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Seeking community support - Emerald Charter School

Would it possible to post something to ask all of the momma's [and dadda's] out there to take our survey (5-minutes tops) to garner support for our effort in creating Emerald Charter School? I welcome your comments and thank you for your consideration. Happy New Year - and here's to education choices!

Here is the letter we've sent out: Hello friends, fellow parents, and community members: For nearly a year, we, the Emerald Charter School Development Team, have worked to open Emerald Charter School in North/Northeast Portland, offering inquiry-based education and community-based learning with a science focus. Emerald is scheduled to open in 2010 with kindergarten through third grade class levels and each year will add additional grade levels, growing to a K-8 school. As the children grow, the school will grow. Many of you have supported this effort from it's inception. We continue to need your support. For some, this may be the first you have heard of the school. We have been trying to expand our outreach beyond the core volunteers who started the project. Portland Public Schools denied our initial application, in part on the grounds that we did not demonstrate a wide enough underpinning of public comment and support. Regardless of your opinion of this charter school, public schools, or private schools, we are asking for your feedback!

Please take a few minutes to fill out our revised survey. If you have filled out a survey for us in the past, thank you; please also fill out this survey as well. The Emerald Charter School development team will be resubmitting an application to PPS on January 7. In order to compile the data Portland Public School District is requesting for our final 2009 application submission in time, we need all survey responses by Friday, January 2.

Please forward this survey on to individuals you know who seek additional educational options for their children, or to community members who might support Emerald's mission.

Link to Emerald Charter School Survey

We have been awarded Oregon Department of Education grants to apply for Emerald and then an additional $400,000 once the Portland Public School District approves our application. We applied to open Emerald through the Portland Public School Distinct, but PPS has denied our application for three primary reasons:

1) Innovation: The district wants a program that is not offered anywhere else in the district. Elements of Emerald's educational program are offered in select schools in the district; however, there is not one school that offers all of the components: an integrated inquiry-based curriculum that is science focused and community-based with looped multi-grade classrooms.

2) Location: The district recognizes that schools in N/NE Portland are not meeting the needs of all children, yet they are hesitant to open another charter school in N/NE Portland because they are afraid it will have an adverse impact on neighborhood schools. As a charter school, however, Emerald will be open to all students in the district and will have very little overall impact on any particular neighborhood school.

3) Demand: The district has requested that we gather more information regarding the demographic make-up of the students who would enroll in Emerald and the members of the community who support our efforts. This is where we need you.

If you believe in educational options for children in Portland, fill out the survey and email it to friends, co-workers, family, siblings, fellow parents, or any one that you know that would also support our efforts.

We value your input and thank you for your consideration. If you have any additional questions or comments, please feel free to email us at this email address, emeraldcharterschool@gmail.com.

Seeking urbanMamas for Panel on Flexible Work Arrangements

As part of Mt. Hood Community College’s Women’s Herstory events in February 2009, I am organizing a panel on open and flexible work arrangements. This panel was inspired by The Motherhood Manifesto documentary, and we will be showing the Open and Flexible Work section of the dvd.

I am seeking 1-2 women or men to speak on this panel about their personal experiences with open and flexible work arrangements. This might be from the employer or employee perspective. Each panelist (there will be four, total) will have 5 minutes to share their perspective, and then discussion and audience questions will follow. This is NOT a debate, and the panel will be moderated. The event is scheduled for Feb. 3, 12 noon – 1:00pm.

This is an excellent opportunity to spread the word of the value of open and flexible work arrangements and their benefit to women, men, children, employers, and the national economy. Your story can educate and inspire young women pursuing college degrees as well as the many adult, single and partnered parents who are students on our campus, attending school to achieve a better life for their families.

If you are interested, please contact me at Sharon [dot] Juenemann [at]mhcc [dot] edu

Affordable childbirth education workshop offered by experiencedd labor and delivery nurse

Hey there mamas and mamas-to-be! I am an experienced labor and delivery nurse (and mama to a 1 year old little girl, Sloane :) offering childbirth education workshops in the Portland Metro. area. The workshops are a two-part series for those who have limited time and are very affordable, informative and fun! Please log onto my website at www.babyloveworkshop.com to find out more. Let me give you the INSIDE scoop on hospital deliveries! Thanks! Dena

From Tessy & Tab: Magazine Donations

We received the following from Tessy & Tab.  Feel free to take advantage!

We found over 1,000 of our "old" magazines - from back when we used to use "first person" text. While they are perfectly good, we would not sell them since they are no longer our very best.

So, we packaged them up as "3-book Gift Packs" in little cellophane packages, and we made a cute card for the front.

Do you know an organization or organizer that works with kids who need some little stocking stuffers? We have assembled and stamped Priority Mail Envelopes that contain 10 GIft Packs each. If you reply to this email with an organization/contact and address, I will send one out today.

Linnea Johnsson
Customer Care
customercare@tessyandtab.com
(800) 921-3284

Cracked Pots: Now funding reuse/recycle projects

Cracked Pots, an environmental non-profit organization, seeks new, innovative projects in the reuse and recycling field for funding.

The Scope:

  • Projects may be small or large-one time or ongoing.
  • Projects must center on waste reduction, recycling or reuse.
  • Projects should have educational components.
  • Projects should focus on the Portland metro area.
  • Projects may be created by an individual, group or business.

Our Purpose:
We seek to seed or encourage bright new ideas, in any stage of development, which open up the recycling "box" and which provide clever ways to deepen creative reuse and waste reduction.

Our Belief:
We live in a vibrant community committed to recycling....yet we know we can do even more to reduce waste here. We know there are "fab" ideas out there which haven't seen the light of day and we want to
shine that light. We need you.

The Money:
We are open to proposals for funding ranges anywhere from $500 to $10,000. We are interested in projects occurring in 2009.

Contact Us:
www.crackedpots.org
Tess: 503-257-2042.

* Letter of interest is due by 12/15.*

The Learning Tower - Donation

This is an awesome opportunity to support local business, benefit a PPS K-8 school, and get your hands on a special order Learning Tower.

Here's the scoop: Ella at Queens Mab on Killingsworth (formerly Tickled Pink) donated a Learning Tower to the Astor School auction fundraiser. It didn't sell, so we decided to post on urbanMamas to a community more likely to use The Learning Tower. The proceeds will go to Astor School, the winning bidder will get a fabulous item in the color of choice, and Ella gets to show off a very cool item she carries at the store. 

What is a Learning Tower, you ask?  The website has great information as well as the 9 (!) colors you can choose from.  http://www.mylearningtower.com/

We've listed it on ebay, with local pick-up the only option.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=330289076573

Please contact me with any questions: Leslie 503.381.8716

shared office space available

Hi,

My name is Hiromi Ogawa, owner of hiromi ogawa architects and a mom to Nico, who is almost 2.

I am looking to share our office space with other designers, artists, writers, hobbyists, anyone who wants a desk and a fun, collaborative space to work. We currently have three workstations available, and they can be rented separately ($365/month), the end pair together ($700/month), or all three ($1000/month).

Our office is located on the ground floor of the newly restored Olympic Mills Commerce Center. You can find information about the building here:

http://www.olympicmill.com/building

The rent includes:
- workstation
- copier, scanner, paper
- internet (DSL)
- flat file and storage space
- all utilities except your phone

Office amenities:
- a little kitchen
- lounge area with large glass garage door
- conference room
- design resource library
- coffee shop in building
- lots of restaurants and showrooms in vicinity

Space is available as soon as you want it. Please email info@hiromiogawa.com or call (503) 477-7075 with any questions.  I couldn't figure out how to post photos on this blog, but I will happily email them to you.

For more information on what we do, please refer to our website:

http://www.hiromiogawa.com

LAST CHANCE to sign up for Thanksgiving Rocks! 3 Day Music Camp

Only a few spots left-  Camp begins Monday!

A great way to keep both parents and kids happy over the long school holiday!

Over the course of these three days, kids will get to form a band with other students with similar musical skill levels.  The band will then come up with a name, design fliers, and learn 1-2 songs to play together.  On the final day, supported by their instructors, each band will get to showcase what they learned with a pizza party and live show for all their folks and friends at Mississippi Pizza!

Price includes all three days and pizza party at the end!  Space is very limited.  Please call 503 282 9999 for more details or to enroll.

Thanksgiving ROCKS! 3 Day Camp for Kids!

What?!  School is out for the entire week of Thanksgiving?

Yup!  But don't worry, Sound Roots School of Modern Music has got you covered!

Thanksgiving Rocks! is a three day adventure for your 1st through 7th grader in making a rock band . All skill levels welcome, including total beginners.   

Young aspiring musicians will get to form a real band with students of their same skill level, come up with a name, design fliers, and learn to play a song with their band mates, in a supportive and fun environment. On the last day, parents can join camp for the Thanksgiving Rocks! Showcase at Mississippi Pizza.

Days and Times: Monday through Wednesday, November 24-26, 8:30 a.m to 5:30 p.m.

Cost: $95

Space is extremely limited-- so go to www.soundrootsmusic.com to sign up now!

Music is something that speaks to every one of us. We are all drawn to different types of music for many reasons: our culture, our family, our environment and our experiences. No matter if your kid wants to play electric guitar or the Hawaiian ukulele, we teach the fundamentals in a way that's individualized, fun and motivating.  Sound Roots' goal is to match students with teachers who most compliment their specific musical interests. By customizing  each student's experience, we can positively impact the way a student feels about music for the rest of their life. 

Beyond camps, Sound Roots offers lessons and classes in a huge variety of instruments for all ages and skill levels.  Call 503 282 9999 with questions or to enroll or visit our website for more info. www.soundrootsmusic.com

Affordable childbirth education workshop offered by experienced labor and delivery nurse

Hey there mamas and mamas-to-be!  I am an experienced labor and delivery nurse (and mama to a 1 year old little girl, Sloane :)  offering childbirth education workshops in the Portland Metro. area.  Please log onto my website at www.babyloveworkshop.com to find out more.  Let me give you the INSIDE scoop on hospital deliveries!  Thanks! Dena

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