IHS February Newsletter

February 3: NO SCHOOL--Teacher Work Day

February 17: NO SCHOOL--Presidents Day (Possible Makeup Day for Inclement Weather)

March 4-18: OSAS statewide testing for juniors

March 24-28: SPRING BREAK

May 19: IHS Celebration at Oakway Center

June 6: Eugene IHS Graduation (Last day for seniors)**

June 13: Last day of school

**SENIOR PARENTS--PLEASE READ IMPORTANT GRADUATION INFORMATION AT THE END!**

IHS Site Council Meetings are held once a month, on the second Tuesday of the month, from 4:15-5:15 at South High School in room 541. Snacks are provided :) OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH!

If you are interested in being a parent member for IHS Site Council, please email me: dearinger_c@4j.lane.edu. I will add you to our email list so you can receive updates and a copy of the agenda before each meeting.

If you were unable to attend the IB Sophomore Night last week, or if you are a parent looking for more detailed information about IB options for your student, please visit our website: https://ihs.4j.lane.edu/. A pop-up will direct you to a link for the entire slide deck used at the presentation.

I recently concluded my time working as a Staff Assistant for the Presidential Boards and Commissions team within the Office of Presidential Personnel, an office tasked with hiring 4,000+ appointees across the Biden-Harris Administration. Seconds before taking this photo, the President asked me where I was from and I proudly shared Eugene. It has been an honor to represent Oregon at the White House. Regarding next steps, I am honored to share that I was selected as a 2025 Pickering Fellow. IHS provided a strong foundation for my diplomatic aspirations, and I am grateful for the community's ongoing support as I pursue my dream career in the Foreign Service.

As part of both the IHS diploma and IB diploma requirements, our students research for and write the IB Extended Essay. By the end of junior year, students have completed a 3500-4000 word essay that reflects original research and learning. As part of this project, students receive instruction and supervision from their teacher advisor in their Junior Seminar course. Optionally, students are also encouraged to find and work with a community member who will advise the student as they work to complete the project. That's where you come in!

We are looking for parents and community members who possess knowledge and expertise on a wide variety of topics. Are you a psychologist or therapist? Are you a professional in a STEM field? Do you have expertise in issues related to climate change? Do you have a degree in philosophy you've been waiting to use? Are you a lawyer who specializes in immigration issues? Are you a fan of science fiction books and movies? Since students can choose to write about ANYTHING that interests them, we need people who know a little something about a range of topics and issues. You don't have to be a professor and it doesn't have to be your career--just a topic you know enough about that could help guide a young researcher!

Essay advisors could take on any of these roles that range in time commitment:

• Offer suggestions for scholarly resources in the particular discipline the student has chosen.

• Assist the student in formulating a research question and provide guidance in conducting original research.

• Encourage and support the student's efforts in researching and writing the essay.

• Give feedback on the student's rough draft for the research paper around February of junior year

• Volunteer to be a guest speaker in our Junior Seminar course; providing insight into the career and research interests of faculty members.

If you are willing to have your name included on a list of possible EE essay advisors for our IHS juniors, please contact Jenny Hehnke (hehnke_j@4j.lane.edu) with your name, contact information, and areas of knowledge.

PARENTS: WE WILL NEED YOUR HELP WITH IB TESTING THIS YEAR! We have many more students testing this year than usual, so we need lots of parent volunteers to help! Exams start on April 25th and end on May 17th; each exam will be held either in an afternoon or a morning, so there are many options and a lot of different exam duration times. If you think you will have time to assist with an exam, please contact Kathy Ruggles, ruggles_k@4j.lane.edu or 541-790-8012. to register as a 4j volunteer. Volunteers must complete the 4J volunteer application: https://www.4j.lane.edu/volunteers.

You may not volunteer for an exam your child is taking, so be sure you know which exams your student is registered for before contacting Kathy. Thank you!

Thank you to our guest speaker Oregon State University Professor of Teaching in the Nutrition Department Josh Jorgensen. He spoke to IHS South Global Health students about global nutrition. He defined malnutrition (both under- and over-, and the double burden), some of the causes of malnutrition, some consequences and things that can be done to alleviate malnutrition, and the importance of doing so (altruistic, economic, etc.). Additionally he discussed food insecurity and climate change (how climate change is affecting food availability around the world and how food choices contribute to climate change).

We are honored to welcome Ms. Evie Banko as a special guest speaker on February 12th. Ms. Banko is a Holocaust survivor, who immigrated to Portland with her parents as a child and who has lived there ever since. She has dedicated her life to Holocaust education, and she will travel with her daughter, a retired Portland Public Schools teacher, to South Eugene HS to speak to a group of IHS students about her life and experiences as a survivor. We will be holding this special event in the Little Theater at South HS, so space is limited. Students who are interested in attending this event will enter their names in a lottery and we will take as many students as can fit in the space. We'll post pictures of this special event in next month's newsletter.

Each year, Oregon public schools are asked to give juniors the OSAS tests in English Language Arts, Math, and Science. Students are taken out of their regular classes to complete the exams--each exam takes between 1.5-3 hours (there is no time limit so students can take as long as they need to finish).

However, these exams are not required--they are not included in any class grade nor are they required for graduation. So if you would like to opt your student out of any or all of these standardized tests, you simply need to fill out the opt out forms and turn them into the IHS office at your school. There are TWO opt-out forms--one for the ELA/Math exams, and one for the science exam. Click on the link below to access online opt-out forms or print out paper forms. We will also have both opt-out forms available in all IHS offices and host school main offices until the date of testing. If you want to opt out of all exams, make sure you fill out BOTH opt out forms. Students may turn in opt out forms all the way until the morning of testing.

ACCESS OPT-OUT FORMS

SHELDON TESTING DATES: March 6th-7th

SOUTH TESTING DATES: March 11th-12th

CHURCHILL TESTING DATES: March-April (specific dates still TBD)

I am currently one of the Museum Education Program Assistants working at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA) on campus at the University of Oregon. We want to reach out to you to provide you with the details for our World of Work (WoW) High School Internship Program!

If you are not familiar with this program, the WoW Program is a 3-month hands-on paid internship program for underrepresented and underserved high school students grades 9-12 that provide them with the resources and knowledge of pursuing careers in the creative field. This program will take place on Wednesdays at 4-6pm from April 9-June 4, 2025. The experience of this internship provides these students with practical and essential skills by actively engaging them in the JSMA’s duties to foster global understandings of art and cultural histories working with faculty, students, and artists to contribute to a more just, equitable, and sustainable world. If you would like to find out more information, click here.

Please share the World of Work student application and flyer with those that qualify! The application period is currently open, and the deadline is February 13, 2025 at 11:59pm.

Please have each student email their completed application to Gio Betancourt at giobetancourt19@gmail.com.

Thank you and please feel free to reach out if you have any questions regarding this opportunity!

Warm regards,

Gio Betancourt (They/them/elle)

Museum Program Education Assistant

Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art | University of Oregon

giobetancourt19@gmail.com

IHS Student Government is excited to announce that our new 2025 school merchandise is available in all three IHS offices! All designs were created by current IHS students. Support our IHS StuGov and get some cool new apparel at the same time! T-shirts are $10, long-sleeved shirts are $15, crew neck sweatshirts are $20, and hoodies are $25.

Looking for a place to donate all your old magazines? Our IHS Health teachers are in need of fashion magazines or any magazines with advertisements (Vogue, GQ, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, Seventeen, etc) to use in their upcoming media literacy unit. If you have any old copies of magazines you'd like to donate, please contact Deon Saraceno (saraceno_d@4j.lane.edu) to coordinate a drop off time. Thank you!

The 5th grade teachers at Charlemagne Elementary School are looking for French Immersion juniors and seniors to help in a variety of ways. CAS hours can be awarded for all of these volunteer experiences!

1) A weekly after school tutor for a 5th grader from 3ish - 3:50ish at Charlemagne Elementary on Mondays, Tuesdays or Thursdays. If that doesn't work for their schedule, I can put them directly in touch with the family and they can make arrangements independently.

2) One or two high schoolers that would be willing to lead a French reading fluency small group for students that need immediate reading accuracy feedback when reading out loud. This would be for students that are well below reading rate benchmark. Would only work with 1-2 students at a time. Very flexible for where / when. Would need to be same time(s) every week for at least 6 weeks. Lots of options. Just have interested students contact me directly.

3) One or two high schoolers that would be willing to come in on Fridays and do some basic clerical work -- photocopies, pencil sharpening, filing, sorting, putting materials away / setting up materials for science, etc. Time of day can be flexible.

4) We are also looking for junior and senior FI students to be student counselors at our 5th grade Outdoor School at Camp Tamarack at the end of May! Last year was our first time at this new Outdoor School experience, and we had many IHS FI students help as student counselors--it was a great success! The camp runs the last week of May after Memorial Day--IB and AP exams will be finished, and there is official paperwork to be excused from school the days of the camp.

If you are interested in any of these volunteer opportunities, please contact Genna McLaren directly at mclaren_g@4j.lane.edu.

This is a reminder that our Spanish immersion teacher, Mr. Ricardo Zapata Bello, is sponsoring the Hispanic Honor Society at Sheldon High School. The Hispanic Honor Society is open to all Sheldon students (including students not in IHS) who fulfill the prerequisites listed below:

• Student must have taken Spanish for at least 2 years to join
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 (unweighted GPA)

Benefits for members:

• Scholarships for seniors pursuing post high school education
• A formal induction ceremony
• Graduation cords to be worn at IHS and Sheldon graduation
• Weekly meetings with other students about issues and concerns important to the group

If this is a club you think your student would be interested in joining, please tell them to go to the next meeting and check it out! Meetings are held in Mr. Zapata's room (B10) on Tuesdays during lunch.

The IHS branch of Model UN has officially kicked off the 2024-2025 session! This year, our group will be representing Slovenia, Egypt, and Guyana. Meetings are held twice per month at each campus, and the Model UN State Conference will held in the spring at the University of Oregon. Students are still able to participate this year! So If your student is interested in joining Model UN, please reach out to Steve Smith (smith_st@4j.lane.edu) or Joanne Heidel (heidel_j@4j.lane.edu). Mr. Smith tells me that this year we have the largest Model UN club in recent IHS history with over 50 members! All are welcome to join!

Eugene International High School offers students a chance to earn an honorary diploma at the end of our four years together. Students still earn their high school diploma from their host school--for example, a student's high school diploma is from Sheldon High School, but they also receive the honorary IHS diploma as recognition for completing our separate set of standards and requirements. Eugene IHS holds our own separate graduation ceremony at the Hult Center (my favorite night of the school year!) where we recognize graduating seniors together from all three host campuses.

In order to earn the honorary IHS diploma, students must do the following:

• PASS all required IHS courses in 11th-12th grade
• Submit a final draft of the Extended Essay research paper (completed during Junior Seminar)
• Take at least (3) years of a world language (does not have to be the same language all three years)
• Complete (100) CAS hours (Creativity, Activity, Service) during junior and senior year
• Complete all graduation requirements for the high school diploma

**Please note that students DO NOT have to take any IB exams in order to earn the IHS diploma. IB testing and the IHS diploma are separate and do not affect the student's ability to earn the diploma.**

**IHS Graduation Tickets will be available in the IHS offices at each campus starting on May 12, 2025. Every IHS student is guaranteed (6) tickets. After Memorial Day, students are welcome to check in with the IHS secretaries to ask for more tickets if needed. We do not ever run out tickets ;)

**We will hold auditions for student performers for our IHS Graduation in early April after we return from spring break. We are looking for singers, dancers, musicians, speakers--solo or in a group! All performers must be current IHS graduating seniors.

**There are also separate French immersion and Spanish immersion graduation ceremonies, usually held at Charlemagne and Buena Vista, respectively. These events are not organized by IHS, but instead are coordinated by FI/SI parents of the graduating senior class. If the parent organizers of these immersion graduation ceremonies want me to include any information in this newsletter, please just email me!

Mark Your Calendars:

- Monday June 2, 2025: Eugene IHS Graduation Rehearsal for ALL SENIORS 8:30-9:35am, South Eugene High School Auditorium. Our Farewell Assembly will follow from 9:45-11:15am.

- Friday June 6, 2025: Eugene IHS Graduation 7:00pm, Hult Center for the Performing Arts (seniors will need to arrive at 6:00pm for class photo and taking the stage).