Cedar Reader
Cedar Park Middle School - November 2018
Message from the Principal
The first month of school has been very busy, extremely positive, and full of fun. We started off the school year with a well-attended Wolf Day (over 600 students) and rolled smoothly into our first week of school.
In response to several of the items on last year's PTC survey we made several changes to how we begin the year to help families feel more welcome and be engaged.
- Our PTC attended all the parent inclusive events and signed up over 100 new volunteers for the year.
- We created "learning sessions" for parents on back to school night that taught them about how to use Canvas and ParentVue, how the MYP impacts grading and reporting, and allowed time for families to preview the newly adopted Health curriculum.
- We moved Family Fun Night to the fall so families had an additional opportunity to come to the school, be welcomed, and experience the Cedar Park culture. It was a great turnout - everyone had a great time.
Thank you Cedar Park parents!
- Hosting activities at Family Fun Night
- Getting the student store up and running
- Dedicating countless hours and energy to our 5K Fundraiser (HAPPENING THIS WEEK!)
- Volunteering to help with Art Lit
- Helping to pack up for Outdoor School
- Organizing the Clothes Closet and PTC storage
- Cheering on our kids at the 5K Fundraiser this coming THURSDAY!
After School Clubs
Dates to Remember:
Oct. 1 - Coffee/tea with the principal 8:45 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Oct. 4 - 5K Fundraiser
Oct. 8-11 - Book Fair We LOVE books!
Oct. 10 - Parent-Teacher Conferences 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Oct. 11 - Parent -Teacher Conferences 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Oct. 18 - Choir Concert @ 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 22 - PTC meeting 7:00 p.m., Guest speaker, Matt Cline, Beaverton Police SRO discussing online safety for kids and parents.
Oct. 25 - Multi-school soccer tournament @ 4:30
Oct. 25 - Latino Family Night @ 7:00 (we will have food trucks)
Oct. 31 - Volunteers needed for the Clothes Closet
Nov. 2 - Picture retakes
Fall Conferences Set for October 10-11
We believe that it's important to really connect with our students who may be struggling to develop a collaborative partnership with parents early on in the school year - we simply can't wait until February to support our most vulnerable students. This will be the focus for core teachers, but the elective teachers will be available on a drop-in basis throughout the conference hours.
Teachers will be contacting families regarding conference times and details this week, so watch your email, talk to your student, and watch the snail mail. If you have questions, please contact the school or your student's teachers.
Hours: Wednesday, 10/10 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, 10/11 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. intermittently
NO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY, 10/12
MYP Corner
Teaching and learning in the Middle Years Program (MYP)
In the Middle Years Program students are engage in inquiry-based, concept-driven learning in 8 subject areas: Language and Literature and Individuals and Societies (Humanities), Mathematics, Sciences and Design (Science), Language Acquisition, (Spanish or English Language Development) Physical and Health Education, and Arts (Visual Arts, Drama, Band, Choir).
Teachers develop units that set the learning targets in a context that helps make the learning more relevant. Additionally, learning is connected to big conceptual ideas, such as change or relationships. This is intended to help students make connections between subjects. It is also important in MYP that students learn academic skills. These are referred to asApproaches to Learning (ATLs). Finally, MYP has a component of Action. We want students to see that they can learn by doing and that sometimes their learning makes them want to take action.
MYP Assessment and Grades
During the first few weeks of school teachers are using a variety to methods to understand where students are at and what progress they are making in their learning. Teachers have been giving feedback to student verbally, through conferencing, possibly though Canvas, and through Behavior Scores. Soon, you will begin to see scores on larger assessments through ParentVue.
Parents/Guardians can log in to ParentVue and students can log in to StudentVue to view current teacher grade books. https://parentvue.beaverton.k12.or.us/
At MYP Schools, we use scores 1-8, so that is a change if your student attended a Beaverton Elementary School. And, though teachers are addressing the Beaverton Targets, you will notice that we report on Criteria. The rubrics and criteria that we use come from the International Baccalaureate (IB), which oversees MYP. There is a strong focus not only on the final product, but the process of getting there. Now is a good time for students to start reflecting on their progress so far to see if they are on track to meet their goals. If you have more specific questions on grading or assessment, please reach out to the MYP Coordinator: amy_hattendorf@beaverton.k12.or.us
Month Specific Attribute -October
Learner Profile Attribute of the Month, October: Reflective: Reflective learners think carefully about how they learn through different experiences. By being able to recognize personal strengths and limitations, they are able to set goals for further learning and development.
School-Home Connection
We kicked off the year with Inquirer, because we think that developing strong questioning skills help us best understand the world. Once the school year is a few weeks old, it is already important to think about Reflection.
Encourage students to reflect on their school day, their learning, and their personal life by asking probing questions: “What do you hope to get out of this school year? Are you already on the right track? What else do you need to be doing to get there?”
Want to Volunteer? We'd LOVE you have you
BUT - you have to go through a background check to even enter the building. It's easy to jump through the hoops - just click on the link below and complete the questions. We look forward to your input and support!
Additionally, if you want to know what's going on at Cedar Park and how you can be involved, you need to frequently check the CPMS Volunteering Page.
Clothes Closet Volunteers Needed
Cedar Park's volunteer day at the BSD Clothes Closet is Wed, October 31 (Halloween). Sign up to work a shift in the Beaverton School District’s clothing store, which provides free clothing for BSD students from families with limited income. The Clothes Closet is located at: Beaverton School District Administration Center, 16550 SW Merlo Road, Beaverton, OR 97006. Interested volunteers can sign up HERE.
Meal Benefits expire on Monday, October 8th, 2018 TIME TO REAPPLY!
Please complete an application for Free and Reduced Price Meals right away if you haven’t yet applied for the 2018-2019 school year. Applications are available in school cafeterias and school offices. If you’d rather complete an application online, go to www.schoolcafe.com. Please call the Meal Benefits Office at (503) 356-3957 if you have questions or need assistance in completing a new application.
I’m here to help! Laurie Bishop (503)356-3957 NS-MealBenefits@beaverton.k12.or.us
Student safety - Walking to School
Beaverton Education Foundation Phone-a-thon – OCTOBER 9-17!
Last school year Beaverton Education Foundation’s 3000 donors helped fund 96 programs and activities that reached 22,261 students, benefiting 53 schools. Our goal this year is to fund 130 projects and reach 30,000 students at all 53 schools, in honor of our 30th anniversary supporting inspiration, innovation and success.
Your financial support of BEF is vital and ensures that thousands of students benefit from these important hands-on projects and programs.
Costs of our phone-a-thon are underwritten by our generous sponsors, so that your tax-deductible donation can help more Beaverton kids. BEF thanks them for their support.
For additional information, visit our website at www.beavertonEDfoundation.org