Winter Showcase

The Winter Showcase is fast approaching! Fourth grade has been working diligently on our performance. 

A Few Reminders

• This years Showcase will be held at Camp Withycomb located at : 15300 Minuteman Way, Clackamas, OR 97015
• The gates will open at 5:45 and the show will start promptly at 6:30
• ALL persons over the age of 18 will need a valid ID to pass through the gate
• Students in 4th grade may wear dress pants/dress shirts/ties/dresses/skirts. School uniforms are alright too!
• I will meet your child at Camp Withycomb. Please plan on arriving NO LATER than 6:15. 

We are excited to dazzle you with our talent!

Teacher Tea

Teacher Tea

The staff of Cascade Heights cordially invites you to join us for the first of many Teacher Teas. Teacher Teas will be held on the second Tuesday of each month at 8:00 am. This is your chance to share ideas, questions, or concerns. The first teacher tea will be held on December 8th, 2015. Mrs. Adams will be the hosting teacher and looks forward to working with you. 

Winter Core Knowledge Showcase

                Winter Core Knowledge Showcase

Mark your calendar! 

December 17th, 2015

You are invited to join the staff and students of Cascade Heights on December 17th at 6:30 PM for an evening performance highlighting current units by all 9 classes.  Each class will perform just once this year since we will be at a much larger facility. Our wonderful PTA has rented the auditorium at Camp Withycombe so that everyone will be comfortable and in the same place. 

Our evening performance begins at 6:30 PM. Family and friends may take their seats beginning at 6:10 while students make their way to the back of the auditorium where teachers will seat them. We are expecting a full house, so be there early for the best seats. Because Camp Withycombe is a military base, all drivers will need picture ID to get on base. Once there, proceed to the large building just inside the gate. There is plenty of parking and the building is handicap accessible! 

Reminders: 

~ Students will be told by their individual teacher what to wear. If in doubt, wear your school uniform. 

~There will be concessions available for purchase. All proceeds will go towards the 8th grade end of the year trip to the Shakespeare Festival. 

~ You are more than welcome to take pictures or film the show, but please do so from your seat or standing in the back of the room. 

~ Please silence your cell phone and all other noise making devices. 

~ At the end of the performance, students will need to be picked up from their teacher.  In order to minimize interruptions to the performance, students will not be released until the end of the show. 

Camp Withycombe Address: 15300 Minuteman Way, Clackamas, OR 97015

Winter Weather Notifications

Winter Weather Notifications

Wondering whether school is open? The easiest way to hear is to sign up for remind (formerly Remind 101). This service will send you a text to let you know about any school wide closure or emergency. Instructions for signing up are below. You can also watch your local news channel. If North Clackamas is closed, so are we. 

World Peace Game

November 4, 2015

Dear 4th Grade parents;

By now you might have heard about the World Peace Game which was introduced to the 4th grade class last year.  Mrs. Denman spent a week with Mr. John Hunter, the creator of the game last  summer.  She was selected along with 25 other educators from around the world to watch children play the game and then learn from the grand master himself.  She was so inspired that she wrote a grant to fund the building of the game board and Ms. Cantin agreed that 4th graders should play the World Peace Game.  

 Below are some links about the World Peace Game  which may be helpful in understanding what it is we are doing!  “Preparing children for a global society” is taken to a new level during this time. We will be playing the game on Thursday afternoons for about an hour for eight weeks and you will be invited to observe the last day.   You and your child may want to watch and read this information together.

_____Watch TED talk http://worldpeacegame.org/

_____Watch World Peace and Other 4th Grade Achievements movie trailer

http:// worldpeacegame.org/

_____Read United Nations Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations

_____Read World Bank wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Bank

Thank you for your ongoing support of the mission of Cascade Heights. It is a privilege to serve your family,

Holly Denman

Denise Cantin

Science Fair

The Science Fair process has begun and I am excited about this years projects. Your child brought home their Science Fair Notebook on Thursday, October 15th. Everything that involves your child's project should be documented in this book. Fourth grade is a transition year for the science fair and they should come up with a project to complete with help from home. If you have older children at CHPCS keep in mind that expectations are different and if you have questions, please contact your child's teacher.  There is a check list on the back page of the Science Fair Notebook which includes when specific items are due. Make sure you sign when things get turned in.

Students should work on choosing a topic, project, and a good scientific question. Their question and project can be turned in any time this week. It will be a first come first served basis. It there are duplicate projects, I will help your child brainstorm to come up with something else.

The Science Fair is a time for students to expand their knowledge, work through the scientific process, and most importantly, HAVE FUN with science!

Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Assessments

Fourth grade will be taking MAP assessments on Wednesday, October 14, 2015.
You can prepare your child by making sure they have a good nights sleep, have extra snacks and water for the day, and encouraging your child to take their time and do their best.

MAP assessments  are intended to show your child's progress over time. This is just one assessment teachers use to determine your child's academic development and not the only assessment tool we use.

Results from MAP assessment will be available at Parent-Teacher Conferences. If you have not scheduled a conference, please contact me.

Friendly Reminder

Carline:  we've gotten complaints from our neighbors about Cascade families making illegal u-turns on Tolbert to get into carline, causing the residents to be stuck in their driveway. 

 PLEASE remember to enter carline on Jannsen, regardless of which direction you are coming from.  Turn left on 90th, then left on Tolbert and join carline.  Thank you for respecting our neighbors, with whom we would like to be on good terms for many years to come!

Music Position

 Last spring our music teacher left for a full time position, Portland Public School District resurrected their long absent music program and full time music teachers were all of sudden in short commodity. 

Music is important to the mission of Cascade Heights because creating, performing and responding to music are the fundamental music processes in which children engage. Students, particularly in grades K-8, learn by doing. Singing, playing instruments, moving to music, and creating music enables students to acquire musical skills and knowledge that can’t be developed in any other discipline. Listening to, analyzing, and evaluating music are also important building blocks of musical learning. Learning to read and notate music provides children with the ability to explore music independently and socially. In addition, to participate fully in a diverse, global society, students must understand their own historical and cultural heritage and those of others within their communities and beyond. Because music is a basic expression of human culture, every student should have access to a balanced, comprehensive, and sequential program of study in music.

This summer we posted our music position on Craig's list, National Alliance of Charter Schools job board, Core Knowledge Foundation job board.  We received seven applications and interviewed them all. They were musicians, but not music teachers. Very different. One applicant was qualified but did not have a college degree. Another applicant was a retired 33 year veteran choir teacher who only wanted a middle school choir.  We also posted on our website as well as sending letters of inquiry to every music group large and small in the Portland Metro Area (Portland Baroque Orchestra, Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Portland Symphonic Choir, Oregon Symphony, Harmony Road Music and several others. We received only one and he changed his mind before the interview. 

We have continued to search and are now asking for your help. Please, post on Facebook, talk to friends and coworkers, and ask them to also ask others. With over 400 adults at our school, someone must know someone that is looking for part time work. Ideally, we would love to have one person teach K - 8 music including band and orchestra, but we are open to splitting it into several smaller jobs. The right person has a current teaching certificate with a music endorsement and is available Mondays and Wednesdays.  Please have anyone interested email Mrs. Robinson at k.robinson@chpcs.org and Mrs. Denman at h.denman@chpcs.org. 

FIELD TRIP

Our first field trip is fast approaching. We will be traveling by bus to Magness Memorial Tree Farm in beautiful Sherwood, Oregon on Friday, October 23rd. Our guided tour will take us  through the forest as we learn the importance of native plants and trees. If you are interested in joining us, contact Mrs. McDonald or Mrs. Shepard.

Where - Magness Memorial Tree Farm in Sherwood, Oregon
When  - Bus will leave from CHPCS at 8:30
Bring a lunch and water bottle
Dress in layers as it is chilly in the mornings.
Comfortable walking shoes (we will travel a lot of trails)
Students DO NOT need to wear their school uniform, but are encouraged to wear field trip shirts or their class field day shirts from last year.

RAIN OR SHINE (hopefully if will be a warm fall day).

Happy Birthday Director Denman!

Please join us in celebrating Mrs. Denman's Birthday book drive. We are having a class competition to see which class can donate the most books to our new library. Whichever class wins gets a Bonus recess! The competition starts Tuesday Sept. 29th and the winner will be announced at Mrs. Denman's birthday party on October 22nd 3:35-4:45pm. Bring your favorite book from home that you have already read or you can purchase a new book, whichever you choose! The class with the most books wins!

Happenings in 4th Grade

We are settling in, getting to know each other, and learning the daily routines.
We are reading the novel Pollyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter and will discover how important it is to find the good in things that are sometimes difficult.

History will take us back in time to Europe in the Middle Ages. Kings, knights, Charlemagne, and castles will capute our attention as we navigate through this time period.

In science we have started our Meteorology unit and will be learning about the hydrologic cycle, clouds and the atmosphere.

Math homework is going well. If  you have any concerns do not hesitate to contact me either through email or a quick phone call (sometimes a text message is easier for me to get to during the school day).

RIGGS homewill will start this week. Your child will have 4-5 new words each night. Writing them three times with markings, and using them in a complete sentence that makes sense is the expectation.

Our first field trip will be on Friday, October 23, 2015. We will be traveling by bus to Magness Memorial Tree Farm in Sherwood, Oregon. Rain or shine.
If you would like to join us, please contact Mrs. McDonald or Mrs. Shepard.

Parent-Teacher Conference

Time to start scheduling Parent-Teacher Conferences.
If you were not able to attend Back-to-School Night, contact me to schedule a conference for your child.

Time slots are filling up fast!
I still have a few openings for Friday, October 30, 2015
I am available Monday-Thursday at 7:00 am if this works best for you (We can even meet at the Grind Coffee shop)!

Harvest Festival

Join the CHPCS community for a fun filled evening of free family frivolity. 

The Harvest Festival is a chance for CHPCS families and friends to get together and celebrate the turning of the season with music, games, and a baking contest. Hayrides, pumpkin decorating, tug o war, and needle in a haystack will keep the young and old entertained for hours. The fun begins at 6:30 p.m. and ends at dusk or 7:30 p.m., whichever is first! 

Are you a baker? Are you the keeper of Great Granny’s apple pie recipe? Now’s the time to put on your chef hat, dust off your apron, and whip up your favorite apple or pumpkin themed recipe with a third category for apple or pumpkin recipes that take into account dietary restrictions.  The baking contest is open to all adult/child pairs. Baking with children is not only fun, but is great math practice and provides one on one time that encourages open communication. All baking entries are due on October 15^th no later than 3:30 p.m. for judging. After ribbons are awarded, the baked goods will be sold at the Harvest Festival for $1.00 a piece.

For the 10^th anniversary we are adding a cake decorating contest. Show us your best “10 years of Cascade Heights” decorated cake. All cakes will be used in the cake walk after judging.

Every Kid in a Park

President Barack Obama started Every Kid in a Park so children and families could discover, explore, and visit every state park in America.

Fourth graders can get free admission to all parks ( I believe families are also free). I have printed a pass for you and your child and sent it home with them on Thursday, September 10. 2015.

Enjoy the National Parks!

https://www.everykidinapark.gov/get-your-pass/

Welcome Back

Cascade Heights will be open on Tuesday, September 8, 2015 for all Kindergarten students and for students to drop off supplies to their classrooms. The first day of school is Wednesday, Septermber 9, 2015.

We are looking forward to an exciting and productive year.

Enjoy the last few days of summer break.

Back to School Night

The staff of Cascade Heights invites you to our 10th annual Back to School Night on Thursday, September 10th, 2015. The evening begins at 6:00 PM with a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open our new, fully operational library! The ceremony will be followed by a short welcome and introductions in the gym at 6:30. After this is where things get weird. Instead of our usual two sessions with teachers talking too fast trying to cram everything you might need to know into your head, we will be trying something new. Parents with students in Kindergarten through 4th grade will remain in the gym while parents with students in 5th - 8th grade will move to the cafeteria. If you have students in both primary and upper grades, please go to the cafeteria. In each of these rooms teachers will spend about 20 minutes sharing ideas for ways to make the most of our partnership while focusing on the goals you have for your student this year. After the group sessions, all classrooms will be open to allow parents to get to know each other and the classroom teacher, as well as pick up syllabi and sign up for conferences and volunteering opportunities. In order to make the most of our short time together, we ask that students not attend this event.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you there!