opening available! We'd love to have one more parent who can help. Come on, it'll be fun!! (The liaisons for grades 1-2 have already met over coffee ... mmm!)

Job: Co-Liaison
Requirement: Willingness to help
Desirable traits: Not phone-a-phobic like the other liaison; available sometimes in the morning when school starts; able to attend some TFT meetings (1st Monday of each month); internet access at home (for blogging, etc)

Talk to Brian or Johanna if you are interested. Thanks!

9/22 Back-to-School Parent Info Night, Grades 1-2

2009-09-21T23:39:00.000-07:00

Come to the Back-to-School Parent Info Night, Tuesday, 9/22/09, 6:30-7:30, in the multi-purpose room.

Learn how grades 1 and 2 will function this year, and plug into the many opportunities for parent volunteers. Most of the meeting will include all 1-2 classes together in the multi-purpose room.

The meeting is for adults only, but some childcare will be available, most likely in the Resource Room. TFT President Kerri Creager is organizing childcare volunteers. (Thanks, Kerri!)

Upcoming Dates: Sept-Oct 2009

2009-09-21T22:26:00.000-07:00

The new school year is off to a roaring start, and it's not going to slow down anytime soon. Here are some important dates to remember for September and October, 2009.

9/22, 6:30-7:30. Grades 1-2 Back-to-School Parents' Night. Information and volunteer opportunities.
10/1, 6:00-8:30 pm. Grades 1-2 "Sleep-Under". Pizza dinner, activities+games; all kids sleep **at home** this year, breakfast the next morning before class.
10/2, 8:30. First Friday Coffee Klatsch. Coffee and treats in the Multi-Purpose room.
10/7, 8:00 am-? Safe Routes to School event. Walk or bike to school; equipment give-away.
10/9. NO SCHOOL: INSERVICE DAY.
10/9-10/10. Trillium in Bloom music festival, school showcase, place-making workshop, and art sale.
10/10, 7:00-11:00? Trillium in Bloom Bash. Adults only; music + appetizers + spirits.
10/23. Run for the Arts fundraiser, Patton Park. Parent volunteers needed.
10/24, 4:00-8:00? All-School Potluck and Movie Night (TFT event). Halloween costumes welcome!

Welcome to Brian's Class Blog!

2009-09-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

This is a space where we'll post dates, notes, reminders, resources and stories from Brian Porter's 1-2 class. We encourage you to come here often for information and inspiration.