Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Summer Homework


8th Grade Summer Homework

The MISSION of Cascade Heights Public Charter School is to inspire the social, emotional, academic, physical, personal, and ethical growth of children and partner with parents who share the same mission to prepare them to be members of a global society.

Students should choose one item to complete each day of the summer vacation. Items range in difficulty and time commitment, but are all designed to maintain skills gained during the school year. Please feel free to email with ideas for alternative activities! There are many more activities listed than the 60 days of vacation, which allows for plenty of flexibility.  Students are welcome to come up with similar ideas that are a better fit, as long as they are in the spirit of this assignment. As students complete an activity, parents must initial and date that box. These pages will be due on the first day of school.

Social/Emotional
Academic
Physical
Personal
Write a letter to someone and mail it.

Go to the library.  Check out and read a nonfiction book.

Ride your bike.
Pick one habit to change and do it for 21 days.
Help your family plan and pack for a picnic.  Help with menu planning, grocery shopping, and food preparation.

Memorize a poem and recite it to your family.

Go skating.
Prepare your homework space.
Read a picture book out loud to someone younger than you.

Visit a museum.

Go swimming.
Clean your room.
Make a point to say hello to strangers for an entire day and observe what happens.

Play a word game like Scrabble or Boggle.

Jump rope for 15 minutes.
Write down one thing you love about yourself every day for a week.
Play a game with a younger person (Candyland, Go Fish, etc.).

Play a money game like Monopoly.

Go for a hike of at least 3 miles.
Create a collage of all your favorite things. Bring it to class on the first day.
Ask a grandparent or other elder to tell about what life was like when they were kids.

Read about some time in history you are interested in.

Pick fresh fruit for at least half an hour.
Spend at least 30 minutes alone, either inside or outside, reflecting on what you want to change in the world.
Help plan and execute a progressive dinner with classmates.
Read a fiction book.
Grow vegetables.
Try something new.
Make something and give it to someone in need of cheering up.

Practice your multiplication facts for 30 minutes.
Mow the lawn.
Make a plan for your future. What high school do you want to go to? What college? What career path will you follow?
Have a barbecue.  Help serve the food.

Keep a diary. Write at least a full page each day.
Make and eat a salad with at least one vegetable you’ve never tried.
Take the multiple intelligences quiz and find out how you learn best.
http://www.literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html
Practice your phone etiquette by calling a grandparent or other relative.

Read a newspaper. Highlight Dressups you find.
Participate in an organized sport.
Create a word cloud about yourself. Fill it with words that describe who you are. Feel free to use http://www.wordle.net/
Go and entire day communicating only in person. (No computers or phones)
Listen to a book on tape (cd/mp3).
Have a water fight.
Find a quote that speaks to you. Discuss with someone you love why it speaks to you.
Commit three random acts of kindness.
Play a math game on the web for 30 minutes.

Build something out of wood without power tools.
Keep a diary. Each night reflect on whether you are reaching your goals.
Ride the bus.
Practice keyboarding for 15 minutes a day for at least 10 days.
Walk around your neighborhood with a friend.
Research your family name.
Ride the MAX.
Write a letter to Mrs. Denman and mail it (to the school).
Climb a mountain (or at least a big hill)
Volunteer in your family’s place of worship.
Go to a park.
Help a younger child run a lemonade stand. Create a profit/loss report.
Row a boat/kayak/canoe.
Find a song that has meaning to you. Discuss it with your family.
Invite friends over for a pick up game.
Plan a trip for your family. Figure out whether it is more cost effective to fly or drive.
Go horseback riding.
Play “Would You Rather” or a similar game.
Host a sleep over.
Cook a meal from a cookbook, doubling all quantities.
Climb Beacon Rock.
Write an acrostic poem using your name.
Create a blog about your summer adventures.
Choose a book from the BBC “Top 100” books list and read it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml.
Spend at least 3 hours in the woods.
Invite someone you’ve had a hard time getting along with over.
Hold mock job interviews with friends and videotape them.
Read a book with more than 100 pages.
Create a new smoothie recipe that uses only fresh ingredients.
Make a list of your goals for the year. Identify what help you will need to successfully complete your goals.
Be self-reliant for an entire day. (Don’t let your parents do anything for you)
Read a magazine from cover to cover while sitting outside under a tree.
Practice throwing a frisbee.
Who’s your hero? Write 2 paragraphs about them. Tell me why they are your hero and why you want to be like them.
Have a conversation with someone over the age of 60.
Watch an entire show on the History channel.
Do 100 pushups every day for two weeks, and be ready to tell me how you felt at the end.
Talk to someone else in this class about becoming a Homework Buddy.  You can call each other when absent, and ask each other for help.
Have a conversation with someone over the age of 70.
Read a biography about someone who was famous in the 20th Century, but is no longer alive.
Learn about one thing doctors say is bad for you.  Stop doing/eating it.
Get a library card from Multnomah County.  Use it.  And the online reserving feature.
Be nicer to your parents.  And your siblings.  Yes, I know it’s hard.  Do it anyway.
Learn about something happening in another part of the world, and then share it with your family.
Stop drinking soda.  And energy drinks.
Turn everything off.  For an entire day.


Floss your teeth.  Daily.














Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Camping Details from Mr.s Tompkins

Hi Parents,
The 8th Grade Camping trip is right around the corner and I am finalizing details.  I need RSVPs ASAP!!!  As soon as I know the number of people I can complete the food list and split firewood cost.  The cost of the rental was covered by the $ the 8th grade raised at the beginning of the year.  Food, firewood and our own transportation is all that will need to be covered.

Here are the details:  Check in 4pm Sunday June 9th, Check out Tues June 11th @11am.  We will meet at the school parking lot at 3pm on Sunday to go over food purchases and carpool if possible.  The Old Ranch at Silver Falls State Park.  It is a huge old barn with a giant fire pit in the center and a kitchen.  Balcony all the way around inside with bunk beds and indoor bathrooms.  We will split sides for ladies and gents.  For $100 we get bottomless firewood.  Private hike behind barn and huge open grass field in front.

Each 8th grader needs an adult responsible for them.  If you cannot attend you need to find another willing parent.  No siblings please.

One of the reasons this location was picked by the students was proximity.  Please feel free to come and go as needed.  Stay one night, or both. Stay for the day ect.

What to bring:
Sleeping bag and mat, pillow (bunk beds have no padding at all)
Toiletries, including sunscreen and bug spray
Swimsuit- modest ladies please!!!
Good hiking shoes
Flashlight for tag 
Rain jacket
Optional:
glow sticks
Nerf guns and bullets
Games for field and indoors
Indoor crafts (jewery making ect.)
 
Thanks, Mandi
503.957.9768 call or text

Monday, May 20, 2013

Hooray, Another Survey!!


Hi, families--as we look at what went well this year, and what we could continue to improve on at CHPCS, we are considering an overhaul of field trips, but we did not want to make a decision without hearing from all of the stakeholders.

Currently--and historically--field trips have almost entirely happened on Field Trip Fridays once a month.  We are considering other ways of formatting our students' learning experiences that might relieve some of the stressors we felt this year.  Please take a moment to connect with Mr. Currey's blog, in order so that you can answer the ONE survey question, to ensure we hear from you what you think about field trips.

Thank you!  We look forward to your feedback.


http://chpcs2nd.blogspot.com/2013/05/one-more-survey.html

End of the Year Events

Following you will find two very important announcements!

The first is about our 8th Grade Graduation.  As advertised in our School Planners, it will be held on Friday, June 7th, at 7:00pm, in the CHPCS Gym.  Following the ceremony will be a potluck dessert celebration in the Cafeteria (or outside, if the weather is favorable).  My expectation is that students dress nicely.  Mrs. Denman is checking each of the dresses worn by students that evening, so please bring it in to her if you plan on wearing one.  The minimum standard should be a school uniform, but many will be getting dressier than that.  Please plan on the event lasting approximately 90 minutes, including cleanup at the end of the evening.

The second bit of vital information is regarding an optional, after-school campout in Silver Falls State Park.  This event will begin on Sunday, June 9th, and end on Tuesday, June 11th.  Mrs. Tompkins has reserved a large cabin that sleeps 75 people, so all adults are very welcome to attend.  Some students are hoping to stay the entire time, and others will only be coming down for parts of this fun experience.  If your student is going to attend, he/she will have to be under the care of a parent, be it either you or another in our group.  As this is an after-school-is-out event, neither Mr. Harvey nor CHPCS will be in charge, nor responsible.

For more information on the details of either graduation or the campout, please email Mrs. Tompkins.  She will certainly need quite a bit of help with each event, so please consider helping to set up the gym, organize desserting, or prepare for cleanup on the night of Graduation.  Meals will also have to be purchased and prepared for the camping trip, and car groups will be a great help, too.

Here is her email:  bradymandi@msn.com

Have a great week!

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Parent Perception Survey


Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey.  The office is hoping for 100% participation.  They are asking that every parent, step-parent and guardian complete one.  Please, please, please!!!


http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/OR_EFF_PAR_NCSD_CascadeHghts

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

May Field Trip

Our May Field Trip is right around the corner.  During the morning hours of Friday, May 10th, we will be going roller skating in Oaks Park.  This is part end-of-the-year celebration and part PE lesson, because we will be receiving skating lessons prior to getting out there ourselves!  After that, we will need to travel downtown so that we may experience Chinatown with Teacher Wenny.  Beginning this week, 8th graders will be reading The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck, as well as studying the growth of China over the 10th Century. Downtown, we will be dining in a Chinese food restaurant, where students from our Chinese class will be ordering food for us.  Then we will be traveling over to the Lan Su Chinese Gardens for a guided tour of their beautiful grounds.  This one is not to be missed! 

If you are available to be a driving chaperone, please email me at your earliest convenience.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Random Tidbits of Learning

Here are a few things that I have found related to the learning that has been happening over the last few weeks in the 8th grade.  Please take them for what they are worth, but consider sharing some time with your student over one or more of them!

This is an interesting anti-war comic book created by a Congressman from Georgia.  Students may remember him from a documentary we watched about the importance of music during the Civil Rights Movement called "Songs for a Revolution".
http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/sixties/HTML_docs/Exhibits/Bond/Bond.html
(It should be noted here that many perspectives on the Vietnam War have been presented in our classroom.  Please do not think that the only narrative in school has been one that is against the US involvement in Vietnam.)

This is another Vietnam-related site that I have not yet had time to look at.  My hope is that it covers the inequity of the War, with regards to race and social class of the draftees during that time.
http://aavw.org/

This is a nice timeline of the events of the Cold War from a website that offers a great deal about history.
http://www.history-timelines.org.uk/events-timelines/03-cold-war-timeline.htm

After speaking about McCarthyism today in class, I would love for students to watch the excellent film entitled "Good Night and Good Luck".  It beautifully presents some of the issues surrounding the fear and extremism of the accusations of the time, has an amazing cast, and an even better soundtrack!!!  If you are looking to have a movie night w/ your student (I don't think that you'll find anything other than a bit of language in it), this may lead to an interesting discussion afterward.  Edward Murrow is one of my favorites, as is this film!!  I'm tempted to show a clip or two in class, but all anyone is welcome to borrow my dvd copy of it.