Mythos Challenge 2016: A Unique Youth‐Led Storytelling and Game Experience

Youth in grades K‐12 are invited to create a digital interactive story, game, or mobile app inspired by the Portland Art Museum’s special exhibition Case Work: Studies in Form, Space & Construction by Allied Works Architecture. Finalists creations are eligible for monetary awards and will be displayed at the Portland Art Museum.
The Mythos Challenge offers easy ways to bring project based learning into your class. Materials are
age‐appropriate and include activities and resources for connecting classrooms to family and community.

*** Free Educator Workshops***
Between February and April 2016, Pixel Arts Game Education will lead 3 online workshops in the free and easy‐to‐use Twine and Scratch digital storytelling and gaming platforms. Twine and Scratch stretch youth awareness of, and engagement with, the world around them and introduces the building blocks of creative design and computational thinking. For more information please contact Jeffrey Sens, Co‐Executive Director of Pixel Arts, jsens@pixelartsgameeducation. Online registration (http://bit.ly/1ZMcKrO).

Challenge Details: The Mythos Challenge opens January 2016. Team Registration, Resources, Copyright Information, and Judging Criteria can be found on our website (http://mythoshallenge.com). For general information contact Kristin Bayans, Portland Art Museum Interpretive Media Specialist, kristin.bayans@pam.org.

Social Studies Opportunities for Teachers and Students

Please take a minute to look over this flier with four great Social Studies opportunities for you and your students! 

• Please note new date for Beyond the Oregon Trail.

• Also see a new, fifth opportunity described at the bottom

1) 8th Grade Teachers - Beyond The Oregon Trail, Feb. 22, Holladay Annex – Please join us as we share experiences, new materials, and questions about this piece of the adopted curriculum that is continuing to develop. Get your substitute and register on Learning Campus!

2) 6-12 Teachers – The exhibit "Chinese American Exclusion/Inclusion" starts in January at the Oregon Historical Society. Schedule your class! 

3) 6-12 Teachers – The exhibit "Beyond the Gate: A Tale of Portland's Two Historic Chinatowns Exhibit" starts in February at the Oregon Historical Society – Schedule your class!

4) 6-12 Teachers – Geography of Southern Iberia: Portugal and Spain, Summer Institute, Center for Geography Education in Oregon – Apply!

See linked flier above for details!

C-GEO in now accepting registrations for Geo-Fest, its March 5th annual teachers' conference. 

• Registration fee after February 19th is $20 does not include lunch or goodie bag.

• All attendees will be eligible for some great prize drawings!

So please register as soon as possible.

For a link to detailed information and the registration form, see the Professional Development page of the C-GEO website at http://www.pdx.edu/geography-education/node/94

Or view the flier/form directly by clicking here.

Google Cardboard is coming to Faubion Wednesday, January 13th

Google Cardboard is coming to Faubion

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

1:50-2:20 p.m.

Google is coming to Faubion and we will have a session for PPS staff who would like to participate in a virtual fieldtrip like our students are and learn more about this technology.

The first 30 people to RSVP will be signed up for our special event.  Please email Ms. McCalley at jmccalley@pps.net to RSVP.

For more information on Google Cardboard:https://drive.google.com/a/apps4pps.net/file/d/0B6V1-E7Wa-I0NjQ5RVdwcHhnb1U/view

Oregon Natural Resources Education Program Workshop Schedule

Winter Workshop Schedule 2015 - 2016

(December, January, February and March)

All workshops are offered at no cost to Oregon educators unless otherwise noted. For further details and to register please visit our website: http://onrep.forestry.oregonstate.edu/, email: ONREP@oregonstate.edu, or call: (541)737-9121.

The Teacher's Way Workshops that balance self-care & work

Explore the Art of Learning in self-care, mentoring and leadership:

Be guided by the same principles we use as we teach young children. Use them on yourself!

1. Optimal learning takes place when individuals are relaxed and alert.
2. Take charge of your learning process using discovery-oriented hands-on activities.
3. Allow plenty o f time to practice, roleplay and share stories about our experiences teaching, learning and getting support.

Find out more here. 

Let Art of STEM connect you to Hour of CodeTM!

WHAT: Call or email to save your seat at our FREE coding station or just drop by to say hi and meet our team!
WHEN: 4PM – 5PM THIS WEEK Tuesday, December 8 Wednesday, December 9 Thursday, December 10 Friday, December 11, Art of STEM Teacher Workshop on December 11 4PM – 5PM

Phone 503.206.6214
http://artofstem.com
7425 Leavitt Ave Portland, OR 97203

Across from James John Elementary Bring your finished maze to Art of STEM and receive a FREE hour of introduction to coding FUN!

To reserve a seat, please RSVP to the following email address: tcrewe@artofstem.com

Positive Discipline in the Classroom Workshop

Positive Discipline in the Classroom

A workshop for Teachers, Administrators, Counselors, Social Workers, School Professionals, Aides, Psychologists, Nurses, Youth Workers, and Program Providers who work with young people in group settings.

Tuesday evenings 1/12/16 to 3/1/16
6:15-8:45 p.m.

Positive Discipline Focuses on Discipline That Teaches:

A great deal of recent research has shown unequivocally that Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is vital if teachers and other school personnel hope to increase academic gains for their students of all ages. The abilities of students to manage strong emotions, interact cooperatively with others and resolve problems that come up in their daily lives are quite literally academic survival skills. All SEL programs or curricula strive to teach these skills. Positive Discipline in the Classroom does so in a manner which stresses mutual dignity and respect for students and teachers and also promotes the democratic values that are at the core of our civic lives.

Workshop Participants Will:

• Learn how to teach the Eight Essential Skills for effective class meetings to students.
• Explore motivations for behavior and learn respectful, encouraging ways to be kind and firm at the same time when faced with challenging behaviors in classrooms and group settings.
• Become familiar with research-based tools to effectively lead a classroom or mediate a conflict based upon cooperation, problem-solving, and mutual respect.
• Learn how to empower students to look for solutions and do the right thing even when no one is looking.
• Learn the Teacher Helping Teacher Problem Solving Steps, an effective tool for ongoing training and support for both teachers and support staff.

Facilitators: Steven Foster is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, parent educator since 2001, co-author of Positive Discipline for Children with Special Needs, and a Certified Positive Discipline Lead Trainer.  971-275-6510, sfos54@msn.com Julia Tomes is a former elementary and middle school teacher, parent educator since 2008, and a Certified Positive Discipline Trainer. 503-841-9130, jtomes@artwells.com

Details: Location: Abernethy Elementary School 2421 SE Orange Street Portland, OR 97214 Registration: www.positivediscipline.org (preferred or call 1-866-767-3472) Early registration: $375 until December 29th; then $425.  Cost includes book and manual Sponsored by the Positive Discipline Association Credit/CEUs available through Portland State University for an additional small fee.

Portland Evening Scholars Opportunity

Portland Evening Scholars is looking for additional teachers for spring semester in the following endorsements:

• Advanced Math, Alg 1-4, Geo 1-2
• PE
• Language Arts, 1-8
• Social Studies, USH, MWH
• HS Spanish, 1-4

Classes begin February 16^th, 2016, one night per week. See the job posting for details, or contact the Program Administrator, Ginger Taylor @ gtaylor1@pps.net.

Code.org Workshops

Check out these upcoming offerings from Code.org, one of which takes place this Saturday. These courses are free. They are being taught by Wilson teacher Chris Bartlo. Space is limited for these sessions.

1-Day Training at Wilson High School, Room 30, 1151 SW Vermont, Portland
Dec. 5, 9 am-4:30 pm
Register at http://code.org/professional-development-workshops/5036718

2-Day Training at Wilson High School, Room 30, 1151 SW Vermont, Portland
Jan. 20, 3:30-6 pm & Jan. 27, 3:30-6 pm
Register for the Code Studio Workshop on the PPS Learning Campus, under Instructional Technology.

Maverick Main Stage Productions presents "The Once-Ler"

Maverick Main Stage Productions presents "The Once-ler" at 12:30pm on December 4th. 

Majority of this cast is PPS students who are bringing the book "The Lorax" to life in their own rendition called "The Once-Ler."