Upper School Biweekly Bulletin January 8th, 2010
January 8th, 2010
Calendar
January
Jean Vollum Distinguished Writer Series Assembly: Gina Ochsner
Thursday, Jan. 14, 11:55am
Thursday, Jan. 14, 11:55am
Health and Wellness Evening for Parents
Thursday, Jan. 14, 7:00pm
Classes do not meet:
Martin Luther King Day
Monday, Jan. 18
Report-Writing Days
Tuesday & Wednesday, Jan. 19-20
Martin Luther King Day
Monday, Jan. 18
Report-Writing Days
Tuesday & Wednesday, Jan. 19-20
Viewfinder Global Film Series
Friday, Jan. 22, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 22, 6:30 p.m.
Winter Play "Noises Off"
Friday & Saturday, Jan. 29-30, 7:30pm curtain time
Friday & Saturday, Jan. 29-30, 7:30pm curtain time
And just a reminder for all days of the week ~ please feel free to leave messages, day or night, about your child's attendance. Contact Molly Grove, Upper School Administrative Assistant, 503-297-1894, ext. 315. Thanks!
Advice for soon-to-be Upper School parents?
I hope that your family had a restful break and were able to spend some good time together. We are coming to the end of our first semester and have had a great year so far. This week we welcomed back alumni who are in college to talk to our students about their experiences. These seasoned veterans, who have braved barely a semester of college now, were able to offer a lot of sound advice about life in high school leading up to college and gave us all a lot to think about.
As we were listening to this panel of former students it reminded me of a similar event coming up for parents of 8th graders in a few weeks. They are going to be meeting with me and a few other teachers and staff from the Upper School to hear what life is like in the Upper School.
What is the transition like? Will my child be ready for this? What should we do now to prepare for high school? What are some of the changes we should expect? Like preparing for college, it’s a big transition and we encourage families to take it seriously. We want them to ask questions, to investigate what we’re all about, and to get many different perspectives on the process.
You all are the veterans. You’ve lived through this transition and have learned a lot. I wonder if you have any wisdom or advice to pass along to them.
If you do, let me know and I will offer it to them on the night. I’m sure they would appreciate hearing from you.
With kind regards,
Michael
Jean Vollum Distinguished Writers 2009-2010
Parents invited to upcoming assembly, Jan. 14
Parents are invited to a Jean Vollum Distinguished Writer assembly featuring Gina Ochsner, short story writer and novelist, on January 14th, 2010, from 11:55am-12:55pm. The back rows of the Cabell center are reserved for parents and visitors to Upper School assembly, and everyone is encouraged to attend this upcoming event. Please note that while we welcome everyone to attend these assemblies, participation in the Q&A is limited to students only, in accordance with Jean Vollum’s expressed wishes
Gina Ochsner lives in Keizer, Oregon and divides her time between writing and teaching with the Seattle Pacific Low-Residency MFA program and at Corban College. Ochsner has been awarded a John L. Simon Guggenheim grant and a grant from the National Endowment of Arts. Her stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Tin House, Glimmertrain and the Kenyon Review.
She is the author of the short story collection The Necessary Grace to Fall, which received the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction and the story collection People I Wanted to Be. Both books received the Oregon Book Award. A novel entitled The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flight is forthcoming from Portobello Press and from Houghton-Mifflin-Harcourt in 2009.
About the Jean Vollum Distinguished Writer Seres
The late Jean Vollum believed that exposure to writers with diverse backgrounds, experiences and motivation provides young writers with the knowledge that no matter where they come from, they have something important to say. Authors visiting the school through the Jean Vollum Distinguished Writers Series are arranged by the Upper School English department. The authors work with students in English classes and talk about writing and publishing at assemblies, which are open to the Catlin Gabel community.
Mark your calendars for next Jean Vollum Distinguished Writer assembly: March 4, 2010:
Steve Duin is a graphic novel expert, novelist, and a columnist in The Oregonian's Metro, a post he has held for 15 years. He has twice been named the nation's best local columnist by the Society of Professional Journalists. Steve Duin at the Oregonian.
Parents invited to Health and Wellness Evening, January 14th
Director of Parenting Programs at Oregon Partnerships to address underage drinking
You are invited to join other parents on Thursday, January 14th from 7-8:30pm for the third of five parent evenings on health and wellness. We’ll be joined by Emily Moser, the director of parenting programs at Oregon Partnership, a statewide nonprofit that provides substance abuse prevention education and treatment referral.
Emily will share information about the rates and adverse effects of underage drinking in Oregon (often referenced among 8th and 11th graders). Most importantly, she will give us parenting advice about how to start a proactive conversation on this topic with our kids.
Emily will share information about the rates and adverse effects of underage drinking in Oregon (often referenced among 8th and 11th graders). Most importantly, she will give us parenting advice about how to start a proactive conversation on this topic with our kids.
The event will be held in the Middle School Commons.
Raising our Daughters and Sons: It Really Does Take a Village
A talk by Kathy Masarie, M.D., author of Raising our Daughters and Raising our Sons
“We live in a culture that pulls families in different directions, sometimes towards influences we do not value. Plus family alone isn’t enough. Kids need to feel like their community cares about and values them, have connections to other adults, be empowered by volunteer opportunities, be inspired to learn, make good choices in friendships… all of these are built outside the family. In this seminar, learn about the evidence-based programs on how parents can create a thriving family. You’ll learn how all of us can build the connections within our neighborhoods, schools, and families to create a healthy network of support for our kids to become strong, resilient, capable, responsible, and caring young adults.”
The talk will talk place Thursday, January 21st from 8:15 - 10:00am in Gerlinger Auditorium.
Changes in Bus Service Announced
New rates for siblings and morning-only riders
As we begin the second half of our school year, we would like to take this opportunity to remind families of the Catlin Gabel Student Bus Service and to inform you of a few changes to the program.
In October 2009, we added an afternoon route for SE Portland which includes the same two morning stops and adds a third stop at the Oregon Ballet Theater. This stop is ONLY in the afternoon. You will find the current routes and stops posted on the Catlin web site as well as the guidelines and required documents for riding the bus: http://www.catlin.edu/parents/bus-service
Additionally, we are very excited to be able to offer half year passes, a morning only pass and a family plan. New fees as of January 22, 2010 are as follows:
$ 800.00 Annual pass (unlimited rides Sept 2009-Jun 2010)
$1,200.00 Annual family pass (two or more siblings)
$ 400.00 Annual pass (morning only rides)
$ 600.00 Annual family pass (two or more siblings ~ morning only rides)
$ 400.00 Half-year pass (unlimited rides Jan 22-Jun 2010)
$ 600.00 Half-year family pass (unlimited rides two or more siblings)
$ 200.00 Half-year pass (morning only rides)
$ 300.00 Half-year family pass (two or more siblings ~ morning only rides)
$ 4.00 Single ride fee
$ 6.00 Single ride family fee (two or more siblings)
Should you have questions about the bus service, questions regarding the
above fees or would like to purchase a half-year pass at this time, please contact Chris Balag in the business office: balagc@catlin.edu or 503-297-1894 ext. 274.
We would like to encourage participation in our Student Bus Service.
Why not take an active part in making our school more sustainable?
School Year Abroad Information
Important deadlines approaching
If your child is considering participating in SYA (School Year Abroad) or applying to an outside educational program which would require a leave of absence (LOA) from Catlin, the deadline to inform Catlin of your intent is Friday, January 15th. This can be done simply by emailing Lauren Reggero-Toledano or Beining Hu, SYA/LOA Advisors (reggero-toledanol@catlin.edu & hub@catlin.edu).
Additionally, if your child is planning on applying for the SYA (School Year Abroad) Spain merit scholarship (application deadline Feb. 1) he or she must first apply to take a Spanish language placement exam. Please allow enough time to request the test, have your child take it on campus, and mail it to SYA by January 31st. Contact Lauren or Beining ASAP for details.
Pueblo a Pueblo 2010
A group of 32 Catlin Gabel high school students and four teachers will participate in a “People to People” humanitarian and educational trip to Cuba for 11 days, March 15-26.
The main purpose of the trip is humanitarian, with the students and their teachers carrying medical supplies, as well as school and athletic supplies for their Cuban counterparts. The letter they carry from the Cuban Ministry of Education will allow the group to visit schools and organizations, as well as health facilities that are outside of the “official” list of places for tourists to visit. During their 11 days in Cuba, the students will meet with Cuban health care officials, teachers, students, cultural leaders and politicians.
All 32 student travelers are studying Spanish l, and all will have a chance to speak the language with the Cuban people they meet. They will experience firsthand Cuban society, arts, and culture, which they have studied in class, and will perform at a school assembly. They will also have a chance to discuss US-Cuban relations with Dr. Carlos Alzugaray Treto, a former Cuban diplomat who serves as coordinator of international strategic studies at the Center for the Study of the United States (CESEU), and with a group of young student leaders.
The 2010 Pueblo a Pueblo trip to Cuba is seeking the following humanitarian donations:
Prescription medicines (2010 expiration), Anti-diarrhea medicines (Pepto Bismol, Lomotil), Anti-herpes medications, Antibiotics, Vitamins, Health Supplements (Vitamin C, Omega 3), Analgesics and anti-inflammatory (Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Aleve, Aspirin), Blood pressure medications, Antacids, Baby and children’s medicines and vitamins, Ear, nose, eye drops, Anti-flu, cough, cold medications, First Aid kits, Hotel toiletries, Personal hygiene supplies (toothpaste, soap bars, tooth brushes, floss, and lotions), Sports wear (uniforms and T-shirts) and sports equipment (for children and adults) (baseballs, gloves, basketballs, soccer balls, volley balls – deflated), School supplies (not paper or books), Computer flash drives (1GB, 2GB or higher), Cell phones (must be 900 Megahertz), Calculators, MP3 players
Please contact Roberto Villa if you wish to donate any of these items.