Mid Term Course Assessment Surveys

Click here to complete a Course Assessment Survey.

Senior Class Photos

Hi all,

Senior class pictures have been confirmed for this Thursday during senior project class (12:15-1:45)! I look forward to the whole class of 2010 being able to gather for a group shot, as well as their individual pictures. We are truly fortunate to have parent and photographer Lori Threlkeld volunteer her time for this.

Ken

Senior Parent Letter

Dear Parents of the Class of 2010,

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 Committee Review dates happen during the last two weeks of April. Projects are due to all PRC members sufficiently in advance of the final PRC meetings to allow PRC members to look over the work ahead of time. This is a stressful time for many seniors as the 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.
* Senior Pictures are happening soon. Lori Threlkeld, a professional photographer and Trillium parent, has been generous to do our senior photos for the last two years, and we are fortunate to have her services again this year. Lori will take a series of individual as well as a whole group shots. These will be used in the yearbook, Senior Project Night and Commencement programs. Lori offers this amazing service free of charge. Should you desire to print some of the photos yourself, she will provide students with digital copies.
* Commencement will be held at the Moriarty Arts and Humanities Building at Portland Community College Cascade Campus on Saturday, June 12th. 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.
* Students are selecting the color of this year's caps and gowns in the next couple days. They will be delivered in the end of May and cost about $30 each. We use a cap and gown company that rents us high quality robes that we then return to them.
* All checks should be made payable to Trillium Charter School.
* Senior Project Night is a wonderful showcase of students' work and will take place on Friday, May 7th. 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. We are currently working in developing an additional opportunity to showcase students' work during the weekend of commencement so that visiting friends and family may also celebrate theses enormous efforts and great accomplishments.
* 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

Jacob Friedman Holocaust Writing & Art Contest 2010

In honor of Anne Frank and the Anne Frank Tree sapling which will be planted in Seattle:

How would your life be different if people were more respectful and tolerant of each other's differences?

How does change begin with you?


Deadline approaching! Entries accepted now through April 2, 2010.

Open to students in grades 5-12 in the Pacific Northwest (WA, OR, ID, AK).

Sponsored by the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center, this annual contest encourages students to connect the lessons of the Holocaust to their own lives and the world today.

More information and details here.

Stephanie announces her transition from Trillium

You can read Stephanie's letter to parents here.

Student Survey: High School Core Values

Hi all,

With the help of students, we have been formulating a survey over the past couple weeks to help high school advisors in formalizing the core values of the high school. The survey is available to view here, if you would like to look at it. All students will have the opportunity to fill it out today during class meeting.

Best,
Ken

Retruning Student Forms

Hello Families,

Please turn in your Returning Student Form by March 19, 2010 to ensure that your student has a spot next year!

You can find forms at the front desk. I have also passed them out to Advisors.

Turn them in to the front desk.

Thanks,

--
Cailie Madigan
Admissions
Student Records
Trillium Charter School
503-285-3833
cailie@trilliumcharterschool.org

Some Summer Science Resources

Hi all,

If you are looking for further opportunities for cool science experiences, here are but a few options:

Most of the state college's have summer high school programs in academic area's of study
oregonstate.edu/precollege

OMSI Summer Camps
oregon-summer-camp
Hoagies Gifted
marine adventure and hands on science
Education World ( free)
Marine Biology Summer Camps for teens
Outward Bound

Lead America robotics and engineering camp

Some Resources on Israel and Palestine

Here are some useful links to learn about Israel and Palestine:

British Broadcasting Corporation

CIA World Fact Book: Israel
Israeli Tourism Videos
Palestinian Tourism Site
A Zionist Perspective
Zionist Perspective: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Zionist: Israel MFA II
Zionist: Israeli history
Palestinian Perspective: Palestine History
Palestinian: Timeline
Palestinian: Nakba

Trillium to host activist, film director

Hi all,

I am pleased to announce that the Health Speaker Series course I am facilitating will host a special presentation by Talal Jabari, director of Full Signal, a film about the impact of the proliferation of cell phone technology, on Wednesday, February 17th from 2:00 to 3:00.

All Trillium community members are invited and encouraged to attend. You can find more information about the film here and here and here. If you plan to attend, please RSVP me (Ken@TrilliumCharterSchool.org) so I can be sure to plan well.

You can view trailers here.

I realize this is a controversial issue, and look forward to bringing out diverse concerns and ideas from our community.

Best,
Ken

Cell Phone Safety Resources

For those of you in Health Speaker Series, or just plain interested, here are some resources on the debate over cell phone saftery:

This is from the Federal Communications Commission
This is from the World Health Organization.
This is from RespectPDX.org
A link to a Full Signal, a new film about international health care safety.
More on RF signals from the FCC here.

Health Coverage for all Oregon Kids

Governor Kulongoski announces the Healthy Kid Plan, open to all uninsured children:

February 5, 2010


All Oregon Children Now Have Access to Health Care, Over 30,000 Already Enrolled

(Salem) — Governor Ted Kulongoski today announced that all Oregon children now have access to high-quality, comprehensive health care under the state’s Healthy Kids plan, realizing one of his top priorities since taking office.

Healthy Kids was passed by the legislature during the 2009 session and has been implemented in phases over the last six months. This week, the Oregon Department of Human Services began providing coverage to families under Healthy KidsConnect, the final phase of Healthy Kids.

Healthy Kids provides access to health care in three ways: 1) No-cost option through the Oregon Health Plan (OHP); 2) Low-cost options through cost-share models; and 3) Full-cost options through newly-created state-sponsored private insurance plans – depending on family income.

No Cost: The plan provides free coverage through the Oregon Health Plan for children in families with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($44,100 for a family of four).

Low-Cost: The program offers a cost-share model to assist Oregon’s middle-class families earning between 200 -300 percent of the federal poverty level (between $44,100 – $66,000 a year for a family of four). These families earn too much to qualify for the Oregon Health Plan, but too little to purchase private insurance on their own. On a sliding scale, these families share the cost with the state or can receive a subsidy to help pay for their child’s coverage through an employer-sponsored insurance plan.

Full Cost: For children in families with incomes above 300 percent of the federal poverty level (or $66,000 for a family of four), the program provides access to a new state-sponsored private insurance plans collectively called Healthy KidsConnect. These families pay the full premium.

To date, the state has enrolled more than 30,000 children in Healthy Kids. The goal is to enroll 80,000 children by the end of this year.

Parents can learn more about Healthy Kids and apply online at www.oregonhealthykids.gov or by calling 1-877-314-5678.

S2 Advising Workshop Offerings

You can find the new staff and student-led semester two workshop offerings here.

Write about Peace, Win Money

The Physicians for Social Responsibility is holding their annual Peace Writing Contest for 11th and 12th graders. Check it out.

A great critical reading resource from the University of Oregon

Here is a great guide, "On Reading Well/ On Being Well-Read," produced by the University of Oregon.

End of Semester Class Surveys

Hi students,

Please fill out end of semester surveys:
Click here to take the Senior Project Class survey.
Click here to take the Global Studies Class survey.

Ken

Exhibition Schedule

Here is the latest schedule for Exhibition Day. This will change slightly to accommodate student resource needs.

Please Come to Trillium this Friday

Hi all,

As we talked about during our conferences back in December, this coming Friday the 29th is Exhibition Day. Students will each take turn being in the spotlight in front of peers and community members presenting their work from the past semester. You are warmly encouraged to attend.

Best,
Ken

High School Newsletter

Welcome to 2010!

As many of you know, the high school ended the 2009 school year on a very positive, pro-active note, with our first ever “Social Justice Symposium”. This symposium was the culminating event in our semester long drive in our individual advisings to “be the change” that we wish to see in the world. In addition to presentations on the service work that students have been involved in all semester, we had guest speakers, exhibitions, and smaller workshops run by students that ran the gamut from short films about Gaza to workshops on hunger and the prevention of HIV / AIDS. The event was a success, in our eyes, and we look forward to other symposiums like this in the future. However, before we can start planning our next symposium, we need to finish out this first semester, and there's a long list of tasks that both students and advisors need to accomplish before Friday.

First and foremost, the All School Project Fair will be held this Thursday at 6:30pm. The high school will be participating in this event in a different way, in comparison to years past, in honor of the hard work that students did in preparation for the “Social Justice Symposium,” and the fact that our fifth semi-annual annual “Exhibition Day” will be held the following morning from 9:00am to noon. The high school's contribution to the evening will be a panel discussion about the high school, presented by several advisors and the few high schoolers who are willing to give up some of their precious, last minute work time. Parents are invited to attend both the Project Fair and Exhibition Day, if they are so inclined.

Parents and other Trillium community members are warmly welcomed at Exhibition Day, this Friday, from nine to noon. Each student will have his or her turn to present and defend his/her from the past semester in front of a group of peers and family. Please come celebrate your student.

In addition to these presentations, students are also signing up for next semester's classes during advising, which they've hopefully spoken to you about in conversation. The course catalog is available online, should you chose to walk through course sign-up with your student at home, if you wish to augment what's already happening in advising. Course sign-up will officially end on Friday, and students will receive their new semester schedule when they return to school on Wednesday, February 3rd (Remember : Monday and Tuesday are in-school service days for teachers.)

As always, we're available to talk about your particular student by e-mail, so please don't hesitate to ask questions about missing work or overall student performance.

Thank You For Reading.

The Trillium High School Team

Exhibition and Class Sign Up

Hello parents,

Please come celebrate your students work over first semester by taking part in Exhibition Day on Friday, January 29th. Each student will have about seven minutes to present and reflect in front of their peers on a significant project, work, or experience from semester one. Parents are encouraged to attend. Exhibitions run the entirety of the Friday half-day. A schedule will be out early next week to highlight the time-slot in which your student will appear.

Course selection sheets and catalogs are now available. I have conferenced with most students around selection and will finish up doing so on Monday and Tuesday.

And as long as I have your attention, my advising is swimming in graciously donated supplies, of all consumable varieties, for which I am most grateful. We seem to have come away with a preponderance of spreadable staples like butter and peanut butter, but nothing on which to spread it (save for Finn's daily delivery of bagels!). We need bread. Can toast. Can freeze. Not too picky, except I only want to feed the students whole grains.

Best,
Ken