Whitford Newsletter

April 2023

Principal Message

Parents and Guardians,

We're barely into April and already we've had a busy month! Students were able to complete 2,536 Language Arts and Math tests during the first week of April, so we are well on our way to achieving our 95% completion rate that the Oregon Department of Education expects. Thanks to all the students who came to school prepared with a charged-up Chromebook, ready to engage with the activity. During the rest of April and May, we will need to focus on testing students who haven't finished any of the tests or students who were absent. This will mean that students will be pulled from various classes during the day. This is regrettable but necessary, so we want you to be aware of the potential for missed instructional time for some students. We will do our best to minimize instructional loss.

April is also the time when we start planning our end-of-the-year celebrations. We are currently making plans for an event for 6th and 7th grade students, followed by a bigger event for our 8th graders who will head off to high school. We are also planning a Field Day for the last day of school to bring the whole student body together for one final event. These are great traditions we can reclaim following our COVID adventure.

As the sun comes out and the air warms up, it is easy for students to shift their focus from school to the pending summer. We appreciate your encouragement in helping students end the year on a strong note and continue to work hard until the very last day. We have five full weeks of school (no 4-day weeks), between April 17 and May 26, so lots of encouragement is often needed for students.

PTO Updates

Whitford teacher and staff appreciation week will be recognized May 8 – 12, 2023! The PTO has a week of surprises in store for our amazing teachers and staff. Please help us celebrate them by signing up to bring in beverages and sweet and savory treats for their enjoyment here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4BA4A829ABFB6-whitford1

At last month’s PTO meeting, we awarded $975 to applicants of our teacher grant program. We helped fund new reading materials for classrooms, a new popcorn maker, and math enrichment tools. Thank you for your continued support of the PTO as your contributions enable these grants. Our “write a check campaign” is our main fundraising tool. If you are willing and able to donate, please utilize the attached form. ( See Below)

The next PTO meeting is Wednesday, April 12th at 7:00 pm in the Whitford library. All are welcome. We’ll be discussing staff/teacher appreciation, volunteering in the school, and the 8th grade celebration scheduled for the afternoon of June 20th. If you’d like to reach out to the PTO or have a suggestion for the meeting agenda, we can be found here: whitfordparents@gmail.com

Upcoming 8th Grade FT -- June 2023

We know this is a bit early, but wanted to make sure you have the information sooner than later.

As part of their bridge engineering unit in May/June, 8th grade students will get the opportunity to take a walking tour of Portland's bridges! During the guided tour, groups will grow familiar with basic bridge vocabulary that includes the three basic structural types and three basic moveable types, all of which may be found in Portland, "The City of Bridges"! They will seek out examples of these bridge types and the components of them, including counterweights, cables and trunnions. They will compare and contrast truss patterns and consider the specifics, that make Portland's bridges unique, or in some cases, one-of-a-kind!

The cost of the Field Trip will be $10. Your student can bring $10 in Cash or Check to the office, or you can purchase online with a Credit Card. Please navigate to Whitford Middle School, Field Trips, 8th grade Field trip. There is also a way to give a donation to pay for another student who can't afford the trip. Students are asked to bring a Sack Lunch or one can be provided from the Cafeteria.

8th Grade students will attend the bridge tour with their science classes (see blue chart below) on either June 12, 13 or 14. They will leave from Whitford around 9:30 and return by 2:00.

We will need chaperones for this trip. If you would like to chaperone, please make sure you have been approved to volunteer at Beaverton School District and the Whitford is selected as one of your schools. Questions, please refer to the Volunteer Page.

Your student's science teacher will hand out permission slips and share more specific information in science classes at the beginning of the bridge unit in Mid-Late May.

Lindsay Laing

Help Support Ms. Otermat's Technology Class

https://donors.adoptaclassroom.org/s/designation/a1m5c000004RPVmAAO/ms-otermat

Our technology class has been exploring coding and engineering and design with Edison Robots. We were asked to pilot this program for our district and students are having a blast getting their robot to run through mazes, race, sumo wrestle, and play music. Their final project is to make a cotton ball launcher to go the farthest.

It’s inspiring to see the students use problem-solving, science knowledge (forces, weight distribution) technical skills (coding and basic machines) creativity, craftsmanship, and ingenuity to create these engineering projects.

We would like to purchase Edison Robot Classroom kit and supplies for $1469.00 for our school so that all of my students can code and use them. We also would like $331 to purchase rechargeable batteries to run them, a battery charger, mats, extra engineering supplies and replaceable parts.

Since the Edison robots we are currently using are the districts, we only get them for a month each year so other schools may use them. This is not enough time to explore them fully and complete engineering projects. Kids need time to do trial and error, problem solve and critical think and see their designs come to fruition. We want to keep the momentum going with support for supplies for my next round of students to have the same innovative learning experience.

Several refugee and ELL students, who speak and understand very little English, achieved a highly proficient grade on this project and were able to see themselves as engineers and successful in technology, despite their language barriers. Girls are seeing themselves as coders and it is building their confidence in their problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

AVID Program at Whitford

AVID is beginning to accept applications for AVID elective class next year. If you are interested in joining AVID, fill out the Google form, get a teacher or counselor to fill out a recommendation form, and you will be considered for an interview for AVID in 2023-2024.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScI7SjrK3Hb00QOMXrQGw45M-w86uyhMyLgDGWCdbEOu4nILQ/viewform

The AVID Elective course is intended to accelerate student skills in multiple areas (writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading) and not appropriate for students in need of intense remediation. AVID prepares students for the rigors of college prep classes by providing a curriculum in writing, inquiry, collaboration, and reading, personal exploration of strengths, college/career knowledge and research, study and organizational skills as well as a student-led Socratic Tutorial process with adult/college/high school mentors 1-2 days a week.

General profile of an AVID student:

Student consistently performs near or above grade level proficiency, 2.0-3.5 GPA or an average of summary judgments on standards based report card (academically in the middle).

Other qualifications considered: first in the family to attend college, identifies from a group traditionally underserved in four-year colleges, qualifies as economically underserved, and/or has a special circumstance or situations.

Exhibits the desire and determination to attend college and needs support to reach potential.

What AVID is Not:

AVID is not an “at-risk” program. It is a program designed to support students who would otherwise not attend and graduate from a four-year university

AVID is not for students who do not do any of their work in and outside of school

AVID is not for students who consistently receive grades of “D” or “N”

AVID is not a program for unmotivated students. They must have the individual determination or at least the potential and desire to improve

AVID is not a college preparation program or ACT/SAT prep course for those who already have access to a support system to be college ready

If you have questions about AVID, please contact Mr. Jody Reeg at jody_reeg@beaverton.k12.or.us

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6th Grade Spanish Students Show Off Ponce Carnaval Masks

Sixth grade students in Spanish class spent a few weeks looking at Puerto Rican culture and history. To celebrate one of Puerto Rico's most culturally important events, Ponce Carnaval, students created paper mâché masks called vejigantes. commonly used in the parades. After they completed their masks, they put them on, and paraded through the school to music, visiting classrooms and dancing

Pie Day Celebration at Whitford 3/14

Several of the math classes celebrated Pie day on March 3/14.

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Robotics in Math

Mrs. Shah's 6th grade class did a real life simulation using Edison Robots. Thanks to Tim Livingston for collaborating with the 6th grade teachers and for Lindsey Laing for helping.

Whitford Web Leaders

Our 8th grade WEB Leader continue to bring the fun to their 6th grade WEB small groups. Check out the 2 minute video of the WEB “March Minute to Win It” advisory activity. Thank you 6th graders for being a positive part of our Whitford community!

Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) Regionals Update

Congratulations to the Whitford OBOB champions, Dark Matter. In March, they competed in the OBOB Regionals. The team made it all the way to the Final Four.

Dark Matter - Akshara A., Evelyn B., Abner C., Yunah K., Luna S.

8th Grade Panoramic Picture Apri 18th

The 8th grade students will take a panoramic photo on April 18th at 9:30 AM. If you would like to order a pictures, please follow the directions above. Attached are PDF's with the same information.

Earth Day

April is Earth Month and a wonderful opportunity to remind students that walking and rolling to school is a great way to show our planet some love.

Walking and Rolling is Good for the Earth!

April is the month we celebrate Earth Day and one way you can help our planet and combat climate change is to replace car trips with active ones! 2 miles of driving = 1.6 lbs of carbon emissions. Think about local car trips that your family takes often. Maybe it is a trip to the park or a friend’s house. Map your route and try walking or biking instead. We often think places are

farther than they seem. Give yourself plenty of time to get to your location and be amazed at what your body can do for you!

¡Caminar o andar sobre ruedas es bueno para el planeta tierra!

Abril es el mes en que celebramos el Día de la Tierra y una forma en que puede ayudar a

nuestro planeta a combatir el cambio climático ¡es no usando su automóvil, y mejor caminar o andar en bicicleta! Conduciendo 2 millas = 1.6 libras de emisiones de carbono. Piense en el tiempo que su familia anda en automóvil localmente. Tal vez sea ir al parque o a la casa de un amigo. Trace su ruta e intente ir caminando o en bicicleta. A menudo pensamos que los lugares

están más lejos de lo que parecen. ¡Tómese el tiempo suficiente para llegar al lugar y sorpréndase de lo que su cuerpo puede lograr!

Beaverton Public Library

Did you know, you can use your student library card to unlock…languages?

About Mango Languages

Ready to learn a new language? With Mango Languages English speakers can learn over 70 languages, from Arabic and Armenian to Vietnamese and Yiddish. For speakers of other languages learning English, English-language courses are offered in over 20 languages, including Arabic, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Somali. Great for kids, teens, and adult learners!

¿Sabía que puede aprender un nuevo idioma con su tarjeta de biblioteca para estudiantes?

Sobre idiomas con Mango

¿Listo para aprender un nuevo idioma? Con Mango pueden aprender más de 70 idiomas, desde el árabe y el armenio hasta el vietnamita y el yiddish. Para los que gusten aprender el inglés, se ofrecen cursos de inglés en más de 20 idiomas, como español, árabe, coreano, ruso, y somalí. Ideal para niños, adolescentes y adultos.