Meriwether Lewis Elementary School - 4401 SE Evergreen, Portland, Oregon 97206 - 503 916 6360

May 14, 2008 Newsletter

Mr. Lauer — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:06:36 -0400

The May 14, 2008 newsletter is now available for download. Highlights are listed below...

Thank You Parents and PTA
On behalf of the Lewis staff I would like to express our appreciation for the wonderful gifts and acts of kindness expressed during Staff Appreciation Week.. We are very fortunate to have such a caring and committed community and we thank you all for your thoughtfulness and kindness.

Mark Your Calendar,
Volunteer Breakfast Scheduled for June 3, 2008
The Lewis staff will honor our volunteers with a before school breakfast on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 from 8:00 - 9:00 am. We invite all parents, grandparents and community members who have volunteered during the 2007-2008 school year to please attend. Childcare will be provided.

School Supplies Suggestion
For the 2008 - 2009 school year a proposal was made at a recent PTA meeting to ask families to pay a fee for school supplies rather than sending out a school supply list. The idea is that the school would use the funds collected from families to purchase school supplies. Please look for a survey to come home next Wednesday.

Walk and Bike Challenge Continues
Our participation in the Walk & Bike Month Challenge has exceeded all our expectations. On average, 124 students and staff have been walking or biking to school each day during May. Last week, our participation goal was 500 total walkers/bikers - we beat goal that by 28% with 638 walkers/bikers. Nicely done everyone!

Don't forget, Thursday, May 17th is our monthly Walk & Bike Day! To celebrate the 1/2 way point of the May challenge we will be providing hot chocolate and small rewards for walkers/bikers on the playground before school.

Walking school buses have begun making morning stops on certain routes to school. You may pick up an information sheet in the office to learn more about walking buses, sign your child up to join an existing walking bus route, or volunteer to help "drive" a walking bus or start a new one. You can also contact Art at aburden@hevanet.com or 971-235-9016.

Lewis Butterfly Garden Work Parties Continue!
Last Thursday we began construction to build a Butterfly Garden near the SW entrance to the school. This garden was made possible through the $3,700 WISE Owl Grant and PSU. The design is by our Americorp Volunteer, Julia Hamlin
We are in need of volunteers to help on the following days:

Thursday May 15th 3-6 (load sod in a trailer & spread compost),
Sunday May 18th 9-12 (planting)
Thursday May 22nd 3-6 (finishing touches and bird bath installation)

If you have any questions please contact Julia Hamlin at Lewis or
email lewislearninggardens@gmail.com.

Change of Address and or Phone Number Changes...
Please notify the school office...
If your phone or address changes, please contact the school office with the new information. In the case of an emergency it is very important that we have the correct information.

May 7, 2008 Newsletter

Mr. Lauer — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:09:27 -0400

The May 7, 2008 Lewis Elementary School Newsletter is now available for download. Highlights are listed below.

Walk and Bike Challenge Volunteer Meeting Planned
Our Bike and Walk Challenge continues...Several parents have volunteered to help with walking buses during the Walk and Bike challenge. A walking bus is an organized group of students and parents who agree to meet in a particular location from which they will walk together to school. If you are interested in being a part of a walking bus please join us on Monday, May 12th. Weather permitting, the meeting will take place on the playground so children can play while we talk. Meet at 3:00 outside Ms. Cindy's room on the map of the United States.

Walk and Bike Volunteers Needed
We are also looking for parent volunteers interested in becoming "walking bus drivers" who walk to school from their home, picking up student participants along the way. If you are available for one day up to all 21 school days in May, please email Gregory at macnaugg@reed.edu

Student Profile Form
As we start to think of our next school year we would like to make available to parents an opportunity to share information about their child that will help in our work with student placement for the 2008 - 2009 school year. This process is not a teacher request process, but rather a method for parents to share information about a child’s learning style with us as we make these placements. Student profile forms are available in the school office until May 23rd. Also if your child is not returning to Lewis next year, please let us know through the form being sent home today.

Change of Address and or Phone Number Changes... Please notify the school office...
If your phone or address changes, please contact the school office with the new information. In the case of an emergency it is very important that we have the correct information.

Yoga Club News:
The school year is coming to an end and it's time for our end of the year yoga celebration. We will meet for one more class Friday May 9th and then Friday May 16th will be our end of the year celebration including a complimentary breakfast. I have so enjoyed teaching your children this year! They are all wonderful. Look for yoga club again next year!

April 30, 2008 Newsletter

Mr. Lauer — Sat, 03 May 2008 06:45:51 -0400

The April 30, 2008 Lewis Elementary School Newsletter is now available for download...

Lewis Butterfly Garden Work Parties

Mr. Lauer — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:41:10 -0400

This Thursday we will begin construction to build a Butterfly Garden around the SW entrance to the school. This garden was made possible through the $3,700 WISE Owl Grant and PSU. The design is by our Americorp Volunteer, Julia Hamlin

We are in need of volunteers to help on the following days:

Thursday, May 1st 3-6 (cut trenching for pathway),
Thursday May 15th 3-6 (load sod in a trailer & spread compost),
Sunday May 18th 9-12 (planting)
Thursday May 22nd 3-6 (finishing touches and bird bath installation).

? If you have any questions please contact Julia Hamlin at Lewis or email lewislearninggardens@gmail.com.

Art Night, Thursday, May 1

Mr. Lauer — Thu, 01 May 2008 05:29:39 -0400

Be a Part of the Art! At the Lewis Elementary 20th Annual Art Night Celebration, “Experience the Perspective” on Thursday, May 1 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Along with a gallery-style exhibition, featuring student artwork and performances, this year’s celebration will again feature beautifully hand-cut silhouette portraits by the nationally, acclaimed “Silhouette Lady,” as well as The Paintbrush Café, which will serve specialty desserts, treats and beverages. There will also be the opportunity to take home artwork donated by local artists. Best of all—the proceeds will be used to support Lewis art programs.

The Silhouette Lady is Returning to Art Night!

Linda Neal, aka Elsie and Elias Charles' grandmother, aka The Silhouette Lady is considered one of the country's top silhouette artists, quickly snipping an accurate black paper profile freehand. She will be joining us on Art Night to cut the silhouettes of friends and family. Portraits are

mounted on a 5" X 7" card with name and date, and available immediately after sitting. Each original cut - $15.00; each duplicate of original - $5.00. $5.00 of each cut silhouette will be donated back to Lewis. She will also be at Lewis during school hours on Friday, May 5, cutting silhouettes for those unable to have it done at Art Night. Order forms with the details will be going home with your children in the coming weeks. Samples of Linda's work are displayed in the office windows. Please stop by to take a look.

More Art Night:
Donations Needed: Paintbrush Café
Please consider supporting this artful endeavor by donating a purchased gourmet-style dessert to the Paintbrush Café. Just drop off a purchased gourmet-style dessert—such as a cheesecake, torte, specialty pie or large specialty cookies—in the teacher’s lounge on Thursday, May 1 by 3:00 p.m. Thank you for helping and for being part of the art! (If you have any questions, contact Kathlyn Meskel at 503-777-5036.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mr. Jamesbarry — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:42:11 -0400

Born: January 27, 1756. Salzburg, Austria

Died: December 5, 1791. Vienna, Austria

Brummitt-Taylor Music Listening Program Piece of the Week:
Serenade in G Major "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" 1. Allegro Page 143 in your binder...

Piece with narration by Mr. Jamesbarry...

• Monday
• Tuesday
• Wednesday
• Thursday
• Friday

"Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius."

From Classics for Kids

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, where his father Leopold was a violinist and composer. Wolfgang (or Wolferl, as his family called him) was a child prodigy. He composed his first piece of music at age five; he had his first piece published when he was seven; and he wrote his first opera when he was twelve. By the time Wolfgang was 6, he was an excellent pianist and violinist. He and his sister Maria Anna (known as Nannerl) traveled all over Europe performing for royalty.

When he grew up, Mozart moved to Vienna, and tried to earn a living as a pianist and composer. But he had a lot of trouble handling the fact that he was no longer a child prodigy. Mozart was still a musical genius, but after he stopped being a cute kid, people stopped making a big fuss over him. Back then, musicians were treated like servants, but Mozart did not, and could not think of himself as a servant.

Mozart was only 35 when he died. During his short life, he composed in all different musical forms, including operas, symphonies, concertos, masses, and chamber music. Today, he is still considered a genius!

You can start learning about this composer right here!!

Just follow some of the links below. You can read about his life and listen to some of his works.

Whether you have a fast or slow Internet connection, the Classics for Kids web site has informative radio shows that you can listen to right from you home computer. The shows range in topic from The Magic Flute to About Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to What is a Rondo.

The Mozart Project site has everything you could hope for. You can read a very detailed biography of the composer. There is also a complete list of compositions, and if you have Real Audio Player installed you can listen to short example. There is even bibliography for continued learning.

The W.A. Mozart site from Classical Music Pages has more limited biographical information, but also contains musical examples in mp3 format with will play from most any browser.

The Essentials of Music site also has a Mozart page with biographical information along with a limited selection of music streams that you will need Real Audio Player to hear.

To learn more about the orchestra and live performances of classical music, check out these sites...
San Francisco Symphony for Kids
The New York Philharmonic for Kids
NPR Performance Today

Technorati Tags: Composers

Run For The Arts

Mr. Lauer — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:42:11 -0400

Today we held our Run for the Arts. This is our annual jog-a-thon that helps us raise money to fund arts activities and artist residencies at Lewis. We had great parent, community and staff support and very enthusiastic students taking part. Special thanks to our PE Teacher, Mr. Woods, our Run for the Arts Parent Coordinator, Jeanette Finley, and to our many parent volunteers for making this event such a success.

April 23, 2008 Newsletter

Mr. Lauer — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:22:37 -0400

The April 23rd edition of the Lewis Elementary School Newsletter is now available for download. Highlights are listed below... Lewis Butterfly Garden Work Parties Planned: Help Needed
This May we will be creating a Butterfly Garden around the SW entrance to the school. This garden was made possible through a WISE Owl Grant and PSU. We are in need of volunteers to help on the following days:• •

Thursday, May 1st 3-6 (cut trenching for pathway),
Thursday May 15th 3-6 (load sod in a trailer & spread compost),
Sunday May 18th 9-12 (planting)
Thursday May 22nd 3-6 (finishing touches and bird bath installation).

If you have any questions please contact Julia Hamlin at Lewis or email lewislearninggardens@gmail.com.
Thank you and see you there!

Calls into Classrooms
We would like to limit as much as possible classroom interruptions during the school day. We ask that parents please refrain from attempting to call into classroom during the school day to talk with their child unless it is an emergency.

4th and 5th Grade Camp
Our 4th and 5th grade students have returned from a fantastic visit to OMSI camp on the Oregon Coast. I wanted to thank our teachers, staff and parent volunteers for making the trips possible and for giving of their time to make this experience available to our students. Special thanks also to the PTA for their continued support of our OMSI Science Camp program.

PPS Long Range Facilities Plan
Portland Public Schools district staff will soon propose a long-range facilities plan to the school board. This is not a bond plan but instead the plan that would guide major spending if funds were available over the next 15-20 years. As part of our May 8, 2007 PTA meeting a presentation will be made highlighting the condition of PPS buildings and specific Lewis issues.

GET READY FOR PORTLAND WALK + BIKE CHALLENGE MONTH!
In May, we will extend the spirit of Walk + Bike Day into a whole month with the first ever Walk + Bike Challenge Month. This event will be a friendly competition between Portland State University and Portland metro area elementary schools to have the greatest number of students walk and bike to school.
More information will be sent home next week...

Traffic Safety Reminders

Please use our school crosswalks and remind your child to also do so.
Please park legally in the direction of traffic. DO NOT PARK ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE. THIS CREATES A SAFETY HAZARD.
CARS CAN NOT BE LEFT UNATTENDED IN THE FIRELANE. THIS IS BECOMING A BIG ISSUE AS OF LATE, AND WE PLAN TO “TICKET” CARS LEFT UNATTENDED...

Next PTA Meeting: Thursday, May 8, 2008
6:30 pm in the Lewis Library.

Laughing Planet - Lewis Eats - We earned $805.60. Thanks to all that took part and a very big thank you to Laughing Planet.

Scrip orders due this Friday, April 25th

PTA Board

PTA Board nominations/voting for 2008-2009 will be held at the May 8th PTA Meeting. Information is being sent home today regarding the board positions for next year. If interested, please complete and return forms to the office.

Lewis Talent Show Permission Forms Being Sent Home Today
20th Annual Talent Show to be held on Friday, May 23. Permission slips due April 30.
Auditions: Thursday May 8 from 3-5 in the cafeteria.
Rehearsal: Tuesday May 13 from 3-5 in the cafeteria.
Rehearsal: Tuesday May 20 from 3-5 in the cafeteria.
Dress Rehearsal : Thursday May 22 from 3-5 in the cafeteria.

Earth Day Celebration This Saturday, April 19

Mr. Lauer — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:32:05 -0400

Our Americorp Volunteer, Julia Hamlin, will be leading a get together Saturday April 19th, 2008 in the Lewis Learning Gardens. From 9:00 -11:00 am we will have a small work party to spread woodchips on the pathways, prepare the garden beds and do some blackberry removal. From 11:00 -1:00 pm will be a potluck and Earth Day Celebration to enjoy each other and the beautiful space. See you there!

Kathy Grahn to Retire

Mr. Lauer — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:49:57 -0400

Kathy Grahn, our school secretary, has been a fixture at Lewis Elementary School for 21 years. In that time she has served and help support over 1100 students and their families making them feel welcome, and providing comfort, advice and support to thousands of people from across our office counter.

It is with a bittersweet feeling that I share with you the news that at the end of this school year, Kathy will be retiring from Lewis and Portland Public Schools. As all of you know, her work with students, parents, staff and our community has been nothing but exemplary. She is a caring and compassionate advocate for children. Her friendly and caring nature is something that all who work with children aspire to possess.

As we move to the end of the school year we will provide opportunities for our community to acknowledge Kathy and share their appreciation for her work.

We are all grateful for her work, professionalism and friendship. She will be missed...