Intensives and You.

Hi all,

Intensives week is coming up soon (Dec. 14-17), and we have some fabulous offerings to look forward to. Polly, the organizer of Intensives (Polly@TrilliumCharterSchool.org) is asking for a few more hands to finish getting things together. Needs right now:
* Spaces! - We have so many offerings and so few places to put them! If you have a warm sheltered area (house, business, studio, etc.) not terribly far from school that could house an Intensive, please let us know.
* Drivers! - If you might be willing to shuttle some students just once (or even every day), that would be stellar.
* Hands! - There are always small tasks to be done. Whatever the time you have to volunteer with us, your work will be appreciated.
* Phones! - We have a long list of community partners that we need to keep in contact with to run this smoothly. If you have a moment and willingness to make some phone calls, that would be great.

Again, please contact Polly (Polly@TrilliumCharterSchool.org) or find her at the Kids for Kenya cases in the lobby in the mornings if you might be able to lend a hand.

Ken

Two Changes to the High School Social Justice Symposium

Hi all,

With the collision of testing week, Intensives, and Symposium, we have decided to make two changes:
First, we have moved the Social Justice Symposium to Friday, December 18th.
Second, parents are invited. We will open the symposium at 10:00 and will run until 12:00.
Students have been working hard to synthesize the work they have done through our Be the Change theme in advising over the past several weeks. We will have speakers, multi-media presentations, posters, tables with information on hunger issues, gardening, conditions facing migrant workers, and much more. We hope you can make it.

Best,

Ken

Hurray for Intensives!

A note from Polly:

Hello Everyone, I am writing inform everyone that all school intensives are coming up in December, from

Dec 14-17 From 9:00 to 12:00. As many of you may know intensives are week long classes that are offered to our student in a mixed age grouping taught both by our staff and volunteer parent and community member based on there interest and talents . The goal of these classes are to provide students the opportunity to work in small groups of about five to ten students per class and have the time to explore a subject deeply. In order for this exciting opportunity to work we need you to volunteer.
There are many ways to get involved.
- You can volunteer to teach a class for all four days.
-You can volunteer as a helper for as many day that can work with your schedule.
-You can volunteer as a driver as many days as you can.
-You can volunteer to help with logistics and set up and clean up , mostly done Dec11-13 and Dec18.
If you are available in any of these ways or have additional question please respond to this email.
Thank you in advance,
Polly

Polly Christopher
Service Learning Coordinator
Kindergarten Advisor
Trillium Charter School

Teaching About Thanksgiving

Happy Day all,

Here is a wonderful resource for understanding the complicated, and oft overlooked history of this day. A great story to share with family and friends.

Blessings,
Ken

Middle School Social Studies Sharing Photos

Hi all,

Thank you to the students and visiting parents and staff for making our project sharing in middle school social studies a success. I particularly appreciate the hard work that students put into their independent projects, and am thankful that parents could take time out of the middle of their day to stop in and share with us. We are sure to to do it again.
Here are a few of the photos from the event.

Best,
Ken

The Winter Time Wish List

Project Wish-List for our classroom

If you might be interested in contributing to the classroom, here is our latest list of items that would help make the day better (and the projects richer) for your student.

We would be thrilled to have:
* Black Sharpie fine point pens
* Colored construction paper.
* Art paper- Big sketch books, watercolor, charcoal, etc....
* Tape: scotch tape, blue masking tape, duct tape.
* Needles and thread.
* A few yards of some fun fabric.
* An hour or so of time from a confident sewer (I need some pillow covers).
* Poster board and large paper.
* Acrylic paints in all colors and brushes- artist quality (oil and watercolor paints are good, but not used as often)
* High quality colored pencils.
* Tissues.

On going:
* Natural peanut butter
* Whole grain bread.
* Honey
* Herbal Tea
* And if you might be willing to help buy books for the classroom, a Powell's gift card is always a delightful contribution.

Middle School Social Studies Sharing

Hi all,

My Middle School Social Studies class will be sharing their projects tomorrow, Thursday, November 19th, during class from 11 to 11:30. Parents, friends, and family, are warmly invited. It will be upstairs in my room. Feel free to call with questions. 503-348-9849.

Best,
Ken

money SENIOR money MEETING money TOMORROW

Hi seniors,

If you want $ for the next round of your projects, come to class tomorrow, Monday the 16th! Catherine Murphy will be there from the TFT to talk about process, and hand out grant applications.

Tell your friends. Show up. Get some money.

Best,

Ken

Great Gardening Depends on You

Hi all,

We are thrilled to have a great new gardening connection, and we need your help to get there. The next two Fridays, November 13th and 20th, we have set up a service learning time with some radical gardeners on the West side. Please contact Polly (Polly@trilliumcharterschool.org) if you might be able to help drive. We would take TriMet, but it simply takes up too much of the day to get there and back. We need help! Please lend a hand if you can.

The 'meat' of this experience is this: we will be put to work composting, working with the rabbits, chickens, and goats. It is a small community with great reverence for the land and animals, and an incredible knowledge of sustainable living.

I am so looking forward to it. We have been working in a small community garden area in NE Portland - this well be another whole universe for the students (and for me). Hurray!

On other fronts, don't forget to sign up for Parent Teacher Student conferences. There is a link on the right side of this page to do so.

Best,
Ken

Open House Follow Up

Thank you to all of you who came for our Open House/Parent Night last night. I sincerely appreciate the openness of the group, and feel excited to be part of our next parent gatherings.

Best,
Ken

Fall Conferences

Hi all,

It is time to sign up for Parent-Student-Teacher conferences. Folks in my advising can sign up by clicking here.

I am hosting our half-hour meetings all day on Veteran's Day, Wednesday November 11th, and in the afternoons on Thursday and Friday, November 19th and 20th.

Best,
Ken

Open House Tonight at 6:30

Hi Parents,

Looking forward to seeing many of you this evening. Thanks for the positive feedback and my apologies for our calendar mix-ups.

Best,
Ken

Senior Project Grant Applications

Attention seniors: please note a new link on the right which should take you to the grant application materials for your projects. The deadline for this month's application is this Friday, the 6th (a day on which students do not have school, so you may want to turn them in Thursday). There will be other rounds in January and February, as indicated on the syllabus.

You may also want to (or maybe not want to) note that you have now passed the quarter way point for senior projects.

Peace,
Ken

High School News

Hello all, below are images of the latest high school newsletter. Click below to make it bigger, or you can find a PDF of the newsletter here.

Unfortunately, there are some errors in the 'Happenings' part. Please note:
o Service Day always the third Friday, it should be Nov 20,
o Winter Break is December 21st through January 1st.


Best,
Ken

Pie Day Tomorrow!

Hi all,

Thanks to Colin's proposal in class meeting on Wednesday (and our awesome amendments and consenus decision making powers), we will be having pie in advising.

I am making pie right now! And we will commence our feasting on pie at 11:00. Here is why:

The general schedule for tomorrow is...
8:30-9:30 All School Meet
9:30-10:30 HS Meet (full agenda)
10:30 Gap Year Guest Speaker (within hs meeting)
10:50-11am Break (talk individually with Gap Year guy)
11-12pm Be the Change Class in Advising

Ken

Head Lice Information

Hi Advising Famillies.

If you have a younger student at Trillium you know that the 345 classes have had several students found (and sent home) with head lice. A High School student was also found to have head lice. On Thursday, we checked all of the Upper School students for lice during advising. In order to contain this within the school any students found to have nits and/or lice will be sent home. It would be helpful if you could do a thorough head check in the morning before your kiddo comes into school.

Below is some helpful information for preventing and treating. Please let me know if you have any questions and I'll give an update on how we're doing.

- Ken

Head lice are extremely contagious. Close contact or sharing personal belongings, such as hats or hairbrushes, puts people at risk. Children ages 3-11 and their families get head lice most often. Personal hygiene has nothing to do with getting head lice. Parents, please express to your child how important it is for your child NOT to share hairbrushes and combs, barrettes and rubber bands as well as hats.

As a school, we cannot stress how important it is to be vigilant in following the proper procedure when dealing with lice &/or nits. The school requires children to be free of lice and nits before returning to the classroom.

Below is information gathered from Medline Plus
Head lice are parasitic wingless insects. They live on people's heads and feed on their blood. An adult is called a louse and is about the size of a sesame seed. The eggs, called nits, are even smaller - almost like a dandruff flake. Lice and nits are easiest to detect at the neckline and behind the ear, but they can really be found anywhere on the head. The students that I sent home today both had nits and/or lice on the TOP of their head.
Symptoms are
• Tickling feeling in the hair
• Frequent itching
• Sores from scratching
The most important step in treating head lice is to treat the person and other family members with medicine to kill the lice.
How can I treat head lice?
Head lice can be treated with over-the-counter or prescription products. Shampoos and lotions that kill head lice contain pesticides and other chemicals, so it is important to talk to your doctor before using these products, especially if you are pregnant or nursing, or if you have allergies or asthma. It is also not safe to use products with pesticides on or near your eyes. If you find head lice or nits in eyelashes or brows, talk to your doctor.

The products that kill head lice don't usually kill all nits. To reduce the risk of another lice infestation, pick the remaining lice and nits by hand or by using a special comb (one brand name: LiceMeister comb) to remove them. Comb through all of the hair one section at a time every 3 days or more often, for at least 2 weeks or until you stop seeing head lice and nits.

You should also use hot water to wash any bed linens, towels and clothing recently worn by the person who had head lice. Vacuum anything that can't be washed such as the couch, carpets, your child's car seat and any stuffed animals. Because head lice don't live very long away from the scalp, you don't need to use lice spray on these items.
Additional information regarding non-toxic methods can be found by clicking here and detailed instructions by clicking here.

Here are some other tips and suggestions that might be helpful:

Steps to take at home
1. Children WITHOUT lice should lather up their heads with hair gel each morning before school. Lice do not like hair gel. And girls should wear their hair in a braid or pony tail every day.
2. Place your child's hats and coat in a very hot dryer the moment you come home from school.

Preventative Care:
I've read (several places) that head lice are repelled by tea-tree oil & rosemary. You can find all natural shampoo, conditioner & hairspray formulated to repel head lice (supposedly) here
Also, I found at New Seasons Giovanni shampoo and conditioner that has tea tree oil & rosemary oil.

Additional tips and suggestions:
* KeepKidsHealthy.com

*Center for Disease Control
* Pediatrics.com(1)
* Pediatrics.com(2)
* CDC (2)
* KeepKidsHealthy.com (2)

LiceGuard Robi Comb (available at drug stores)
Retail Price: $35.00
Web Price: $29.95

International Bestseller
ZAP LICE dead on contact while combing DRY hair.
As the comb slides through the hair, it makes a soft humming sound until it encounters a louse.
The humming sound stops and a small electrical charge passes from the comb's teeth through the louse. Using the small brush included in the package, the user removes the dead louse from the comb's teeth and resumes combing.
The comb can be stored and used repeatedly by the entire family!

Paradise Lost: Kirabati Found Poem Assignment

Here is the link to the video clip we watched on Kiribati. Write a "found poem" on your impression of the situation.

PSAT

Good Afternoon,

We should send some communication home regarding this upcoming test this is what I have, feel free to edit, copy or paste as needed.

Trillium will be administering the PSAT on Wednesday the 14th in the morning. It is important that on the 14th everyone taking the test is prepared to do so. They should have eaten breakfast, come prepared with a calculator or arranged to borrow one, have sharpened number 2 pencils and have arrived to school on time. Students arriving late will not be tested. All eleventh graders are expected to take the exam, unless they have a written note from their parents excusing them. All other grades taking the exam should come with $13 for the exam. On the morning of the 14th, it is extremely important that the hallways remain quiet and as clear as possible.

If you have an question regarding the exam please go to this website: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about.html

Thank You,
Jess

Fall Campout Letter

September 24, 2008

Dear Parents and Guardians,


The annual Fall High School Campout and Retreat is coming up next week. We will be leaving for Silver Falls State Park outside of Salem on Wednesday, September 30th and returning to Trillium Friday October 2nd . Students should arrive at school on Wednesday by 8:30 as usual. We expect to leave around 9, and will return Friday around 1. We still need parent drivers and chaperones for the trip, as well as people to help with cleaning and organizing when we get back. Please contact your student’s advisor if you think you might be able to help.


The cost of the trip is covered entirely by the student activity fee. If you have not yet arranged payment for your activity fee for the year, please contact your student’s advisor or the front desk as soon as possible.


The retreat portion of the campout will take place during the first half of the trip, Wednesday afternoon and evening, and Thursday morning. During this time, students will be engaging in small group as well as whole high school activities designed to foster a sense of community and increase our skills as communicators. Some of these events will be outside, and some will be inside. Please be sure that your student brings clothing appropriate for our lovely, unpredictable, Oregon fall weather. The remainder of the campout will be set aside for student choice time. There will be a few pre-determined group activities in which students may choose to participate. All activities are encouraged to be inclusive and non-coercive (if you don’t want to play, you don’t have to). There are also plenty of beautiful areas for walks, hanging-out around camp, or sitting inside by the fire.


The space in which many of us will be staying is primarily a large, open room with bunk beds enough to accommodate 76 people. There are private and separate areas for bathing and changing clothing. There is also a large central fireplace and an industrial kitchen. Ten tent camping spots are available outside the main building for those wishing to be apart from the large group to sleep. The bunks inside are designed to sleep two on the bottom and one on top. There are no mattresses or padding on the bunks. It is important that all students bring bedding and whatever cushioning (blankets or pads) with which they could feel comfortable sleeping on a wood bunk.


A list of suggested supplies for your student is below.

• Sleeping bag or blanket/sheet bedroll
• Sleeping pad or blanket for cushion
• Pillow
• Flashlight/headlamp
• Toiletries
• Towel
• Change of clothes
• Sleepwear
• An extra pair of sneakers
• Warm clothing for potentially cool nights
• Light clothing for potentially warm days
• Sunscreen
• A rain jacket or poncho

It is pretty amusing living in the Pacific Northwest and trying to project the weather in the fall. We’ll know better as we get closer, but right now we are planning for sun, rain, cold, and hot. Students should prepare especially for cool and wet, as Oregon is notorious for delivering both in plenty. It is better to bring rain gear and extra clothes and not need them than the other way around.

All students on the trip are expected to share in cooking and cleaning duties. Drugs and alcohol are, of course, strictly prohibited on the trip. Game systems and loud music are requested to stay at home, while we encourage students to bring cards, board games, and musical instruments.

We look forward to another great high school campout. Please let your student’s advisor know if you have any questions.

Regards,

Elizabeth, Jess, Ken, and Will
High School Advisors

Calling All Pillows

Hello everyone,

I need old cushions, pillows, or mats suitable for sitting on the floor, and I need several - 40 of them in fact. So, if you have some tucked in your basement, attic, or garage, or you wander buy some perfectly good ones on a curb, at the bins, or a garage sale, please think of Trillium and bring them on in.

I look forward to the first day of school. We start Monday at 8:30. Students should go straight to advising to get their schedules.

Best,
Ken

Free Bus Passes

From the front desk:

We have Free Bus passes for all High School Students. Your student needs to come in to Trillium and speak with Hillary about the passes. There is a form they need to read through and sign before they can have the passes. She is there from about 9-1 during the day.

Forms and Catlogs

Greetings everyone,
The latest catalog changes, and many useful Trillium forms, are now online.
Just click here.

Course Selection Survey

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

Ken out of town

Hi all,

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

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.

Senior update

May 25, 2009

Dear Senior Parents,

As we prepare to celebrate the culmination of your student’s high school experience, there are a few dates and happenings you might want to keep in mind.

A few students still have outstanding requirements to meet in order to successfully complete their Senior Projects. Please be sure your student is done or knows what he/she must do in order to complete the project. Successfully completed projects, approved by the student’s PRC, are required to graduate.

Please make sure Ken has a copy of your student’s senior project. We are building our senior library for future generations of Trillium students and look forward to including the amazing work of the class of 2009. Not all projects will fit in our library, of course, but we request a finished copy of the written piece at the very least.

Senior Dinner is Friday, June 5th at 6:30 at Trillium. During this annual event, Trillium alumni attend to serve the class of 2009, reminisce about times past, and share insight into times to come.

Commencement will take place at the Moriarty Arts and Humanities Building at Portland Community College Cascade campus (see map on back). The ceremony begins at 2:00. Seniors need to be at Moriarty twice that day: we will have a 9:00 a.m. rehearsal of the ceremony, then seniors need to be back at the theater by 1:30. Commencement will last three hours.

All seniors are preparing their speeches for Commencement. Each senior will select a staff person to speak about him or her at graduation, after which the student will speak about the significance of his/her school experience.

All seniors have picked up their graduation announcements, which cost one dollar each. Seniors who still need to pay for their announcements should bring a check or cash to Ramona at the front desk. She will then issue a receipt which the student should bring to me.

Caps and gowns are on their way. The rental company with whom we are doing business assures me they will be here in time for graduation. In fact, I have asked the company representative to assure me over and over and over again. The gowns and caps are forest green and the tassels are gold. We are pleased to support this company which uses high quality materials, and produces their goods in the United States. Students may keep the tassels. Rental for cap and gown is $40. Check or cash should be given to Ramona. Any student for whom the cost of cap and gown is an obstacle should speak to Ken privately. Scholarships are available. Students must return the cap and gown to the front desk by June 12th.

Seniors have begun bringing photographs and images from their past with which I will make a video slideshow for graduation. Please encourage your student to bring baby pictures, photos from their youth, or any Trillium scenes that are significant to them. I can accept printed as well as digital images and will have them available to return to students after graduation.

Seniors’ last official day of school is Friday, June 5th, but all are welcome and encouraged to attend for the last week of school and engage in Intensives offerings.

It has been my great privilege to work with your student this year. Thank you for the opportunity.

Warm regards,

Ken

Advisng Update

Hello Families,

Welcome to end of year activities. As we draw to a close, there are several events about which it may be helpful to have reminders. This is also an opportunity to extend sincere thanks and gratitude to Polly for her dedication, enthusiasm, and support working with our advising group this year. I will be back at Trillium full time in the fall as I will have completed my PSU coursework this spring. Polly will continue to be a major part of the Trillium community as the Service Coordinator and working in the mornings as Trillium's Kindergarten teacher. Thank you, Polly, for sharing your amazing talent of making even the most mundane tasks feel like adventures.

I was truly impressed by the sincerity, honesty, and boldness of the high school community during last week's high school meeting in the multi-purpose room. We all sat in a giant circle and respectfully allowed each and every member to share their ideas on the health and integrity of this great Trillium experiment we are all a part of. I was proud to be a member of a community that so clearly values making our educational lives feel meaningful. I look forward to many more such conversations.

All School Service Day is this Thursday, May 28th. Students from all grade levels will be involved in serving the community in different locations throughout Portland during the morning. Service Day begins at regular school time, 8:30. We then go out into the community and come back to Trillium to all have lunch together. Afternoon classes will run on their regular schedule.

Students will have the final meeting of their Friday classes this coming Friday May 29th.

June 1st - 4th are the last regular meetings of Upper School morning classes.

Field Day is Friday, June 5th. Students K-12 will participate in games and events in the park.

Senior Commencement is Saturday, June 6th at 2:00 at the Moriarty Arts and Humanities Building at Portland Community College Cascade Campus.

All School Intensives, where students get to choose from a rich variety of engaging activities, arts, and investigations will take place during the mornings of Monday, June 8th - Thursday, June 11th. Afternoon classes will run on schedule Monday through Wednesday.

High School student exhibitions will take place on Friday, June 12th, the last day of school. All high school students will present highlights of their semester's work to their peers. We will share our work, do some closing activities, and say our good-byes.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Peace.

Ken

Faith and Conflict Update

Hello Faith and Conflict Students,

A schedule change and a reminder: First, your first draft of your second paper is due on Wednesday. You should be working with the idea you submitted to me on Thursday unless I have suggested otherwise. You will have time in class on Tuesday and Wednesday to work on your papers.

We will NOT be having our video conference with the Gaza students on Tuesday. It has rescheduled to Wednesday morning.

Below is the list of questions we generated as a class to ask the Gaza students during the video conference. I have forwarded the list to them so they can choose which questions to ask. I would like to use them all, but we would run out of time.

Peace.
Ken

Proposed Trillium Questions for Gaza Students
May 22, 2009

Pleasantries
1. How was your day? What is a typical day like for you?
2. What does it look like where you live? Could you describe your home, your neighborhood? What is the weather like in Gaza?
3. How many people are in your family? How is your family?
4. What is your favorite food dish? What kind of music do you like?
5. What do you do in your free time? What games or sports do you like to play? What is a favorite book that you have read? What is your favorite movie? What did you like about it?
6. What is the most important thing to you right now? What goals do you have for your life?
7. Have your religious beliefs ever conflicted with your personal beliefs?
8. Have you ever wished to move and live somewhere else?
9. What has been one of the best days of your life?

Life amidst Conflict
10. How does the conflict with Israel affect you personally? What is it like living amidst violence? Are you ever afraid of where you live?
11. To what extent does the conflict with Israel define who you are as a person?
12. How do you feel about the war with Israel? How do you feel about Israelis? Do you separate the two?
13. What do you think might be the future of the walls around Gaza and West Bank?
14. What do you think about the election of Netanyahu as Prime Minister of Israel?
15. Do you think Palestinians will ever return to their rightful homes?
16. What do you think of the United States government and its people? What is it like to speak with Americans knowing our government supports the Israeli government?
17. What are your thoughts, feelings, or opinions on Hamas?

Understanding Conflict
18. What books or films do you feel could help an outsider better understand Palestinians and the conflict with Israel?
19. How do you resolve conflicts in your daily life, like an argument or misunderstanding with friends or family?
20. Do you think a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will be found? Where might it come from? What positive step might be taken to help stop the conflict?

Looking Forward
21. How might Palestinians one day be able to heal the divide with Israelis? Will it ever be possible for you to forgive the state of Israel for what it has done? Will you be able to forgive the citizens of Israel? Have you ever, or might you one day, be willing to have conversations like the one we are having right now with Israeli youth?

High School Campout

May 7, 2009


Dear Parents and Guardians,


The annual Spring High School campout is coming up next week. We will be leaving for Milo Mciver Wednesday morning and returning Friday afternoon. Students should arrive at school by 8:30 as usual. We expect to leave around 9, and will return Friday around 1. We still need parent drivers and chaperones for the trip, as well as people to help with cleaning and organizing when we get back. Please contact your student’s advisor if you think you might be able to help.


This time we're taking Trimet: we're going to travel in two groups of 30 with each group having 2 chaperones with one extra chaperone in case we need to divide into one smaller group. We will meet the number 33 bus at the Rose Quarter at 10 am then transfer from the 33 to the 31 which will take us into Estacada. From Estacada we will have about a 2 mile hike into Milo Mciver along the river. If there is any change to the transportation plan we will be forwarding that information on to you all as soon as possible. We are also asking that students pack as light as possible for simpler transportation purposes.


The cost of the trip is covered entirely by the student activity fee.


A list of suggested supplies for your student is below.:


*

Tent w/ground cloth and rain fly
*

Sleeping bag or blanket/sheet bedroll
*

Sleeping pad
*

Flashlight/headlamp
*

Toiletries
*

Towel
*

Swimsuit
*

Change of clothes
*

Sleepwear
*

An extra pair of sneakers
*

Warm clothing for potentially cool nights
*

Light clothing for potentially warm days
*

Sunscreen
*

A rain jacket or poncho


It is pretty amusing living in the Pacific Northwest and trying to project the weather, but a few showers are predicted for our first 2 days with the temperature projected around the 60's.


All students on the trip are expected to share in cooking and cleaning duties. Drugs and alcohol are, of course, strictly prohibited on the trip. Game systems and loud music are requested to stay at home, while we encourage students to bring cards, board games, and musical instruments.


We look forward to another great high school campout. Please let your student’s advisor know if you have any questions.


Regards,


The Student Camping Committee, James and,

Will, Elizabeth, Jess, and Ken

High School Advisors

Senior News

April 11, 2009

Dear Parents of the Class of 2009,

This is an exciting time for your senior and there are a few important things to keep track of as we move towards graduation.

• Your student should be nearly done with his/her Senior Project. The big push is on as the due date of Friday, April 17th quickly approaches. Each student must set his/her Final Project Review Committee date before the end of this month. During this session, the student will present and defend the finished project to his/her PRC. During this meeting, the Committee deliberates as to whether the student has met expectations for a quality senior project. Three results are possible: Approval, Conditional Approval, or Rejection (1).
• Senior Project Night is Friday, May 1st at 6:30. All family members and friends are encouraged to come celebrate with us. The class of 2009 will be presenting their projects to you and the broader community. Each student will have about 30 minutes to present and answer questions about his/her project. Three or four students will be presenting throughout the school at any one time during the evening. This is a special night, and an important time to honor the hard work your student has done. Please encourage friends and family to attend.
• Senior Pictures are happening on Wednesday, April 15th, individual as well as a whole group shot, by photographer and Trillium parent Lori Threlkeld. This will take place during Senior Inquiry class from 8:30-9:30 in the morning. Lori is generously donating her time and talents to take a few head shots of each student and will provide digital versions of these at no cost to families. Lori is also available for hire to do extended photo shoots of your senior for a more traditional senior picture experience. She does great work and we recommend her highly. To see some of the photos she took of the class of 2008, visit http://picasaweb.google.com/gadbow/SeniorShotsKensAdvising#. If you are interested in a more extensive photo shoot, please contact Lori directly at threlkeldlori@aol.com.
• Commencement will be held on Saturday, June 6th. Exercises begin at 2 o’clock.
• Graduation announcements are being printed now and will be delivered May 1st. Please be sure to email or call Ken with the exact number of announcements you would like for your student by Friday, April 24th. Announcements are printed on beautiful, one hundred percent post consumer material with soy based ink, come in envelopes, and will cost one dollar each.
• Students elected that this year’s Caps, Gowns, and Tassles be gold, white, and green. They will be delivered in the end of May and cost $40 each. Students may keep the cap and gown.
• All checks should be made payable to Trillium Charter School.

This is an exciting time of year and of life. I would be happy to help with any questions you might have around your graduates’ experience.

Best,

Ken
Ken@TrilliumCharterSchool.org

(1) 1. Approval: If the Committee approves the project, the student has satisfied this requirement for graduation. 2. Conditional approval: The committee may approve the project pending some future modifications by the student. The project cannot be approved in full until these modifications are made. The PRC generally reconvenes in order to re-evaluate the project should this occur. 3. Rejection. The committee rejects the work of the project as to be of insufficient quality to be considered for graduation. This is rare.

Plan for Ken's Absence

Dear Families,

As most of you know, Polly and I are part of the Kids for Kenya student service trip to Nairobi. We will be leaving with our splendid group of eight high schoolers (two from our own advising, Elias and Marcus) this Saturday. We will be performing service at our sister school Humble Hearts for the entirety of the two weeks just before Spring Break.
I will have a substitute, David DeFauw, for all of my classes, including advising. David is engaging, capable, and well liked by students. He will be a responsible, creative presence for the daily activities of advising. Should you or your student have need of the advocacy skills specific to a high school advisor, you (and they) are encouraged to seek out one of the other advisors during my absence. They are prepared to assume this role and will be able to help with any concerns you might have. They may be contacted via email at:
• Elizabeth@TrilliumCharterSchool.org
• Jess@TrilliumCharterSchool.org
• Will@TrilliumCharterSchool.org
Each of my advisees has been encouraged to seek out the advisor with whom they would feel the most comfortable working.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns for David directly he can be reached via email at DavidDeFauw@hotmail.com.

Best,

Ken

Why Not Posting Assignment 1

Why Not Posting Assignment 1
February 24, 2009
Due: Tomorrow, Wednesday February 25th

You may do the following with a partner of your choice or work on your own. It is up to you.
You are to create a handwritten introduction for the Why Not website.

PART I
• Your introduction should include:
o Your name(s),
o Your age(s)
o Something you value about yourself.
o Something you value about your school.
o Something you value your city, state, or country.
o Something you value about the opportunity to communicate with Palestinian students.
o A question for your audience (youth in, or concerned with, the Palestinian.

Example:
Portland Youth Extend Greetings
Hello. This is Frank and Joan. We are 16 year old students at Trillium Charter School in Portland, Oregon. We are excited to be making this connection for the first time and want to share a little about ourselves. We both play guitar and skateboard, and enjoy the fact that our school has small classes and we can call our teachers by their first names. We feel fortunate to live in Portland, a progressive city where people are generally kind and open-minded. We are looking forward to communicating with other youth all over the world about issues that our important to us. As a way to join that conversation, we would like to ask a question. We are currently studying the history of the Palestinian conflict in our “Faith and Conflict” class and would like to know what people would recommend we read, see, listen to, or experience in order to better understand the situation. Peace, Frank and Joan.

PART II
• Log in to the Why Not Website, hosted by Global Citizen Corps, at www.whynotyouth.org.
• Go to “GloPal Impressions”
• Go to “ADD and Edit Post in the Lounge”
• Post your introduction. Be sure to give it a title.
• Click “Add Post” when you are ready to put it online.

PART III
• Finally, go to “The Lounge” and read some of the many other postings on their.
• Next, respond to at least one of the posts on the Why Not website that you choose, by clicking “Add Comment” and typing in your thoughts or ideas.
• Be prepared to share with the class which posting you chose and why.

Writing in Advising this week.

Hi Parents,

Coming up this week during advising, all high school students will be taking the statewide writing assessment. It is a pencil and paper essay in response to one of a series of prompts. All students are required to do it. We will use Monday for prep and practice, and Tuesday-Thursday for writing, revising, and editing.

Please remind your student that this is coming up. It is important that each student take part. The writing sample is an excellent opportunity to focus on creating concise, structured writing to use as part of a student's portfolio.

Best,

Ken

Faith and Conflict Syllabus and Vocab

Faith and Conflict: Israel, Palestine, and Afghanistan
Class Syllabus
Trillium Charter School S2 2008/9

Instructors:
Ken Gadbow and Melina Reynoso
Email: Ken@TrilliumCharterSchool.org, RealismIsRealistic@gmail.com
Blog: http://ken-trillium.blogspot.com/
Ken’s Mobile Phone: 503-348-9849

Course Overview
This course explores the roots and current events of the ongoing social and political conflicts in Israel-Palestine, and Afghanistan. Special attention is placed on understanding the historical significance of the religious groups involved, and post WWII developments, including the Cold War. Students will have the opportunity to engage in real world and real time dialog with students in the Palestinian territories via web-dialog and video conferencing through the Mercy Corps Why Not program.

Melina Reynoso, a senior at Trillium, will be co-planning and teaching this course with Ken Gadbow, as the primary focus of her Senior Project. Melina plans to pursue a career as a social studies teacher, and has demonstrated outstanding commitment and perseverance in her work at Trillium as a student. Melina and Ken have been working together to coordinate this course since the fall of 2008. We are fortunate to have Melina’s skills, experience, and leadership in this class.

Code of Conduct
All students are expected to know and uphold the Rights and Responsibilities of the Trillium Constitution. We will use the non-violent conflict resolution process that includes conversations, mediations, and agreements.

Grading policies:
Student and teacher negotiate the individual grading system. The way in which the final grade will be determined is up to the individual student. Below is a range of options from which students will be asked to choose at the mid-semester point. Students may choose any percentage from the possibilities below, as long as they add up to 100%.
Weekly Responses (Due each Tuesday): (5%-15%)
Quizzes (Each Thursday): (10%-30%)
Projects (Writing, Presentation, Performance, etc.): (20%-35%)
Participation (Class activities and discussions): (30%-50%)

Attendance and Tardiness Policy:
This course requires participation in order to be successful for the student, the group, and the class. Therefore it is imperative that the student take part in all class activities. Our partnership with Mercy Corps’ ‘Why Not” program allows for the unique opportunity of communicating live via video with students in the Palestinian territories. Due to the time difference, and the security situation in Gaza and the West Bank, these video conferences will take place according to the schedule of our counterparts in the Middle East. This means we may need to meet quite early in the morning before school in order to take part. All students are expected to attend these sessions. They are mandatory.
A person is considered on-time if he/she is in the classroom, in his/her seat ready to work when the bell rings. A person may be considered tardy if he/she does not meet the above criteria or comes to class less than 5 minutes after the bell rings. Three tardies constitute one un-excused absence. A person will lose one letter grade for every two unexcused absences. A person who is tardy will still benefit in coming to class as he/she will better understand what is happening in the course, and will be able to participate and contribute to the class in a meaningful way.

Course Material:
We will draw from a variety of books, films, and periodicals in this course. These will include, but are not limited to: Promises (A PBS documentary), Three Wishes by Deborah Ellis, Night by Ellie Wiesel, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Bread Winner Trilogy by Deborah Ellis, Martyr’s Crossing by Amy Wilentz.
Students are encouraged to keep up to date on relevant topics through any of the following news source:
• The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/),
• The British Broadcasting Corporation (http://www.bbc.co.uk/),
• National Public Radio (http://www.npr.org/)
• Rethinking Schools (http://www.rethinkingschools.org/)
• The Jerusalem Post (http://www.jpost.com/),
• Al Jazeera (http://english.aljazeera.net/),

Other titles and sources that may be of interest will be included on Ken’s blog as they become relevant.

A note on sources: Students should take special care when researching on-line to find credible information, especially due to the volatile nature of this particular topic. Government (.gov) and university (.edu) websites are among the more reliable. PBS, BBC, NPR, and National Geographic are also likely to offer well researched material. Wikipedia.org has its merits, and can be a useful tool, but like most sources, can contain biased or inaccurate information. All sources should be treated critically. Always use more than one source. Compare and contrast the information you find. ALWAYS site your sources. Failure to do so is considered plagiarism, a form of stealing, and will be dealt with accordingly. If you have questions about plagiarism, I highly recommend speaking with one of your teachers and/or consulting the following web resources:
• The On-Line Writing Lab at Purdue University (OWL) (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/)
• The University of Southern Mississippi Plagiarism Tutorial and Quiz (http://www.lib.usm.edu/legacy/plag/plagiarismtutorial.php)

Weekly Schedule:
Every Tuesday: Weekly Response due (see below for topic list) at the beginning of class.
Every Thursday: Weekly quiz over geography, readings, vocabulary, or current events.


Weekly Response Topics
Faith and Conflict Class
Semester 2, 2008/9

Students must turn in a response to one of the following questions each Tuesday. Responses are to be typed or neatly handwritten, and double spaced, between one-third and one-half page in length.

Topics:
1. What ways could this class be better, and why should those changes be made?
2. What things do you like or appreciate about this class and why?
3. Describe an event in your out of class life that relates to material covered in class.
4. What is important to you about education? Describe your ideal education environment as if you were telling it to someone who had never seen an American school. What does it look like? What happens there?
5. How has your family or culture influenced you? How might you be different if you grew up in a different family or in a different culture? How would you describe your family or culture to someone who was unfamiliar with American culture? What makes it special or unique?
6. What traditions and foods are important to your family and friends? Give specific examples.
7. What past times do you enjoy and what do you like about them? What sports, music, or hobbies do you appreciate and why?
8. Describe a conversation you have had about class material outside of class. What did you talk about and why?
9. Describe a time when you felt safe and comfortable. What was the around you that helped you feel that way?
10. Describe a time when you felt unsafe, scared, or threatened? What was happening that you felt that way?
11. Imagine if war were happening around you and your family, what do you imagine you would do? How might you feel? How might it affect your daily routine?


Vocabulary Terms, Part One
Faith and Conflict Class

Arab
Arab Peace Initiative
Arab-Israeli War
Balfour Declaration
British Mandate of Palestine
Camp David Accords
Camp David Summit
Checkpoints
Diaspora
Fatah
First Intifada
Gaza Strip
Hamas
Holocaust
Islam
Israeli
Israeli Settlements
Jerusalem
Jew
Judaism
Multilateral
Orthodox
Palestinian
Palestinian Authority
Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)
Peace Process
Pogrom
Refugee
Right of Return
Road Map to Peace
Second Intifada
Security Fence or Wall
Sinai Peninsula
Six Day War
Suicide Bombing
Two-State Solution
UN Resolution 242
Unilateral
United Nations
West Bank
Zionism

Local Histories Final Project Assignment

Final Project Assignment
Local Histories Class
January 15, 2009
Final Due Date: Monday, January 26, 2009

Your final project for Local Histories will be to create, in your team, a book about the person(s) you have been interviewing.

Things You Will Do on Your Own:
Each student must turn in THREE of the four items from the list below:
• An “I am From” poem based on things you have learned about the participant.
• A free-form poem or story, like those we practiced early in the term, based on the participants life.
• An historic newspaper article from a significant event in the interviewee’s life.
• An historic photograph from a significant event in the interviewee’s life.
o Students will write a description of the article and photograph that includes:
 A brief summary of the historic event.
 An explanation about how this event was important to the interviewee.
o "The New York Times is an excellent resource for historic headlines and happenings.)

Thing You Will Do in Your Group:
As a whole group, you are responsible for producing:
• 1 typed transcript of the two interviews you have done with your participant (s).
o It is up to your group to decide how to spread out this work load. For example, you could all do this separately, or you could each do sections.

• 2 books (1 for your participant, and one to turn in to Ken):
o Each book will include sections on all of our participants.
o Your section must include at least:
 1 “I am From” poem about your participant(s)
 1 free-form poem or story
 1 historic newspaper article with summary and explanation.
 1 historic photograph with summary and explanation.

The final book may contain several of the above pieces (multiple poems, articles, etc.). Your group will decide which pieces to include. However, at least one piece from each student must be included.

Grading:
Part of your grade for this project will be based on the individual pieces you turn in to Ken, and part will be based on the group component:
• Three individual pieces (poems, article, photograph): 45%
• Transcripts: 20%
• Book: 35%

Individual student work will be evaluated according to each student’s individual writing goals. The transcripts and books will be evaluated for completeness and overall quality of presentation.

Advising Update

January 19, 2009

Dear Parent and Guardians,

Happy January and happy new year to you all. As the snow has melted and the sun shines, even if only momentarily, there are many things to share about our learning community.

Our advising retreat before the holidays was a time for students to share feelings, strength, and frustrations in a supportive environment. Nearly all of the students made their way to Silver Falls State Park for the overnight bonding experience, despite my poor driving directions. The weather was chilly, but clear and beautiful. We engaged in several activities designed to learn more about ourselves and gain insight into others. Shortly after arrival, students engaged in an activity which helped illustrate the roles which we each often play in group dynamics, and the strengths and challenges of being in those roles. After a snack, Rob, Polly, and I then led students through a series of outdoor activities which, for some, served to build the sense of trust and community, and for others, exposed fractures and confirmed preconceptions. Both of these results were extremely valuable to deconstruct back inside through discussion and open sharing. Many students expressed that the most valuable time as a community was the creating and sharing of art pieces which illustrated both the magic and baggage of what we bring to the world. Almost all students chose to share, or have their pieces shared anonymously, in an honest, trusting, revealing experience. I am personally grateful for the willingness of each and every member to come, engage, and share in this time.

Staff is currently looking at several options to make up the school time lost to snow days. We are trying to be creative in our approach to provide an effective solution that is least intrusive on the community. Such a disappointment it was for many of our community to have missed several days of intensives during that time. I personally found myself wanting to come to school on a snow day in order to lead my workshop!

As we approach the mid year point, we will be accepting a few new students to fill gaps left behind by a normal attrition rate, some of which will be joining our advising.

The end of semester one is Thursday, January 29th. Upper School Exhibitions will take place on that day. Students are each given several minutes to share work, or experiences, that have been significant to them over the past few months. Students generally choose to present projects, papers, or art work of which they are particularly proud, or from which they learned a great deal. That day will have a modified rotation schedule which will allow for all students to be able to present their work.

This Tuesday we will be celebrating the inauguration of President Elect Barack Obama throughout the building, and across age levels by watching the swearing in ceremonies and holding follow up discussions. Parents and community members are welcomed to join us.

Polly and I, in our duties as leaders of Kids for Kenya, will both be gone for our biannual student service trip for the two weeks directly before spring break, March 8-20. We have already lined-up fabulous subs to cover in absences. More information about the trip and program can be found by clicking here. Spring Break is March 23rd – April 3rd.

We will be scheduling spring parent-student-teacher conferences later than indicated on the school wide calendar, due to the Kenya trip. We hope to hold all conferences during the weeks right after spring break. Polly continues to be an advocate for each and every student in advising, and is especially helpful when I am not available during the afternoons and on Fridays. She maintains relationships with our advisees during her time in advising on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Polly hosts office hours for our advising to discuss any student concerns on Fridays from 12:00 to 1:00. We are both available outside that time by appointment.

All School Meetings are held Fridays at 11:00 in the Multi-purpose room. All of the ASM Committees (Budget, Hut, Shop, Park Stewards, etc.) meet each Tuesday at 10:00. Several students from our advising serve as heads of these committees. More about ASM can be found on the ASM wiki by clicking here.

State wide writing assessment is coming up. All high school students will take part, through advising, during February.

On a personal note, the end is in sight for my completion of my masters at PSU. I will complete my degree (knock on wood) this summer and will be able to be back at Trillium full time next year.

The preliminary version of the Semester 2 schedule is out. Students were shown a working draft last week to which they gave suggestions and feedback. Sign up will take place this week. Check it out below. This Wednesday, Jan 20, the final Semester 2 schedule and sign-up will be available. Please talk about this at home. Over the following week students will conference 1:1 with me to review their transcripts, explore interests, and sign-up for classes.

There is no school Friday, Jan 30 or Monday Feb 2 as teachers establish the new student schedules and do grades.

It is our practice that grades are available to teachers and students and mailed home 2 weeks after the end of the Semester. When those are available, all advisors will be scheduling student/parent conferences for Seniors to review transcripts and credits towards graduation. We will also meet with and develop contracts for any students who is Not in Good Academic Standing, defined as receiving D/F grades in two or more classes.

The week of February 9 is sign-up for Benson Night School. If I believe your student would benefit from this I have given them the forms I received from PPS.

The economic crunch that is affecting people across the globe is, as expected, causing Trillium to readjust some of our priorities. We are, as always, grateful to our fabulous community, including the TFT, for volunteering time, financial resources, and support during what for many is a strenuous time. Thank you all.

Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous year,

Ken

Preliminary S2 Schedule

Please be advised that this is the most current version of the schedule, but not yet final. All four pages are included here. Click on any of them to make them bigger.

Kids for Kenya Update

29 November 2008

Dear Kids for Kenya parents,
Happy holidays to you all. This is an update on our preparations for the trip to Nairobi coming up in March. The Kenya morning class has been going relatively smoothly. Aside from some early morning struggles with tardiness, students have been engaging in learning about history and cultures of Africa. We have been looking at ancient history and are transitioning into learning about colonialism.
We were greatly pleased and honored to have hosted Beatrice Anunda, founder and director of our sister school in Nairobi, Humble Hearts. Beatrice was able to meet with the Kids for Kenya and lead a few of our classes. We are sincerely grateful for her lessons in pronunciation of Kiswahili words which far outshined our own bumbling attempts. As part of Beatrice’s visit, and as regular parts of the class, we offer a “Trip Reality” time in which we focus on the logistics, the questions, and the emotions surrounding the trip.
Polly and I were able to conference with most students individually to address concerns or questions about the trip. Many students expressed anxiety about the pending deadline for the initial payment. We have moved back the deadline for the first payment to January 10th. Parents or students should feel free to contact Polly or myself about any concerns associated with the trip, financial or otherwise. Most students have begun personal fundraising efforts, doing odd jobs, babysitting, hosting musical performances, writing letters of support to family and friends, creating online sites at which to donate money, or making crafts to sell for the holidays. We are happy to help students brainstorm and carry out fund raising schemes. Let us know if we can help.
We are about to launch this year’s Shop Africa drive in which we sell hand-made Kenyan crafts, cards, and jewelry at the display case in the lobby at Trillium in order to send money directly to Humble Hearts. We also are pleased to be offering again gift certificates for a variety of much needed items, such as food, clothing, and basic health care supplies. Items may be purchased in the name of a friend or relative and given as a holiday present.
Again, please let us know if we can answer any questions or address concerns about the trip. We are thrilled to have this terrific opportunity.

Best,
Ken and Polly
Ken@TrilliumCharterSchool.org, Polly@TrilliumCharterSchool.org

Advising Retreat

November 19, 2008

Dear Families,

I love class meeting. I might be the only one in the room at times that does, but by golly, it helps me feel like the Trillium experiment is really working. We hold class meeting every Wednesday and they often last the entirety of the period. Students bring announcements, proposals, and discussion items. Today, after debating the pros and cons of the lounge/study space at the end of the hall, we transitioned to a discussion that could best be titled, “This year’s struggles.” Students candidly relayed concerns and confusions they had encountered, or heard about, during this first quarter of the year. Much of it revolved around communication, both student to student, and staff to student, as well as what is seen as the changing face of Trillium as our school further defines itself, becomes more established, and how that translates to school culture and expectations.

Our advising group has faced its share of interpersonal challenges as students attempt to define themselves and their roles within our school culture. We have been navigating social barriers between friend groups and sometimes the communication has been healthier than others. Sometimes it is kind and direct. Sometimes not so much. Sometimes we mediate. Sometimes we process as a whole group. But, we never seem to have enough time to get through as much as people would like.

I echoed the importance of the issues students brought up, and realize that advising is simply not enough time and space to sift through those topics effectively. I believe our group could benefit from dedicated time in which to address some of the issues. I proposed an overnight advising retreat to the students. Students overwhelmingly supported the idea. The other high school advisors, Elizabeth, Jess, and Will, as well as Polly, Stephanie, and I have been discussing the idea for some time. This is not a campout. The retreat will have an agenda that reflects the students concerns and will be facilitated by a group of staff. Polly, Rob, Stephanie, and I will be co-facilitating. This retreat will be just for our advising group.

I cannot require that everyone attend. But such an event is truly only successful if everyone agrees to participate. I strongly encourage each student to come and engage. I feel hopeful, based on the response at today’s meeting, that this will happen.

We have made arrangements at Silver Falls State Park, outside of Salem, for Thursday, December 4th. Each of the students will be excused from their classes for Thursday and Friday. We will leave Trillium in the morning on Thursday and return in the early afternoon on Friday. We will be staying in a cabin, not camping. I have attached a list of suggested supplies students should bring.

There will not be any fee for this event. We think we can cover everything but transportation for about $200. The funds to cover it will come partly out of the activity fee, and partly out of my own budget. As this was not a budgeted expense, I am asking any parent who might be able to contribute to make a small donation. You can do this at the front desk, or directly with any of the staff involved.
We need help with transportation. Anyone who might be able to drive, please contact Polly.

I consider this a great opportunity and look forward to using this time to support students in expressing their ideas, and finding solutions, in safe, comfortable, productive ways. Please feel free to contact me or Polly with any questions.

Best,

Ken
Ken@TrilliumCharterSchool.org – 503-348-9849
Polly@TrilliumCharterSchool.org – 503-459-1504


Retreat Details:

Where:
We will be traveling to Silver Falls State Park, outside of Salem. It is located 70 miles south of Portland, about 25 miles east of Salem on OR-214. We are staying in a large heated cabin with bunk beds, indoor plumbing, fireplace, and kitchen.

What to Bring:
• Bedding: Sleeping bag or blankets, pillow.
• Towel, toiletries
• Warm clothing: layers, jacket, hat, gloves, rain gear or poncho
• Sturdy walking shoes: boots or sneakers for outside. Slippers or warm socks for inside.

Meals:
Meals are being planned by staff, but each student is expected to contribute to cooking and/or clean-up.

Ground Rules:
All Trillium and PPS policies apply; absolutely no drugs or alcohol.

Draft Agenda:
Thursday, December 4
7:30 Leave Trillium
9:00 Arrive and settle in, continental breakfast.
9:30 – 12:00 Large/small group retreat activities: including ice breaker, discussion, reading, and
journaling.
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 5:00 Experiential activities facilitated by staff
5:00 – 6:00 Free time
6:30 Dinner
8:00 Evening activities – poetry, talent show, campfire.

Friday, Dec. 5
8:30 – Breakfast
9:00-11:00 Retreat activities
11:30 Clean up and leave by noon
1:30 Arrive back at Trillium

Conferences.

Hi Families,

I am still looking to get a couple more folks scheduled for this Friday afternoon or evening. If you have not already signed up for a conference, please call or email. 503-348-9849 - Ken@TrilliumCharterSchool.org.

Ken

Advising Update

6 November 2008

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this note finds all of you healthy, adjusting to our beloved wet and rainy days, and energized by the changing face of American presidential politics. Feeling safe in our community to admit my own biases, I confess my excitement. It is an historic time in our nation's history and one at which I am personally filled with hope. Political discourse may not be the main issue of this letter, but safety and comfort to express ideas is central.

Our advising group has gotten off to a great first part of the year. We have been using the time to help ground students in new surroundings, new classmates, and new expectations, and treat advising as a place for students to land. Our Wednesday Class Meetings have become an anchor of advising and led to a number of engaging discussions and debates within our community. Through class meeting, we have established Advising as a quiet study space on all but meeting and workshop days, and gone on to debate, and define, "quiet." We have created a host of new clubs, including Baking, Craft, and Asian-American clubs. We have established the systems to allow students to access independence responsibly such as Coffee Time, and the Personal Learning time Sign Out Board.

Polly and I have been conferencing with each of the students individually to develop Personalized Learning Plans. Learning Plans focus on understanding the needs and desires of the individual student and then finding them appropriate time, space, and resources in advising to support those ideas. As expected, these are as diverse as the students themselves. According to their goals, during any one advising class, a student may be reading the newspaper, playing chess, painting, tutoring, being tutored, quietly reading, or doing homework, among other things. Through these discussions with students, we are able to make agreements about each student's expectations and how ze* will use advising to support ze's specific goals. At the top of the list of common struggles for students are organization and communication. Polly and I are designing workshops to be held during advising to address these needs with all interested students. We are also increasing our emphasis on university preparedness by hosting workshops on college options, the application process, and financial aid.

We are fortunate to have many students in our advising group this year, some at Trillium for the first time, and some simply new to our high school who have been at Trillium for years. There is an expected adjustment period as the group defines itself, and each member begins to learn more about the others. We have emphasized the need for honest, safe communication and had the opportunity to model that through facilitated discussions and mediations. In just these few weeks since the beginning of the year, we have come a long way in our our work to support each student to hear and be heard in respectful ways. As students are finding comfortable spaces and circles of friends, Polly and I are also encouraging students to reach outside of their immediate friend zone to find resources and support in both academic and personal areas.

We are able to use advising as a platform to have important discussions about maintaining a healthy class, and whole-school, community. We recently engaged in what was at times a heated discussion about the impact of Portland Public School policies on Trillium students. We specifically discussed the ramifications for harassment, bullying, and use of alcohol or illegal drugs. Polly and I explained that Trillium is bound by the processes and penalties designed by PPS in these areas. Engaging in any of these activities can lead to expulsion. While we place a great deal of value on our relationships here, and we function in a democratic structure, it is ultimately the teacher's duty, to be the authority, and to insure that unhealthy, unsafe, or illegal activities are not tolerated.

In addition to our activities within advising, advisees have begun to establish a relationship with our Lower School buddy group. We are partnered with Rob's Intermediate class and it was a rewarding experience to be a part of our Halloween pumpkin carving and food sharing time. All students participated and, if you can possibly believe it, no one even complained.

During advising time, we recently completed our fall, district-mandated, round of standardized testing in the content areas of reading, science, and mathematics. All 9th and 10th graders are required to test. Any 11th or 12th graders who did not meet or exceed the expected passing scores are also encouraged to re-take the exams. We will have another round of these tests, as usual, in the spring.

Parent-student-teacher conference time is here. We will be scheduling the hour-long conferences for Fridays the 14th and 21st, on the half hour beginning at 12:30. Most spaces are currently open. Please contact me or Polly to schedule a time as soon as is convenient.

As always, please feel free to contact me or Polly if we can in any way be of assistance.

Warm Regards,

Ken and Polly

*Ze is a gender neutral pronoun used in place of he/she.

No Classes this Wednesday Morning - PSAT.

Hi all,

As many of you already know, this Wednesday Trillium is hosting the PSAT for all of our high school sophomores(and a few juniors). The exam will run all morning. In order to provide the most productive testing environment, all high school classes are canceled in the morning. Classes will run as usual after lunch. Students who are not testing are not required to attend in the morning. If they do attend, they must agree to work quietly on class work. This is an excellent opportunity for students to seek out help or get caught up.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,
Ken

Local Histories Syllabus

Local Histories: The Community Preservation Project
Trillium Charter School
2008/9 Semester 1
Instructor: Ken Gadbow
Email: Ken@TrilliumCharterSchool.org
Phone: 503-348-9849 (mobile), 503-235-8307 (home)
Blog: http://ken-trillium.blogspot.com

Course Structure:
Students will be expected to participate in many ways: through writing, reading, listening, and small group activities. There are short listening and writing assignments each day, which may include read-alouds. Students will keep a log book of what we do each day in class and save all material they create in their files.

Course Objectives:
Students will acquire a greater knowledge about the 20th century history of Portland, and the Pacific Northwest. Students will develop their skills as listeners. Students will develop greater abilities to express themselves through writing. Students will be able to tell historically accurate tales about specific places in and around Portland.

Course Overview:
This class focuses on developing the student’s knowledge and appreciation for firsthand experiences of senior members of our community. We will study national and international events through the lens of local historical happenings. Through interviewing community members and researching relevant events, students will come to better understand the personal impacts of the Great Depression, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, the Labor Movement, and the Vietnam War, among many others.

Code of Conduct:
All students are expected to know and uphold the Rights and Responsibilities of the Trillium Constitution. We will use the non-violent conflict resolution process that includes conversations, mediations, and agreements.

Grading:
Participation: 50%
Projects 30%
Presentations: 20%

Participation will be graded according to the student’s involvement in daily class activities. Your logbook will be evidence of your participation in class.

Attendance Policy:
The majority of your grade in this class comes from your participation. If you are not here, then you cannot participate. If you cannot participate, then you cannot meet the expectations of the class. If a student must miss a class, ze must communicate with Ken beforehand. Ken’s contact information is listed at the top of this syllabus. Please use it. Failure to attend class, or to communicate clearly with Ken, will be a problem.

Course Schedule:
This semester long class is divided into 5 sections: Listening, Looking, Gathering, Recording, and Synthesizing. Through Listening, and then Looking, we will spend the first part of the semester honing our skills as “perceivers”. We will concentrate on that which we can personally hear and see in our own community, then bring that information back to the classroom to discuss the why’s and how’s of those findings. During the Gathering unit, we will uncover strange, important, and unique events that have happened right in our neighborhoods through both walking and virtual field trips, as well as primary source archival research, using diaries, journals, newspapers, and other firsthand accounts to learn about the places around us. During the Recording unit, we will then use our improved listening and looking skills to conduct interviews with senior members of the community at the Marie Smith Center on North Albina Street. We will conduct a series of interviews there, record what we learn, then use that information to create picture books based on the senior’s personal experiences. The Synthesizing unit is designed to support students in creating a coherent story, based on historical events, and first-person narrative and personal observation. The books students create will be the final project of the semester and will be offered as gifts to the seniors upon whose life stories they were based.

Weeks 1-3 (September 8-25): Listening, with week 3 field trip.
September 24-26: Upper School Campouts.
Weeks 4-5 (Sep 29 – October 8): Looking with week 5 field trip.
October 9: Staff Development Day. No school.
Weeks 6-8 (October 13-30): Gathering with week 8 field trip.
Week 9 (November 3-6): Recording, Interview Skills.
November 3-7: Mid-Semester Point. Parent conferences begin.
Weeks 10-11 (November 10-20): Recording, Marie Smith Center visits.
November 24 – 28: Thanksgiving Break. No school.
Weeks 12-15 (Dec. 1 - Jan. 15): Synthesizing.
December 22nd – January 2nd: Winter Break. No school.
Weeks 16-17 (January 12th-22nd): Working on projects.
Week 18 (January 26-29th): Presentations
Last week of term. All projects due.
Thursday, January 29th: Upper School Exhibition Day

Senior Inquiry Syllabus

Senior Inquiry
Trillium Charter School 2008/9

Instructor: Ken Gadbow Phone: 503-348-9849 (mobile), 503-235-8307 (home)
Email: Ken@TrilliumCharterSchool.org Blog: http://ken-trillium.blogspot.com/

Credit available: Minimum .5 LA with .5 to be arranged depending on project focus.

Course Objectives:
Senior Inquiry is a required year-long class for all students graduating from Trillium in 2008. During this class, students will:
• Plan, develop, and carry out Senior Projects.
• Receive timely counseling to ensure satisfactory completion of graduation requirements.
• Prepare for the post high school experience: college, jobs, careers, and more.
• Plan for commencement in June.

Code of Conduct:
All students are expected to know and uphold the Rights and Responsibilities of the Trillium Constitution, and use the non-violent conflict resolution process.

Attendance Policy:
Every Tuesday, we will meet as a whole class to discuss progress on our projects and the college application process. Additionally, each student is required to meet one on one with Ken on a regular basis. It is imperative that students attend the senior class meetings as well as their individual sessions with Ken. Failure to communicate clearly with Ken will be a problem. If you absolutely cannot make a meeting, you must contact me beforehand. My contact information is above. Please use it.

Assignments and grading policies:
Students must satisfactorily complete a Senior Project in order to graduate from Trillium. This class is graded A or F. Those are your only two options. Your grade depends on satisfactory completion of the Senior Project. Students whose Project Review Committees approve their project, will be eligible to receive one full credit (1.0) for the year of Senior Inquiry after presenting the approved project to the Trillium community in the spring. Credit areas depend on project focus. At a minimum, any satisfactorily complete projected should warrant .5 credits of Language Arts and .5 credits of elective. Other credits are by arrangement.
SAT prep time and college application material are not ‘graded.’ I will help students budget time for them and lend support and resources. The reward for these endeavors, however, is securing your own future for yourself. If you dedicate the time and energy to this effort, you will reap your own reward. If you blow it off, you will suffer the consequences. No grade required.

Project Review Committees
The Project Review Committee (PRC) is a student-created board that guides, instructs, critiques, and ultimately decides the fate of the individual student’s project. Once a student decides on the subject of ze’s project, ze forms a PRC of at least four members, and arranges the first PRC meeting date. The PRC is required to meet at least three times, in the beginning, middle, and at the end of the project. The student will formally present ze’s project to the PRC on the final meeting, during which the student will defend ze’s work. The PRC then decides whether or not the student has (or has not) met expectations. Approved projects then must be presented to the broader community at Senior Project Night. More details can be found in the “Senior Project Proposal” form, attached.
Please note: Trillium staff members are encouraged to serve on no more than five PRC’s. We have many skilled faculty. Ask potential PRC members early in order to increase the chance of getting them on your committee.

Helpful Dates
• Every Tuesday: Senior Class Meeting in Ken’s Room.
• ASAP:
o Request College Information/Applications
o Decide on Senior Project Topic
o Form Project Review Committee and set first meeting date.
• September 9th: SAT registration deadline for October 4th exam.
• September 26th: SAT registration deadline for November 1st exam.
• October 4th: First SAT exam date
• November 1st: Second SAT exam date
• November 5th: SAT registration deadline for December 6th exam.
• November 14th: Deadline for First PRC Meeting
• December 6th: Third SAT exam date.
• Friday, December 26th: Halfway point for Senior Projects.
• January 1st: Free Application for Federal Student Aid begins accepting applications at 12:01 AM.
• January 15th: College Application Deadlines Begin
• January 23rd: Deadline for Second PRC Meeting
• February 16th - Oregon Student Assistance Commission scholarship application Early Bird deadline.
• March 2nd - Oregon Student Assistance Commission scholarship application Final deadline.
• March 6th: Ordering of Caps and Gowns, and Graduation Announcement (invitations)
• April 3rd: Deadline for professional publishing of Senior Project Papers.
• April 17th: Senior Project Due.
• April 17th – April 30th: Final PRC Meetings.
• Friday, May 1st: Senior Project Fair
• May 18-29: Commencement planning and preparation, including senior speech writing.
• Friday, June 5th: Seniors Last Required Day
• Saturday, June 6th: Trillium Charter School Class of 2009 Senior Commencement

Fall HS Campout

September 8, 2008

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The annual Fall High School campout is coming up soon. We will be leaving for Cape Lookout on the Oregon Coast Wednesday, September 24th and returning Friday the 26th. Students should arrive at school by 8:30 as usual. We expect to leave around 9, and will return Friday around 1. We still need parent drivers and chaperones for the trip, as well as people to help with cleaning and organizing when we get back. Please contact your student’s advisor if you think you might be able to help.

The cost of the trip is covered entirely by the student activity fee.

A list of suggested supplies for your student is below.:

• Tent w/ground cloth and rain fly
• Sleeping bag or blanket/sheet bedroll
• Sleeping pad
• Flashlight/headlamp
• Toiletries
• Towel
• Swimsuit
• Change of clothes
• Sleepwear
• An extra pair of sneakers
• Warm clothing for potentially cool nights
• Light clothing for potentially warm days
• Sunscreen
• A rain jacket or poncho

It is pretty amusing living in the Pacific Northwest and trying to project the weather in the fall. We’ll know better as we get closer, but right now we are planning for sun, rain, cold, and hot. Students should prepare especially for cool and wet, as the Oregon Coast is notorious for delivering both in plenty. It is better to bring rain gear and extra clothes and not need them than the other way around.

All students on the trip are expected to share in cooking and cleaning duties. Drugs and alcohol are, of course, strictly prohibited on the trip. Game systems and loud music are requested to stay at home, while we encourage students to bring cards, board games, and musical instruments.

We look forward to another great high school campout. Please let your student’s advisor know if you have any questions.

Regards,

Elizabeth, Jess, Ken, and Will
High School Advisors

High School Course Catalog

Hi all,

If you have not found it yet on the Trillium website, the link for the high school course catalog is http://www.trilliumcharterschool.org/catalog/hs_catalog.pdf.

And here is the course selection worksheet: http://www.trilliumcharterschool.org/catalog/hs_signup.pdf


Ken