WLWV Staff and Student Shout Outs
Third Quarter Happenings Across WLWV Schools
Have a story you want to share with West Linn-Wilsonville staff, or the WLWV community? Andrew Kilstrom at kilstroa@wlwv.k12.or.us
Wood Hosts District's Second Annual District-Wide Unified Basketball Jamboree
Error Code Xero Takes First, 2B Determined Earns Highest Rookie Seed in Robotics Competition
In dominating fashion, Wilsonville Robotics Team Error Code Xero took home first place at their Pacific Northwest District competition over the weekend, getting them one step closer to Worlds. The team of Wilsonville and West Linn High School students picked up where they left off last year, and will next compete in Auburn, Washington for a District competition.
Team Error Code Xero also won the Excellence in Engineering Award in addition to being named District Event Winner (alongside alliance members Team Mean Machine from Camas High School and Scalawags from Lebanon High School).
West Linn High School’s rookie team 2B Determined, competing in their first-ever FIRST Robotics Competition, turned in a great showing of their own, winning the Highest Rookie Seed during the weekend of thrilling competition.
This year’s FIRST Robotics Competition theme is Power Up, which is an homage to classic video games. This year’s game includes two alliances of video game character and their human operators, who are trapped in an arcade game and must work together to defeat the boss and escape. Teams spent the past couple months building intricate robots, which they control during high-paced competitions. Teams earn points in various ways, like placing “power cubes” on plates in the FIRST arena, climbing walls, and using power cubes to balance a giant scale within the playing field. Teams must also work with others, forming alliances during grueling competition.
For more information about FIRST Robotics Competition, go to https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc/game-and-season.
Willamette Feels the Rhythm
Wood's Jordan Scoggins Wins 2017 Wilsonville First Citizen Award
Cedaroak Prepares its Garden for Spring!
Christopher Shotola-Hardt wins NAEA Pacific Region Secondary Art Educator for 2018
The National Art Education Association recently named Wilsonville High School Art Teacher Christopher Shotola-Hardt as the 2018 Pacific Region Secondary Art Educator. This prestigious award, determined through a peer review of nominations, recognizes the exemplary contributions, service, and achievements of an outstanding NAEA member annually at the Regional level within their division. The award was presented at the NAEA National Convention in Seattle on March 24.
"This award is being given to recognize excellence in professional accomplishment and service by a dedicated art educator. Christopher Shotola-Hardt exemplifies the highly qualified art educators active in education today: leaders, teachers, students, scholars, and advocates who give their best to their students and the profession," said NAEA President Kim Huyler Defibaugh.
NAEA is the professional association for art educators. Members include elementary, secondary, middle level and high school art teachers; university and college professors; education directors who oversee education in our nation’s fine art museums, administrators and supervisors who oversee art education in school districts, state departments of education, arts councils; and teaching artists throughout the United States and many foreign countries.
Stafford Primary Students Receive Award for Raising Most Money for Special Olympics Portland Plunge
Dual Language Family Night Lights Up Lowrie
Sunset Celebrates Random Acts of Kindness Week
Rosemont Ridge Middle School Hosts Inspiration-Filled Career Day
Athey Creek's G.E.A.R.S. Robotics Team Earns Display at OMSI
CREST Hosts Learning on the Go Field Trips Ahead of Spring Break
While primary schools had Thursday and Friday off for conferences, some students wanted even more learning before the week of Spring Break. CREST (Center for Research in Environmental Sciences and Technologies) hosted a variety of Learning on the Go Field Trips Thursday and Friday, providing opportunities for primary students across the West Linn-Wilsonville School District.
Thursday was a particularly fun day for primary students, as CREST hosted its Radical Reptiles Camp for first- and second-graders. Students got the chance to meet and learn about a variety of reptiles, including turtles, lizards, and even snakes. Students engaged in a multitude of hands-on activities, kicking off their Spring Break in style.
WLHS Senior Emily Martin Named Oregon High School Journalist of the Year
Between the Green and Gold Yearbook, WLHSNow Live Broadcast team, Amplifier Newspaper, and WLHSNow multimedia website, there’s some tremendous journalism happening within the walls of West Linn High School. That fact was cemented even further when West Linn High School senior Emily Martin was recently named the Oregon High School Journalist of the Year by the Oregon Journalism Education Association.
The honor comes with a college scholarship, which Emily plans to use when she heads to the University of Montana next year to study Communications and Journalism. As the editor-in-chief of the Green and Gold Yearbook, co-editor-and-chief of WLHSNow Live, as well as a contributor across multiple WLHS media platforms, Emily was honored as the Oregon High School Journalist of the Year thanks to her overflowing portfolio with work from the past three years.
“I applied for the scholarship and had to make a portfolio website. It had 11 different areas that they wanted work samples for, so I uploaded all of my work which took a long time to put together. It was a fun process that let me reflect on the stories I’ve told and work I’ve created,” Emily says.
She says her favorite part about the West Linn High School journalism program is that it serves as a creative outlet while providing students with relevant, real-world experience that will benefit them in future careers.
“I like that I have a designated class period throughout the day where I can be creative. I love telling people’s stories, and being able to have some time during the school day to do that,” she says. “One of the most important things I’ve learned is how to work on a deadline. The past three years have been the closest thing that I’ve seen within high school to working in a real job-type position, and I really appreciate that. Being in a developed program that is growing, with growing people within it, gives me a sense of confidence in the abilities that I have, but it also makes me really curious.”
Emily plans to pursue an internship in journalism when she arrives at the University of Montana next year, and hopes to pursue a career in photo journalism someday. It’s a passion she says she’s excited to further explore into the future.
“I’m really into photo-journalism, so I would like to do something with that in the future,” she says. “I found my passion in journalism and I can’t wait to see where it takes me.”
WLWV Students Impress at CREST-Jane Goodall Science Symposium
Wilsonville and West Linn High Schools Both Named Oregon Unified Champion Schools
Monday was a big day for the West Linn-Wilsonville community, as Special Olympics Oregon announced that both Wilsonville and West Linn high schools have been named Oregon Unified Champion Schools. The honor comes after hard work creating inclusive cultures at both schools over the past several years.
To qualify as an Oregon Unified Champion School, high schools must have a Unified Sports or PE program offered at least one season/quarter during the year. Both schools offer Unified soccer and basketball, as well as a Unified Club that meets during the school day. Schools also must provide opportunities for students to develop Inclusive Youth Leadership through advocacy and awareness events, organize at least one awareness or education activity that promotes inclusion and whole school engagement, and attend the annual Special Olympics Oregon Youth Leadership Summit.
Both high schools will receive a banner, either at a school assembly or inclusive activity later in the year, commemorating the exciting achievement. The prestigious honor comes just months after West Linn High School was named a National Unified Champion School back in August.
“Your school community has shown impressive determination and is helping us move towards our collective goal of creating a truly ‘Unified Generation’ of young people who embrace differences and lead social change,” said Alix Wasteney, Special Olympics Oregon Director of School Engagement.
Boones Ferry Primary Enjoys "Start With Hello" Friendship Week
If you walked the hallways of Boones Ferry Primary on Feb. 10, or peaked your head inside of a classroom, you probably noticed many students dressed in pink and red. That’s because Boones Ferry Primary participated in a special school-wide celebration this past week called “Start With Hello” Friendship Week.
Established through the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation, the goal of the weeklong set of activities was to offer opportunity for connection in an attempt to prevent social isolation. “Start With Hello” Friendship Week also helped to bring awareness to social isolation, providing connection supports for students while promoting inclusion for all Boones Ferry students.
Boones Ferry kicked off the week with a morning assembly on Monday, Feb. 5, introducing themes of love and inclusion. Students listened to a presentation by Boones Ferry third-graders before engaging in a “Just Say Hello” activity, building connections with five different classmates who students didn’t already know.
Boones Ferry classrooms also engaged in a number of activities throughout the week. Students read books like “The Invisible Boy” and “Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch.” Students also made an effort to look for people alone on the playground, inviting them to come join in on recess fun and games. Students were encouraged to sit with different classmates during lunch, and many classrooms performed skits about inclusion and building connections with others. Many Boones Ferry classrooms even played Human Bingo, learning about similarities and differences of their peers.
Every Boones Ferry classroom also engaged in a reading activity with Counselor Katie Flaker, who led a classwide reading of Matt de la Pena’s book “Love.” Students explored the good and the bad of everyday life, thinking about the importance of love in the world. Students then participated in reflection activities that differed by grade level. At the first grade level, for example, students formed a circle, taking turns acknowledging an act of love or care in their lives. Students shared stories ranging from lunch prepared by mom, to hugs and kisses from pet dogs and cats.
Boones Ferry Primary closed out the week by wearing pink and red to share their care for one another, telling friends and family throughout the day how much appreciation they have. They closed out their week of friendship with a school-wide picture, with students and staff decked out head-to-toe in red and pink colors.
Wilsonville High School Art Students Combine for More Than 100 Scholastic Art Awards
Wilsonville High School students have put on quite the show in recent weeks. WHS artists and photographers proved that their artwork isn’t just breathtaking, it’s also award-winning, as Wilsonville High students combined for 111 Scholastic Art Awards earlier this month.
Presented to the best and brightest young high school artists, students throughout the high school were awarded for their prowess. Wilsonville High students took home 21 Gold Keys (given to the top 7 percent of entries), 41 Silver Keys (given to the top 10 percent of every category), and 49 honorable mentions (given to the top 10 percent of entries in every category).
The Scholastic Art Awards have been around for 90 years, designed to honor and encourage young writers and artists. Blind adjudication is by category and is conducted regional at first, with Gold Key winners advancing to the national competition. Wilsonville High students competed against 7,700-plus entries in Oregon and more than 240 senior portfolios. Nine different WHS students were also invited to display their work at the Portland Metro Scholastic Art Awards. Those artworks will remain on display through Feb. 23.
Gold Key winners include: Sarah Briggler, Andre Diess, Dydney Leveque, Ciera Ross (X2), Justin Taylor, Kyle Lam, Lauren Dahlberg, Cole Eagles, Sinead Jones, Anja Reeber (X2), Julia Soares, Katie Sundquist, Abi Vanderhoff, Nicole Willcock (2X2), Andrew Oesterreich, Isaac Reeber, Jack Reeber (X2).
Silver Key winners include: Jasleen Bhullar (X2), Sierra Bishop, Mackenzie Bodyfelt, Sarah Briggler, Katie Marelich, Marri McCallum (X2), Edwardo Navarro (X2), Jadyn Sherry, Baker McQueen, Isaac Reeber (X2), Rodayna Abdelhalim, Emily Aube (X2), Jack Burns, Maile Campos (X2), Lorelei Cunningham, Lauren Dahlberg, Amanda Elliott, Ethan Gale, Sinead Jones (X3), Eleanor Karrick, Lexi Lee, Megan Maguire, Max McGuire, Kara ugh, Anja Reeber (X3), Carly Shanklin, Anne Stamnes, Katie Sundquist, Nicole Willcock (X3).
Honorable Mentions include: Jasleen Bhullar, Sierra Bishop, Chloe Clark, Lauren Dahlberg, Coltin Hill, Gracie Killealea, Nicola Krause, Edwardo Navarro, Abi Vanderfhoff (X2), Samantha Wettstein, Brandon Felipe, Colby Guenther, Josh McKenzie, Camden Miller, Andrew Oesterreich, Anja Reeber (X2), Isaac Reeber (X2), Jack Reeber, Same Rose, Amanda Elliott, Vy Frolov, Jonah Gomz, Taylor Marks, Marissa Meyer, Cat Nelson (X2), Wren Perrotte, Kara Pugh, Anja Reeber (X5), Alex Saccente, Summer Stilwell, Madi Tiderman (X2), Nicole Willcock (X2), Portia Woods, Peyton Butler, Ben Chan (X3).
Lowrie Primary Students Win OBOB Regional, Advance to State
Oregon Battle of the Books, or OBOB as it’s often called by avid readers, has become one of the largest statewide competitions in the state in recent years. With the mission of recognizing students who enjoy reading, broadening reading interests, and promoting academic excellence, OBOB is a reading competition which asks content and comprehension questions related to a list of 16 books that participants are required to read.
Teams of 4-5 students compete against one another, answering a series of challening questions related to the 16 books. Teams are rewarded for correct or partially correct answers, with winning teams advancing in what is a March Madness-style reading tournament. Teams of third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders participated in regional tournaments across the state this past weekend, with the top-three finishers from each advancing to the OBOB State Championship on April 7.
That list of competitors included the E.P.I.C. Readers of Lowrie Primary, who won the OBOB Region 4 Southwest on Saturday, March 17. The team included Claire Keith, Isabella Mendenhall, Delaney Collier, Braxton Bies, and Boomer Pippert. Teams from Boeckman Creek, Trillium Creek, and Boones Ferry primaries also competed in the 51-school regional.
Wilsonville City Council Proclaims March 5-11 as "Soul'd Out Week"
While vital to any community, city council meetings aren't always the most raucous of public events. That certainly wasn't the case at the City of Wilsonville's City Council meeting Monday night, however. That's because Wilsonville High School a capella choir Soul'd Out started the night's meeting with a live performance, commemorating their first-place finish at the International Championship of High School A Capella (ICHSA) Northwest Semifinal back in January.
Mayor Tim Knapp then read a proclamation recognizing the choir's longstanding success, congratulating staff and students for their achievements. Even more exciting was the $3,000 grant that Wilsonville City Council unanimously approved to go toward Soul'd Out's fundraising efforts as they look to travel to New York City for the ICHSA Finals at Lincoln Center on April 20.
West Linn High School Celebrates CTE Grant While Looking Toward the Future
Robot design, website coding, broadcast journalism, print storytelling, and graphic design are just a few of the programs and skills West Linn High School students have mastered in recent years. And while students have enjoyed and thrived in those offered courses, there’s a noticeable thirst to do and learn even more in the field of Career and Technical Education (CTE).
That’s why Dec. 4 was such a monumental day for West Linn High School — the day the Oregon Department of Education awarded WLHS with its Career and Technical Education Revitalization Grant, totaling $422,715 to go directly to existing CTE and programs and new CTE pathways for students. West Linn High School celebrated that sizable grant on Tuesday, March 13, inviting students, parents, administrators, and community members to learn about what West Linn High School has planned for the future.
Tuesday night served as a kick-off for the two-year grant, giving teachers and students the chance to share their experiences in CTE and their hopes for future pathways. WLHS Assistant Principal Anya Hershberger and Teacher Librarian Stacy Erickson spearheaded the grant-writing efforts, bringing in the high school’s CTE teachers to formulate a comprehensive plan.
The $422,715 grant will go toward a multimedia production studio, as well as a fully-functional, state of the art engineering lab to be used by West Linn-Wilsonville students. The multimedia production studio will serve CTE journalism, publishing, broadcasting, web design, and digital/multimedia and information resources design programs. A total of $94,500 of grant funds will go towards the recruitment of middle school students who have been historically underserved, providing them with the opportunity to take part in summer CTE and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) camps. Those camps will aim to grow interest and expertise in CTE career areas.
A panel of high school students in varying CTE pathways shared their own experiences in current WLHS CTE courses and pathways, highlighting some of the unique skills they’ve learned and their relevance to their future careers. Skills like communication, collaboration, and problem-solving in a team setting were just a few of the common themes students touched on Tuesday night.
“I’ve been on our Amplifier (newspaper) staff since my freshman year, and I quickly learned that this class is about more than producing a newspaper, or writing, or photography,” said Junior Philip Chan. “It’s also about leadership, and it’s also about working on deadlines, communicating with each other, and we’re building something that you might not build in your regular math or English class. When you turn something into English, you get a grade and it’s done. But in journalism you can publish your work online, you can share it with the community, and you can tell stories to other people.”
“Our generation and age group is one of the first that has been brought up in such an intense informational age, where we have information at our fingertips at all times, and we have this huge array of people sharing their passions online through social media and from YouTube, and all these platforms,” added Senior Nick Olson, who has taken a variety of journalism and web design courses during his high school career. “That’s real to us, that’s our world growing up. I love English, I love physics, I love calculus — I love all these classes. But they’re not what we grew up with, and they don’t feel immediately applicable to what we might do next. But all of these CTE programs are wonderful, and they teach us all these amazing skills, but they also feel very applicable to our next steps.”
West Linn High School CTE teachers shared just some of the great work their students are currently engaged in, providing a snapshot of future coursework and CTE pathways that WLHS students can look forward to starting next year and beyond.
“Our journalism students have received national awards, our Yearbook is amazing and the content that students are producing on our website WLHSNow.com is incredible,” said Journalism Teacher Glenn Krake. “It’s exciting to see the portfolios that these journalism students are developing, and that’s one of the cornerstones of this CTE program, that students are building their own WordPress website where they create a portfolio exhibiting all the skills they’ve learned over the course of the program.”
West Linn High School has made many strides in the CTE realm in recent years, like its robotics program that saw a group of students build and compete in their first-ever FIRST Robotics Competition event last weekend. WLHS’s team 2B Determined, mentored by WLHS Teacher Tim Manes, finished seventh out of 37 teams and earned Highest Rookie Ranking. It’s an example of real-world skills students are learning, while also getting the chance to engage in something completely new to them.
“We’re basically a small business. We build robots, yes, but more importantly we build character and skills that you don’t learn in your everyday classroom, and that’s important,” said Freshman 2B Determined member Amanda Hioe. “The three biggest skills I’ve learned in this past six months as a freshman are communication skills, leadership, and teamwork skills that are really important to the success of our rookie team.”
While Tuesday night was cause for celebration, it was also an acknowledgement that there’s a great deal of work left to come. WLHS staff will work through the spring and summer to reconstruct spaces, purchase new equipment and get curriculum in place for new courses. Hershberger shared with Tuesday’s crowd that this is only the beginning of what will be a fulfilling journey. She’s already looking forward to branching out into the greater community to provide opportunities for students.
WLWV Hosts First Ever Joint Rotary Club Meeting
Meridian Creek Middle School and the West Linn-Wilsonville School District played host to a special occasion on Wednesday. The new middle school hosted the first ever joint Rotary Meeting for West Linn and Wilsonville Rotary Clubs, marking the first of many occasions for the two organizations.
Approximately 25 members from each Rotary came together for lunch, listened to a presentation from WLWV Superintendent Kathy Ludwig, enjoyed a tour of the new school, and took advantage of the opportunity to get to know their nearby community members.
“Rotary Clubs are truly pillars of the community, and it’s your genuine belief in every person in our community that I’m most thankful for," she said. "We know, because our schools are growing, that people are choosing to move to these two cities for the communities and the schools. We’re proud of that fact and excited to work together into the future.”
Rotarians then engaged in discussion about community collaboration, providing potential ways in which schools and the community can spill into one another. Facilitated by district administrators, Rotarians gained insight on the WLWV school system while helping with important feedback of their own. They suggested potential for internships at local businesses, and vocational training conducted in multitudes of venues among other ideas.
The three partners closed out the luncheon with a tour of the new Meridian Creek Middle School. Students showed Rotarians their favorite spots in the building while demonstrating the learning that takes place every day. Rotarians said they left the luncheon feeling impressed with the new school and inspired to further relationships with the school district in the future.
“What an amazing, incredible middle school,” said West Linn Rotary Club President Kristy Nicole Jarrett. “School has certainly changed since I was in school, but it’s great to feel connected to the young people in our community.”
The district plans to make the joint Rotary meeting an annual event, ensuring future collaboration between the two cities.
WLWV Band and Choir Students Impress at OMEA State Conference
Friday, Jan. 12 marks a momentous occasion for Oregon middle school band and choir students. It marks the start of the Oregon Music Education Association Annual Conference, which includes the State competition for Oregon’s best up-and-coming musicians.
The OMEA Conference is one of the biggest events of the year for middle school musicians, making it a lot like the Super Bowl of Oregon State band. That’s what makes Athey Creek Middle School’s band so impressive, as the group of talented students were selected to perform at the annual conference. It’s an honor only bestowed upon the best of the best, following the submission of taped performances by ACMS Music Teacher Laura Arthur.
What’s even better is that Athey Creek Middle School will share the honor of performing with the West Linn High School Symphonic Band, which features alumni from many of West Linn-Wilsonville’s middle schools.
“These students have been working so hard to improve and I could not be more proud of their efforts,” Arthur said of her students.
Additionally, Athey Creek’s Logan Hines, Sarah Talber, and Zach Villagomez were selected as members of the Middle School All-State Band. They will represent the school in the prestigious ensemble, alongside many students from Rosemont Ridge, Inza Wood, and Meridian Creek middle schools as well.
Wood choir and band students selected to the All-State team include Alex Hagler (Fisher), Courtney Lawrence, Dalton Mermis, Lily Saunders, Mallory Twitchell, Henry Deitrick, Alexis Gessler, Evelyne Knight, Isabella Scalise, Elijah Givens, Camryn Lau, and Hunter Hoshaw. Rosemont Ridge also boasts Daniel Page, Spencer Sullivan, Jacob Rice, Alex Campbell, Thomas Pierce, Tony Potekey, Madison Haswell, and Ben Scott.
WLWV students aren’t done, either, as Athey Creek’s Koharu Sakiyama will be honored for her participation in the first Composition Contest for student composers. Koharu will receive an award for her string quartet entitled “Little Bird,” which took first place in the middle school division.
WLHS Students Partner with Community Living Above and Mayor Russ Axelrod
The West Linn High School Teen Advisory Board joined forces with Community Living Above, the West Linn Police Department, and West Linn Mayor Russ Axelrod on Monday, Jan. 22, to endorse National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week.
Mayor Axelrod joined TAB's regular meeting Monday morning to read an official proclamation from the City before helping students hang posters in the school halls with drug and alcohol facts. Facilitated by Community Living Above — a collaborative community nonprofit that aims to engage, educate, and empower individuals and their families in preventing substance use and mental health disorders — students spent their lunch spreading information while shattering stigmas. They were joined by WLWV administration, School Board members Betty Reynolds and Regan Molatore, and other community members during the productive session.
National Drug and Alcohol Fact Week lasts through Friday, Jan. 26. With the help of CLA, West Linn High School students will continue to provide their peers with information throughout the week. The Teen Advisory Board meets regularly throughout the year, providing a safe network of information and resources for local teens.
WLWV Graduation Rates Among the Best in Oregon
The Oregon Department of Education released 2016-17 Graduation Rates for Oregon Schools Thursday morning, which show the West Linn-Wilsonville School District is among the top school districts in the entire state.
The District improved almost across the board at all of its schools, generating an overall graduation rate of 93.04 percent. The Oregonian listed the top schools in the state Thursday morning, showing that West Linn High School ranked No. 1 in Oregon at 97.19 percent, while Wilsonville High School was a close second in Oregon at 96.25 percent, beating out every other high school in the state. Wilsonville saw an increase of nearly 4 percent from the 2015-16 graduation rates, while Arts and Technology High School jumped nearly 7 percent.
“There are a lot of factors that go into graduation rates, but a great deal of the credit goes to our students,” said Superintendent Kathy Ludwig. “We're fortunate to live in a West Linn-Wilsonville community that cares about its schools, providing many resources and opportunities for our students to succeed. And of course we have tremendous teachers and administrators, all who play a pivotal role in the academic successes of our students.”
West Linn-Wilsonville also improved in graduation rate for economically disadvantaged students (83.44 percent) and in students with disabilities (79.17 percent). While among the top school districts in the state in graduation rate, West Linn-Wilsonville continues to strive for improvement.
“Our West Linn-Wilsonville District Goal No. 1 is to grow student achievement, generate equitable outcomes for all students, and eliminate opportunity and achievement gaps,” Superintendent Ludwig said. “In that spirit, it truly is our goal to achieve a graduation rate of 100 percent, and ensure that our students are college and career ready when they leave our buildings.”
The State Average increased 2 percentage points to 77 percent, showing an upward trajectory over the past five years. View the complete list of Oregon High School Graduation Rates.
WLWV Staff Engages in Professional Growth Wednesday
Early Release Wednesdays might mean getting out of class early for West Linn-Wilsonville students, but for staff it means an opportunity to do some learning of their own. Once a month, class is dismissed two hours early, providing WLWV teachers with time to engage in professional development. The following are highlights from Professional Growth Wednesday on Jan. 16:
Primary Level
Primary teams participated in a number of professional growth opportunities. At Lowrie Primary, for example, teachers took a close look at their most recent cycle of inquiry, which focuses on writing. Staff worked to develop a common baseline of understanding in their foundational texts, selecting key chapters from “The Guide to the Writing Workshop.” Teachers read in a jigsaw format, creating groups of mixed grade level members with specialists. Each group took on a chapter of their own to read and discuss before creating learning posters for the entire school to view and learn from. Lowrie teachers also read key chapters from “Writing Pathways,” using checklists to set goals and work with learning progressions that inform conferring and small group work.
Over at Willamette Primary, meanwhile, staff from Stafford and Trillium Creek joined forces for a day of learning around word study. The group of teachers reviewed district documents around word study — created by teachers and administrators over the course of the past two years — first diving in as a collective group before breaking into smaller grade-level groups. Staff discussed how word study fits within Balanced Literacy Framework, and how to integrate it into writing workshops, and how it can be turned into a common resource for all levels of learners. Teachers also shared what word study has looked in their respective classrooms to date before heading back to their schools to discuss next steps.
Over at Sunset, staff engaged in some work around mathematics. Teachers revisited learning targets and success criteria in the mathematics workshop, used “Do the Math” to identify targets and criteria while planning for all learners, and worked on deepening and extending student talk through engagement with learning targets for content and practices. Cedaroak Park reviewed its three-year plan, and used student book groups to deepen understanding of classroom texts.
Secondary Level
West Linn-Wilsonville middle school and high schools engaged in professional development of their own Wednesday afternoon. Wood Middle School started with some team-building activities before diving into work around writing. Staff also reviewed student survey data, reflecting on their practices, before engaging with equity work called “20 things that I can do to be a better multicultural educator.”
Wood staff continued collaboration around equity, working as a large group as well as smaller groups. Teachers weren’t afraid to be vulnerable, either, sharing classroom and life experiences of racism, injustice, and other inequities, with the overall goal of improving practices while making Wood as safe and welcoming of a school as possible.
Over at West Linn High School, staff reviewed their school initiative to create genuine, personal connections with as many students as possible. Teachers reviewed four posters, one for each grade level that contained the name of every student at West Linn High School. Staff spent the past week putting a star by every student they’ve developed a genuine connection with this year. The finished product was a visual representation of the connections staff have made with the students, with the goal of every student in the school getting a star by their name by the end of the year.
At Wilsonville High School, staff continued work with author Zaretta Hammond’s “Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain,” also focusing on two of the five dimensions from the “Center for Educational Leadership; Classroom Culture and Environment and Student Engagement.” Staff had time for collaboration, reflecting on specific student relationship data. Staff then broke into their Small Collaborative Team, sharing their reflections before creating action steps to help with their ongoing collaborative work.
About West Linn-Wilsonville
Email: kilstroa@wlwv.k12.or.us
Website: www.wlwv.k12.or.us
Location: 22210 Southwest Stafford Road, Tualatin, OR, USA
Phone: 503-673-7000
Facebook: facebook.com/WLWVschools
Twitter: @WLWVdistrict