October 13, 2011Peek at the Week for Oct. 13-20, 2011

October

 

13	Teaching & Learning Center parent lecture evening, 7:00pm in the middle school Commons
14	Teacher in service day, no school
21	Middle School parent/C&C advisor conferences,  no middle school
26	Middle School Service Learning
26	Parent evening on bullying, 7:00pm in the middle school Commons
27	Photo re-take day
28	Grandparents & Special Friends morning

 November

13	Catlin Gabel Open House
15	Middle School parent coffee with Barbara, 8:30-9:30am in the middle school library
16	Middle School Service Learning
21-22	Middle School teacher report writing days, no middle school
23-25	Thanksgiving Break, no school
28	Classes resume

 

This week we have dedicated additional time to our C&C advisory groups in preparation for next Friday’s parent-teacher conferences. While we prepare to share an overview of your children thus far at school, please start thinking about what you need to share with us. The purpose of this time together is to engage in a conversation with your child at the center. For our current and returning 7^th and 8^th graders who we already know, we need to hear any updates, novelties, concerns, and excitement from you. What learning happened over the summer for your child? Is there a newfound passion we can encourage? Did you notice particular growth or maturation? For our new 6^th, 7^th and 8^th graders, this is the first time to sit down one on one with your child’s advisor. Tell us about your child. Show off- don’t be shy! We want and need to know what makes him or her tick to be supportive here at school. It is a partnership. After the C&C parent-teacher conferences, the C&C advisors will share back with the students’ teachers what they’ve learn, so we will have collective knowledge of your child.

 

Please arrive on time to your meeting, as running behind will have a trickle down effect and we want to be respectful of your and our time. If you have specific questions about the day, please feel free to contact your C&C advisor or me directly.

 

 

 

 

 

If you are interested in screening Race to Nowhere, please pre-register for a seat! (There is no charge)  If we run out of seats we'll know to move the screening to a larger venue.

 

 

 

Please join the Upper School in welcoming Michael Schulteis as our Jonske Visiting Lecture/Artist next Thursday in Cabell Center at 10:40. Michael will be addressing the Upper School students and faculty, but parents from the whole community are invited to attend as well. Michael “likens his canvas to a chalkboard, and creates paintings consisting of layers of mathematical notations and drawings that describe the form and motion of three-dimensional geometric shapes.”

For more information about our visiting artist visit his webpage: http://www.michaelschultheis.com/

 

 

COME ONE, COME ALL! We have a good core group, if you want to do choir, let me know! FINAL CALL!

 

We are excited to offer a month long, intensive choral group to meet 10 times over the course of a month and then perform at the December 2^nd Middle School assembly.

 

The group will meet 3:30-4:15 pm on the following days:

Friday, Nov. 4

Monday, Nov. 7

Tuesday, Nov. 8

Thursday, Nov. 10

Friday, Nov. 11

Monday, Nov. 14

Tuesday, Nov. 15

Monday, Nov. 28

Tuesday, Nov. 29

Thursday, Dec. 1

Performance, Friday, Dec. 2

 

If your child is interested and able to make the majority of these dates, please email Barbara asap!

 

 

 

Lark Palma will be joining us for our coffee on Tuesday, November, 15 to give us an update on the Creative Arts Center. You've seen the article over the summer in the Caller and you've no doubt seen the bulletin board in the first grade hallway - now come and hear the latest and greatest on the campaign to get this building built!

 

The next all Middle School coffee is November 15^th.

 

 

In the spirit of risk-taking, independence and autonomy, we invite all students in the MS to perform or listen at Coffee House.  Kids recite original poetry, sing, play instruments, perform monologues, do stand-up comedy, lip synch to favorite songs or do impersonations.  Riotous clapping follows each act. Sorry, the days of snapping are over.  It all happens in the transformed setting that is Narnia/Treasure Island. Tables and chairs are removed for couches, throw rugs, pianos and low lights.  Due to the size of the room, guests are not allowed and we ask that parents do not attend, allowing the students to take full ownership of this event. Students should go home between the end of school and the beginning of coffee house.  Contact Spencer White at whites@catlin.edu with any questions.

  

 

 

There is still time to send in your feedback about parking and traffic at Catlin Gabel. Your participation will help prioritize initiatives and also inform our decisions as we work toward reducing on-campus traffic.

 

Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey:

 

The survey closes on Monday, October 17, at 3:30 p.m.

 

The Blue Route morning stop at Wallace Park on NW 25^th has been adjusted to account for changes in traffic conditions. This change has been made to the posted schedule as well as the bus route map. If you use this bus in the morning, please check the revised schedule and remember to be at your stop at least five minutes before the scheduled stop time.

 

 

The Lower School was recently painted and this has been a great opportunity to redecorate! If you have a Lower School Gambol art project you wouldn't mind parting with, please contact Vicki Roscoe, Head of the Lower School at roscoev@catlin.edu

 

All 6th grade students are invited to join us for a beautiful Fall weekend for two days of laughing, exploring, eating great food, and learning about life on a local organic farm.  We will transform ourselves into farmers for an amazing overnight on Duyck's Peachy-Pig Farm in Cornelius, which offers orchards, hiking, farm animals, and a pumpkin patch.  

The plan is to board an activity bus at 11:00am on Saturday and head to the farm for a day of harvesting, tending to animals, and learning what it takes to run a productive farm.  We will camp Saturday night in the orchard, and will be rewarded for our work with a big farm breakfast on Sunday before doing more exploring.

We hope to be back to Catlin Gabel by noon on Sunday.  We will leave the weekend with new friends and a new connectedness to our food and the places where it is grown.  Interested students should email David Zonana (zonanad@catlin.edu) to sign up.

 

 

Experience the new Catlin Gabel Challenge Course with your son or daughter!

 

On Saturday October 22 the Challenge Course will be devoted to Middle School parent-child pairings for a fun filled and thrilling four hour session.  This is a great chance to spend time with your son or daughter, renew or strengthen connections, and share in a joint challenge.   The session will be from 9:00-1:00pm.  Lunch will be provided.  No previous experience is necessary.  To sign up, send an email to David Reich, Challenge Course Manager, at reichd@catlin.edu.  The cost for the session, including the lunch,  is $20 per person.

In its second year, the Catlin Gabel Service Corps presents four opportunities for multi-generations to work together in service to the greater Portland community. Please visit the web page for details about upcoming volunteer opportunities at the Oregon Food Bank on October 29, Friends of Trees on November 5, the first-ever Catlin Gabel service fair on November 8, and our 21 Days for Bienstar project.

 

Here is the link: