May 3, 2012

Dear Cedaroak Families,

I would like to share a couple of recent student learning opportunities with all of you.

Fourth and fifth graders from Mrs. Grabow, Mrs. Meurisse, and Mrs. Dierickx’s classes spent a day last week at JABiztown (Junior Achievement Business Town). During the simulation students took on roles like CEO, CFO, and other positions of commercial companies such as a bank, a one-stop shopping center, a business periodical, an insurance company, a next-day delivery service, a sporting good store, a construction company, an animal shelter, a medical clinic, city hall, a rent management company, a TV station, and more. The mayor and CEOs of each company spoke to the whole community so they could market the products they were selling. Students practiced by writing checks, putting money in savings, paying rent, and purchasing desired items. Many of our Cedaroak parents were there to facilitate the learning process for students and they were able to see our students rise up to take on the challenges of the business roles they played.

Last Saturday here at Cedaroak we had our fourth annual Earth Month Celebration. Parent Melissa Yotsuya and instructional coordinator Emilie Lavin organized the event, which drew in many of our students, parents, and staff members, as well as families and community members from West Linn. The celebration continues to grow and evolve. This year we increased our student involvement by having National Honor Society Volunteers from West Linn High School and Earth Keepers from Cedaroak run the learning stations. Blue Groove Jazz added accompaniment and spirit to the day while children visited a beekeeper with honey tasting, chickens and a goat, a clothing swap and book exchange, a CREST display, a composting demonstration, and a do-it-yourself green cleaning supply booth. Other highlights included face painting, garden tours, popcorn, shrinky dinks, solar energy, tote bags and sustainable lunches, mushrooms, mustangs, and paper.

Thank you to all our parents, students, teachers, and volunteers who contributed to the success of these two exciting Cedaroak events.

~ Peter

April 19, 2012

Dear Cedaroak Families,

Yesterday morning just before our school-day started, Cedaroak was abuzz with activity. Fourth and fifth graders from Mr. Jones and Mr. Muñoz’s classes were selling school supplies from our student store, parents mingled with each other, and with students and with staff. Meanwhile, students gathered in the gym awaiting the start of Morning Meeting, most of who were either engaged in conversations or reading books. Unlike the beginning of the year, our library and hallway walls are now covered with student work: writing, maps, projects, artwork, friendship trees, as well as displays honoring our volunteers and recognizing the many contributions of our generous PTA. Over the past couple of weeks in our classrooms, our students have continued to engage in thoughtful academic learning and they are making important connections with our community. Here I offer a few highlights as examples of how our students are making connections with and learning about our community.

Students from Mrs. Coston, Ms. Benny, and Miss Howell’s classes have been examining and illustrating nature and local habitats. As part of their study of plant life-cycles and seeds, they have entered an art contest for the City of West Linn Parks Department and the White Oak Savanna Program. Through the learning process they have looked at pictures of West Linn’s newest natural park at www.nlwl.org. They also ventured outside and observed Cedaroak Park’s beautiful oak trees, and then students used pencils, colored pencils, crayons, and markers to create landscape drawings. The kindergarten, 2nd, and 3rd grade contest winners included Damon Ivall, Matias Tupper, Owen Hoy, Elizabeth Lowry, Grace Anderson, and Kiana Shahbazi. The winning entries will be framed and put on display in the West Linn City Hall Chambers in time for Arbor Day on April 27. A picture of our students and one of the winning illustrations are included here. Additionally these students were featured in an article on Oregonlive.

First graders in Miss Hunt, Mrs. Flagg, and Mrs. Duden’s classes have been learning about communities and recently they shared their learning with their parents and other adults. They presented the city designs they had created on computers, they read aloud stories to the adults, and they showed the cities and models they had constructed out of a variety of materials. During this study, students learned about electricity, gardens, buildings, community design, and negotiation. Students also learned that it can be difficult when community members have competing interests. They noticed that communities can have challenges and it can be difficult to have everyone agree. But, they also learned that there are many ways to solve problems, such as by “talking, voting, or rock, paper, scissors.” Pictured below are some of our students showing their parents the community they constructed together.

It’s now been about three months since Mr. Jones and Mr. Muñoz’s 4th and 5th graders launched the school store. Early on they discovered a strong demand for pencils, sharpeners, pencil grips and cases, mechanical pencils, Japanese erasers, rulers, and spiral notebooks. They learned how to make transactions and change, answer questions, and they felt the pressure of long lines, which were new to these students, offering an authentic learning opportunity. During the initial weeks they worked to solve some of the business challenges such as figuring out how to stay open long enough to meet the high demand. By now, students have worked through many of the challenges, they have replenished supplies, and they are able to meet the needs of the continued strong demand. A sample of pictures is provided below, including the crowd awaiting their turn and a purchase.

Here at Cedaroak we greatly value our connections with parents and our community. To learn more about how you can connect with the Cedaroak community and how our students learn through community partnerships and connections, please contact your student’s teacher. Feel free to contact me as well at McDougaP@wlwv.k12.or.us or at 503.673.7105.

- Peter

March 15, 2012

Dear Cedaroak Families,

In a recent newsletter Dr. McDougal wrote about the importance of science so that we may make sense of the world around us as perceived through our five senses. Music, in contrast, is one avenue through which we get to make sense of everything else – that which we cannot look at with our eyes or explore with our hands. Music is one of few areas that allow us to make sense of emotions that we feel on the inside – even though we may not have any understanding of the music itself.

BUT… imagine what is possible when we understand the music as well!

Music education serves just that purpose! Within the walls of the music classroom students are not just learning to appreciate music… they are learning to understand music. As early as kindergarten, children are learning how sound divides into beats – the essence of rhythm. In a few years, those same students are arranging rhythms into patterns. They are also coming to know that music has pitch and that musicians have to pay attention to both rhythm and pitch at the same time (multi-tasking). By fifth grade, students know many rhythms, are listening to patterns, and are then writing what they hear in music notation. Fast forward to middle school, and these same students, having had a music education, now understand the building blocks of music and are creating pieces of their own… they are creating works that allow them to meaningfully express their emotions!

March is Music in Our Schools Month. I want to let this community know how very fortunate we are to have music education in our schools. I am fortunate to teach in a community that values the place of music within the school day and to have a great partnership with Music and Arts Partners. MAP runs a Dollar for the Arts campaign each year to support our programs in the schools. I encourage all to give as you are able and to become a member of the organization so we can keep music in West Linn as strong and vibrant as possible. Remember, music isn’t just for the school day, so keep singing, playing, and dancing together!

John Hillan, Music Teacher

February 27, 2012

Dear Cedaroak Families,

As the testing coordinator in our building I want to let you know that we will begin state testing at Cedaroak Park in next few weeks. Students in grades 3-5 take state tests in reading and math. Our fifth graders also take a science test. In past years our fourth graders have taken a state writing assessment. The state is not administering an assessment this year, writing remains an important instructional focus for us and we will be working as a staff to take a school-wide look at student writing later this spring.

A big part of the work of teaching is preparing students so that they can approach opportunities and challenges with confidence and independence. This week I have had the opportunity to spend time in classrooms familiarizing our third, fourth, and fifth grade students with The Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (OAKS) computer interface. I modeled signing-in to the interface and showing them what all the little buttons, arrows, and pop-down menus do. Knowing how all these details work allows our students to be as comfortable and at ease in a test session as they would be in a reading, writing, math workshop, or any classroom setting. Our goal, of course is to measure the skills of our students and not whether they know how to take the test on the computer.

When working with students this week my aim was to support their success by building their knowledge and understanding of the test environment. In addition to familiarizing students with the “look and feel” of the OAKS interface some teachers may choose to teach test-taking strategies to their students. However, the best preparation for achievement is the day-to-day personalized education that we strive to provide for each one of our students. Classroom experiences prepare students for a life of reading, writing, mathematics, and critical thinking – skills they will use on the OAKS test – but most importantly skills they will need each and every day throughout their lives. This said, OAKS scores are one of many pieces of data that we use to evaluate individual progress of our students, and the instructional program at our school.

In addition to preparing for state testing, the Cedaroak Park community is buzzing with activity. Science and Inquiry Fair (CPSIF) applications are streaming in. We have students from every grade participating with a wide array of projects and inquiries, all to be represented at our fair on March 7. Our new student leadership group, “The EarthKeepers”, sponsored by the Green Team, is preparing to share research and raise awareness in our community at a series of morning meetings. Students are studying about a range of environmental issues from endangered animals to plastic pollution to energy awareness. We are also in the midst of preparing for our Earth Month Celebration on April 28th from 10AM-12PM. We hope you will join us. This special event is in its fourth year, and is unique to Cedaroak Park in our district. We have worked hard to partner with community organizations and parents to give our community a meaningful experience to explore issues of sustainability and living a greener life. From canning, to CREST vegetables, to West Linn Paper Company, to electric cars, we have an exciting event in the works. There are many opportunities to be involved ranging from table set-up to running a recycled shrinky dink table, or a dress-up “Be as Green as You Can” outdoor photo booth. I look forward to your email letting me know that you’ll volunteer for our fantastic celebration, lavine@wlwv.k12.or.us.

~Emilie

February 9, 2012

Dear Cedaroak Families,

A third grade class of student-scientists was outside last week noting observations.
It was sunny and dry, and watching closely they saw a couple of bald eagles flying overhead and a deer gallop across campus. A few days earlier, a student in that class had brought a ball python, a gecko, and other animals (in their cages, of course) to show his classmates and share his expertise. Over the year, these same students have engaged in making theories to explain science phenomena like the varied lengths of days and seasons, the lunar cycle, and lunar and solar eclipses. They are presently studying weather: posing theories, asking each other questions, poring through resources, revising their theories, and making assertions and generalizations that move them closer to accurate scientific explanations and understandings of how our world works.

Science at Cedaroak is an important part of daily student learning, and the preceding description is one example of science learning at our school. Kindergarteners, this year, have spent time in the garden, they’ve made pizza and apple pie, they’ve thought about night and day, and they learn science through the experiences of projects, animal study, in literacy centers, and more. Our first graders have closely examined habitats and the world around them, they have used their senses to make observations of various animals, plants, and different liquids, and they have written, created art, and even invented creatures. Second graders have learned about the life cycle of salmon, taken field trips to the Bonneville dam and a near-by fish hatchery, explored the world of science through literacy, and they have tasted foods and thought about nutrition and healthy living.

As our students advance through the fourth and fifth grades they increasingly learn science by reading non-fiction texts. Some of our fourth and fifth grade classes learn by working in our gardens: planting, tending, harvesting, and even consuming. Students actively recycle, think about sustainability, and learn about the environment. They learn through hands-on experiences about electricity, magnetism, and energy. They also learn about various systems like those of the human body and interactions of animals and plants. Additionally, they deepen their understanding of space and time, and learn about heredity, the brain and nerves, and change over time.

Science is how we make sense of our physical and living world, earth and space, and systems and the interdependent environment. It is also the theorizing and sense-making that students–actually all of us–do to understand and make sense of what we experience through our five senses, and through our imagination. Inquiry is at the heart of science learning, and through their search for truth our students think and learn together as they build understanding, make connections to other school subjects and social issues, and analyze science questions over extended periods of time.

As a way of celebrating science learning, curiosity, theory-making, and experimenting, here at Cedaroak on March 7th we will have our first (of many) school-wide science fair. Many of our students and some whole classes are engaged in creating science projects, sharing learning, and thinking about possibilities. If you would like your child to participate in our science fair, please consider having your student do a science project. In this February newsletter we offer further details about our science fair and things to consider for the science project your child might do. We also encourage you to contact our instructional coordinator, Emilie Lavin (lavine@wlwv.k12.or.us), if you have questions or would like additional information. Moreover, we hope that many of our students consider taking their projects to display them at the WLWV School District’s Science Fair, which will be held at West Linn High School on March 9th.

For more information about your child’s science learning this year, please contact your child’s teacher. You may also contact me at mcdougap@wlwv.k12.or.us or 503.673.7105.

- Peter

January 26, 2012

Dear Cedaroak Families,

On a recent rainy weekend morning, I went into my 4-year old son’s room and gathered a selection of books, several from the library, some that we own. I then quietly went and sat on the family room couch, opened Dr. Seuss’ The Sneetches and Other Stories and started to read aloud. Before I had even finished the first sentence, Andrew was on his way to the couch to join me. By the end of the second page, my eight-year old daughter Katelyn was also beside me, and ten-year old Amanda listened too as she did crafts at the kitchen table. There’s something about reading stories aloud that just draws children in to listen.

I continued reading through the books I had gathered, while my three children listened. We read Jan Brett’s The Three Snow Bears, a couple of chapters from Frog and Toad, quite a few pages of a book on space, and Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle. With one exception, they listened closely to all seven books I read that morning. The exception was a picture book on the history of Pac-10 football, a book that Andrew had checked out for me with great excitement at the local library because he knows how much I like football. Although he didn’t listen too closely as I read that book aloud, he did proudly look at me many times as he could clearly see how much I loved the book he’d chosen for me.

As I reflect now on reading aloud with my own children, I think of the many books I’ve shared with my oldest daughter. Amanda and I have enjoyed Because of Winn-Dixie, Charlotte’s Web, The BFG, Too Many Tamales, many books by Beverly Cleary, and so many more. My wife, too, enjoys reading aloud to our children, and I love it when I can hear my wife and two daughters sharing a read aloud from books like The Penderwicks series, the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle stories, or The Callahan Cousins. More, I can remember countless hours overhearing one or more of my children listening to books on CD, nearly all of which we checked out from our local library.

There is such power in stories, and they have a way of drawing us together. Although not everyone is interested in Pac-10 football, space, or even Harry Potter, with a little work or expert help from a librarian, one can find books for almost anyone’s interests. A key goal of ours here at Cedaroak is to promote reading, develop readers who love to read, and give our students access to the world beyond their own personal experience. Along with this goal, we continually strive to help our students develop reading skills like decoding, fluency, and comprehension, while making inferences and thinking deeply about characters, ideas, and concepts. We also make sure to create ways for our students to experience stories with others—peers and adults, so they are able to share their thoughts and excitement together.

And, as parents we all have a wonderful opportunity to develop positive reading dispositions in our children, by modeling ourselves as readers and by connecting our children with quality stories. Yet, above all else, we can continue to develop our children as readers by sharing read-alouds together, providing a perfect cozy on-the-couch family activity on these too many rainy winter days.

- Peter

January 12, 2012

Dear Cedaroak Families,

The week before break was highlighted with an evening music concert by Choir and Strings, a performance of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by our life learning students, a visit to morning meeting by our superintendent Bill Rhoades, kindergarteners singing Jackie Jack Frost for all students K-5, 2nd graders sharing their experiences learning about the salmon life cycle, 3rd graders presenting science theories to their parents, 4th and 5th graders cooking up a Colonial Soup and baking cornbread, and a whole school holiday sing-along the final school day of 2011. For me it was clear: Cedaroak is an ideal place to learn, lead, and work, and experiencing the events throughout our learning community that final week culminated an excellent year.

On the day our students returned in January, I toured every classroom and truly enjoyed seeing how eager and ready our students and teachers were to resume their good work. Students wrote about their vacation experiences, they started back into mathematical thinking, they resumed their reading and writing workshops, and they reconnected with their teachers and many friends. Students were excited to be back, and likewise, our entire Cedaroak staff really enjoyed having our students return.

With the start of 2012, I am reminded of a key message from our superintendent, Bill Rhoades. He reminds us of the Power of Newness, which is important for us to remember as we look toward upcoming changes in our district. Next year with the opening of two new primary schools, Trillium in West Linn and Lowrie in Wilsonville, our district will launch dual language programs at both schools. In subsequent years, the dual language program will grow to become a K-5 program at both schools. Although space may be limited, these programs are equally available to all of our district’s incoming kindergartners. If you are interested in dual language program details, I encourage you to attend one of the upcoming community meetings on January 24th or 25th.

Similarly, the School Board has set a target date of March 4th for making boundary decisions. The Boundary Task Force continues to meet and community members can provide input at a district meeting in February. Along with the opening of these new schools are the potential changes at our seven existing primary schools. Although the capital bond provides resources to construct these buildings and purchase resources, it does not provide monies to hire additional staff. Thus, our district will staff these new schools with teachers and staff already working in our district. While this may prompt the greatest changes at our most crowded schools, it may also cause minor changes here at Cedaroak. Embracing change, we are excited that our district will grow from seven to nine outstanding primary schools.

I encourage you to review the information available on our district’s website, join the school and district listserv, and attend community meetings. I also welcome you to contact me if you have questions about these upcoming changes. While some decisions are yet to be determined, I am happy and willing to share what I know and explain the processes that are in place for decisions yet to be made. As the year continues, I want you to know that the school staff and leadership teams in the West Linn – Wilsonville School District are committed to supporting and working with you and your children to create powerful learning communities for developing great thinkers and thoughtful people for the world. As always, please call me at 503.673.7105 or email me at mcdougap@wlwv.k12.or.us

- Peter McDougal

December 8, 2011

Dear Cedaroak Families,

During this busy season I want to take a moment to provide all of you with a glimpse of a different side of student learning. When students stay with their teacher for community lunch, they engage in many learning opportunities during this important time of day. Here is a sampling of lunchtime learning experiences from various grades:

Teachers read aloud novels and other materials to their students

Students socialize, taking time to visit with their friends and classmates

Students share information and learning with the whole class (current events, independent projects, pressing news, etc.)

Teachers lead conversations and provide instruction on nutrition and wellness

Multiple classes sometimes come together to share lunchtime with each other, and during these times they socialize, play games, or do other activities

Students watch videos about some of the content area topics they are studying

They engage in discussions about various topics or interest areas

Our youngest students learn about manners and character

Students solve riddles or do lateral thinking puzzles as a whole class

They have ‘picnics’ with their teacher and have small group conversations

Students engage in various community building conversations

We have been using our common space in many ways. Here are just a few examples of student learning in our spaces from the past two weeks:

Kindergarteners acted out Jan Brett’s The Mitten.

A class of students created an art project that they will soon give to their parents

Another class engaged in a novel study of Charlotte’s Web

A 1st and 3rd grade class came together to share in a ‘buddy’ art project

We met with approximately 25 parents and community members to prepare these volunteers to lead their respective Community Groups

Our life learning students enjoyed hands-on learning in Discovery Square

Two classes prepared and ate ‘Colonial Soup’ as part of a Colonial History study

Twenty-four parents attended Parent Math Night and learned about our District’s instructional approach, while 13 of their children played in the gym

Multiple classes came together to share their lunchtime

A 1st and a 4th-5th grade class met with their buddies to spend time together

Club K students used the space before and after school

A CEUM collection is available for all who pass by to experience, read, and learn

We encourage you to ask your students about their lunchtime learning experiences and about the ways they have had a chance to enjoy some of our newly remodeled spaces. We thank you all for your partnership during the fall and we appreciate the opportunity to work with your children each day. We hope you all enjoy winter break and the holiday season, and we look forward to continuing our work in the new calendar year. If you have questions, concerns, or would like to visit with me, my email is McDougaP@wlwv.k12.or.us and phone number is 503.673.7105.

~ Peter

November 17, 2011

Parent Math Night – December 1

Thank you to everyone who attended our Parent Math Night on Thursday, December 1, at 6:30 p.m. and thank you PTA for providing childcare so all parents could attend. For those of you who weren’t able to attend, at this event we presented an overview of our math instructional program, including a look at the growing body of research that supports an increased focus on conceptual understanding and student dialogue.

Over the past several years, teachers throughout our District have engaged in an examination of math best practice instructional strategies. This study has helped us to gain a better understanding of the strategies that increase student learning and performance. Here I offer a brief synthesis of what we have learned.

In a high quality math program, student achievement and math proficiency flow from an instructional design that emphasizes conceptual understanding. Students investigate real-world problems and concepts, and they gain new learning by building on their prior knowledge. Students are inventive and they generate thoughtful ideas through discovery. Wrong answers are often viewed as starting points and ways to explore contradictions.

In the classroom, students gain skills and learn through dialogue and discourse, questioning and listening, and by engaging in mathematical argumentation. Reasoning and understanding occur when challenging material intrigues students and when they enjoy engaging as learners.

Quality math learning still includes memorizing procedures and facts and developing mathematical proficiency, yet it is more than this. Students represent their thinking in many ways (e.g., graphs, tables, charts, equations, visuals, and with manipulative materials), and they share their thinking aloud with their classmates so they can learn from and with each other.

In addition to mastering the symbolic mathematical language, students learn through word problems and open-ended, worthwhile tasks that have a variety of solution paths. Throughout the K-12 instructional program, students develop an efficiency that follows deep conceptual understanding, and they gain mastery of important math facts within the context of this understanding.

According to research, in successful math programs, students study fewer total topics, but they study the most important topics more deeply. Additionally, students use reflection and metacognition-thinking about their own thinking-to gain and maintain awareness of themselves as learners. And, in the end, success is measured not only by test scores and assessment data, but also by the degree to which students crave more math learning following each lesson and each school year.

We enjoyed spending the evening with all who were able to attend. If anyone was unable to attend and has questions about our math instructional program, please call me at 503.673.7105 or email me at mcDougaP@wlwv.k12.or.us.

- Peter McDougal

November 3, 2011

Hello Cedaroak Families,

Each fall Oregon schools receive the State Report Card and the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Report informing parents and the community about school performance based on multiple standards and indicators. We are pleased to share with all of you that Cedaroak Park once again was rated as ‘Outstanding’ according to the State Report Card and met all AYP standards. These two reports are provided as attachments with this mailing. Highlights include:

94% of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students met or exceeded the state standards in reading. This marked an improvement from the 89% who met or exceeded during the 2009-10 year.

The percentage of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students who met or exceeded increased in mathematics when compared to the same standards in 2009-10 (09-10: 90% and 10-11: 93%).

There was an increase in meeting or exceeding the reading standards among students with disabilities and students who are economically disadvantaged.

90% of 5th graders met or exceeded the state standards in science, which outperformed socio-economic comparison schools (89%) and the state average (75%).

89.3% of Cedaroak Park teachers have their master’s degree.

We met the AYP standard in each demographic sub-category for all areas, which included reading, math, attendance rate, test participation, and academic status.

While we again earned the highest rating and made AYP, we intend to continue our focus on improving student achievement in a variety of ways, some of which are listed here:

We will increase our support for students meeting the new math standards, which are presented for the first time on this 2010-11 State Report Card. (And, the Cedaroak Park community should note that for this year, higher standards have been set in reading.)

We will continue to focus on providing the highest quality personalized literacy instruction to ensure that our students make strong growth in reading, writing, vocabulary development, and spelling.

We will continue to emphasize conceptual understanding in math, science, and other content areas, while ensuring that students exceed desired proficiency levels in all performance areas.

We will seek ways to increase student engagement through high-cognitive interactions, and rich student dialogue and discourse.

Ultimately, we strive to ensure that each and every child continues to grow and make excellent progress toward his/her potential. Although it is a number of years away, it is important to remember that each student must meet state standards in all tested academic areas to earn a high school diploma. Parents, thank you for your partnership in working with and supporting your child at home. By working together we ensure the highest possible levels of learning and growth for each and every child.

October 20, 2011

Dear Cedaroak Families,

Teaching and instilling in our students moral character is one of the hallmarks of our school, our District, and our community. We partner with parents, community, and other schools in our District so our students develop, learn and think about traits such as honesty, integrity, respect, responsibility, kindness, compassion, and courage. We have many ways to promote and teach these character traits, most of which are embedded in the daily learning experiences of our students. Below is a sampling of some specific character learning opportunities.

In Every Classroom: Each teacher understands the importance of establishing a learning community in which students treat each other well. Teachers create many ways so students have an active part in creating a positive learning community. Throughout the year they keep character learning in mind as they guide the positive development of each student and of the whole learning community.

In Community Groups: Monthly our students meet for 30-minutes in multi-age groups of about ten students. Instruction is designed to develop a positive school community and solid character in each student. Throughout the year students engage in learning centered on topics such as friendship, gratitude, bully-proofing, sharing their writing, and making a difference through service. Our first community group is Friday the 28th. Students will examine friendship and how they can be friends with people who are like them and different from them. We will read the book Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsely, which helps students think about self-belief, courage, and the power of friendship.

At Morning Meeting: Periodically we lead our whole school in thinking about and discussing character, including how we treat each other. Recently, for example, students revisited the first part of The Cedaroak Way: “At Cedaroak we follow the Golden Rule. This means we treat each other with respect and kindness.” As a part of this character learning experience, students talked with each other about how they are a good friend and also about how they want to be treated by others.

With Behavior Incidents: When students make behavior choices that are counter to these positive character traits, we take a character instruction and development approach. We take time to listen, and we also make sure students understand both how and why we should do things differently. Developing this understanding ensures that each student continues to grow in character and that our whole school learning community continues to thrive. Additionally, we know that logical consequences are sometimes a part of the teaching, but it is far more crucial for our students to learn how and why they should make choices that align with the character values of our school and community.

Feel free to call me at 503.673.7105 or email me at mcdougap@wlwv.k12.or.us if you would like to visit about character learning or anything else that you feel is important to discuss.

- Peter McDougal

October 6, 1011

Dear Cedaroak Families,
At each Friday Morning Meeting several students share their work with the whole school. We invite and encourage any and all parents to be a part of the audience for these 10-minutes on Fridays. This is a great opportunity for students to share their work and learn from each other, and it provides another way for parents to experience the learning our students are engaged in at Cedaroak.

Here is a sample of classroom moments during which students created work that has been shared: 

Kindergartners made pizza in the Pine Diner and then ate their delicious creations. They chopped tomatoes, basil, and oregano from our garden and it was blended into sauce. They stretched dough onto baking sheets, spread the sauce, and then sprinkled on cheese, pepperoni, and pineapple. After baking, students selected and enjoyed cheese, pepperoni, and pineapple pizza, and nearly every student asked for seconds.

Second graders created water-color self-portraits and wrote poems to share and introduce themselves to their classmates. They first practiced on scratch paper with pencil portrait drawings, and they eventually filled in the spaces with water color paints. They experimented with figuring out the water-to-paint ratios and then wrote poems with starting lines such as I am . . . and I am excited . . . and I want to share.

Third graders wrote personal narratives which included problems that were resolved. After completing rough drafts, students took turns sitting in the writer’s chair to read their work to the whole class. After listening, students shared their questions and compliments, and wonderings and thinking with the authors. Among the many topics were a Mt Hood skiing expedition, a lost tooth, and a mother losing her cell phone.

Fourth and fifth graders studied force and created projects in which they explained and demonstrated how selected forces work. Some of these forces included gravity, the atmosphere, lightning, waves, and football. Students conducted research by reading books and other printed resources, and by searching on the Internet. The process included planning, creating an initial draft, and then crafting a final copy.

Another fourth and fifth grade class has been creating How-to Books in which students explain how to do something. These expository pieces have included topics such as how to make ice-cream, pizza, and pancakes, how to play video games, and how to do many other activities as well. Adding to the complexity of these pieces, students are practicing by trying to hook their reader. They also share their drafts with peers so they can get feedback and continue to improve their writing pieces.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, please call me at 503.673.7105 or email me at mcdougap@wlwv.k12.or.us.

- Peter McDougal

September 22, 1011

Ongoing teacher professional learning is an important part of providing the very best education for our Cedaroak students. With that in mind, I want to share some important details about our eight early release Wednesdays this year.

On Wednesday, September 28, we will have our first 2-hour early release day. On these days, children will be released from Cedaroak at 12:10 p.m. Students will eat lunch at school and there will be bus service. Afternoon kindergarten children will have a slightly different plan, as they will keep their regular school schedule of 11:30 – 2:10. Busing will be provided, but because they are the only class going home at 2:10, new bus routes will be created for them. This means they may not have their regular bus driver and 1st through 5th grade siblings riding the bus or walking home from school with them. Our school secretaries have called the families of our afternoon kindergarteners who ride the bus to help families organize a safe trip home for these children.

We know that our District, our parents, and our community value teacher professional development, as it ensures that we are able to provide the very best education for each and every child. As educators, one of the ways we continue to improve is by coming together to learn about new teaching methods and increase our content knowledge. We are able to further increase the positive impact we have on student learning by studying the research, by thinking about and designing excellent instruction, and by examining student work and student thinking. Although we believe we provide a high quality instructional program here at Cedaroak, we also know that by taking time to collaborate and learn together, we can continue to improve our practice. Some of the focus areas our teachers are studying this year include literacy learning and literacy workshop, math best practices, inquiry and student conversation, reading intervention, science and garden literacy, and character and community building.

If you have any questions about the logistics of early release days, please contact our office at 503.673.7100. If you would like to learn more about our teacher professional learning or if you have any other questions or concerns, please call me at 503.673.7105 or email me at mcdougap@wlwv.k12.or.us.

- Peter McDougal

September 2, 1011

Dear Cedaroak Community,

Our September 1st Open House and Library Dedication Ceremony was a tremendous success. The majority of our students and parents came to drop off their supplies, meet their new teachers, reconnect with friends, and see our amazing new spaces.

After connecting with their classrooms and teachers, students were drawn to the newly finished spaces: the Library, Discovery Square, Exploritorium, The Canopy (our amphitheater), and our new gardens. With the construction of these spaces now completed we culminated our Open House with the Library Dedication Ceremony, which was well attended by students, parents, staff, and community members. For those who were unable to attend, we would like to highlight some of the moments from the dedication.

Starting at about 1:30 students and parents began wandering into the Library to try out the furniture, see the alcoves and window seats, and look at the various books on display. They entered the Exploritorium to enjoy cookies and lemonade, meet their new principal, and see our new Pine Diner. They played with learning games in the Discovery square, including colorful blocks and a game called Architecto. At one moment two kindergarteners struck up a conversation about a brain building game called Equilibrio, as one studied a diagram and explained what to do, while the other assembled the geometric building blocks so it would resemble the diagram. Listening to this discussion between these two students provided a moment that brought the Discovery Square and these new spaces to life. After all, these are perfect places for learning together, creating, discovering, and imagining.

By 2:40 these spaces were filled with people to participate in the Dedication Ceremony. After a few words from Dr. McDougal, including honoring the many people and organizations who made these new spaces possible, all those in attendance participated in a choral reading. The words of the choral reading are provided below, as is the list of people and organizations who made these new learning spaces possible. And, to make it official, our ceremony ended with one of our students stepping forward and cutting the ribbon.

Thank you to everyone who attended, and to those who were unable to make it, please stop by and visit. We would love to share these new learning spaces with our community.

Choral Reading to Dedicate these Spaces

We, the students, families and community members of Cedaroak Park Primary School dedicate our new library, Discovery Square, Exploritorium, Pine Diner, The Canopy, and our new gardens to the learning of our present and future students. Our new spaces are places where we will gather to celebrate learning, thinking, and being a part of a peaceful community.

We dedicate this building to the ideals that created our new spaces: Freedom, Creativity, Character, Honoring our past, Looking to our future, Learning, Thinking, Growing, and Creating a peaceful world. We also dedicate this building to the people of our community: Hardworking students, Families that support them, Dedicated teachers, and all of the adults who support learning at Cedaroak Park Primary School.

We would like to especially honor, recognize, and thank . . .
- Our School Board members and their efforts to identify these beautiful projects
- Our West Linn and Wilsonville communities for their support, including generously passing the Capital Bond
- The Ed Specs Planning Committee (Glen Friedman, Corinn Brown, Tara Perkins, Becky Dierickx, Becca Stecher, Carolyn Miller)
- The West Linn – Wilsonville Long Range Planning Committee
- DOWA (Dull Olsen Weeks Architects), and we especially want to recognize Norm Dull
- TODD Construction, including project managers Bob Teters and Nancy Hubbard
- Former Superintendent Dr. Roger Woehl
- Director of Operations Tim Woodley and the district operations staff
- Many district staff who helped with the final preparations of these spaces
- Many volunteers contributed their time and help
- Our teacher-librarian Tara Perkins
- Our building engineer John Hartley and former evening custodian Blaine Christopher
- Our Cedaroak parents and the Cedaroak school community
- Our Cedaroak students, teachers and staff

Thank you all!

Peter McDougal, D.Ed., Principal
Cedaroak Park Primary School