Hello high school students and parents,
Please take a moment to fill out the course selection survey. You can find it by clicking here. It is also posted on the bar at the right.
Ken
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Ken out of town
Hi all,
I will not be reachable August 19th-30th. I will begin responding to messages Monday, August 31st.
Ken
I will not be reachable August 19th-30th. I will begin responding to messages Monday, August 31st.
Ken
Conference Sign-up Update
Hi all,
I have emailed invitations to all returning students at their Trillium gmail accounts in order to help with sign up. I have also adjusted the access requirements to the spreadsheet so that one hopefully does not have to sign into the page in order to sign up. I have experimented with accessing the document from other accounts and have found, oddly, that I could not access it directly on the first try (it wanted me to sign in), but when hitting the back arrow and trying it again, I got the document directly. That might be a method worth trying if you are having trouble accessing it.
Failing that, signing up for google docs is cost free and, as near as I can tell, free from propaganda and spam, if you are willing to do it.
You should be able to sign up by clicking here, if you have not already done so.
Best,
Ken
I have emailed invitations to all returning students at their Trillium gmail accounts in order to help with sign up. I have also adjusted the access requirements to the spreadsheet so that one hopefully does not have to sign into the page in order to sign up. I have experimented with accessing the document from other accounts and have found, oddly, that I could not access it directly on the first try (it wanted me to sign in), but when hitting the back arrow and trying it again, I got the document directly. That might be a method worth trying if you are having trouble accessing it.
Failing that, signing up for google docs is cost free and, as near as I can tell, free from propaganda and spam, if you are willing to do it.
You should be able to sign up by clicking here, if you have not already done so.
Best,
Ken
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Welcome!
Dear Students and Families,
Happy shorter days of summer to you. I hope this letter finds each of you in good spirits, enjoying time with family and friends and looking forward to the school year. My summer has been a full one, completing my final courses for my masters’ degree, and spending time with my kids, and visiting family.
I am pleased and honored to be serving as your Advisor. For those of you new to high school at Trillium, I offer a special welcome. I am here throughout your High School experience to offer support and guidance for all things academic and personal. As a group, advising embodies the heart of Trillium's democratic community - small, committed groups working through issues and ideas to nurture the growth of our school. But, like all families, we will sometimes be at odds with one another. The tools of peaceful conflict resolution, mediation, and one on one conferencing empower us to address problems, reflect on ourselves, deepen our understanding of each other, and develop our communication skills.
Each year traditionally begins with an Advisor-student-parent conference. We discuss your academic path, review your transcript and assess your progress towards meeting graduation requirements. (For returning students, you should find a copy of your transcripts enclosed in the sent home packet.) We also discuss learning interests and goals and collaboratively sign-up for a Semester 1 schedule designed to best meet your needs. One change this year is that all Advisors will be doing home visits only for students who are new to the Advising group. Returning 10-12th graders and parents will have a scheduled conference in the classroom. I will be scheduling classroom conferences from 8am to 4pm on Thursday 9/3 and Friday 9/4. Home visits for new students will be Sat 9/5. Please contact me at your earliest convenience so we can work out a time that best meets your needs. If I have your correct email address, you should have received an email inviting you to sign up online through a Google spreadsheet. Please also note that on this year's calendar the first day of school falls later in the month to Monday, September 14th. Class starts at 8:30am.
Enclosed in the packet sent home is also a letter from Trillium's Board of Directors discussing how we are working to continue to offer an enriching academic experience in the midst of the budget stress all schools are experiencing. Significant cuts have been made to teaching budgets which have been used for the purchasing of books, curriculum, project supplies, basic classroom supplies, and room improvement. As teachers do with less, we are asking students and families to shoulder greater responsibilities in supporting the classroom. To assist in this planning I have written two lists below. One is what I have seen, over the years, as the basic school supplies students use the most. Also, I have included a classroom “wish list” that includes the supplies that support the creative hands-on projects and art that enrich your students' learning and that I have, in the past, purchased from my budget to stock the “art boxes” in the room. You will also notice that there are some food items on the list. I like to keep some staples in the class. Full students are better learners than hungry students. Please do not feel pressure to purchase these “wish list” items, but do look around your house, keep an eye on yard sales, pick up something extra at a craft shop, or take a family trip to SCRAP to see if you can make a great score to pass on to our classroom.
I look forward to meeting in the beginning of September with each of you to discuss all of the things that are going to make next year one of tremendous creativity, community, growth, and learning. Enjoy the last days of summer.
Peace.
Ken Gadbow
Ken@TrilliumCharterSchool.org, 503-348-9849 (mobile)
Basic school supplies High School students commonly use
• a lot of pencils and a good eraser
• a couple of good pens, especially black ink
• college-ruled lined notebook paper
• black sharpies
• if you often choose visual projects, a set of high quality color art pencils or markers
• highlighters and/or sticky-notes to support reading strategies and research
• a water bottle
• a personal organization system for classes: notebooks/binder/folders... something that works for you and keeps each classes' work separate and organized
• a planner notebook (store-bought, hand-made, SOMETHING!)
• a personal journal or notebook to capture ideas and expression
• a personal library card free of fines
Project Wish-List for our classroom
• Colored paper.
• Glue sticks and White glue.
• Tape: scotch tape, blue masking tape, duct tape.
• Felt squares of all colors.
• Fabric scraps of all varieties.
• Needles and thread.
• Scissors.
• Rulers.
• Paint brushes.
• Poster board and large paper.
• Knitting and crochet needles, yarn, and pattern/how-to books
• DIY craft/design books with simple to use ideas... ReadyMade magazine is great!
• Acrylic paints in all colors and brushes- artist quality (oil and watercolor paints are good, but not used as often)
• Surfaces to paint on... canvas, wood, recycled materials, etc....
• Art paper- Big sketch books, watercolor, charcoal, etc....
• Drawing pencils and pink pearl erasers
• Fabric scraps, screen printed patches, needles, thread.... all sewing stuff
• Black Sharpies of fine and wide tips
• High quality colored pencils.
• A toaster.
• Cushions for sitting on the floor.
• Tissues.
• On going:
Natural peanut butter
Whole grain bread.
Honey
Herbal Tea
Fresh flowers are always a nice touch.
* And if you might be willing to help buy books for the classroom, a Powell's gift card is always a delightful contribution.
Happy shorter days of summer to you. I hope this letter finds each of you in good spirits, enjoying time with family and friends and looking forward to the school year. My summer has been a full one, completing my final courses for my masters’ degree, and spending time with my kids, and visiting family.
I am pleased and honored to be serving as your Advisor. For those of you new to high school at Trillium, I offer a special welcome. I am here throughout your High School experience to offer support and guidance for all things academic and personal. As a group, advising embodies the heart of Trillium's democratic community - small, committed groups working through issues and ideas to nurture the growth of our school. But, like all families, we will sometimes be at odds with one another. The tools of peaceful conflict resolution, mediation, and one on one conferencing empower us to address problems, reflect on ourselves, deepen our understanding of each other, and develop our communication skills.
Each year traditionally begins with an Advisor-student-parent conference. We discuss your academic path, review your transcript and assess your progress towards meeting graduation requirements. (For returning students, you should find a copy of your transcripts enclosed in the sent home packet.) We also discuss learning interests and goals and collaboratively sign-up for a Semester 1 schedule designed to best meet your needs. One change this year is that all Advisors will be doing home visits only for students who are new to the Advising group. Returning 10-12th graders and parents will have a scheduled conference in the classroom. I will be scheduling classroom conferences from 8am to 4pm on Thursday 9/3 and Friday 9/4. Home visits for new students will be Sat 9/5. Please contact me at your earliest convenience so we can work out a time that best meets your needs. If I have your correct email address, you should have received an email inviting you to sign up online through a Google spreadsheet. Please also note that on this year's calendar the first day of school falls later in the month to Monday, September 14th. Class starts at 8:30am.
Enclosed in the packet sent home is also a letter from Trillium's Board of Directors discussing how we are working to continue to offer an enriching academic experience in the midst of the budget stress all schools are experiencing. Significant cuts have been made to teaching budgets which have been used for the purchasing of books, curriculum, project supplies, basic classroom supplies, and room improvement. As teachers do with less, we are asking students and families to shoulder greater responsibilities in supporting the classroom. To assist in this planning I have written two lists below. One is what I have seen, over the years, as the basic school supplies students use the most. Also, I have included a classroom “wish list” that includes the supplies that support the creative hands-on projects and art that enrich your students' learning and that I have, in the past, purchased from my budget to stock the “art boxes” in the room. You will also notice that there are some food items on the list. I like to keep some staples in the class. Full students are better learners than hungry students. Please do not feel pressure to purchase these “wish list” items, but do look around your house, keep an eye on yard sales, pick up something extra at a craft shop, or take a family trip to SCRAP to see if you can make a great score to pass on to our classroom.
I look forward to meeting in the beginning of September with each of you to discuss all of the things that are going to make next year one of tremendous creativity, community, growth, and learning. Enjoy the last days of summer.
Peace.
Ken Gadbow
Ken@TrilliumCharterSchool.org, 503-348-9849 (mobile)
Basic school supplies High School students commonly use
• a lot of pencils and a good eraser
• a couple of good pens, especially black ink
• college-ruled lined notebook paper
• black sharpies
• if you often choose visual projects, a set of high quality color art pencils or markers
• highlighters and/or sticky-notes to support reading strategies and research
• a water bottle
• a personal organization system for classes: notebooks/binder/folders... something that works for you and keeps each classes' work separate and organized
• a planner notebook (store-bought, hand-made, SOMETHING!)
• a personal journal or notebook to capture ideas and expression
• a personal library card free of fines
Project Wish-List for our classroom
• Colored paper.
• Glue sticks and White glue.
• Tape: scotch tape, blue masking tape, duct tape.
• Felt squares of all colors.
• Fabric scraps of all varieties.
• Needles and thread.
• Scissors.
• Rulers.
• Paint brushes.
• Poster board and large paper.
• Knitting and crochet needles, yarn, and pattern/how-to books
• DIY craft/design books with simple to use ideas... ReadyMade magazine is great!
• Acrylic paints in all colors and brushes- artist quality (oil and watercolor paints are good, but not used as often)
• Surfaces to paint on... canvas, wood, recycled materials, etc....
• Art paper- Big sketch books, watercolor, charcoal, etc....
• Drawing pencils and pink pearl erasers
• Fabric scraps, screen printed patches, needles, thread.... all sewing stuff
• Black Sharpies of fine and wide tips
• High quality colored pencils.
• A toaster.
• Cushions for sitting on the floor.
• Tissues.
• On going:
Natural peanut butter
Whole grain bread.
Honey
Herbal Tea
Fresh flowers are always a nice touch.
* And if you might be willing to help buy books for the classroom, a Powell's gift card is always a delightful contribution.
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