Teen Meditation Course

For any teens interested in meditation training, this is from the Vipassana meditation center up in Washington:

We still have plenty of room for teens to participate in the upcoming weekend Anapana course for teens between 13 and 16 years old taking place the weekend of November 19-21 at the Northwest Vipassana Center.

The teenagers’ meditation course is specifically designed for young people, ages 13 to 16 years. During the course, students will learn how to practice Anapana meditation. They will meditate with guided instructions for periods of up to 30 minutes. These sessions are interspersed with discussion sessions, break periods, games and art activities throughout the day.

Complete gender segregation will be maintained at all times throughout the weekend. Boys and girls will attend separate, concurrent courses in separate facilities with separate teachers.

Families with teens who might be interested in attending or who would like more information can visit the new Teens' Course Page of the Dhamma Kuñja website for more details and application materials. More information can also be found on the beautiful new international children's course website.

Best wishes,
The Teens' Course Organizers

Northwest Vipassana Center - Dhamma Kuñja
445 Gore Rd.
Onalaska, WA 98570
Phone: 360-978-5434
Fax: 360-978-5433

Leadership Transition Announcement

Good afternoon,

It is with a heavy heart that I am writing to the Trillium community to let you know that Stephanie Hinkle has resigned her post at the school.

Stephanie has been thinking about her next steps for a while, and I know she has a bright future before her. Stephanie's development of and contributions to Trillium over the years have been tremendous, truly without measure. I ask that all of us celebrate her accomplishments, support and respect her decision, and support her next steps in the larger community. Stephanie has spoken to many of us in the past about staying involved in the Charter community because of her rich experience in the field. I look forward to hearing more about her next steps and successes.

We delivered the above information, along with a few brief comments on succession plans, to all students in a special meeting this morning in accord with the school’s "stop-rule" protocol. After the meeting they returned to their advising groups so the advisors could field initial questions and return to the school day. If you see your child's advisor today or this week, please take a moment to thank them.

Over the next few days, Genevieve Bouwes (our current preschool director and staff development coordinator) will act as our interim director and overall go-to person for the school. Please do all you can to support Genevieve.

Our goal, of course, is to make the next few weeks and months as smooth as possible as we transition to a successor. As many of you know, we started our search for a new Executive Director over the summer after Stephanie let us know that she was planning to leave at the end of the 2010-2011 school year. Because that search has taken longer than expected, the Board approved (at their October 20th meeting) engaging with outside services to place an interim Executive Director in the role. On Thursday, October 28th, at 6pm at the school, the Board will convene a special meeting to hear any public input on the placement of an interim Executive Director. The board will also deliberate and potentially decide on whether we should also look at people within Trillium to take on the interim position until a permanent Executive Director is hired. "Interim" in this case typically means a period of anywhere from 3-9 months.

As we proceed in the coming weeks, you will receive active and direct communications from the school frequently. If you find you still have questions, please let me know.



Thanks,

James Hindes, Trillium Board of Directors

jhindes@trilliumcharterschool.org

Halloween Parade!

I am looking forward to our Halloween-like Friday this week and want to send along a reminder about expectations.

The committe to develop Halloween guidelines came up with the following items regarding Halloween costumes and activities.
1. Costumes should be appropriate for a mixed age setting.
2. Masks are allowed only during the halloween parade.
3. Weapons of any sort are not allowed at school.
4. Accessories that are disruptive or a violation of the rights and responsibilities are not allowed or should be turned off.

Hurray for dressing up!

Best,
Ken

Trillium Website Functional

Hello Trillium Community,

When visiting our web site, you may still receive a warning message indicating the site may harm your computer. The site was re-infected over the weekend, however, Isaac did clean it up again. I am working with Google to report the site as clean again so the warning message goes away.

Thanks,

-Nick

--
Nick Fenger
-Information Technology Director
-Administrator of MS/HS Scheduling & Transcript System
-Testing and Assessment Coordinator
-Outdoor School Coordinator
-Board Member, Communication Committee Chair

Trillium website virus update.

Hello Trillium Community,

Since last night, I've been working with our site tech Isaac and our hosting company Spiretech to bring our site back up. As of right now, it appears the content is intact, however, the engine that runs the CMSMS based site was broken by an intruder.

Tonight, Isaac will begin the work to re-install the engine portion of the site and restore functionality. I will update you on his progress tomorrow. I have the highest confidence in Isaac's abilities as he has done a tremendous job at supporting the site that he built. He started this work as a PLP/ILP when he was a student here and continues to work as a paid contractor.

Thank You,

-Nick

Trillium Website Has A Virus!

Hello Trillium Community,

The Trillium Charter School web site, as of about 14 hours ago, is unusable. Another malicious web site has co-opted it, making it a potential security threat. DO NOT VISIT THE TRILLIUM WEBSITE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE! Firefox and Chrome should give you a warning but older versions and internet explorer may not.

I will inform you when the site is usable again.

Thank You,

-Nick

Campout Was Awesome

Hi all,

Our trip to Deschutes River State Recreation Area was the largest high school campout ever. We had 72 students, 6 amazing parent chaperons, a whole caravan full of parent drivers, and gear galore all loaned or donated for our good use. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It was perhaps the smoothest camping trip ever.

For those of you who were kind enough to loan us gear, please come pick it up this week as soon as possible. In the mayhem of leaving on Tuesday, I confused whose pot was whose and don't know which ladle was which, etc. Please come claim your lovely stuff before my basement eats it up for use it at future campouts!

Best,
Ken

Late Start on Wednesday: PSAT!

Hello Trillium High School Parents and Guardians,

During the morning of Wednesday, October 13th, 10th and 11th grade students have the opportunity to take the PSAT (Preliminary SAT). If your student is a 9th or 12th grader or a 10th or 11th grader choosing not to test, they will have a late start with no morning classes on Wednesday. Normal classes resume after lunch. Eligible students should inform their advisor next Tuesday if they are planning on taking the test. You may also respond to this message with your student's preference.

The cost of the test for all 10th graders will be covered with district and state funds. The cost for an 11th grader to take the PSAT is $13.00 which may be paid on the day of the test. Parents/students may apply for a fee waiver for an 11th grader to take the PSAT if there is financial hardship; fee waiver requests should be made in writing and be accompanied by evidence of eligibility for the Federal Free/Reduced Lunch Program or other explanation of the circumstances. Please contact me directly for more information about the fee waiver.

The testing day will begin at 8:30 a.m. Testing is limited to 30 students from grades 10 & 11. There is basic information for parents below; 11th grade PSAT participation is mandatory to enter the competition for scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Thank You,

Nick Fenger

About PSAT/NMSQT
The Preliminary SAT®/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a co-sponsored program by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).
PSAT/NMSQT stands for Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. It's a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT Reasoning Test. It also gives you a chance to enter National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) scholarship programs.
The PSAT/NMSQT measures:
* critical reading skills
* math problem-solving skills
* writing skills

You have developed these skills over many years, both in and out of school. This test doesn't require you to recall specific facts from your classes. The most common reasons for taking the PSAT/NMSQT are:
* to receive feedback on your strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for college study. You can then focus your preparation on those areas that could most benefit from additional study or practice.
* to see how your performance on an admissions test might compare with that of others applying to college.
* to enter the competition for scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (grade 11).
* to help prepare for the SAT. You can become familiar with the kinds of questions and the exact directions you will see on the SAT.
* to receive information from colleges when you check "yes" to Student Search Service.

--
Nick Fenger
-Information Technology
-Testing Coordinator
-Trillium Charter School Board Member, Communication Committee Chair

Not Waiting for Superman

Find excellent critique and poignant response to the new documentary condemning public education "Waiting for Superman" here at notwaitingforsuperman.org

Trillium Receives Outstanding Rating from State

Hi all,

The state report card which just came out ranked Trillium as "Outstanding" in all three categories: Achievement, Graduation, and Participation. You can view a copy of the report card by clicking here. For information on all schools, visit the Oregon Department of Education website here.

Camping Gear Needs

Hi Parents,

The fall camping trip is next week, and we are excited. In trying to round up the right gear to take 80 students camping, we are running into a couple shortfalls, and are hoping you can help:
We need silverware. A fork and a spoon for each student. Please send your kid with one of each (or more to share if you are able!).
Hot cups. Mugs or metal cups suitable for hot beverages like tea and coffee. Please send your kid with one (or more to share if you are able!).
We also need:
more big cooking pots, with lids
1 really big one
1 not so big as that one one
1 big big cooler
1 big container for holding and dispensing water
A hot pot for serving coffee or hot water
3 Ladles
2 more can openers
2 more peelers
2 graters

Thanks for the help! Any of these we could borrow, or even have donated, we would be thrilled. Just send me a note, as I am the gear master.

If you are interested in seeing everything we DO have, click here.

Again, thanks.

Peace,
Ken