October 30, 2009

Calendar

Rummage Set Up

Mon., Nov. 2: 11^th & 12^th grades

Tues., Nov. 3: 10^th grade

Wed., Nov. 4: 9^th grade

 

Rummage Pre-sale

Thursday, November 5, 5-9 pm

 

Rummage &

Homework Free Weekend

Friday through Sunday, Nov. 6-9

 

Gambol Online Auction

November 9-23

 

Campus/Community Service Day
Tuesday, November 10

 

Grandparents and Special Friends' Day

Friday, November 13

 

Parent/Teacher Conferences

November 19-24

 

Thanksgiving Break

November 25-27

 

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!

Learning and Grades

Dear Families,

 

I remember attending a dinner party in Edinburgh with one of my professors when I was a post-graduate there and he casually made the audacious claim that there was no real need for formal examinations for undergraduates. As a young man in my twenties, of course I thought I could challenge this lunacy and so began to argue that on the contrary, they were absolutely foundational to learning. As my mind searched for the proper argument to capture this poor wretch in the grip of reason, I faltered. I couldn’t think of one solid premise to put forward to defend this institution we like to call ‘exams’.  Although I was studying pure philosophy at the time, that was a very practical and well-served lesson in education. The larger lesson was understanding there was an awful lot about my education foundation and the structures on which it rested that weren’t necessarily the perfect model of learning, even if I saw them as fundamental. The idea of giving letter grades proved to be a good example of this much later on when I became a teacher.

 

As I write this we are somewhere between mid-term reports and our parent/teacher conferences coming up in November. We are also looking towards Open House in a few weeks, and all of these events converge in my mind. They get me thinking about measuring students’ successes and communicating the distinct ways we do this which set us apart from other schools in Portland. Part of this has to do with the way we downplay letter grades as indicators of student learning.

 

Most of our students are used to the idea of ‘no grades’, since many of them have attended Catlin Gabel for longer than their four high school years. But for some students, it takes a lot of getting used to. After all, it can feel completely disorientating if you’re in the habit of measuring success with A’s and B’s and you’re suddenly hearing the teachers say, ‘Hey, you know that paper you wrote? It was fairly good.’ 

 

‘What? What does that even mean, fairly good?’ ‘Is that, like an 82 or is it more like an 80?’

 

It definitely takes some time to get used to the atmosphere, depending on where students are coming from. We want to spend as much time as necessary to help students adjust during these first months. And, I would never apologize for what we do. At least, I would never try and make excuses when there are so many good reasons for highlighting the learning above the letter grade.

 

It is not that I am saying that grades are irrelevant and that assessments are folly (though some of them surely are). Rather, what I would bring to the fore is the pureness of learning that lies behind the grades. This is what is finally important and this is what we encourage as parents and educators. This is our focus, and it is exactly why we don’t speak the language of letter grades.

 

Getting over grades is difficult and it’s also a bit of a paradox, because the outside world wants very much to insist on these kinds of measurements. We offer these to colleges and other institutions (and contrary to urban, parking lot legends, our grades are not woefully deflated). Yet, I would encourage you to talk about learning completely removed from the context of grades most of the time. Only then will students know we take this seriously and mean what we say. This is also something that is important to remember as we approach those rich conversations around parent/teacher conferences.

 

In a fortnight I will continue with this thread and talk a bit about Open House and how I see this relating to all the uniqueness that is Catlin Gabel. Until then I leave you ~

 

With kind regards,

 

Michael

Rummage is next week!

Student Shifts Start Monday

Student volunteers are a crucial part of the success of Rummage and starting on Monday of next week, each grade will go to the Expo center for a day to assist in Rummage set up.  There a few important details all families should note:

• Students must bring their own lunches, water bottles, and snacks.
• Students should dress warmly in layers, and in clothes and shoes suitable for work.
• Extra snack donations are welcomed, and will be appreciated by all the hardworking student and community volunteers!
• Students should arrive at school promptly at 8am to ensure they get on the bus to the Expo center.

Please see the calendar at the top of this Bulletin for the day each grade will go to the Expo Center.

Parent Volunteers for Rummage still needed

Help us set up and host the last, best Rummage Sale. Click here to sign up online, it's a snap!

Rummage Sale Details

Eagles athletes fall season most successful in decades

This has been the most successful fall season in decades for Upper School athletics, with four out of our five varsity teams making the state playoffs. After more than thirty years without a state berth, our girls volleyball team completed the regular season with a 13-1 record, emerging as the number one seed going into the league championship game on November 4.  A win will take them to the state tournament in Eugene on November 13 and 14.

Go Eagles!

Gambol online auction opens November 9

Start your holiday shopping now and support the school at the same time.

Join us for the online auction launch party

Buy a $25 raffle ticket to win a family trip to San Diego!

The Outdoor Program Recognizes the International Day of Climate Action, October 24, 2009

We did it!  The Outdoor Program's first wilderness backpacking trip without the use of a single drop of fuel!  We went deep into the heart of the Gorge using human-powered transportation and electric-powered public transit.  Hugely rewarding, it was an incredible feat of transportation and logistics... Click here for full story and pictures!

Recent Photo Albums from Upper School Events

Fall outdoor leadership and adventure wrap-up

Pumpkin Patch Day photos of seniors and first graders

Renowned mountaineer Stephen Venables to talk at CGS on 11/17 about his adventures

Stephen Venables, considered one of the world’s great mountaineers, is one of the very few Westerners to have reached the summit of Everest without supplementary oxygen. His night alone near the top, without tent or sleeping bag, has become one of the legends of modern mountaineering. In this stunning slideshow, he will recount some of his many adventures around the world. Highlights include the North Face of the Eiger, Uganda’s Mountains of the Moon, explorations on Snow Lake, and several groundbreaking Himalayan climbs including the new Anglo-American route up Everest.  Tickets are available at the door for $8 for this fundraiser for Catlin Gabel’s outdoor education program. After the lecture Venables will sign his books, which will be available for purchase. The presentation is sponsored by Oregon Mountain Community.  Click here for full story and details!