CHS Family Update
4/20/20
In The Know
Grad Requirements for 9th -11th graders - The news came as expected. We are not reducing credits for any grade level other than seniors. All students have had personalized learning and essential skills requirements waived. All grades are to be posted as Pass (P) or Incomplete (INC). No one is to use No Pass (NP), it just isn't available for third trimester.
Churchill Class of 2020 and Families - We know you have lots of questions related to graduation. Be assured that we are working to answer those questions. We hope that this announcement will answer some of them.
First, Miners Graduate Services is continuing to distribute the graduation announcements and other items that you have ordered. You can pick up your order this Friday and Saturday, April 17 and 18, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at their offices at 1885 River Rd. Caps and gowns are not here, yet. We will let you know when they arrive.
Next, seniors will receive letters in the mail over the next week with information about their graduation progress. Counselors will continue to reach out to seniors who still have some work to do to finish up.
Then, diplomas will be printed after the school year is complete and final grades have been submitted for all students. We expect they will be ready for you to pick up in late June. Please continue to submit your transcript requests through Naviance. For help with Naviance, please email Sheree at houck_s@4j.lane.edu.
Finally, remember that when you graduate, you are removed from our information system and will no longer have access to 4J email, Google Services, or other 4J technology resources. Visit chs.4j.lane.edu/graduation for information on transferring and saving your files. If you are graduating early and would like to continue to receive updates from Churchill related to graduation and virtual senior activities, please reply to this email and let us know your preferred personal email and phone number for text messages.
Wrap Around Services - A reminder to reference this link of Wraparound Resources if you or someone you know could benefit from some extra support. The information in the link is being updated regularly. Another helpful link is this Food Pantry Map Just type in the persons address for a list of nearby food pantries. This Saturday, Casa de Luz will distribute some Latino cultural foods at Open Bible Fellowship (on the third Saturday of the month)
1295 Taney St. Eugene
10 am to 11:30 am
(541) 521-7437
If a family is unable to pick up a food box, let us know and we will ensure that one is delivered to them. Coming soon there will be a site for families to pick up necessities such as soaps, shampoos, feminine hygiene, cleaning supplies, etc.. Let us know if you come across a family who could use any of these products and we will follow through.
LTD - LTD is requiring that passengers wear face masks. Please take note of this detail as it could hamper your plans if you plan to use LTD.
Can I Collect My Things From My Locker? - Excellent question. We are addressing a list of priority needs. Right now we are starting to turn our attention from getting distance learning off the ground and starting to focus on other priorities. Clearing out lockers is right around the corner. We will be developing a plan for students/families to come retrieve student belongings. I think this will take another week or two, but is being discussed and formalized across schools from the district level. More to follow soon.
Advisory for Seniors - This Google Class has been created to take the place of “advisory” that we would normally have once or twice a month. This class will have a weekly lesson (there are three this week) for students. These advisory lessons are to provide students with the opportunity to become familiar with and recognize the strengths they have during these difficult times. These lessons were created by Daniel Gallo, 4J Health TOSA, and are supplemented with CharacterStrong materials. During this time of fear, chaos, and uncertainty it is crucial that we help guide our students towards the path of hope, help, and strength, while also helping to strengthen and reinforce individual student resiliency.
This class is also where students will receive school-wide and grade level information. We will post school announcements and other activities, like this week’s virtual spirit week, to this classroom. We are also exploring the option of this class being a P/NP class that offers .25 credit for all the previous advisory work students have done plus completing the assignments for the rest of the year. This additional credit is one option we are exploring to help keep students on track towards graduation.
If you, the student, have not yet joined your advisory class please use the appropriate join code:
12th Grade Advisory: mzx5ivm
FAQ's From Families
Q: I am trying to register for an LCC College Now course and the system won't allow it, who do I contact? Contact Mary Beth Hepp-Elam elam_m@4j.lane.edu and she will help you troubleshoot the problem.
Q: I'm going to LCC this fall and need to take placement testing, who do I contact? Contact Mary Beth Hepp-Elam elam_m@4j.lane.edu and she will help you determine if you need a placement test.
Q: I'm going to LCC this fall and need to apply, how do I do that? Go to www.lanecc.edu and apply as a first time in college student (even if you have College Now credits) then attend the LCC Presentation on Zoom on May 5. Email Mary Beth Hepp-Elam elam_m@4j.lane.edu to be put on the invite list.
Q: I lost my job due to COVID-19 and need another, where do I go? Go to Job Opportunities on the School-to-Career blog: blogs.4j.lane.edu/elam_m
It's updated several times a week.
Resources to Support Distance Learning
As Oregon moves into “Distance Learning for All” this week, students, families and educators are going through a significant transition. We encourage you to be patient with yourself and your family as you try to adjust to this new situation. The Oregon Department of Education has created a guide for online learning. It includes recommendations for incorporating learning into your new daily life.
One tip is to spark simple conversation: Support your child’s thinking with questions. Open-ended questions will stimulate more conversation than questions that can be answered with a yes or no. Whenever possible, refrain from judging your child’s thinking by asking them to clarify or justify. And remember, even boredom has value — it can spark creativity and problem-solving.
- Read an article or view a documentary together and ask questions like “What do you notice?” or “What do you wonder?”
- Use books, images or online resources to spark deeper conversations.
- Ask about and share feelings with family members about recent changes in routine.
Find more suggestions on maintaining routines, learning in everyday life and more in the a guide for online learning and on ODE’s Distance Learning for All website.
SPICE is here for your science education needs!
SPICE is here for your science education needs! - For the next 10 weeks UO we will be providing resources for kids, parents, teachers, and science enthusiasts to keep engaging with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) during social distancing. Each week will have a theme with links to existing resources and new content organized by age group.
Week one kids off with a timely topic: Fun with Germs!
Scroll down to see what's growing!
SPICE Camp 2020 Applications are open! - SPICE Camp 2020 is still planned for July 6-17th & August 3-14. Applications are currently being accepted. We will update if there are any changes. If the school year extends into summer, we will do our best to shift the camp dates to retain both sessions.
If you are a returning camper do not forget to reserve your spot for 2020. The deadline for returning campers to sign up is May 1, 2020. New campers will be admitted to Discovery camp on a first-come-first-served basis. Applicants to the Forensics and Maker camps will be admitted on a rolling basis as spots become available. Sign Up for SPICE Camp!
In this issue
- SPICE Junior Minion Update
- Robo Rat Rally Gala
- Week 1 Curriculum - Fun with Germs!
- YouTube Channels
- Resources for learning science
Calling all Junior Minions! - Are you a SPICE graduate looking for a way to keep doing science with us? Sign up to be a Junior Minion at SPICE camp 2020. The SPICE Minion Leadership Institute is ramping up and we need your feedback. Let us know what opportunities you are interested during the school closure and summer. We are planning a series of Zoom meetings to set the program agenda items and connect our alumnae with ongoing science education and engagement. Please fill out the survey to sign up and give us your feedback.SPICE Minion Survey
SPICE Robo Rat Rally Gala Moved to October 17th - Bad germs can't keep good science down! SPICE will be moving forward with our Robo Rat Rally Gala Exposition and Fundraiser in Fall of 2020. The racers are still in training and plan to give a great show . . . as soon as they can be extracted from stashing cheerios in the coaches sock drawer. Check Out the Robo Rat Rally
Week 1 - Fun with Germs!
STEM Activities - SPICE has been scouring our archives for timely and helpful activities you can do with your kids during the Stay-At-Home order. These activities have been sorted by age group and include suggestions for extending the lessons with further inquiry. Below is a sample of the lessons on offer this week. Check out our Newsletter Blog for the full details.
Visit the STEM Activities Blog
Pre/K
How germs spread - a (literal) hands on demonstration of how germs are transmitted.
Washing away germs - demonstrate proper hand washing through trial and error.
Macro Microbes - Make your own decorative microbes
Elementary
Bread Germ Factory - Test how dirty objects around your house are using leftover bread
Stuffed Animal Surgery - Way better than the old "Operation" game
Your Microbiome - Not all germs are bad. Many help us stay healthy!
Middle
Bacteria Sun Catchers
Bacteria vs Virus
Craft your own Coronavirus
High School
Grow your own microbes - how to make your own petri dishes at home
Build a bacterial phage
Virology online
Also, check out of general tips for doing science at home! Want your own stuffed microbes? Check out Giant Microbes. You can even get your own plush Coronavirus. SPICE is not receiving anything for promoting these adorable parasites. We just think they are really cool.
Resources for STEM Learning at home
Here are a few places you can continue learning from home.
Khan Academy
This online portal house thousands of bite sized lessons for all ages from Arithmetic to Zoology - completely free.
Code.org
Don't be intimidated by coding any more! Code.org has lessons for complete beginners through advanced coders in grades k-12.
codeacademy
Tarketed toward altus learners this site as a his of free and low-cost lessons in coding, data science, and computer science.
National Science Foundation Classroom Resources
A compilation of lessons and web resources arranged by subject area.
National Science Teachers Association
500+ lessons and games dating back to 2006.
Science News and Science News for Students
The Society for Science and the Public has opened their repository of high quality science news stories and associated curriculum up to everyone for free.
Science Video Channels on YouTube
Here is a list of some of our favorite YouTube Channels featuring STEM content.
The SciShows
This family of shows spawned from the mind of Hank Green features a wide variety of interesting science topics and news items.
SciShow Kids
SciShowSpace
SciShow
Veritasium
Derek Muller puts his PhD in Physics Education to good use sharing interesting and complex science in easily accessible short (and long) videos. His cheeky video on Climate Change is a classic.
Physics Girl
Diana Cowern's adventures with physical science, new discoveries, and fun experiments.
Minute Physics
Tiny doses of physics explained in a clear and easy to understand format.
Periodic Table of Videos
These old-school chemists out of the University of Nottingham REALLY love chemistry. Featuring the most adorable science FHOD* we've ever seen.
SPICE Lexicon:
FHOD - Fuzzy Haired Old Dude
Check out Radiolab from WNYC for though provoking journalism on science and much, MUCH more!
Radiolab for Kids
Questions? Suggestions?
Let us know what you think! spicescience@uoregon.edu
Kudos
I want to give two kudos this week. I would like to step out and thank two distinct groups that work together constantly in the pursuit of greater futures for our kids, parents and staff.
Parents - I want to thank you for your patience and focus during this quarantine time. Raising kids is not easy, its a full time job. I know. In the face of being quarantined, home schooling, working, maybe not working, trying to make ends meet, and keep it all together mentally and emotionally is a big ask. Hang in there. You're doing great and you will continue to do great. Think about it, none of us have ever done this. Its very new and different. Change is not easy and processing this change on top of everything else is daunting on a personal level. Thank you for being patient with teachers and staff as you look for answers to your questions and get your needs met. I am regularly reminded what great families we serve. Your students have shown us so much about who they are and how they have been raised in their daily interactions with us. Thank you for sharing your greatest treasure with us. We miss them dearly.
Staff - I am so enormously grateful for our collective spirit during these stressful times. Having to make monumental shifts to how we deliver meaningful and relevant content is a huge undertaking. You have rallied, demonstrated poise, professionalism, and grace as we wade through these uncharted waters. Who knew that we would all get a deep look at online learning and new curricular modalities in such an immediate way. You have been collaborative, sharing, and always keeping students best interests in mind. I am so often reminded of how strong our culture at Churchill is, and how student focused it is. Your collective efficacy is what makes the difference for students. These next few weeks will test us in our ability to teach, but most importantly in how we maintain our positive focus and resiliency as role models for students.
Thank you Team Churchill!
Churchill High School
Website: https://chs.4j.lane.edu/
Location: 1850 Bailey Hill Road, Eugene, OR, USA
Phone: 541-790-5100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChurchillHighSchool
Twitter: @CHSLancers