Staff Kudos November 2017
Recognitions & Accomplishments of staff doing great things
Staff Spotlight: Kara Hahn & Dijon
The classroom on the 2nd floor of Aloha-Huber Park K-8 looks like any other kindergarten classroom: a brightly colored rug on the floor, the alphabet posted above the white board and four table groups with tiny chairs. There are a few exceptions. A wire dog crate sits in a corner, a comfy dog bed off to one side and a mustard-colored puppy, aptly named Dijon lounges on the bed, one paw tucked with his chin resting on it.
The students are engrossed in their worksheets, practicing the number three. They barely notice Dijon and that’s the way his handler, Kara Hahn, likes it. “He’s like furniture to them,” she says. Kara is a kindergarten teacher and a volunteer puppy raiser for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Dijon is a puppy in training.
“I tell the children that he has an important job to do, and that the principal and I chose them because we knew that they could help him get ready for doggy college,” says Kara. This is her 6th year teaching kindergarten, and Dijon is the 6th puppy she has raised for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Dijon has been with Kara since the start of the school year. Her last dog, Varsity, has moved on to “doggy college” in Boring, Oregon. The training facility provides more formal training for the guide dogs.
There are obvious parallels in being a puppy raiser and a kindergarten teacher. Says Kara, “It’s very interesting. There are similarities in terms of shaping behavior via positive reinforcement.”
Kara is thankful that the school, staff and the District have been so supportive of her passion for raising guide dog puppies. “It’s something you want to do over and over again. When you can give someone that gift, it’s an amazing experience.”
Says Principal Scott Drue,”The Guide Dogs for the Blind Program is a win-win experience for both sides. The pups-in-training are raised and socialized in a public setting, and our students see the real-life impact of what these amazing animals do for the visually impaired."
AHS Automotive Technology Program certified by National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation
The Aloha High School Automotive Technology Program recently completed the NATEF (National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation certification site audit. The evaluation committee will be recommending certification of the program.
After a training program sends its self-evaluation materials to NATEF, the materials are reviewed to determine if the program qualifies for an onsite evaluation. If the program qualifies, the assessment is conducted by an Evaluation Team Leader (ETL), an educator certified by ASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence) and trained by NATEF. If the ETL recommends that the program be certified, and if all industry requirements are met, the program will become certified for a period of five years.
Once the official recommendation is delivered, the Aloha High School Automotive Program will be the only high school program in Oregon with the certification.
Congratulations, Aloha High School!
Merlo HS Custodian nails Citizenship Exam
Students and staff surprised Edison with a graduation walk through the halls of the school, cheering him on and giving him high-fives to celebrate his accomplishment. Edison has been the night custodian at Merlo Station High School for five years. He moved to the United States from Venezuela 16 years ago.
Edison's story was featured on KGW News, click the video below to watch!
Congratulations, Edison!
Career Week at Mountainside High School
The Career Fair was designed to provide students the opportunity to meet and talk with more than 15 different career professionals in a fair/booth-style event. The presenters represented a wide range of professions from trades to attorneys, computer science to law enforcement.
"We were honored to have Portland Community College (PCC) faculty and staff along with local community members and business professionals dedicating time to our students in this way," says Emily O'Quinn College & Career Readiness Counselor. "As a school this is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with our community partners; for the students it is a fantastic way to explore career opportunities and pursue setting goals for their future."
Sunset and Westview students present at Aquaponics Association Meeting
Their presentation was the culmination of a research project that started in Anne McHugh's Meadow Park Middle School classroom with 56 Summa science students and scientists at NASA Ames during the 2016-17 school year. The students gave a 30 minute presentation at an education session at the conference and their talk was so well received that they were asked to present a second time that day as an impromptu keynote, in front of the entire conference.
They received a standing ovation at the end of the talk. These students are continuing to collaborate with Ms. McHugh, pioneering cutting edge genomics research that will be integral to understanding the microbial ecology of food systems supporting long distance human space travel.
Anne now teaches Biology at the School of Science and Technology (SST). Says her colleague, Erika Backs, AP Language Arts teacher at SST, "Anne is the educator that has tangible enthusiasm, demonstrates a strong grasp on her content, and her passion for her kids' growth is abundantly apparent. She provides unusual opportunities for discovery and expands the students' perceptions of what science can be in school and in the world around them. To see the eagerness of our students here at SST since she has joined the staff is truly exciting!"
BSD Future Ready Team to present at National Title I Conference
Their presentation: Redefining Professional Learning Through Early Release and Digital Infrastructure will share the iteration and development of an innovative, systematic, and collaborative approach to reimagine PD. Participants will hear how a large suburban school district utilizes an early release schedule and digital infrastructure to provide all staff access to new models of collaboration and sustained professional learning. The presentation will consist of a slideshow, video clips, data analysis, audience participation/development, and Q&A.
Congratulations, Nichole, Todd, Steve, and Matt!
CTP Coffee Cart at BSD Administration Office
The CTP coffee cart, Espresso Express, employs four-five students per day, four days per week. Approximately 16-20 students per week rotate through jobs ranging from taking orders, to cashiering, cup prepping, barista, coffee delivery and cleaning.
Espresso Express is open Monday - Thursday from 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. All of the proceeds from sales go directly to the Community Transition Program to support their work.
Future Day at Beaverton High School
At the start of the day, students heard a keynote address by Amber Case, who studies the interaction between humans and computers and how our relationship with information is changing the way cultures think, act, and understand their worlds.
Following the keynote, students ventured out on their field trips. Sophomores visited local businesses including Accenture, Adelsheim Winery, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVF&R), Daimler, Hoffman Construction, and Resers Fine Foods, and the Oregon Crime Lab. Freshmen visited Lewis & Clark College, Linfield College, Portland State University, Pacific University, Reed College, George Fox University, Western Oregon University, and Concordia College.
Following their field trips, students participated in classroom activities and discussions to reflect on their day.
BSD's Colette Cassinelli presents MakerSpace Playground at OASL Conference
The OASL hosts a yearly conference for certified school librarians, library assistants, technology educators, classroom teachers, and public librarians. This year the theme was: Future Ready. Set. Launch! Nearly 200 people attended the conference.
At the conference, Beaverton School District Innovation Strategists and Library and Instructional Technology Teachers (LITTs) led exhibits of the MakerSpace Playground. Attendees wandered from exhibit to exhibit learning about sketchnoting, making book trailers using a green screen, programming with tools like Sphero, Raspberry Pi, Bloxel, Makey Makey, and Ozobots. BSD members also led workshops on paper circuits, book escape room puzzles, and augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) activities
Colette presented on zine and book making and the Apollo Press Student Publishing Center at Sunset High School. Conference attendees also had the opportunity to tour the Future Bus and learn how the Beaverton School District brings technology to its schools.
"The MakerSpace Playground was a huge success and gave Beaverton the opportunity to share with schools from all over the state of Oregon how we are impacting the students in the District," says Colette.
Congratulations, Colette!
McKay ES cafeteria "Truly a Work of Art"
McKay Elementary School used a grant via the Oregon Dairy Council to send an important message (in connection with the school nutrition program). Their decor encourages students to follow the golden rule of nutrition and eat a variety of brightly colored fruits and vegetables—that is, a Rainbow.
Read the 13 School Cafeterias that are True Works of Art article.
HS2 students present at Project Lead the Way Summit
Out of more than 12,500 PLTW programs nationwide, the HS2 Biomedical Studies program was one of four chosen to present at the general session in front of approximately 2,000 education professionals and university affiliates. In addition, students helped present at several general sessions, which included topics such as embedding ELL structured instruction techniques into the CTE classroom, advocating local legislators for stronger CTE programs, and creating student leadership opportunities in the PLTW Biomedical Classroom.
"Last month, the Project Lead The Way Biomedical Studies Program at Health & Science High School was recognized as one of the best programs in the country. I was extremely proud of our Biomedical Studies students. Not only did they do an excellent presentation demonstrating the use of our motion capture system and share the importance of project-based learning on the main stage, but they were extremely articulate and informative during their workshop sessions as well," says Jeff Crapper.
The Project Lead the Way Summit brings together students, educators, business leaders, and policymakers from across the country who are passionate about learning, discovery, and innovation.
Successful Implementation of InTouch Online Payment System
The online payment system is designed to streamline and improve the process for receiving funds from parents, students and the community. This system allows everyone at every level to accept payments online.
The team coordinated with school secretaries and bookkeepers to determine their needs and trained them in the use of the new system. The system went live in August of 2017 and during the back-to-school rush, nearly 1/3 of all payments were made using the new online system. "That's more than $500,000 that the secretaries and bookkeepers didn't have to handle, count, make entries for, or deposit," says Jason Guchereau.
The Business Office team did not do it alone. "The support we got from I.T. was amazing, this whole project would not have been possible without their help," says Carol Arakaki.
Aloha HS literary magazine on the shelves of Powell's
The Aeternum was awarded a national recognition of "Superior" by the National Council for Teachers of English last year.
Jody Jones, Language Arts teacher is the advisor of the Aeternum.
Celebrating student achievement at Aloha High School
Superintendent Don Grotting and Deputy Superintendent Steve Phillips visited Aloha High School on Tuesday, November 7 to celebrate strong increases in student achievement.
According to the 2016-2017 Oregon Department of Education State Report Card, Aloha High School has increased the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC) English Language Arts pass rate by more than 20 percentage points over a three-year period and the Math pass rates by 15 percentage points. Aloha’s Mathematics scores are 7.3% above “like-schools” across Oregon.
“The Aloha High School team has done an amazing job of serving our most at-risk students,” says Superintendent Don Grotting. “You all should be very proud of the work you are doing to increase student achievement and success.”
Deputy Superintendent Steve Phillips, who has two students at the school, applauded the great work of the Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs. Aloha High School has a 75% graduation rate, but for students who participated in at least one CTE course, the numbers are much higher at 92%. During the 2016-2017 school year, Aloha High School students earned 2,558 Portland Community College credits through dual credit courses, the highest number in the District.
Greenway Food Pantry supports the community
Food distribution began in October 2015. The Greenway food pantry is a continuous year-long service that distributes food twice a month. The pantry distributes 1,600-1,700 pounds of food (fresh produce, frozen meats, frozen vegetables, dairy, grains, and canned foods) and serves 30-40 families every distribution day.
Sara de la Paz, Pre-K Instructional Assistant at Vose Elementary School and Social Support Liaison at Greenway Elementary School, coordinates the food pantry. "This amazing project would not be possible without the voluntary work of neighbors, parents and our many community partners," says Sara.
Below are some statistics about the Greenway food pantry
Beaverton High School launches a literary magazine
Beaverton High School (BHS) students have launched the DAM Magazine, a literary magazine with the voice and art of BHS students. It started with a group of students and teachers interested in giving students an opportunity to be published.
The magazine contains ALL student work (photography, illustration and written pieces). The last page of the magazine (or back cover) has the mission statement which 15-20 students compiled over the summer.
The DAM's staff advisors are: Katie Beck, Emily Lux, Casi Yost, Kellie Rosenberger, Ben Klash, Luke Rien, Jamila Osman, and Nadia Hasan.
View the DAM today!
BSD Assistive Technology Consultants to present at national conference
In the CIA: Agents of Change session, participants will be informed, equipped and motivated to create their own organizational shift from an expert to capacity-building model of Assistive Technology (AT) service delivery for students with high incidence disabilities. They will discuss how the Beaverton School District AT Cadre, also known as the “CIA” (Customizers, Implementers, Accommodators), came to be.
They will walk participants through the history of their rocky journey, sharing the roadblocks they encountered and strategies to avoid them. They will detail how they created and implemented a 3.5 year Assistive Technology Plan; reviewing each year's successes and challenges and describe the lessons they have learned about training, coaching, and perceived attitudes about Assistive Technology.
Finally, they will share information about how the Beaverton School District has begun the process of differentiating between providing assistive technology and working toward Universal Design.
The ATiA is a premier organization whose mission is to serve the collective voice of the Assistive Technology Industry to help ensure that the best products and services are delivered to persons with disabilities.
The ATiA conference is held yearly in Orlando Florida and draws participants and presenters who together reach more than 1 million people with disabilities.
Congratulations, and good luck Kim and Freda!
Stoller MS MakerSpace open for business
The MakerSpace, located in the library, features a variety of design challenges that will be available to inspire student makers, including Raspberry Pis, 3D printing, origami, duct tape creations, Makey Makey kits, cardboard challenge, vinyl cutter, Silhouette Cameo 3, paper circuitry, stop motion animation with a tabletop green screen (iPads), and podcasting.
The MakerSpace is open for open lab time Thursdays and Fridays from 8:10 - 9:10 a.m. and during student lunches on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Japanese students complete ESL lessons at Beaverton High School
KOMBA High School Students stayed with Beaverton High School students during their time in Oregon.
Scholls Heights ES celebrates "Socktober"
In total, the students collected more than 1,400 pairs of socks! Good job, Scholls Heights.
Invitation to shop at Columbia Employee Store
Below, is the invitation for BSD employees to shop at the Columbia Sportswear Employee Store from November 24 – December 17. Each employee can bring 4 guests with them to shop and they can use the invite multiple times during the date range listed above.
WHAT’S THERE AND WHAT ARE MY SAVINGS?
- The store is at EMPLOYEE pricing. Tags are marked with prices. Discounts can vary.
- Includes all brands in the Columbia Sportswear family of brands: Columbia Sportswear, SOREL, Mountain Hardwear and prAna.
- 50,000 sq. feet of each brand’s newest and most popular styles.
INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
- Bring the invite (below or HERE) with you to the store reception desk. *Or show the invite to the receptionist on your mobile phone.
- Show your work/organization ID (options listed on invite).
- This invite is non-transferable but you can bring your family and friends with you (up to 4 guests per person, per visit).
- Online access is NOT available, but you are welcome to visit us MULTIPLE TIMES during your invite period (with your invite)!
LOCATION, PHONE & HOURS:
- Columbia Sportswear Employee Store, 14100 NW Science Park Drive, Portland OR 97229
- Store phone: 503.985.4125
- Store hours: *See invite for holiday hours.
To save the invitation, right click on the image and "Save As" There is also a link above to the Invitation.
Communications & Community Involvement Department
Email: melissa_larson@beaverton.k12.or.us
Website: www.beaverton.k12.or.us
Location: 16550 SW Merlo Rd., Beaverton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeavertonSchoolDistrict
Twitter: @beavertonSD