Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Yoga for Young Women

THIS SUNDAY. This instructor comes highly recommended! Click here for the flyer to find out more.

Snowdays Foundation!

Our amazing friends at Snowdays are offering extremely special deals on gear at their first ever Garage Sale. The event is for Snowdays veterans only and is THIS SATURDAY. Special deals like whole snowboarding getups (boards, boots, jacket, and pants) for $25!!! Ask Ken for details on this most top secret event,

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Military recruiter list opt-out form

Hi all,
I have just been informed that Trillium is required to provide student information to military recruiters on any junior or senior at Trillium UNLESS parents fill out this form within the next week. Clicking here will take you to the document.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Fall Campout Letter

Hi all,

Find info on the fall high school camping trip here.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

FREE MONEY!!!

Wanna help write a grant? Many options to support Trillium here and deadlines are coming up soon!


Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grants - DUE: 10/14/11
Increase parent involvement? Build stronger community spirit? Create a new school tradition? The ideas are endless. Whatever goals and dreams you have for your school, Lowe's can help you fulfill them!

For more than 60 years, Lowe's has supported the communities you call home. At a time when schools and community groups are struggling to make ends meet, Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation recognizes the need to increase their focus on basic, one-time project needs. Grants range from $2,000 to $5,000.

For more information and a grant application, visit the Lowe's website.


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NEA Foundation: Learning and Leadership Grants - DUE: 10/15/11
NEA Foundation Learning & Leadership Grants support public school teachers, public education support professionals, and/or faculty and staff in public institutions of higher education for one of two purposes. Grants to individuals fund participation in high-quality professional development experiences, such as summer institutes or action research; grants to groups fund collegial study, including study groups, action research, lesson study, or mentoring experiences for faculty or staff new to an assignment. Maximum award: $2,000 for individuals and $5,000 for groups engaged in collegial study. Eligibility: public school teachers grades K-12; public school education support professionals; or faculty and staff at public higher education institutions.

For more information, visit the NEA Foundation website.


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NEA Foundation: Student Achievement Grants - DUE: 10/15/11
The NEA Foundation Student Achievement Grants provide funds to improve the academic achievement of students by engaging in critical thinking and problem-solving that deepen knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students' habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: practicing U.S. public school teachers, public school education support professionals, or faculty or staff at public higher education institutions.

For more information, visit the NEA Foundation website.


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Educator for a Day National Grant Program - DUE: 10/17/11
The Walden grant program is intended to encourage teachers and administrators to participate in the National Education Association's Educator for a Day event by hosting aspiring educators, community leaders, parents, and friends as they "shadow" teachers in the classroom. Schools that receive a grant will be required to arrange for teacher shadowing opportunities during Educator for a Day events on November 17, 2011.

Five schools from across the United States will be selected to receive a $5,000 grant. Funding may be used to enhance classroom education, provide educational technology or supplies, or sponsor special educational activities.

Any teacher or administrator from a public or private pre-K–12 school may submit a nomination.

Visit the Walden University website for complete program guidelines and nomination procedures.


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Shell Science Teacher Award - DUE: 10/17/11
This award recognizes one outstanding classroom science teacher (K–12) who has had a positive impact on his or her students, school, and community through exemplary classroom science teaching. The award includes $10,000 and an all-expense paid trip to attend NSTA’s National Conference; two finalists will also receive all-expense-paid trips to the conference.

For more information, visit the NSTA website.


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Magna Awards: Funding for School Boards - DUE: 10/31/11
The Magna Awards is a national recognition program co-sponsored by American School Board Journal, the National School Boards Association, and Sodexo School Services that honors school board best practices and innovative programs that advance student learning.

Magna nominations are judged according to three enrollment categories (under 5,000 enrollment; 5,000-20,000 enrollment; and over 20,000 enrollment) with one Grand Prize Winner in each category. Each Grand Prize Winner receives a $4,000 contribution from Sodexo School Services. There are five additional winners and five honorable mention winners within each enrollment category.

For more information and an application, visit the Magna website.


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11. Georgia-Pacific Foundation: Funds for Education - DUE: 10/31/11
The Georgia-Pacific Foundation supports a wide range of nonprofit organizations that improve the quality of life in communities where Georgia-Pacific operates, and where company employees live and work. (In Oregon, this includes Albany, Canby, Clatskanie, Coos Bay, Eugene, Halsey, Philomath, Portland and Toledo.) The Foundation has identified the following key investment areas: education, including job readiness and literacy; community enrichment, including affordable housing, cultural, and safety programs; environment, including resource conservation and clean air/clean water; and entrepreneurship, especially among youth, women, and minorities.

Visit the Georgia-Pacific website to take the required online eligibility survey and for more information.

Thursday, September 01, 2011

Wanna be a DJ?


Beginning of Year Goodies

Hi All,

As promised at tonight's registration bananza, here is the welcome letter. For those yearning for a copy of the course sign up sheet, it's right here. And this is the catalog. Along with Trillium graduation requirements. And here is the new Danny Macaskill video, which has nothing to do with Trillium, except in that, like Trillium, it is totally amazing.

Yay Trillium!

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Be an Intern at the White House

Yes, really.

Deadline to apply is Sep. 11.

Click here for the info.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Here we come!

Hello! Happy wonderful sunny days of August. There are three more glorious weeks left of summer and I plan to use them to the fullest - which includes putting finishing touches on the next school year. Stay tuned for exciting news about the new daily schedule and a variety of useful support mechanisms for our amazing school. Looking forward to seeing Trillium community again soon! Peace, Ken

Monday, June 20, 2011

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Opportunity for rising 10th graders

Conexiones (C3) is focused on rising 10th graders, providing career and college exploration as well as academic support. Students will engage in activities around team-building and leadership; culture and identity; college and career preparation; and have the opportunity to earn up to 0.5 high school elective credit. Starting on June 27th and ending on July 29th, Conexiones will meet every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 1:00 to 5:00pm here at Trillium.

Our program is Latino-specific in that staff, presenters, and site-visits will be bilingual and bicultural--but we are open to students of all backgrounds.

Please see Ken or Andrea for more information!

Represent US Youth in Qatar!

Global Citizen Corps is accepting applications for the 2nd International Global Citizen Corps Gathering July 23-29th in Doha, Qatar!

Only two GCC Leaders or Mentors will be selected to go, one male and one female. If you have any questions you can email Amie Wells at awells@mercycorps.org.

The gathering will include youth from 9 countries around the world and the theme will be Celebrating the International Year of Youth: Youth as Leaders, Change Makers, and Connected Global Citizens. A detailed agenda for the gathering is under development, and we will be seeking ideas from participants, too. The event will take place July 23-29th at Education City, a large university campus developed by the Qatar Foundation under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah, wife of Qatars Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Education City is directly across the street from the office of our strategic partner and the primary funder of GCC, Reach Out to Asia. Please see this link for more details:http://www.myeducationcity.com. Housing for participants will be provided in a nearby youth hostel.
For more information please contactawells@mercycorps.organd read through the application.
Here is the application link:http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JFHPP7H


We are accepting applications for theannual National GCC Leadership Summit, July 5-9thin Portland, OR.20 US GCC leaders will be accepted to attend the training, so be one of them, or send your friends. If you havent attended the summit apply now and meet your GCC peers from around the country. We are still accepting applications and preference goes to GCC leaders that havent attended.If you have attended encourage someone from your school or community to apply.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Hey Juniors, plan for college this summer!

NELA, the Northwest Education Loan Association, offers a free summer program for juniors that will help navigate the financial world of college and university. Click here for an application.

End of Semester Exhibition Info

Click here for the questions and guidelines for Exhibition creation.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Finals Week

Here is the schedule.

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Senior Update: Commencement and More!

This Friday is the last Senior Project Class! Come meet with Ken and the class of 2011 to get your cap, gown, and tassle, and learn about graduation logistics.

Senior and Alumni dinner is this Friday at 6:30 at Trillium. Seniors and alumni, come get fed! Please RSVP to Ken (email, phone, facebook, or send an owl) to confirm your spot.

Commencement is on Saturday (!) at PCC Cascade (N Albina and Killingsworth) in the Moriarty Arts and Humanities Building Room 104. [I still have a few graduation announcements; if you need some last minute ones, let me know.] The ceremony starts at 2:00. Doors open to parents, friends and families at 1:45. Seniors must be there at 12:00 noon!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Hosting Iraqi Youth!

HOST FAMILIES NEEDED FOR IRAQI YOUTH - JULY 22 – AUGUST 3

This summer the World Affairs Council and World Learning have the pleasure of bringing Iraqi high school students to Portland through the Iraqi Youth Leaders Exchange Program. They will be traveling with American high School students from St. Louis, Missouri. Attached you will find more information about this wonderful opportunity for Iraqi and American youth to get to know each other…person to person.

We are looking for Portland-area families with teenagers to host Iraqi and American participants in this program.

Hosting involves providing students a bed, breakfast and dinner most days, and transportation to and from our offices in downtown Portland.

Our goal is to pair the St. Louis students with one of their new Iraqi friends in a homestay . So we are hoping to have the good luck of finding host families with two available beds.

Our additional hope is that a willing host family will have a teenager so the Iraqi students can witness everyday life for American teens first hand.

Hosts and host siblings are invited to participate in program activities and events which will greatly enrich the experience for the whole family.

An Iraqi teacher and World Learning staff member will need home stays as well.

Although it is preferred that host families have a teenage in the home and can provide transportation, this is not a mandatory requirement. We will accept applications from any interested hosts. Please be aware that criminal background checks are conducted on all household members age 18 and over.

A fabulous Iraqi youth would love to be a part of your family this summer for two short weeks. Please send the attached host family application ASAP!

All my best,

Karen
Karen Ettinger
K-12 Education Director


World Affairs Council of Oregon
1200 SW Park Ave, FL 3, Portland, OR 97205
503.306.5270 | Cell 503.803.0439
karen@worldoregon.org

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Front Space Update

Hello Trillium Community,

As you may have noticed we have begun our work to finish up the beautiful wall around our front space. The two benches will get roofs and the wall will be getting a final coat of plaster.

Additionally two community members (Bruce Mulligan and Jon Molenkamp) are heading up the project to complete the gate with an artistic design so it can be closed and we can better secure the space.

We are looking for a few volunteers to help with this project. Anyone who would like with metal work and design are invited. You don't have to be an expert and kids may join in as well.

Additionally we are looking for some donations of rebar and metal rods for the gate itself. OR if you could give a cash donation that would be appreciated as well. Bruce and Jon are putting together a price sheet but are estimating a few hundred dollars worth of metal, welding wire and Argon gas.

If you can be part of this project in any way please let me know as soon as possible.

Thank you very very much

Rob van Nood
Intermediate Advisor &
The head of last years gate project who is trying to help finish up the part project that never got completed.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

All School Meeting Proposal

1) proposal -
I propose an all school talent show like we used to have. I think we should have two votes the first to decide whether or not it's happening and the second to decide whether it's a fundraiser or not.
My mom has talked to Kirk who has had past experience with Trillium talent shows and he says he will help out with it. My mom will also help out with organizing.
Some possible dates that don't have anything else on the calendar are the 8th or 9th of June. It would be from 5:30 till 8 p.m. in the courtyard.
We shall have a sign up sheet in the common space for the talent show. There will be room for 24 people. If more than that sign up we will have auditions. Auditions will be Friday the 27th of May directly after school .
We will put together a committee of staff and kids to organize the event, oversee auditions etc.

Parents will be encouraged to attend. No food will be provided.

2) How does this fit in constitution/bill of rights
Rights and responsibilities #1

3) How will the proposal be implemented and by whom?
A committee headed by me and my mom and Kirk will organize it.

4) estimate time needed for proposal
20 minutes

5) This is for the all school meeting

Thanks!
-Django, 4th grade, Sara's Advising.

Monday, May 09, 2011

More FREE Snowboarding!

The most excellent folks at Snowdays are taking us up again, THIS Saturday. This trip is for experienced snowboarders. Sign up sheet is on my classroom window.

Friday, May 06, 2011

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Senior Update: Class this Friday!

Hi everyone,

There are a few important items to cover this Friday, and it is essential that the class of 2011 is present:
- We are fortunate to have Rebecca Bateman, lower school parent and professional photographer, take individual and group photos of the entire senior class this Friday at 10:00. Rebecca has done this in years past: her work is beautiful and we are fortunate to have her volunteer her valuable skills.
- We need to size graduation gowns.
- We will be planning Senior Project Night, which happens on Friday, May 13th.
- We will do some preparation for commencement, Saturday, June 4th.

Seniors, please make sure you are at Trillium by 9:30. If you are so willing, the pleasure of your company would be most celebrated at high school meeting, which starts at 9:00.

Best,
Ken

Senior Update: Class this Friday!

Hi everyone,

There are a few important items to cover this Friday, and it is essential that the class of 2011 is present:
We are fortunate to have Rebecca Bateman, lower school parent and professional photographer, take individual and group photos of the entire senior class this Friday at 10:00. Rebecca has done this in years past: her work is beautiful and we are fortunate to have her volunteer her valuable skills.
- We need to size graduation gowns.
- We will be planning Senior Project Night, which happens on Friday, May 13th.
- We will do some preparation for commencement, Saturday, June 4th.

Seniors, please make sure you are at Trillium by 9:30. If you are so willing, the pleasure of your company would be most celebrated at high school meeting, which starts at 9:00.

Best,
Ken

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Taking Action on Climate Change

Climate Justice Portland
Updates, Action & Events!
___________________________________
Climate Justice will do some Movement Education at May meetings
1st and 3rd Mondays, May 9 & 23, 7-9pm, 2249 E Burnside
Climate Justice Portland will be hosting two opportunities to get down with Movement education -- come discuss and get educated about the ins and outs of climate change, Climate Justice and how Portland will be affected! If you are a new face, now is the time to come in.
Check out the materials for our self-education sessions. Readings & videos!
___________________________________
Are you a media maker or a video visionary?
Multnomah County is hosting a Climate Short Film Contest.
5 minutes or less about how climate change will impact Oregon. Deadline: June 10.
Want to enter? Got ideas? Come to the May 9th meeting or email cjcpdx@gmail.com and let's collaborate!
___________________________________
Fight against expansion of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) – No to HB 2700
The Oregon Legislature is voting on an Anti-Climate, Pro-LNG bill soon
Click here to send an email opposing HB 2700 to your State Senator TODAY!
For the third session in a row, a bill to change how state-issued wetland removal-fill permits are granted in Oregon is moving forward. This means LNG on a Fast Track through our communities! Soon, the State Senate Business, Transportation & Economic Development committee will vote on the amendment to exclude LNG-related pipelines from the current bill, HB 2700.
THIS IS AN UPHILL FIGHT, and we need to encourage our state senators to do the right thing against strong pressure from financial and fossil-fuels interests.
Click here to send an email opposing HB 2700 to your State Senator TODAY!
Learn more and take action!
__________________________________
Events
May 13, 10am -2pm, Portland State University Native American Student and Community Center
Stop the Tar Sands and the Heavy Haul Teach-In & Salmon Bake
We are tribal groups, environmentalists, and community members. We are protesting the use of the Columbia and Snake Rivers by big oil corporations to ship equipment upriver to Idaho where they will then drive the machinery up to the Alberta Tar Sands.
May 14, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson St.
Climate Ethics and Equity Forum.

Sunday, May 01, 2011

GCC: Iraqi Video Conference Prep

Hi all,

The big day is almost here. Our video conference with students from northern Iraq starts promptly at 7:00 in the morning this Tuesday the 3rd, down at the Action Center, 45 Southwest Ankeny Street. Students should arrive at the Action Center by 6:50 or meet Ken at the MAX station in front of Trillium by 6:25.

In order to be ready, all students must prepare to answer and ask a few questions. These questions have been generated by students (both here, and in Iraq), and student names have been assigned to the specific questions for which the student is responsible. If your name is next to a question, be prepared to both ask AND ANSWER that question.

Click here for the list of questions we will be ASKING.

Besides the questions on that sheet, there is one central question ALL students should be able to answer for the Iraqi students: What does rapid climate change mean to you, and what can you do to stop it?
Please thoroughly review your questions and prepare your answers ahead of time. We are ambassadors of Trillium, of the United States, and of Mercy Corps' Global Citizenry program. Let us be at our truest and best selves for this work.

Peace,
Ken

Friday, April 29, 2011

Midterm Report Cards and Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences

Hi all,

Midterms came out today, so expect to see them arriving home soon. They make great fodder for a spring parent-teacher-student conference, which you can sign up for through clicking here.

Best,
Ken

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

FREE MONEY!: PCC Scholarship

The Future Connect Scholarship is an initiative of the Mayor's Office and Portland Community College to eliminate barriers to attending college while providing on-going support to help students once they get there (see overview for more details). I am hoping that you can help refer additional PPS students for this opportunity.

As you are aware, we have 200 scholarships available this fall at PCC. The initial application phase ended on March 31st, and we still have 20-40 slots available. We only had 18 students from PPS high schools apply plus another 42 students from Ed Options. Please work with the administration at Jefferson, Marshall, and Roosevelt plus affiliated Ed Options schools to get the word out.

Eligibility Criteria:
- Low income and/or 1st generation college
- Affiliated with a Summer Youth Connect partner (students at Jefferson, Marshall, and Roosevelt would qualify because those schools hosted Ninth Grade Counts program last summer plus many Ed Options schools are affiliated with SummerWorks)
- Graduating this year and planning to attend PCC in the fall

ACTION NEEDED
1) Encourage students to complete the 3-STEP application. The application is available online: www.pcc.edu/futureconnect
2) Help students who have started an application to complete it. (These students are highlighted in yellow on the attached spreadsheet.)

Let me know if I can be of assistance in your outreach. We will be accepting applications on a rolling admissions basis, so encourage students to APPLY TODAY!

Best,
-Reese


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reese Lord
Education Strategies Program Coordinator
Office of Mayor Sam Adams
City of Portland
1221 SW Fourth Avenue, Suite 340
Portland, OR 97204
P: 503-823-4027
E: reese.lord@portlandoregon.gov
W: mayorsamadams.com ( http://www.portlandonline.com/mayor/index.html )

Check out our latest Education Progress Report ( http://www.portlandonline.com/mayor/index.cfm?c=49520&a=330075 )

Friday, April 22, 2011

Lunch Program Changes

Dear Trillium Families,

We have been working hard this year to get an amazing lunch program that serves hot, healthy food and pays for itself. Beth and Elizabeth have been dedicated and have work so hard. The trick is with the amount of reporting and compliance involved with being a National School Lunch Program with federal guidelines there is an incredible amount of labor that is required for the program. Try as hard as we have, we have not found a way to make it economically viable at this time.

We do believe in providing healthy lunch so after much number crunching and brainstorming we have come up with a option we feel will meet Trillium's needs. We will no longer be participating in the National School Lunch Program. We will have a morning snack and lunch to those who need it. It won't be fancy, but it will be FREE! It sounds crazy, but it actually will cost Trillium less money to offer a simple free lunch choice that requires minimal preparation and no administration. The preparation will be done by volunteers (let us know if you are interested in helping!) with the free Dave's Killer Bread we get on weekly basis.

If you are in need of a breakfast - think granola bar or a bagel and a piece of fruit in the morning. Or a PB&J, milk, and a piece of fruit for lunch there will be food available. Breakfast will be served Monday-Friday and Lunch will be served Monday-Thursday. We won't be charging for these options, however donations will be accepted to keep the food cost down. These changes will start on Monday, April 25th.

Thank you for your understanding-
Genevieve

Happy Earth Day

http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/4801/

Monday, April 11, 2011

Study Chinese at PSU

Intensive Chinese Language Summer Program at PSU
8 weeks for $750. Scholarships Available.

WHEN: Sessions begin on June 20 or June 27 and end on August 12, 2011
Classes meet 2 hours per day, Monday – Friday
WHERE: Portland State University
WHAT: The class will be highly interactive, using a fun situational method of language learning. Students will receive 4 credits for the 8-week course.
WHO: This program is for individuals 15 or older with an interest in learning Chinese. Participants should have no background in Chinese. Students will be expected to spend about 2 hours everyday on self-managed study.
COST: $500 for 4 credits plus a $250 lab fee. Books are about $50.
INSTRUCTORS: The lead teacher will be Prof. Hao-Hsiang Liao from Ohio State University who has taught Chinese at Harvard and Williams College. He will be joined by teacher-trainees of the PSU/ALLEX teacher training program.
SPONSORSHIP: This program is sponsored by the Dept. of World Languages and Literatures at PSU in collaboration with the Alliance for Language Learning and Educational Exchange (ALLEX).
HOW TO APPLY: For Information or to get an application please contact:
Tom@Allex.org or call 607-218-2130

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Organizing and Socializing Spot

Friends:

I will be opening Columbia Cottage at 8:00 am tomorrow morning for the Trillium Community to gather, talk, share and have a base of operations during the shut-down. I will be opening it up most days during the shut-down.

This is NOT a drop-off daycare offer or replacement for the school. However, if you would like to come with your kids, watch them play together, have a cup of coffee or tea, visit with other parents, please feel free to come by. We can even put a nice warm fire in the fireplace. Please feel free to bring lunch... or we could even go in together to get a pizza ;-)

The cottage has a large grandroom in which kids can play, it is close to the Columbia pool and to a playground.

Columbia Cottage is located in Columbia Park at 4339 N Lombard (google map).

Blake Swensen
503-957-6807

New announcements regarding the temporary closure

Latest updates can be found at http://trilliumupdates.wordpress.com/.

Trillium Blog with FAQ's

Can be found here.

Saturday, April 09, 2011

URGENT INFORMATION: Temporary Suspension in Classes

Dear Trillium Community,

We were informed at the end of business day on Friday that we must temporarily suspend classes and we may not use the building because our property and liability insurance was canceled. The cancellation is due to our account history that occurred as a result of our financial struggles over the past few years. Thankfully, we are making great strides, but work on our transition to financial stability is still a real issue.

We are actively communicating with our insurance broker to reinstate our insurance policy as soon as possible. This suspension of classes, which impacts all grade levels and preschool, will begin Monday, 4/10. This means there will be NO SCHOOL, nor will be there anyone in the building.

Our hope is that this issue can be resolved sooner, but we must plan for a 2 week suspension of classes and building use.

We understand this is an unexpected announcement and that it will be challenging. Thankfully, Trillium is a strong community and we will work through this together. We will communicate via email to update you daily and as we have new information about insurance reinstatement. We know you have questions and we will do our best to answer them. In addition to the email we will contact parents on the phone, creating a blog specific to this suspension of classes to better update and connect online.

This Tuesday at 6:30pm we will be holding an ALL COMMUNITY MEETING location TBA. The Board, Genevieve, many Staff members, and TFT will be available at 6:30pm to answer questions and connect about working together.

We ask that parents please email your student's adviser to let them know you have received this message and understand that classes will not be held beginning Monday. Adviser emails are listed below.

Please refer any media inquiries to:

Executive Director, Genevieve Bouwes Genevieve@trilliumcharterschool.org or Trillium’s Board Chair, James Hindes James@trilliumcharterschool.org

Thank you for all the positive support as we navigate this detour. We look forward to having all of our students together in a learning community very soon.

Sincerely,

Trillium Administration

Preschool:
trilliumpreschool@gmail.com

Kindergarten:
polly@trilliumcharterschool.org

1st & 2nd Grade:
beth@trilliumcharterschool.org
brian@trilliumcharterschool.org
whitney@trililumcharterschool.org

3rd, 4th, 5th Grade:
sara@trilliumcharterschool.org
rob@trilliumcharterschool.org
jeremy@trilliumcharterschool.org
lyndsey@trilliumcharterschool.org

6th, 7th, 8th Grade:
amy@rilliumcharterschool.org
kirk@trilliumcharterschool.org
nina@trilliumcharterschool.org
kurt@trilliumcharterschool.org

9th, 10th, 11th, 12th Grade:
will@trilliumcharterschool.org
ken@trilliumcharterschool.org
jess@trilliumcharterschool.org
sarah@trilliumcharterschool.org

--
Genevieve Bouwes
Executive Director
Trillium Charter School

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Tomorrow!: Act for Equal Funding!

House Bill #3397 is a Charter School equity bill that I believe Trillium community members should support. The first hearing this Wednesday morning at 8 am in the House Revenue Committee.

This bill would bring funding for charter schools in line with all other per pupil funding. For Trillium it would mean at approximately $250,000 worth of revenue every year. It is worth the battle.

I believe the hearing will be in Hearing room A on the first floor on the House side of the building. The bill's supporters would love parents and families to come to the hearing and even testify if they would like. If your can't attend contact you representatives and urge their support.

CHARTER SCHOOLS SHOULD GET THE SAME $ PER STUDENT AS OTHER PUBLIC SCHOOLS!

This google map shows where the State Capital is located.

This is the directions from Trillium.

It will take over an hour to get there so if you plan on coming remember that the hearing starts at eight and parking might take some time.

Letting Kids Lead

From the New York Times: Let Kids Rule the School

TODAY at 5!: Solidarity with Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio

Please join Tuesday's demonstration downtown, sponsored by Jobs with Justice and others:

Rally in solidarity with Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio
Tuesday, March 15th at 5:00pm
Terry Schrunk Plaza
SW 3rd and Madison in Portland

Though millions of Americans are out of jobs, corporate-funded politicians are attacking worker rights and slashing public services, instead of addressing the jobs deficit.

Why? It’s simple: political payback to the same Wall Street and corporate CEOs who pushed millions of Americans out of jobs and homes, got bailed out and are back to making record profits. The corporate greed agenda is a permanent “jobless recovery" that concentrates wealth at the top, while leaving the rest of us to fight over what’s left.

These corporate-backed politicians have other proposals that will lower wages, decimate public education, hang teachers out to dry by weakening or eliminating the right for fair treatment and due process on the job.

Meanwhile, we should draw inspiration from the massive resistance that has been going on in Wisconsin since Gov. Walker announced his rollback of workers rights -- and that has been replicated in Indiana and Ohio.

"In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans such as ‘right to work.’ It provides no ‘rights’ and no ‘works.’ Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining… We demand this fraud be stopped." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio are the frontlines today, but this program will soon be showing across the country, if we don’t stop them.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Important Senior News

Dear Parents of the Class of 2011,

There are a few important things to keep track of as we move towards graduation.

Your student should be on the home stretch with his/her senior project. Final Project Review Committee (PRC) meetings happen during the last week of April. Projects are due to all PRC members sufficiently in advance of the final PRC meeting to allow PRC members to look over the work ahead of time. This is a stressful time for many seniors as the Friday, May 6th deadline for projects approaches. Students should be communicating regularly with a member of their Project Review Committee to problem solve any issues they might have around their project. Any student who has not held the second (of 3 required) PRC meeting should arrange one immediately. A successfully completed senior project is required to receive a diploma.
As of today, projects are due in less than six weeks!

Commencement will be held at the Moriarty Arts and Humanities Building at Portland Community College Cascade Campus on Saturday, June 4th. Exercises begin at 2 o’clock.

We will be ordering graduation announcements soon and generally have them available to parents and students by May 1st. Please make sure Ken knows exactly how many you would like for your student. Announcements are printed on beautiful, one hundred percent post consumer material with soy based ink, come in envelopes, and will cost one dollar each.

Caps and gowns have been ordered, and will be black. We use a cap and gown company that rents us high quality robes. Rental cost is $30. Students will be able to keep the caps and tassles.

All checks should be made payable to Trillium Charter School, and given to the front desk.

Senior Project Night is a wonderful showcase of students' work and will take place on Friday, May 13th. Students will each have one 30-45 minute slot to present their work to parents, family members, and friends. The event takes place at Trillium. Please tell family and friends to mark their calendars as this event is amazing and should not be missed!

This information, as well as a the senior calendar, and other senior resources, are available on my blog (http://ken-trillium.blogspot.com).

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 Gadbow
Ken@TrilliumCharterSchool.org

Monday, March 07, 2011

State of the School - March 16th at 6:30

State of our School Community Forum
Wednesday, March 16th from 6:30-8:00

Please join us on March 16th from 6:30-8:00 for an update of the financial status of Trillium as well as a facilitated break out sessions for your input.

As part of our strategic planning work, we will be conducting an online survey that will go out in the next few days. We will follow it up with this community night that will include a State of the School speech to inform all of Trillium’s financial situation and small breakout groups to get direct community feedback. The underlying objective of the meeting is to inform everyone about the work that lies ahead for Trillium and how we can together to successfully move us forward.

Childcare will be available at Trillium that evening. Please email Ramona@trilliumcharterschool.org by March 14th to sign up for childcare.

--
Genevieve Bouwes
Executive Director
Trillium Charter School

Saturday, March 05, 2011

Teachers Wonder Why the Scorn?

"You are glorified baby sitters who leave work at 3 p.m. You deserve minimum wage." From the New York Times,

Snowdays Gear and Opportunities

[From Snowdays director Jolene Wilson]

Hi,

I am writing to repsond to a message that a student sent out back in January. Sorry for the delay, but I had to do some investigating in order to find an answer to his request. I am also writing because we would like to invite a couple students on our next trip with SEI. We can take 3-4 Trillium students on the next trip if you have interested kids. The trip is on 3/12 (next Saturday).


One, if you have students who would like to borrow gear we may be able to lend some out if we are given enought notice!

Second, we are trying to organize a gear 'sale' at the end of the year. This would be an event where students could get a gear set-up at rock-bottom prices at the end of the season.

Third, if any of your more advanced snowboarders are interested in earning snowboard gear they can do so by volunteering to peer mentor students on daytrips. THis is a new aspect of Snowdays that we are developing. Let me know if you have an interested student and we can coordinate their involvement in a trip or two this year.

Looking forward to hearing back!
Jolene Willson

Charter School Parent Summit - March 10th

Click here for more information.

Thursday, March 03, 2011

Writing Contest - with cash prizes!!

The Norman Mailer Writers Colony and the National Council of Teachers of English are pleased to invite submissions for the 2011 Norman Mailer High School and College Writing Awards for Creative Nonfiction. We hope you will encourage your students to apply.

PRIZES
Cash prizes of $5,000 to $10,000 will be awarded to National Winners. Four finalists in each category will be awarded trophies. Sixteen semifinalists in each category will be awarded certificates. Winners receive travel and lodging to attend the Colony's National Award Ceremony.

Submission Guidelines

CATEGORY
Norman Mailer produced extraordinary works in many genres, including the category of this year’s award:
Creative Nonfiction. Students may submit work in any of the subgenres of creative nonfiction: memoir or autobiography, essay, literary journalism, profiles of people or places, and so on. Whatever its type, the best work will be true material presented with compelling literary merit.

ELIGIBILITY, PAGE LENGTH, and DEADLINES
Entries accepted online only March 1 - April 28, 2011, Noon CST.
• High School Competition is open to all high school students. Students may submit one or more pieces of writing, maximum 10 single-spaced pages, endorsed by a teacher and released by a parent or guardian. Cash award of $5,000.

• Two-Year College Competition is open to first- and second-year full-time students enrolled in a community college, junior college, technical college. Maximum 15 single-spaced pages. Cash award of $5,000.
• Four-Year College Competition is open to current full-time students. Maximum 15 single-spaced pages.
The college winner receives a scholarship to the Norman Mailer Writers Colony during the summer of 2012 and cash award of $10,000.

For complete submission guidelines and judging criteria, or to submit an entry, visit the NCTE website. Please email any questions to nmw@ncte.org.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Global Citizenry class - Gaza video conference this Tuesday!

We are so excited to be taking part in our first video conference of the year with youth in the Palestinian Territory of Gaza.

When: Tuesday, March 1st at 7:00 AM
Where: Mercy Corps Action Center, downtown at 45 SW Ankeny St 97204.
How: Students can meet Ken at Trillium by 6:25 AM (!) to ride down on the MAX, or make their own way to Mercy Corps by 7:00.
Why: Because we can! The early hour (our time) is to ensure the safety and security of our Gaza partners, because it is late (their time).

Questions: Call Ken.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Solidarity with Wisconsin - Two Events

*REPORT BACK FROM THE CLASS WAR IN WISCONSIN*
From Egypt to Wisconsin: The Crisis of Capitalism and Resistance from Below
Thursday, February 24th, 7pm
Portland State University, Smith Memorial Student Union Room 327

Around the world, economies are being wrecked by crisis. In addition to the trillions of dollars handed over to Wall Street, the governments of Ireland, Greece, and Portugal required similar bailouts while Spain and Italy are seek a way out of the financial crisis. In poor countries, anger over unemployment and rising food prices is helping fuel revolts and revolutions as evident from the recent events in Tunisia and Egypt.

Of course, working-class people everywhere are being forced to pay for the crisis, through joblessness, wage-cuts, and the slashing of social services. Though these cuts have been less severe in the United States, the same political and economic dynamics provoking resistance in Europe and North Africa are at work here.These dynamics have begun to play out in the recent struggle in Wisconsin against Governor Walker's draconian anti-union legislation. Join the International Socialist Organization and Adam Sanchez, a member of the Portland Association of Teachers and ILWU Local 5 who has spent the last few days in Wisconsin and will be reporting back on the struggle. Come discuss the evolving crisis, the resistance to austerity, and the Wisconsin turning point for US Labor.

******

Stand with Wisconsin: An Injury to One Is an Injury to All!
Friday, February 25, 4pm
Director Park (SW Yamhill and SW Park) - map

Please distribute widely!

Join us this Friday, February 25, at 4pm as we stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin as well as Ohio, Indiana and other states where attacks on working people are happening. Wear red (Wisconsin color). Bring your banners. Bring your signs of solidarity. More info on the Jobs with Justice website.

What else can I do?

Here are a couple of ideas. Sign the We are Wisconsin petition and check out the videos. Donate a pizza from Ian's for the demonstrators in Madison. Ian's reports orders from 45 states and 12 countries including Egypt. The number to call is 608-257-9248.

More on Wisconsin

In Wisconsin, workers, students, faith, immigrant rights groups, LGBT groups, women's groups, all sectors of labor, environmental groups, and more continue to occupy the state capitol and more in numbers that are climbing to over 80,000 people.

In states across the country, workers are fighting back against corporate-backed lawmakers who are trying to use state budget problems as an excuse to gut workers’ rights and benefits, when in fact it was Wall Street’s gambles and broken promises that have hurt taxpayers and the middle class—not workers. CEOs are trying to shift the blame for high unemployment and rising poverty levels away from themselves and onto workers and our unions.

The fightback in Wisconsin is historic -- please join us on Friday.

Steve Snyder
Portland Jobs with Justice

School Closure Information

Trillium follows PPS school closure policies. Closures and delays are announced on the PPS inclement weather page.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Cheer Trillium and Co. on the Big Screen

Exclusive movie premiere!

Lessons from the Real World

Produced by Robert Gliner and featuring Portland-area students, teachers, and schools

Thursday, March 10, 2011, 6pm

Doors open and reception at 5:30pm

The filmmaker will attend and take questions after the screening


Hollywood Theatre
4122 Northeast Sandy Boulevard, Portland
Free admission and light refreshments. All ages are welcome.

Seating is limited to the first 220 people.
Please call the PSU Box Office for reservations: 503-725-3307

A new documentary film featuring Portland-area schools will premiere at the Hollywood Theatre on Thursday, March 10. Lessons from the Real World, by filmmaker Robert Gliner, takes on negative perceptions about our schools and features successful innovative lessons conducted by Oregon educators at eight Metro-area schools.

Gliner’s answer to the recent documentary, Waiting for Superman, puts a positive spin on effective education practices that feature students working on projects outside the school in their communities. “Learning to read, do math and other subjects will come if students care about what they are learning, rather than drilling them with subject matter largely divorced from their real lives,” he says.

Schools featured in the 58-minute film include Trillium Charter School, Sunnyside Environmental School, Jefferson High School, Marshall Campus, Roosevelt High School, Atkinson Elementary, Sojourner in North Clackamas, and Portland State University.

For more information, contact: EDfilm@pdx.edu

About Robert Gliner:
Robert Gliner, PhD, is an award-winning documentary producer with more than 30 projects to his credit. His films have appeared on PBS stations throughout the United States and have also been viewed in a wide variety of university and public school settings and nonprofit organizations. His primary focus is social justice both inside the United States and throughout the world. He has filmed in Russia, Macedonia, Vietnam, India, Tanzania, Israel, Ecuador, and Cuba. He is involved in all aspects of the production process from initial stages of research to filming and editing. He is an emeritus professor of sociology at San Jose State University in California. www.docmakeronline.com

Sponsored by
Portland State University
Graduate School of Education
Center for Academic Excellence
President's Office

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

End of Term Course Assessments

Find the End of Term Self Assessment form for regular classes here.
Or you can use this link.
Or this one.
(Three are provided in case you are filling these out for different classes, or stopped in the middle of one and need to complete the rest of the answers.)

SENIORS, fill this survey out for Senior Project.

ADVISING, please fill out this survey.

PERSONALIZED PROJECTS (PLP's), please fill out this survey.

Get Massage. Trillium gets Money.

Hey Everyone,
I saw the great idea that another parent had to use their construction business to generate donations for Trillium and felt inspired to do the same. I have a small school of Traditional Thai Massage and Medicine, and a Thai Massage Clinic. Everyone doing Thai massage at the clinic is dedicated to deep study and the authentic practice of traditional Thai massage; we don't do any other modality, and we have all spent lots of time studying with masters in Thailand. I talked to the others and they all agreed that for the months of February and March, anyone who books a massage appointment and mentions Trillium, a 15% of the massage price will be donated to the school.

I love this idea of community supporting community; I love learning about businesses that other parents are involved in, and I love the idea that we can support each other's businesses at the same time as supporting the school.

You can schedule a massage using our online appointment scheduler. Please put "trillium" in the comments box in the signup form. If you are using a new version of Safari, please use Firefox or Google Chrome instead as we are having a problem with the new safari browser that we are trying to figure out.

Cheers,
-Nephyr

End of Term Self Assessment

Find the End of Term Self Assessment form for regular classes here.
Or you can use this link.
Or this one.
(Three are provided in case you are filling these out for different classes, or stopped in the middle of one and need to complete the rest of the answers.)

SENIORS, fill this survey out for Senior Project.

ADVISING, please fill out this survey.

PERSONALIZED PROJECTS (PLP's), please fill out this survey.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

This weeks' schedule

Hi All,

Thanks for a great Exhibition.

This week is a little different from our normal week. Monday through Wednesday will follow our normal schedule. Wednesday will be the last day of semester one classes. As you all know intensives were originally scheduled this week, but have been canceled. Our students still need a well deserved break between semesters, so on Thursday we are planning a variety of trips for students. Some possibilities include: college tours to PSU, Reed, and PCC, museum visits to OMSI, the Portland Art Museum and Historical Museum. There might be also be trips to Women and Trades or a hike in Forest Park.

We are not needing drivers but chaperones because many of the museum trips are contingent on having a good ratio of students to adults. The art museum for instance asks for a ratio of 6:1. Please let us know if you would like a day at a museum, chaperons get in free!

Thanks,
HS Advisors

Eat Pizza Tuesday. Trillium gets the dough.

This Tuesday, February 1st, 20% of ALL SALES ALL DAY at the Pizzicato at 4217 NE Fremont (Ne 42nd and NE Fremont), will go to Trillium. Come out and support the school, and be sure to tell your friends and family!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

End of Term Self Assessment

Find the End of Term Self Assessment form for regular classes here.
Or you can use this link.
Or this one.
(Three are provided in case you are filling these out for different classes, or stopped in the middle of one and need to complete the rest of the answers.)

SENIORS, fill this survey out for Senior Project.

ADVISING, please fill out this survey.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Peace Essay Contest

Greetings to all Oregon High Schools:

With great pleasure, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility announces our third annual Greenfield Peace Writing Contest. Any 11th or 12th grade student in Oregon may enter by submitting an original piece of fiction, poem, or essay (maximum 600 words) reflecting on the following question:

What do we need to change to create a world without nuclear weapons?

Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility is a chapter of the U.S. affiliate of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize for publicizing the dangers of nuclear weapons. We continue our work to educate the public about the grave threats posed by the existence of nuclear weapons and the health effects of war. We are sponsoring this writing contest in order to encourage Oregon’s youth to consider their role in promoting peace, thus creating a safer world for us all.

Entry forms, a flyer, and all peace writing contest details can be found on our website at www.oregonpsr.org. Submissions may be sent by email or US mail and are due by February 15, 2011. A panel of judges consisting of noted writers and distinguished community members will select the three winning entries. The first prize winner will receive an award of $1000, the second $750 and the third $500. Oregon PSR will host an awards dinner on April 15th at the Oregon Zoo in Portland at which the three winners will be honored and the winning entry will be read. This awards ceremony will be part of our 30th Anniversary Celebration, featuring keynote speaker Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Laureate for her work with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.

Please help us in announcing this opportunity to all 11th and 12th grade students and their teachers. We greatly appreciate your support in spreading the word and your feedback on this project. Please feel free to contact us with any questions that your school, teachers or students may have.

In peace and health,

Sean Tenney
Communications and Development Associate
Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility
812 SW Washington Street, Suite 1050
Portland, Oregon 97205
503.274.2720 (o)
503.730.4520 (c)
email: sean@oregonpsr.org
www.oregonpsr.org

Tests are good for you.

So says a study in this New York Times article.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Service Day Tomorrow

At Ariadne.

Prepare for rain! And cold!

A good way to do that would be to wear rain gear, and dress in layers.

Class Sign Up and Course Catalog S2

This is the sign up sheet.
This is the S2 Catalog, the course descriptions.

This is it.

The end of the semester is upon us.

This is the last weekend to get things done.

Work, work while you can!

End of Term Self Assessment

Find the End of Term Self Assessment form here.
Or you can use this link.
Or this one.
(Three are provided in case you are filling these out for different classes, or stopped in the middle of one and need to complete the rest of the answers.)

Seniors, fill this survey out for Senior Project.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Eat Pizza. Trillium gets the dough.

The Pizzicato Dough For Dollars Event is Tuesday February 1st. Trillium will receive 20% of ALL sales at the Fremont Street location that day. You can come in and eat pizza, take-out, or have pizza delivered (within a 2 mile radius of the store).

You can also support Trillium by pre-ordering par-baked pizzas, appetizers, salads, and gift cards ($20 denominations). Twenty Percent of those sales will also go to Trillium. The food and gift cards will be available for pick-up at Trillium at 3:00 on Tuesday February 1.

We will be taking pre-orders beginning Wednesday January 18. You can fill out the attached order form or pick up a hard copy in the lobby before or after school. YOU MUST PAY WHEN YOU ORDER! (Checks go to Trillium Charter School.) All orders must be received no later than Thursday January 27th. They can be dropped off in the lobby before or after school, or dropped in the silver SCRIP box in the lobby.

Thank you for supporting Trillium!

Leigh Ann Kennedy
(Mom to Joshua Poe, Rob's class)

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Mercy Corps/Global Citizen Corps Partnership

The excitement is mounting for Trillium's latest partnership with Mercy Corp's Global Citizen Corps. For those students who get into the 20 person class semester 2, we will spend Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons in GCC trainings down at the action center, design our own community projects, and partner with students from GCC partner countries, Pakistan, Lebanon, Iraq, Indonesia, Jordan, and the UK. Here and here are more information on some of the opportunities.

Exhibition Night is Friday the 28th

The Trillium High School Exhibition Night is Friday, January 28th from 6:00 to 8:00 and features short individual presentations from each member of the high school to a group of their peers and family members. Several exhibitions will be going on at any one time, taking place throughout the building. Attendees can expect to see students reflect on one or two areas in which they have shown growth or development over the last few months. Student presenters may reflect on projects or work in the areas of academic, artistic, political, or social-emotional. Presentation slots, including question and answer time, generally run under ten minutes apiece. Students prepare for Exhibition Night by selecting work that feels meaningful to them and developing concise, thoughtful presentations that represent their learning. High School Exhibitions take place at the end of every semester. This is the first year that the event has been moved to an evening slot to allow for greater family and community member participation. If you have any questions about Exhibition, please contact any of the high school Advisors, Jess, Ken, Sarah, or Will. We look forward to seeing you there!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Trillium's Financial Need

Dear Trillium Community,

We are writing to you today unified in the goal of renewing our beloved school’s charter. Our upcoming renewal hinges on our ability to demonstrate our financial viability. This will likely not happen if we continue down the same path of relying primarily on the public funding we receive from the state.

There’s the long story and the short story of why we find ourselves in financial need. The shortest story is the one we all know: Trillium, like all charter schools in Oregon, receives substantially less funding for our students than traditional public schools.

The longer story is about how our community has responded to that reality, and how we are now choosing to evolve, organize, and empower ourselves.

We must blaze a new trail. In order to reach out to larger funding sources such as grants, we must demonstrate first that we have a community-based financial support network. Our financial commitment to our children and each other, combined with our dedication to our mission and staying involved is what will keep our children’s school open.

There are 2 ways to support Trillium’s charter renewal right now:

Tax deductible donation online: (your tax receipt is provided in an email)

CLICK this link: https://www.ticketturtle.com/index.php?contribution=trill

Donate the amount you can, or set up a recurring donation (it’s easy!).

OR

Send a check:

Trillium Charter School
Attn: Genevieve Bouwes
5420 N. Interstate Ave.
Portland, OR 97217

Please consider asking your employer if they will match your tax deductable contribution to a 501(c)3 non-profit such as Trillium.

Thank you for your continued support of Trillium.


Genevieve Bouwes-Executive Director, Trillium Board of Directors, Together For Trillium


--
Genevieve Bouwes
Executive Director
Trillium Charter School

Friday, January 14, 2011

Exploration and Resistance Field Trip

Find the letter to families and permission slip here.

Monday, January 10, 2011

American education has peaked

Some radical ideas on how to reshape schools from Marion Brandy's Washington Post piece.

Friday, January 07, 2011

Snowdays Again!

We are thrilled, pleased, and tickled to be partnering once again (for the sixth year running!) with the Snowdays Foundation. Snowdays volunteers will be picking us up in tomorrow morning, Saturday, January 8th and providing an absolutely free day of snowboarding to the lucky 15 students whose names came out of the hat, the majority of which have never been snowboarding before. Thank you, Snowdays.

If you are one of the lucky boarders tomorrow, and seem to have misplaced the proper information, here it is:

Here is the letter to parents.

Here is the Snowdays waiver and release form.

Be at Trillium by 7:30!

Thursday, January 06, 2011

DRAFT of S2 schedule and catalog

Here is the DRAFT of the catalog for S2.
Here is the DRAFT of the schedule for S2.

We will work through any bugs in these in the next week, and do sign up after that.

Congratulations to Alex L!

We are most excited to learn that Alex L has been accepted to the World Affairs program to study in Serbia later this year. Congratulations, Alex!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Study in Serbia!

Hi Will and Ken,

We have pushed back the deadline for student applications for the American Exchange to Serbia to this Friday, December 17th. So far we have not had any applications from Trillium students. If you know of any students who were interested, or who would be strong candidates, it would be great if we could get them on track to completing an application. We would love to further the connections made during the Serbian exchange. If anyone has any questions, or if they may have difficulty completing the application by the current deadline, please have them contact me and we can work something out.

Program info and applications are still available on our website: http://www.worldoregon.org/events/registration/serbian_youth_exchange.php

Thanks again for all of your help,

Andrew Neal
World Affairs Council of Oregon
1200 SW Park Avenue, Third Floor
Portland, OR 97205
Office: (503) 306-5216
Cell: (971) 227-3954
andrew@worldoregon.org

Intensives Cancelled.

Dear Families and Staff,

Tomorrow night's Intensives Meeting is cancelled. In fact, the January Intensive this year are also being cancelled. The staff met on this topic last week and voted.

A letter detailing the decision will be available soon. Thanks SO much to all of the folks who were considering helping on this all-school project.

Sincerely,
Intensives Committee

Draft Upper School Semester 2 Schedule

Check it out here.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Intensives! Hurray!

November 17th, 2010

Hello Trillium Parents & Community,

As you may or may not know we will be having intensive classes once again at Trillium. They take place Monday through Thursday the week of January 31st – February 3rd. These are classes offered during the whole day from 9:00 to 3:00 and can be any sort of focus that a teacher decides upon. Depending on our offerings this year, there is a possibility of running a half-day intensive, then handing off the second half of the day to a teaching partner (this can make schedules easier to manage). To make intensives successful we ask that parents share their talents, skills and interests by teaching a class.
With your involvement we can have small group sizes and opportunities to use the time more effectively than with a larger group. So we need your help! If you want to be involved please come to ONE of these two sessions (3:30 pm or 6:00 pm) on Wednesday, December 15th.

Some past offerings have been swimming, bowling, cultural exploration, fitness, working with horses, hands on science, claymation, hiking, acting, cooking, arts and crafts, music, RPGs, strategy games, social justice education and so much more. You may:

Teach an intensive class based on a skill, talent, focus or activity that you are eager to share with kids (that's ideally from 9-3, M,T, W and Th)
OR
Team up with another parent or teacher to offer an intensive that shares your similar interests
OR
Help with an intensive on days that work for you
OR
Help with driving, since some of them require transportation to get kids to the class locations
OR
Help with supplying/facilitating snacks

All you need to do is send a description of what you would like to teach to Kirk Ellis at kirk@trilliumcharterschool.org

IF you know what you would like to offer, or if you have offered something in the past and would like to do it again, please send the following information..

Your description should include:
Class title
Brief description of the class and what will be learned
Age of students for which it would be appropriate (it can be kindergarten to grade 12, or any smaller grouping in between)
Number of students that would be best for your class
Any additional cost for supplies
Will it be on-site or off-site?

If you are able to support an intensive or be a driver please contact Kirk as well. However, we will have a separate transportation coordinator.

We have some expectations as well:

Attend information night
Complete background check (or have on file at school)
Ideally have a partner/other adult to assist with intensive and be present
Fill out a provided assessment form about the students who participate
Commit to the entire week
Communicate needs (transportation, supplies, space etc.) at least one week prior to intensives

Thanks for helping to make Trillium an amazing place to learn!

The Intensives Committee

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Sign Up for Conferences Right Here!

Hi all,

It is fall student-teacher-parent conference time! Upper school advisors host conferences in the weeks following Thanksgiving break. This should give families time to reflect on the midterm progress reports which should arrive in the next few days before conferences.

Please sign up with this form by clicking right here.

Happy Thanksgiving/Genocide Awareness Day.

Peace,
Ken

Introducing Jacob Jonas-Closs, student teacher

November 22, 2010

Dear parents and guardians of Explorers and Resistance Daily 1 students,

Hello! My name is Jacob Jonas-Closs. I have been observing and interacting in
your student’s classroom since the beginning of the school year. I have very much
enjoyed watching them learn and grow. Following Thanksgiving Break I will be
working with your students as their primary teacher for the rest of the school year.

I look forward to meeting all of you. For now, I would like to take a bit of space
to introduce myself. I am a student at the Lewis and Clark Graduate School of
Education working toward a Master of Arts in Teaching degree and an Oregon
Teaching License in Middle and High School Social Studies. Prior to entering
graduate school I attended Earlham College, a small Quaker Liberal Arts College
in Indiana, where I received a Bachelors degree in Human Development and Social
Relations, and a minor in both Education and History. After I graduated I was
pretty sure I wanted to teach but wanted to try other jobs before I went back to
school. I spent a year working in Human Services at two group homes, one for
adults with Mental Retardation and another for Children with Autism; I did these
jobs in my hometown of Boston, Massachusetts. During this year I began to apply
for programs and noticed my favorite program was the one offered at Lewis and
Clark, and I had heard that Portland was an excellent city to live in, so decided to
attend this program. I love to teach and learn, and am excited to be making this
journey alongside this great group of students.

To start things off in December we will be analyzing Current struggles of
American Indians before we delve into Celilo Falls in January. Please feel free to
express any of your questions or concerns about this change to Ken and to me, our
contact information is listed below.

I am greatly looking forward to working with this group of students!

Sincerely,

Jacob Jonas-Closs

jjonascloss@lclark.edu

Ken Gadbow

gadbow@gmail.com

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Writing Contest

Write about environmental disaster, win cash. Click here.

Some great things said about Trillium

Can be found by clicking here.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Vote Mercy Corps!

Mercy Corps is so close to getting the $150K. You can vote everyday by clicking here. (www.50daysofgiving.com).

Free Thanksgiving Celebration

From one our active high school students and his family:

Appreciate the Table of Thanksgiving, community style

Talented entertainment, fun volunteering, very good food, new and old friends on their best and most real behavior - How could we not come back to a table like that? It’s a beautiful thing and we hope to see you there:Thanksgiving Day: 12-4pm FREE

-Vegan and vegetarian options
-Donations: non-perishable Thanksgiving-related food items or paper goods

-Volunteer: pass out flyers, chef, prep food, set up, serve food, cleanup, and more

-General information call Michael at 503-936-3704
-Volunteers call Sara at 503-505-1298 | se habla Espanol

-Entertainers call Robin at 503-890-5393

info@properusa.net

We’ll be celebrating at Celebration Tabernacle at 8131 N Denver, next door to Po’Shines Cafe de la Soul - as the space has become just too small for our turnouts. Come out of your self, bring what you have to the Table of Thanksgiving: Music & Storytelling | Good Food | Community. Hope all is well with you and that we’ll see you there.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Help Mercy Corps get $150,000

Trillium has partnered with Mercy Corps in numerous programs over the past years, most notably our direct student to student exchanges with youth in the Palestinian Territories and Iraq.

You can vote everyday for Mercy Corps to get $150K by clicking here. (www.50daysofgiving.com)

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Letter from Stephanie to Students

Here is a link to a thoughtful, loving message from Stephanie to the students. This was read aloud last Friday at high school meeting.

Genevieve Appointed as new Executive Director

Good morning,

I'm writing today to let you know that the Trillium Board of Directors voted unanimously on Monday, November 8th to appoint Genevieve Bouwes as the Executive Director through completion of the school's Charter Renewal.

Genevieve has been with Trillium for five years, having served most recently as the preschool Director and staff development coordinator. Before that she taught a wide range of ages for ten years. In her role as staff development coordinator, Genevieve has worked with the entire staff for the past couple years to build a shared vision and turn that vision into progress within the school. She has a BA from the University of Wisconsin in cultural geography and a Masters in Education from Bank Street School of Education in NYC.

There are a number of discussion points and details regarding the appointment, expectations, and the support Genevieve is seeking that you will see in the minutes of the November 8 Board meeting when they are published. I'd like to repeat my heartfelt thanks to all of those who attended and gave their input. Please join me in congratulating and supporting Genevieve as she takes on the role.

Thank you,
James Hindes
Parent of Holden, 4th grade, and Annie, 2nd grade
President, Trillium Board of Directors

Saturday, November 06, 2010

Autumn Advising Update

Find the latest advising update letter by clicking here.

Taunia Mann, Class Liaison Extraordinaire

Hello Ken's Advising Families-

I am Taunia Mann, and my husband Mike and I are your parent liaisons for the year. Our role is to keep you all updated with information or needs from Ken and our advising class.

Here we go:

Trillium needs PAPER! You have probably received the all school letter that went out today detailing why we need paper. The goal is for each family to purchase and bring in one box of paper this year. One box should cost $20-$30.
-
Sign up on this google spreadsheet. Drop off your box of paper at the office during the beginning of the month for which you sign up. I will send an e-mail reminder to you at the beginning of your month. If you find it on sale, let us know so we can all take advantage of the savings.

Ken conveyed some items that he and the students would love to have.
Clipboards (I started last year with 25. I started this year with 6. Where do they go?)
A steady supply of butter and peanut butter. The snack station in my room is well visited and now well-stocked with bread, thanks to John and Connie Ross. Sometimes we have things to put on the toast. Sometimes we don't.
Poster board.
Large heavy quality paper for painting or drawing.
This one is going to sound odd: squeezy things. Some jittery students can focus better if they have something to play with that will not distract them. It would be awesome to have some of those springy flexy jobbies like this one just sitting out on tables for students to use. Seems like some parents must have one of those lying around that they never use, or might find one at the Bins.
I am trying to buy extra peanut butter when it goes on sale. Butter, too. My goal is to send in a tub of PB and a pound of butter a week. No sugar in the PB, please. If you can contribute any items from this lovely list, Ken and the kids would greatly appreciate it.

Let me know if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer them.

Thank you!!
Taunia
mama to Colin Mann- gr. 10

Oh dear, we don't seem very well liked, do we?

In cruising for Trillium reviews on the web, I found mostly unflattering comments, such as "We really feel that this school should not be operating." If you feel differently, provide your own review at education.com and city-data.com.

Friday, November 05, 2010

Coffee Time Permission Form

High School Advisors and students have made some changes to Coffee Time to make the expectations clearer. Here is the updated Coffee Time permission form, as adjusted by the High School meeting today. As before, students need signature of parent and Advisor. Students must demonstrate knowledge of the Rights and Responsibilities from the Trillium Constitution before I will sign off.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

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

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

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

Monday, October 25, 2010

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

Thursday, October 21, 2010

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

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

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

Monday, October 18, 2010

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

Monday, October 11, 2010

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

Sunday, October 10, 2010

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

Friday, October 08, 2010

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.

Sunday, October 03, 2010

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