LA Materials Adoption Committee

Oregon Math Leaders 2015 (OML)

Who:  You and between 100-200 other Oregon Math Educators

When:   August 2-4, 2015 (Sunday afternoon-Tuesday afternoon)

Where:  Willamette University located in Salem.

Why:  Because you want to improve the math education in your classroom, your school your district, or across the state.  This gathering of teachers will be a prime to continue to learn how to effectively teach mathematics for deeper conceptual understanding.

Registration opens Valentines Day 2015

George Washington Teacher Summer Institute

Established in 1999, the George Washington Teacher Institute Summer Residential Program is a highly competitive educational experience that brings teachers to Mount Vernon, Virginia for an intensive week of study at Washington's home. Participating teachers are immersed in the study and discussion of the remarkable role George Washington played in the founding of our nation and this critical period of American history.

PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO:

• Examine the character and accomplishments of George Washington while living on his 18th Century estate
• Engage in active discussion of 18th Century history with top historians
• Explore Mount Vernon through interactive workshops, tours, and group projects
• Connect to Common Core and discuss how to strengthen teaching history in all aspects of curriculum
• Return to your classroom with new knowledge, teaching materials and enthusiasm to share with your students and colleagues

Smarter Balance Reminders - Grade 3-5

Grades 3-5 Teachers,

There are new resources available for Smarter Balanced (SB) at: http://sbac.portal.airast.org/practice-test/resources These resources would be excellent preparation tools for getting your students familiar with the Smarter Balanced Assessment interface they will be seeing this spring.

Math:

Few things to remember:

·         The Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) portion in grades 3-5 will be computer scored.

·         There is a performance task that students will be taking for their grade level.

·         No calculators or outside manipulatives can be used during the test

Things to do in preparation for the Smarter Balanced Assessment:

·         Have students take the practice test and use the Equation Editor: Equation Editor Tutorial

·         Give students an opportunity to explore the universal tools such as the highlighter, strikethrough options, and digital notepad

·         There will be different kinds of items on the CAT than just multiple choice, so students should be prepared to encounter multiple answer, grid,  manipulating objects and matching

·         Look at sample SB problems off the ODE page: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=3729

English Language Arts

Things to do in preparation for the Smarter Balanced Assessment

·         Have students take the practice test

·         Give students an opportunity to explore the universal tools such as highlighter, strikethrough options, and the zoom in and zoom out buttons.

·         Look at sample SB problems off the ODE page: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=3713 and http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?=3405

Intro Videos

 http://www.smarterbalanced.org/k-12-education/teachers/

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.

African American Read In

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.

Do You Need a Computer?

Do you need a computer? Have you volunteered 24 hours in the past year in your community, at a non-profit or a community organization? If so, you may be eligible to receive a free computer from Free Geek! This is a special offer extended only to K-12 students in Portland. 

Click here for more information.

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.

2014 Oregon Civics Conference for Teachers

Whether you have attended before or this is your first conference, there is something for you. New topics, old friends, elected officials from every branch, and talented educators with amazing material for your classroom: check it out!  Experts will quench your thirst for knowledge. Teacher-led sessions on the Oregon Trail, Project Citizen and town hall role plays will give you the strategies you need for ready-to-go lessons for your classroom.

Knowledge and strategies make for a good conference but there is an added dimension that makes it unforgettable:  place.  This is an opportunity to surround yourself with history. From the rare opportunity to sit in the Senate Chambers, to the Governor’s office, to the Supreme Court courtroom, to workshops in hearing rooms where current issues are being thrashed about, the State Capitol is the home of this conference. The building will satisfy your sense of place. And that is why this conference checks every box.

Smarter Balanced Math Assessment

For more information click here.

Teachers, help us spread the word to 6th-8th graders!

Oregon Children’s Theatre’s playwriting contest for middle school students, formerly known as The Bully Project, is back! 6th to 8th graders are invited to submit original, 10-minute plays. Six finalists will be chosen to work with local playwrights to revise and refine their writing. All six plays will then be featured in a staged reading at the Winningstad Theatre on April 25th, 2015.

One lucky student could win a trip to Washington, DC!

One winning play will be submitted to the national Young Playwrights for Change competition, hosted by Theatre for Young Audiences USA and the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, for a chance to win a trip to Washington, D.C. and have your play read at the Kennedy Center! More information about the national contest can be found at www.assitej-usa.org.

To read more click here.

Free Wellness Program for Middle School Teachers

Register by Oct. 15

WHO: Portland State University and Portland Public Schools

WHAT:  Recruiting Middle School Teacher for a Wellness Program and Study.   

This free, mindfulness-based stress reduction program is aimed at the occupational health and wellbeing of teachers. The program is free to teachers, and provides an opportunity for PSU to study its potential value for educators.  

Teachers, grades 6-8, who teach in the core academic subject areas are encouraged participate.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Robert Roeser, Ph.D., rroeser@pdx.edu, 503-505-1836, or click here: http://www.mpower-pps.com

One Week to Go: Sumdog Math Contest For Portland Schools Schools

The free math contest for Portland Schools schools is now only one week away!

This year, you take part as a class, and compete against other classes in your school and across Portland Schools.

In order to join in the fun, teachers must visit: http://www.sumdog.com/en/Contest_invitation/?hc

For questions, contact info@sumdog.com

Teacher Channel: Deeper Learning

This Week: Productive Struggle in Math

Common Core Math Playlist: Engaging Students with “Productive Struggle” We’ve got 6 new videos showing how Kentucky teachers are using Math Design Collaborative (MDC) to teach students how to persevere while problem-solving. A Passion for Fractions See how Becky Pittard gives students a variety of solutions to encourage deep thinking. Don't Give Up! Plan, Persevere, Revise Watch how Madeline Noonan introduces a new problem to her students and helps them work through tough challenges.

Literacy Grants

The Oregon Reading Association is offering ten $200 Literacy Special Projects Grants. Current members are eligible to submit a one page proposal on how they would use funds to promote literacy. Deadline: November 15, 2014.
For more information: http://oregonread.org/booksvideos-2/literacy-grants/

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 7th Annual Northwest Conference on Teaching for Social Justice

October 18th, 2014
8 am - 4:30 pm

Madison High School
2735 NE 82nd Ave. Portland, Oregon 97220

Keynote Speaker: Enid Lee
Disrupting Systems of Racism in Our Districts, Schools, & Classrooms

Special Guest: Stan Karp
Surviving School Reform: When the Reformers Come to Town

REGISTER BY OCTOBER 9th to GUARANTEE LUNCH
For information regarding housing or transpiration: email info@nwtsj.org
Participants sign-up for workshops on the morning of the event.
Professional development opportunities are available!

Dissection Policy

When class includes an animal dissection, teachers are advised to inform students and parents well in advance. An alternate must be provided and students and parents should know of the alternate option in advance.

ORS 337.300 Animal dissection; refusal by student; alternatives; notification.

 (1) A kindergarten through grade 12 public school student may refuse to dissect any vertebrate or invertebrate animal or the parent or legal guardian of a kindergarten through grade 12 public school student may refuse to allow the student to dissect any vertebrate or invertebrate animal.

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