OMSI Teacher Open House

Free Event: Feb 11, 2015, 4-7pm 
We are excited that this winter's teacher open house will feature two new exhibits:

Mazes
Zoo in You: The Human Microbiome

Treat yourself to an evening of student-free learning at OMSI. Find out what’s new at the museum this spring, meet OMSI educators, gather information about educational resources offered by our community partners, and get inspired with ways to enrich your classroom curriculum. OMSI program representatives will assist with planning your activities for the year. 

Light snacks will be provided.

This professional evening is for in-service, pre-service and homeschool teachers only. Guests and family members will not be admitted to this event. Valid school-issued ID (or business card or pay stub), or confirmation of intent to homeschool will be required at the door.

Preregistration is required. Register now.

The Library of Congress Summer Teacher Institutes

The Library of Congress Summer Teacher Institutes

Immerse yourself in the practice of teaching with primary sources from the unparalleled collections of Library of Congress this summer. Apply to attend a week-long professional development program for K-12 educators in the nation’s capital.

In 2015, the Library will offer five Institute weeks:

• Open sessions (any subject area): June 22-26, July 6-10 or July 27-31
• Science focus: July 20-24
• Civil rights focus: August 3-7

Application Deadline: March 24th, 2015

Each Institute week, Library of Congress education specialists facilitate sessions modeling strategies for using primary sources to engage students, build critical thinking skills, and construct knowledge. Participants reflect on and discuss how the strategies apply to their students, subject areas, and classrooms or school libraries.

PDX Reading Specialist, LLC​

Learn. Accommodate. Inspire.

PPS is partnering with Decoding Dyslexia Oregon in order to offer PD to central and school-based staff.  There will be two opportunitites for Dyslexia 101 (overview of dyslexia in order to better understand and support our students with this language-based learning disability​):

Tuesday 2/24 (8:30-12:00 at Marshall 39/41) Dyslexia 101

Thursday 2/26 (8:30-12:00 Marshall 39/41) Dyslexia 101

Sign up on the Learning Campus; we can provide substitutes for up to 35 people.

If you have any questions please contact Angela Hubbs, Asst. Director of ICA, ahubbs@pps.net.

Literacy Happy Hour with Local Author Cathy Camper

ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Math and Science Scholarships

Inform Your Students Today About the ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Math and Science Scholarships

Named for the first African American to walk in space, ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Math and Science Scholarships are available to 2015 graduating high school seniors in school districts represented by the Council of the Great City Schools.

Four scholarships for two males and two females --- $5,000 each --- will be awarded to two African American and two Hispanic students on behalf of the former NASA astronaut, physician and businessman, Dr. Bernard Harris, and ExxonMobil.  Deadline for submissions is April 8, 2015. 

***Students may apply for the scholarship online.

Please distribute the scholarship application and guidelines in your districts.  For students to apply, they should click here to access the Council's website.

OHS Learning Portal Advisory Committee

We need your input!

OHS Learning Portal Advisory Committee

The Oregon Historical Society (OHS) is seeking volunteers, visitors, local educators, and other community members to be part of the Learning Portal Advisory Committee. The Learning Portal will be an interactive learning space opening at OHS in 2015. It will serve as a cultural meeting ground for young visitors to better engage with and appreciate the depth and variety of the state’s history.

We are seeking three teachers, three parents of young children (age 3-8), and two K-12 students representing diverse Oregon experiences to provide ideas, advice, and feedback on the Learning Portal’s design and content creation. Candidates should have a passion for education, especially museum-based education. We are looking for people interested in working collaboratively on creative ways to engage a broader audience with Oregon’s dynamic, diverse, and interconnected history.

Oregon Writing Festival (Grades 4-12)

The 31st annual Oregon Writing Festival will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2015, on the Portland State University campus. This event has showcased the writing of more than 33,500 students (grades 4-12) from school districts all across Oregon and has been an exciting event for students and teachers from PPS who have taken advantage of the opportunity to participate. The festival includes author keynotes, workshops, and the opportunity for students to share their own writing. To learn more about the event, go the the Oregon Writing Festival website.

Schools interested in participating need to have at least one teacher attend the event for up to 10 students. If a school has 11-20 students participating, two teachers will need to attend. The cost per student is $35 and transportation is not provided.  Each student should bring a copy of his/her best writing to share in a breakout group.

Please sign up at this link by January 30th.

Questions should be directed to:

Grades 4-5: Jennifer Buchanan, ELA TOSA, jbuchanan@pps.net

Grades 6-12: Beverly Daggett, ELA TOSA, bdaggett@pps.net

40th Annual Conference: Oregon Branch of the International Dyslexia Society

Ronald Yoshimoto, M.Ed, M.S.W., is a Fellow of the Academy of Orton-Gillingham (OG) Practitioners and Educators (AOGPE). He has more than 30 years’ experience in the fields of social work, education and dyslexia. He has been a social worker, counselor, teacher, educational diagnostician, principal, consultant and teacher trainer. He was principal of ASSETS School, a private school for students with dyslexia and gifted children, for 18 years.

National Engineers Month

National Engineers Month

STEM Programs Home

Throughout the month of February, National Engineers Month (NEM) volunteers inspire STEM in rural, inner-city and urban K-12 classrooms in a broad outreach across Oregon.

Through age-appropriate presentations and demonstrations, volunteers raise student awareness of the opportunities and rewards of working in a STEM-related field.

STEM Sponsors   STEM 2014 Outreach

The goal of NEM is to make math and science real to students by showing them, first-hand, the exciting and creative things that professionals working in the engineering and technology fields can do.

Connect and Learn at edcampPDX, November 15 at Liberty High School in Hillsboro

Calling all teachers, instructional technologists, IT staff, principals, admins and teacher librarians in the area -- the next edcamp will be held Saturday, November 15 from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm at Liberty High School in Hillsboro.

What is edcampPDX?
An edcamp is an informal unconference-style day of professional development organized and given by the local participants with sessions determined at the time of the event. Connect with other educators to share innovative instructional strategies and technologies that transform education for all students. Arrive with an idea for a session that you would like to lead or a discussion you would like to have and be ready to learn.

What are the goals of EdcampPDX?
✪ Networking: Connect with educators in the Greater Portland/Oregon Area.
✪ Instructional Practices: Learn new ideas, best practices, and/or tech integration ideas from other educators.
✪ Personalization: Customize your own PD by suggesting, facilitating and attending sessions about topics that interest you!

What do I need to bring?
Bring a friend and your favorite device: laptop, tablet, smartphone with the appropriate power cables. Lunch is provided!

Smarter Balanced Math Assessment

For more information click here.

Portland Archives Crawl 2014

Free and Open to the Public - October 18th 10 am-3 pm

Are you trying to integrate research into your curriculum? Do you need more local historical resources for your students? The Oregon Archives Crawl on October 18th, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., is an excellent way for students to be introduced to the concept of archives and have the opportunity to see a selection of historical records from 30 different archives and heritage organizations. 

The event takes place at 3 different locations in downtown Portland: the (Portland Archives and Records Center)(PARC), the Multnomah County Central Library and the Oregon Historical Society. At each location there are a variety of activities to choose from so you and your students might want to start early!

The Oregon Council for the Social Studies Fall Conference is Saturday, October 4

Save the Date: Oregon Google Summit, Oct 10, 2014

PPS is hosting this year's Oregon Google Summit on Friday, Oct. 10, 2014 at Jackson Middle School. Registration for the event is open now, and more information is being added to the event website.

The call for presenters is here: http://www.googlesummit.org/call-for-presenters

As the host for the event, PPS teachers are highly encouraged to submit workshop proposals. Lots of PPS teachers are doing great things with Google Apps, so please come  share and connect with other educators across the state!

Teaching civics is fun with the Classroom Law Project

Classroom Law Project offers teachers of all levels professional development, curriculum and resources for teaching civics, and many engaging ways for students to show what they have learned. We have great events for teachers and students this fall:

Oregon Elections 2014: Governor, Senator, Initiative: September 20, 2014 

This one-day professional development will provide teachers with lessons plans that are ready for the classroom. Cost: $25 

Courthouse Experience: October- June 

What better way to show students how the American justice system works, than to have them witness it first-hand at the Multnomah County Courthouse. Cost: Free! 

We the People Book Club: October-June 

Join CLP and teachers from around the metro-area to discuss civics-related books, eat, and network. Cost: Free! 

Reminder: Explore Next Generation Science Standards with Barrington Irving, May 6

PPS and National Geographic are teaming up for an administrator and teacher workshop on May 6, 4:30 - 5:45 pm, at George Middle School.

The workshop will feature two speakers: National Geographic Emerging Explorer Barrington Irving and a local expert on our new K-12 Science Standards. (Watch Barrington Irving's TEDx talk.)

As a bonus, the school that sends the highest percentage of teachers to the event will receive a prize from National Geographic.

Contact Jennifer Kelley with questions about the event: jkelley(at)pps(dot)net.

Save the date for the iUrban Teen Tech Summit, May 17

iUrban Teen's mission is to expose and inspire male youth of color to become tomorrow’s technology leaders. The iUrban Teen Tech Summit is an all-day opportunity intentionally targeted for low-income African-American, Latino, and Native American male teen-agers to learn from and network with industry professionals. The University of Portland will host the event.

Tell your students to register now!

Earth Day Event at PSU: Infusing Education with Indigenous Wisdom

The Earth and Spirit Council, in partnership with Cornel Pewewardy's Indigenous Nations Studies Department at PSU, presents a day-long workshop series led by Dr. Pewewardy and other environmental and educational leaders.

Saturday, April 26th
Time: 8:30am - 4:00pm
Location: Native American Center at PSU
Cost: $55
5 PDUs will be awarded to attendees

Tickets are still available!

Next edcamp: April 12 at Lewis Elementary

Calling all teachers, instructional technologists, IT directors, principals, admins and teacher librarians who live in the NW -- the next edcamp will be held April 12 from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm at Lewis Elementary (many thanks to Tim Lauer for hosting again)!

What is edcampPDX?
An edcamp is a unconference-style day of professional development organized and given by the local participants. Sign up to attend here!

What should I bring?
Bring a friend and a device (either a laptop or mobile device) with wireless internet access to view the website, see the sessions, take notes and view online resources discussed throughout the day.