On Friday, May 17, 2013 we held our annual Talent Show. Students and staff performed for family and friends and it was a great event. We would like to thank Ms. Sarah Kohn for again leading this effort, and also thank the many parent volunteers that helped with the show. One of the highlights of the show was a performance by our own Lonesome Teacher Trio, featuring Mr. Marchyok, Mr. Colvin and Mr. Jamesbarry.

4th grade student Faye plays Clair de Lune

This morning students and staff gathered in the cafeteria for an assembly where Lewis Elementary School was acknowledged with the Oregon Wellness Award by the Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Dairy Council. The award is an acknowledgement of the work done, by staff, students, and our parent community to promote nutrition, exercise and practices that enhance the environment. In addition to the recognition, our school also received a banner, an award plaque, and a check for $2500 that will be used to promote wellness activities at our school. We thank the Oregon Department of Education and the Oregon Dairy Council for this recognition. Also a very big thank you to our students, staff and parent volunteers who work to help us support healthy living at Lewis.

Kindergarten: Dana Jacobsen, Recruit
1st Grade: Anne Logue, Recruit
2nd Grade: Sarah Jamesbarry, Recruit
2nd/3rd Mixed Age: Lynne Leake
3rd Grade: Elissa Dingus, Pamela Kennedy
4th Grade: Paul Colvin, Sarah Kohn, Abby Rotwein
5th Grade: Matt Marchyok, 2 Recruits
CB Classroom: Brian Post
Music: Tony Jamesbarry
PE: Millie Layman
ESL/Literacy: Anna Davis
Counselor: Jenny Morgan
Sped: Jennifer Meyer, Laura Gillies
Library: Tori Padellford
Speech: Sheir Davis, .2 Recruit

Oregon Sustainable School Award Winners Announced

Four Oregon schools honored for commitment to sustainability

(Salem, Ore.) – Today Deputy Superintendent Rob Saxton and Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative Executive Director Lori Stole announced the recipients of the 2013 Oregon Sustainable School Awards. The Oregon Sustainable School Awards recognize schools for addressing sustainability in the areas of 1) Environmental Impacts, 2) Healthy, Safe Students 3) Education for Sustainability and 4) Social Sustainability. An overall winner is selected for successfully and comprehensively addressing sustainability in all four “Pillar” areas and awards are also given for specific pillars.

The 2013 Oregon Sustainable School Award winners are:
2013 Oregon Sustainable School Award
Jackson Elementary (Medford School District)

2013 Oregon Pillar 2 Award: Healthy, Safe Students and Staff
Meriwether Lewis Elementary (Portland Public Schools), co-winner
Oak Creek Elementary (Lake Oswego School District), co-winner

2013 Oregon Pillar 3 Award: Education for Sustainability, Environmental and Social Literacy
Jesuit High School (Portland)

2013 Oregon Pillar 4 Award: Social Sustainability
Jackson Elementary (Medford School District)

This year’s applications were scored by a team of seventeen people representing a wide variety of organizations. No winner was selected for Pillar 1, Environmental Impacts.

“These schools have made a commitment to environmental stewardship, student and staff health, and integrating sustainability into both their instruction and their daily practice,” said Deputy Superintendent Rob Saxton. “Our schools can play an important role in fostering an early commitment to living in a socially and environmentally sustainable way, and I am proud to join in recognizing Jackson, Meriwether Lewis, Oak Creek, and Jesuit for their leadership in this area.”
A school that is high achieving in all four pillar areas excels in all aspects of educating their students to create an environmentally and socially sustainable world. This means the school is actively striving to monitor and reduce energy, water, and material resource use as well as minimize transportation impacts. Their practices lead to a healthy indoor environment and food and physical activity offerings that contribute to student and staff wellness. The education they provide integrates real world experiences, includes outdoor instruction and activities, and is supported by community connections and staff professional development. The schools provide extracurricular activities supporting sustainability. They reach out to meet their own community’s needs, actively work to address equity issues, encourage family and community involvement, serve their diverse populations, and empower students and staff.

“I applaud the work these schools have done, which benefits their students and communities,” said SOSI Executive Director Lori Stole.

The awards will be presented on June 25, 2013 at West Linn’s Trillium Creek Primary School at the Sustainable Schools – Sustainable Solutions Conference. Attending the full-day conference is encouraged, but it is also possible to attend only the lunch-time award event. Scholarships are available for the conference.

The Oregon Sustainable School Awards are offered as a joint project of the Oregon Department of Education and the Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative (SOSI). This award program is part of a dual application that also includes the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School Recognition Program.

The Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative (SOSI) facilitates the integration of economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable concepts and practices into all educational and operational activities of our K-12 school system so that schools and communities are able to prepare our children to create and succeed in a sustainable future. SOSI is coordinated by the Sustainable Schools Collaborative.

For further details about the awards presentation event, Sustainable Schools – Sustainable Solutions Conference, or the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School Awards visit www.sustainableschools.org or contact Lori Stole,lstole@sustainableschools.org, SOSI.

3:30 No formal meeting. Please use the time for work samples, progress monitoring record keeping and such…

During the Challenge, we will track the number of students biking, walking, and skating to school throughout the month. At the end of the Challenge, prizes go to the schools that log the most biking trips, the most walking trips, largest total number of students walking and biking, and highest percentage of students (out of the total school population) walking and biking. During the month of May, Mr. Marchyok’s 5th graders will be gathering data from every Lewis classroom about walking, biking, driving, and commuting to school and Parent Dennis will help compile the info and post the results in The Dip. This a fun and healthy challenge for our Lewis Community and we hope you will join us. For the latest on our Walk+Bike program visit: www.facebook.com/Walkbikemeriwetherlewis

Below is a link to a page with some recordings of students working as docents during our recent Art Night. Follow the link below to listen to three of our students discuss the and explain the art work they created…

A favorite part of our annual Art Night is having students act as docents for the various displays and exhibits. At our recent event, we recorded several of our students as they shared their descriptions and explanations of the art on display.

[From Audio Postcard: Art Night 2013 | Meriwether Lewis Elementary School]

1st grade students out in the garden on Friday…

PTA Board Elections
As we wind the school year down we are planning for next year.  An important part of the Lewis community is the PTA.  We are looking for new board members to be a part of the team.  We have slots that will be vacate and would love to have new parents or returning parents be a part of the board.  Please seek out a board member to ask what is involved or email Gina Ballard geballard@yahoo.com to get more details.