BOO!
Hello Tigers!
Is it just me, or did October come and go in an instant? Ready or not, November is nearly upon us! The leaves have changed, many of which have made it to the ground and into the yard debris. If the forecast is to be trusted, we have several days coming of what makes fall in Oregon so wonderful, accentuated with sunrises and sunsets that are the best of the year. William Cullen Bryant labels autumn as “the year’s last, loveliest smile”, while Lauren DeStafano is quoted, “…the time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale”. Of course, as autumn takes a firm hold, the subtle breezes and crisp evenings make way for the official uniform of Oregon: flannel shirts and hoodies.
Speaking of hoodies, please note (below) that spirit gear is still available!
(yes, I'm shameless in my plugs)
Please have a GREAT weekend!
My best,
Brian
Twitter @brianmcurl
Halloween
Please note, that with Halloween upon us, Raleigh Park does not have any school-wide celebrations or recognitions planned, as has been the practice for many years. To be clear, this is NOT a stance in philosophical opposition to recognizing Halloween while at school, or for that matter, any other custom. In fact, it is this principal's opinion that we should not/do not need to run from the diversity of cultural celebrations under our roof, regardless of what flavor it is. If we truly embrace inclusivity of all cultures, we don't do so at the exclusion of things that are traditional "Americana" (whatever that means to you) in fear we might offend...be it Halloween, Thanksgiving, Houseplant Appreciation Day, etc. Rather, it is often these traditions that provide the foundation and context to learn about and appreciate other cultural beliefs and celebrations. Truly, ALL are welcome.
Rather, the practice at Raleigh Park is more practical in nature. This is to say that costumes and school-wide extravaganza's can/do disrupt the nature of what teachers and students are able to do in the classroom, in the hallways, in the cafeteria, on the playground, etc. While teachers have the autonomy to orchestrate seasonal, cultural and/or Halloween-specific recognition in their classrooms, the costumes should be saved for Halloween night.
Parent Teacher Conferences
Conferences will be here before you know it! Face-time with our teachers is scarce, and I hope this opportunity proves to be valuable for mutual understanding about your child’s growth as a learner and your goals and aspirations as we move forward in the school year.
If you have not done so already, please use the link below to access available conference times using PTCFast, our online conference scheduler.
As a reminder, the schedule for the week of November 4-8 is as follows:
- Monday, November 4: Normal school day, 7:55a - 2:35p
- Tuesday, November 5: Normal school day, 7:55a - 2:35p
- Wednesday, November 6: Students attend with normal dismissal @ 2:35p. Conferences 3:40p - 7:30p
- Thursday, November 7: NO STUDENTS - Conferences 7:30a - 7:30p
- Friday, November 8: NO STUDENTS - School Closed
Also, the Raleigh Park Book Fair will run Monday - Thursday of that same week. A great opportunity to find a book (or two) for the long weekend!
TAG
Every year students are considered for Talented and Gifted (TAG) services in Beaverton School District. These services are provided by your child's classroom teacher(s). If you think your child might qualify, you may wish to complete the Parent Information Form that is available in our school’s office. Completing this form gives our school TAG committee more information about your child, but it is not required. All qualified students will be considered regardless of its completion.
Oregon law and District policy define gifted students as those who score at or above the 97th percentile on a standardized, nationally normed test of mental ability and/or academic achievement. Behavioral, learning, and/or performance information is also considered before a student is identified for TAG services.
The Parent Information Form must be completed and returned to our school’s TAG facilitator, Lisa Reynolds, or the school’s office. Students will be evaluated during the month of November.
Spirit Gear
The spirit gear site is back open through next Sunday, November 4. Don’t miss out on camo hoodies, socks, beanies, and cool trucker hats! We will not have another store opening until spring, so take this last chance to show the RP love! Please note we have to meet a minimum order. Gear can be found at the following link: https://myshirtbin.com/collections/raleigh-park-elementary
Orders will be delivered to your student on the week of November 18. If the order is to be a gift, please indicate delivery instructions at time of order. Please use the size chart, and always order up if between sizes (socks, t-shirts and hooded sweatshirts run small). Make sure you scroll through on each item, as there is more than one color available.
**All sales are final and no returns**
Questions? Contact:
- Lisa Colasurdo @ lisacolasurdo@gmail.com or
- Leslee Schader @ lesleeo78@hotmail.com
LOST & FOUND
As we start to dress and bundle for the impending dark, wet and cold of winter, please remember to label all coats, hats, gloves and scarves with your child’s name. Because of the variety of clothing items, you might imagine autumn is a time of proliferation in our Lost & Found. Jackets, coats and sweatshirts worn during cool mornings are shed during the day on our playground. If you're wondering why some clothing hasn't made it home, our Lost & Found may be a good place to start...
Beaverton School District Inclement Weather Information
When the weather gets snowy or icy, school schedules may be affected. The District generally posts the announcement of delayed school opening or school closure by 5:15 a.m. All Portland Metro area media outlets announce the information on TV newscasts and online.
The District makes decisions based on the ability to operate school buses safely; the ability for students and parents to get to school safely, and the ability for employees to get to work safely and on time. The decision that is made will be for the entire District. As always, parents may choose to make different decisions based on their particular location.
The District will notify parents and staff via SchoolMessenger with a Non-School Hours Emergency message. Please manage your communication preferences in SchoolMessenger InfoCenter.
For the latest inclement weather information:
Log on to the District website and a page pop will be posted in the middle of the main page with the status of District operations.
Opt-in for SMS Alerts from SchoolMessenger
Subscribe to Flash Alert for email or text message updates
Like the Beaverton School District on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
The Beaverton School District Inclement Weather Policy and transportation snow routes can be found on the Public Safety webpage.
Unscheduled Early Dismissal - What’s your plan?
During an unscheduled early dismissal, schools will use the emergency closure plan you indicated for your student in enrollment and enrollment verification. During the online process, you were asked to indicate what the student should do in case of emergency or early school closure. You were only allowed to choose one option. The three options were:
Pick up by Parent/Emergency Contact/Daycare
School Bus to Home/Neighbor/Daycare
Walk/Ride Bike/Drive to Home/Neighbor/Daycare
If you don’t remember what you selected, you can check by logging into ParentVUE and clicking on “Student Info” in the left hand navigation. Your selection will be displayed at the bottom of the page under “Other Data.”
If you wish to change this plan, contact Raleigh Park, or reference the Back to School Verification.
*Please note, if you choose to update your information online, the information is not updated in the student information system until the school has accepted your verification. This process may take up to two weeks to be completed. The fastest way to update your information is to call the school. Please make a note of the option you selected and keep the information somewhere handy, in the event of a future early school closure.
REMINDERS
If you have a change in plans at the end of the day that necessitate a change from the routine, we respectfully ask you communicate these changes before 12:00p whenever possible. While we know unexpected issues can/do come up, advanced warning is always appreciated; running notes to teachers the last 15-30 minutes of the school day creates an additional burden on top of an already busy time in the office.
Lice, Lice, Baby...
What do we know about head lice?
- Head lice are tiny insects about the size of a sesame seed. Lice do not jump or fly; they do not have wings. They live close to the human scalp. The eggs, also called nits, are tiny, teardrop shaped eggs are attached to the hair shaft. Nits often appear like dandruff but cannot be removed easily or brushed off. An itchy head is a common symptom of lice. Although lice can be annoying and icky, lice are not dangerous and are not known to spread disease.
Who is affected by head lice?
- Head lice are not related to cleanliness or hygiene. Head lice are mostly spread by direct head-to-head contact—for example, during play at home or school, slumber parties, sports activities or camp. Less often, lice are spread via objects that have been in recent contact with a person with head lice, such as hats, scarves, hair ribbons, combs, brushes, stuffed animals or bedding.
What to do if you suspect your child has head lice?
- If you think your child has head lice, it’s important to talk to a healthcare provider or pharmacist to discuss the best treatment approach for your family. Please contact your child’s school, as they have information regarding treatment and prevention of head lice.
As a parent, I know any reported case of lice within the school presents some feelings of uncertainty and helplessness with regards to their child's exposure. Even the most vigilant and cautious families can find themselves confronted face to face with the issue. Our goal as a greater community, and in partnership with each other, is to destigmatize the occurrences of head lice and ensure it is reported.
As noted last year, the District's practice has changed in response to recommendations from Oregon Department of Education, the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon School Boards Association. Specifically, if a student is found to have lice, they may stay at school. While lice may be irritating and a nuisance, it is not considered a reportable, medical condition or a reason to exclude a student from school.
If a case of lice is found at school, our practice is to counsel the student on avoiding head to head contact and not sharing personal items before going back to class. We subsequently make a phone call home and educate our families on the issue, inclusive of available resources to treat lice.
In the mean time, we look for opportunities in and out of the classroom to educate and remind students, specifically how we manage and minimize co-mingling and/or sharing of personal items (coats, backpacks, etc.).
What we don't/can't do:
- Mandate the "Mr. Curl Haircut" (although I'm happy to do so for free)
- Send "lice letters" home
- Classroom and/or school-wide lice screening, as they have not demonstrated a significant effect on the incidents at school
- Apply insecticides to classrooms or other school-related areas where students congregate
- Quarantine a student and/or their possessions
- Medicate or otherwise treat students at school
- Otherwise violate confidentiality of affected students and families
Some important things to remember about lice:
- Counter to popular opinion, school is not a common place for the transmission of lice. It is much more common for lice to be "shared" via head to head contact, among family members, overnight guests, playmates who spend a large amount of time together, daycare facilities, and common use of personal items, blankets, pillows, etc.
- If/when spread at school, head-to-head contact typically comes in the form of hugs.
- Hygiene and personal cleanliness has no bearing as to whether someone gets lice
- Lice can only crawl; they can neither jump or fly from person to person
- Lice can only live 1-2 days off the head; it is highly unlikely students would come to a classroom after a weekend in which lice are living and breeding
- If you treat lice with over the counter solutions, it does not mean the treatment is over; continued vigilance is important until every nit (egg) is gone
What to do if you suspect your child has head lice?
- PLEASE CONTACT RALEIGH PARK. Not only do we need to be aware for the greater good, but we have information regarding treatment and prevention
- Talk to a healthcare provider or pharmacist to discuss the best treatment approach for your family
School Report Card
El reporte de desempeño de las escuelas y del distrito del año escolar 2017-18 están disponibles en: THIS LINK (En el menú de opciones de la selección del Distrito, escoja Beaverton). Me complace el tener la oportunidad de compartir esta información con usted sobre el progreso que estamos logrando para mejorar el aprovechamiento académico de cada estudiante en el Distrito. Nosotros estamos progresando.
El reporte de desempeño de las escuelas y distritos escolares de todo el estado empezaron hace quince años cuando la legislatura de Oregon en 1999 aprobó una ley que requiere que todas las escuelas públicas y del distrito reciban un reporte del Departamento de Educación de Oregon acerca de cómo les va en general. La Ley Cada Estudiante Triunfa (ESSA por sus siglas en inglés) y otorga a los estados mayor flexibilidad. ESSA anima a las escuelas y educadores a innovar y crear sistemas que atiendan a las necesidades locales. Como parte de este trabajo, el Departamento de Educación de Oregón rediseñó las boletas de calificaciones de la escuela y el distrito para involucrar e informar a las familias sobre el enfoque de la escuela al aprendizaje, las ofertas académicas y extracurriculares, y el desempeño de los estudiantes. Las boletas de calificaciones también sirven como una herramienta importante para la planificación de mejoras continuas por parte de los políticos locales y estatales, en conjunto con las comunidades a las que sirven.
TODOS NOSOTROS en Raleigh Park nos comprometemos a usar esta información para acoplarnos a los planes de mejoramiento y a los programas académicos de la escuela para satisfacer, de esta manera, las necesidades de cada estudiante. Si usted tiene alguna pregunta acerca de nuestro reporte de desempeño, por favor póngase en contacto conmigo. ¡Muchas Gracias!
###
In 1999, the Oregon Legislature enacted ORS 329.105 requiring that the Oregon Department of Education produce and issue annual report cards for all schools and districts. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) encourages schools and educators to innovate and create systems that address local needs. As a part of this work, the Oregon Department of Education redesigned the School and District report cards to engage and inform families about their school’s approach to learning, academic and extracurricular offerings, and student performance.
The redesigned School At-A-Glance Reports: The school and district report cards have been redesigned to reflect changes to Oregon's educational system so that parents and community members are provided with the most current, relevant, and important information about their school and districts. The new report cards allow schools and districts to better tell their unique stories in a more visual and user-friendly way, and to engage and inform families about their school’s approach to learning, academic and extracurricular offerings, and student performance. Reports cards also serve as an important tool for continuous improvement planning by local and state policymakers, in conjunction with the communities they serve.
School and District report cards for the 2017-18 school year are available using THIS LINK (select Raleigh Park and/or Beaverton in the school or district search bar). We welcome the opportunity to share this information with you on the progress we are making to improve academic achievement for each student.
So...what does the report card tell us? Last school year, Raleigh Park was:
- 25% English Language Learners (17 home languages spoken)
- 18% Students with disabilities
- 44% Free/reduced price lunch (a measure of poverty)
- 57% White
- 28% Hispanic/Latino
- 7% Multiracial
- 3% Black/African American
- 3% Asian
- 2% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
- <1% American Indian/Alaska Native
- 88% Regular attenders (students who attended +90% of school days, down 4% from previous year)
Typically, student ACHIEVEMENT and student GROWTH/PROGRESS (from one year to the next) on the statewide assessment are primary data-points used by the state to measure school effectiveness. Overall, Raleigh Park students collectively achieved at a level above their peers in schools throughout the state in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math.
Specific to ELA ACHIEVEMENT:
- Raleigh Park students met/exceeded in ELA: 66% (+15% of Oregon average)
- All students are roughly +1.5% from 1 year ago
- Economically disadvantaged students are -1% from 1 year ago
- English Language Learners are +4% from 1 year ago
- Hispanic/Latino students are +3% from 1 year ago
- Students with disabilities are -6% from 1 year ago
Specific to MATH ACHIEVEMENT:
- Raleigh Park students met/exceeded in MATH: 57% (+14% of Oregon average)
- All students are -1% from 1 year ago
- Economically disadvantaged students are equal to performance from 1 year ago
- English Language Learners are -6% from 1 year ago
- Hispanic/Latino students are +7% from 1 year ago
- Students with disabilities are +5% from 3 years ago
Specific to ELA GROWTH/PROGRESS (based on a median growth percentile within a student group):
- All students are +11% from 1 year ago (+18 from 2 years ago)
- Economically disadvantaged students are +12% from 1 year ago
- English Language Learners are +22% from 1 year ago
- Hispanic/Latino students are +14% from 1 year ago
- Students with disabilities are +6% from 1 year ago (+34 from 2 years ago)
Specific to MATH GROWTH/PROGRESS (based on a median growth percentile within a student group):
- All students are from -1% from 1 year ago
- Economically disadvantaged students are -12% from 1 year ago
- English Language Learners are -13% from 1 year ago
- Hispanic/Latino students are -8% from 1 year ago
- Students with disabilities are +24% from 3 years ago
Understanding GROWTH/PROGRESS:
- As calculated by the state, the ELA and MATH growth of each student is compared statewide to other students within each grade level and subgroup to which they belong. Each student is then given a normative (comparison) growth percentile based on their score from the previous year. In turn, this growth percentile is lined up with all other students at Raleigh Park (lowest to highest) and a median (half of students above, half below) growth percentile is chosen to represent the growth of the entire school. Finally, the school percentile is judged according to cut scores (levels 1-5) established by the state.
Some reflections:
- One of the most effective gateways to student success, now and in the future, is ensuring students are at school, on time and ready to learn. We are taking a closer look at student attendance and will engage our families directly with communication/reminders about days missed.
- Over the last 3 years, we have remained relatively consistent with our achievement for all students in ELA, while MATH continues to be an area of needed focus, at Raleigh Park and throughout the state.
- We have work to do with our disaggregated subgroups to eliminate the predictability of academic achievement with one's background, primarily those who are economically disadvantaged, learning English as a second language (ELL) and are Hispanic/Latino.
- Without minimizing the importance of achievement, I am more focused on student growth/progress across the board. Of specific note, we are making some outstanding growth across our subgroups in ELA. I believe this to be reflective of our targeted and strategic changes in practice. Conversely, our growth metrics in MATH are of concern. The consistent implementation of the new math adoption in all classrooms continues to be a school-wide focus that is time-intensive, but an endeavor I have faith will show increased growth in the coming years.
- A series of standardized tests currently serve as the primary measurement of school effectiveness on the state report card; this is one data point. While the data point should not be ignored, it does prove to be a limited and incomplete gauge of what students know/can do. It is also no coincidence that school-wide success on standardized tests is often correlated to the school boundaries in which students reside.
- This is humbling work that entails its share of humbling metrics of success. The perfectionist in me is never satisfied and always motivated to ensure we keep the well-being and success of our students at the forefront of all we do. Successes and challenges aside, Raleigh Park is a special place with many gifts that one can feel when walking in the door and into our classrooms.
If you have questions about our report card, please contact me. Thank you!
JAT PYP LEARNER PROFILE AWARD WINNERS
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
 |  |
DATES TO REMEMBER...
OCTOBER
- 30 - Passport Club, 7:30a
NOVEMBER
- 1 - NO SCHOOL - Grading Day
- 5 - PTO Meeting, 7:00 -8:00p
- 6 - Parent/Teacher Conferences, 4:00 - 8:00p
- 7 - NO SCHOOL - Parent/Teacher Conferences, 8:00a - 8:00p
- 8 - NO SCHOOL - School closed
- 11 - NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day Holiday
- 13 - Community Gathering Assembly, 8:10a
- 14 - 2nd Grade Family Movement Night, 6:30p
- 15 - Picture Re-take Day
- 20 - Passport Club, 7:30a
- 21 - 3rd Grade Music Program, 6:30p
- 22 - RPTV
- 27 - 29 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break
DECEMBER
- 2 - NO SCHOOL - Staff Development Day
- 11 - Community Gathering Assembly, 8:10a
- 12 - Holiday Day Choir "Festival of Lights", 6:30 - 7:15p
- 17 - Hearing Screening, 8:15a
- 18 - Passport Club, 7:30a
- 20 - RPTV
- 23 - Jan. 3rd - NO SCHOOL, Winter Break
JANUARY
- 6 - Welcome Back
- 14 - PTO Meeting, 7:00p
- 15 - Community Gathering Assembly, 8:10a
- 20 - NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- 27 - NO SCHOOL - Grading Day
- 29 - Passport Club, 7:30a
- 31 - RPTV
- 31 - Sock Hop, 6:30p
