Book Fair Volunteers Needed

The Scholastics Buy 1-Get 1 Free Book Fair is coming to FGCS next week. Volunteers are needed Tuesday through Friday to set up the fair, sell books and pack up again at the end of the event. Volunteer sign-up sheets are posted in the west hallway (where students enter in the morning). Questions? Contact Shannon Carskadon at shannon_carskadon at msn.com.

Volunteers Needed for Outdoor Art Project

Dear FGCS families and friends:

Teresa, our art teacher, is heading up an ambitious outdoor art project with our students and she needs your help. The project entails creating wood silhouettes (one for each student!) of the six birds for which our classrooms are named: barn swallows, tree swallows, peregrine falcons, kestrels, great horned owls and barn owls. The silhouettes will be painted by students and mounted on the fence surrounding our play yard.

Here's what Teresa needs:

1. Volunteers who own and know how to use scroll saws to help cut out the silhouettes (Teresa has templates to make cutting the shapes easier).

2. Donations of colorful outdoor paint (preferably low- or no-VOC) for students to paint the wood silhouettes.

3. Volunteers to help install the silhouettes on the fence, probably during the last week of school.

Please email Teresa at t.perrin at fgcschool.org or call to leave a message for her at 503-359-4600. Thanks for your help!

All School Photo Monday May 12

Dear families: On Monday, May 12, the entire school - students, teachers and staff - will trek to Ash Street Field for an all-school photograph. Copies of the photo will be available for sale - details to follow.

If for any reason you do not want your student to participate in the all-school photo, please notify the office as soon as possible at 503-359-4600.

High School Information Meeting - Reminder

A reminder that an informational meeting about the development of our high school program is scheduled for 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 20 in the Rogers Room at the Forest Grove City Library. An earlier newsletter included an incorrect date. If you have questions about the meeting, please contact Vanessa Gray at v.gray at fgcschool.org or 503-359-4600.

April Newsletter

UPCOMING EVENTS – MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Family-School Committee

The Family-School Committee (the FGCS version of a PTO) will be meeting Wednesday, April 30 from6:30 to 7:30. We are eager for more parents to become part of this organization – please join us!

Cookies, Coffee and Cocoa

Please join Community School families, teachers and staff for our 2^nd Cookies, Coffee and Cocoa Social scheduled for 5:30-7:00 p.m. Friday, May 2^nd. To accommodate as many families as possible, this event is not being held at school but will take place at the Forest Grove United Church of Christ at 2032 College Way. If you have questions, please contact Vanessa at 503-359-4600 or v.gray@fgcschool.org.

Future of FGCS Discussion

Vanessa Gray will host a discussion about the future of our school, focused in particular on plans for the high school program. This is scheduled for 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 20th at the Forest Grove City Library's Rogers Room. The conversation, led by Vanessa, will cover future growth of the school in general but focus particularly on development of our high school program.

Scholastic Book Fair

The Scholastic Book Fair is returning Tuesday, May 26-Thursday, May 28. At this sale, you get one free book or other item for every one you buy. Volunteers are needed to help with the fair at the following times:

Mon., May 25 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (set up in the foyer)

Tues., May 26 8-8:50 a.m. and 3:05-4 p.m.

Weds., May 27 8-8:50 a.m. and 3:05-4 p.m.

Thurs., May 28 8-8:50 a.m. and 3:05-7 p.m. (sign up for as much time as you can spare)

Fri., May 29 9 a.m. (pack up away the fair materials and put the foyer back in order)

To volunteer, please call Shannon Carskadon at 503-312-4421 or Shannon_Carskadon@msn.com.

NEWS

State Testing

State-mandated testing in reading, math and science is underway. All students 3^rd grade and older will take tests in reading and math; 5^th and 8^th graders will also take a science test. We want to share our philosophy about testing. Our perspective is that standardized tests are one mode of assessment among many and can provide useful information about student performance. Teachers have worked to help students feel prepared for testing without “teaching to the test” or over-emphasizing the importance of this particular type of assessment. We will use test scores as one tool to identify strengths and areas where students need additional help. Please contact Vanessa or your child’s classroom teacher if you have questions or would like more information about your student’s participation in testing.

FGCS Expanding Next Year

Our school community will be growing in the coming year. We will be “growing up” our Level 3 to include 10^th graders, with classes divided next year into 7^th/8^th and 9^th/10^th groups. In addition, we plan to add one classroom each at Level 1 (ages 6, 7 and 8, or 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd grades) and Level 2 (ages 9, 10 and 11 or grades 4^th 5^th and 6^th). We will soon begin the process of hiring new teachers and are already in the process of recruiting new students. Please pass the word to your friends and family members. Enrollment forms are available online at www.fgcschool.org or in the school office.

REMINDERS

Rain Gear Required!

Students at the Community School go outside every day, rain or shine, for recess, Out & About, field research and sometimes just for a brisk walk to get their hearts pumping and their brains humming. Downpours and hailstorms we try to avoid, but otherwise we feel that fresh air and movement is critical to learning, not to mention just feeling good throughout the day. Please be sure your students come to school every day equipped for wet weather with waterproof or water-resistant shoes and jacket.

Contact Information

Please notify the office and your student’s classroom teacher immediately if there is any change in your address, telephone number, email address or if you make any changes in arrangements for picking up your student. Please always call as soon as possible if you know you will be late. Many younger students feel anxious if parents don’t arrive when expected. If you arrive late, please park and come into the office to pick up your student.

Student Led Conferences

Dear FGCS parents:

Student-led conferences are scheduled for Thursday, April 17, from 9 a.m. to noon and 5 to 8 p.m. There is no school Thursday, April 17 or Friday, April 18. Sign-up sheets for conferences are available at the front desk. Please come in or call Donna at 503-359-4600 to sign up for a half hour time slot. Depending on the size of the classroom, 3-4 students can conduct their conferences at the same time.

Student-led conferences place students and their work at the center of the conference. At FGCS, we believe that students learn best if they are partners in their own education and so we have asked students to assume a more active role in assessing their work. Teachers are preparing students for conferences this week and next so that they will be prepared to share with their work and discuss their progress with you.

Teachers will be available to help students with their presentations, but the primary responsibility for the conference rests with the students. If you would like to meet with the teacher privately, please speak with the teacher about scheduling a separate time to meet.

P.S. Please note that Friday, April 25 is also a no-school day. This is a statewide in-service day, so teachers will be at work but students have the day off.

FGCS Updates

1. Lost & Found Extravaganza - The foyer on the main floor will be open this week before school, after school and during lunch breaks for students (or their parents) to reunite with their lost jackets, shirts, sweaters, pants, shoes, hats and assorted other personal items. After Friday, EVERYTHING will be donated either to Gretchen's Out & About collection or to a local clothes closet for foster children. Please come take a look and please encourage your students to bring home their personal items every day.

2. Theater Class - Theater in the Grove, our local community theater, is offering an after-school theater class for our Level 2 and 3 students starting Friday, April 11. The class will be taught by Jeanna Van Dyke, an accomplished stage actress and director of the Theater Arts School at TITG.

This is an optional extracurricular activity offered by the theater for a fee. Please see the attached information sheet for details and use the attached registration form to register your student. Please return the form with payment (or request for scholarship) to the school office. (checks should be made out to Theater in the Grove).

If you have questions, please contact Karen Torry at k.torry@fgcschool.org or 503-359-4600.

3. Bowling Night - Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 12th 7-9 p.m. for another FGCS Fundraising Bowling Night at Rainbow Lanes in Forest Grove. Cost is $10 per person for 2 hours of bowling. Pizza and soda will be for sale ($2.50/slice, 75 cents/soda or $3.00 for both). This event is sponsored by a group of Level 3 students, led by parent volunteer Eric Anderson, who are trying to raise money for hands-on building projects to benefit our school. These hardworking students already have built some really cool garden benches, two of whom will be raffled off during the bowling night. Please join us for what promises to be a fun evening to support a worthy cause.