Teams are forming now!

 

6^th to 8^th Grade Division

• Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna by Alda P. Dobbs
• The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden
• The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman
• The Boys in the Back Row by Mike Jung
• Focused by Alyson Gerber
• The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf
• A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil Bildner
• The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien*
• Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez and Gabriela Epstein
• Katie the Catsitter by Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue
• Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
• Partly Cloudy by Tanita S. Davis
• Powerless by Matthew Cody
• Stowaway by John David Anderson
• Wink by Rob Harrell
• Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero by Saadia Faruqi

*The official OBOB edition of The Hobbit is the 2012 edition from Mariner Books (9780547928227). You may read another edition, but page numbers and content will be taken from this edition. No questions will be created from any prefaces, introductions, afterwards, etc.

For more information: https://www.oregonbattleofthebooks.org/

 

 

 

Our media is flooded with images and stories coming out of Ukraine right now, and students may have questions, or need help thinking and talking critically about the information they are getting. These are general resources for engaging in conversations about harmful situations and news, with more specific resources to come as they are available. Our community is impacted on many levels by events around the globe, and yet it is important for us to help students understand that our neighbors are still our neighbors. The people of our community are still of our community, and it is our privilege and responsibility to look out for one another.

Curiosity and Questions: A presentation (and great dictionary of terms) from the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education

Helping Children Cope with Frightening News, a website from Child Mind Institute

When Bad Things are Happening, an article from Teaching Tolerance

Parent and Caregiver Resources, a toolkit from the ADL

9 Healthy Ways to Communicate, 9 strategies for sustaining and deepening conversation from educator and film maker, Lee Mun Wah

 

Here are instructions to help you to link your Canvas account to your student's account. Click here for instructions.

Saying no to a bully and to bullying begins with reporting! Students are free to report bullying anonymously by using this online form. Every report will be reviewed by Mrs. Kosmala, Ms. Nelson, and Mr. Newsome. In many cases, students will be talked with to get more information or to simply share the report. 

Students who are experiencing teasing or bullying need to be encouraged to reach out to their trusted adults for help. Parents, teachers, counselors, and your principals are here to help. Ask for time to talk with any of us or complete the anonymous report and tell us you want to meet in the description.

Students and families can learn more about bullying here.

One day in late October, second grader Carter Lee Buyas grabbed a pair of pom poms from a pile of objects laid out on a bench in the Kelly Elementary School courtyard.

“I like the sound pom poms make,” Carter said. “I like how they shake, shake, shake. Maybe I’ll mop with them. You know, clean the ground. Or I could be a cheerleader.” He pointed to a group of three girls doing a lively cheer on the sidewalk. “Or I could plant them. The pom poms could be flags. Or plants.”

He paused and looked thoughtful. “They can be whatever I want them to be.”

Last spring, when Portland Public Schools moved to ensure that every middle school in the district had an active advisory program, the focus was on relationship building and giving students and teachers the tools needed to nurture a sense of belonging.

The goals for the advisory programs were clear. What the district had yet to arrive at was a curriculum that would help everyone achieve those goals.

Harrison Park, which transitioned from a K-8 to a middle school this fall, recently held a school-wide vote for a new mascot. According to Principal Leah Dickey, these first few months as a middle school have been pivotal for students as they navigate the new exciting normal and establish an identity as a school and community. Picking a mascot has been an important part of that journey.

Principal Phu Dao is many things to the students and staff of Roseway Heights Middle School: mentor, role model, champion, friend. Ask anyone who has learned from and worked with him and they will tell you that he has dedicated his entire career to advocating for students, families, and educators. And now he’s being honored for that dedication.

Courageous Conversation, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit that works with individuals and institutions to address racial disparities through sustained, fruitful dialogue, has named Principal Dao this year’s recipient of the Dr. Charles Hopson Racial Equity Principal Leadership Award.