Parent Resources
The following is a list of resources for parents. Check back often as the list changes often.
Get smart about Kids and Media!
Cyberbullying. Social Networking. Cell Phones. Video Gaming. Now more than ever, kids are consuing and creating media 24/7.
Go to www.comonsesemedia.org to get free information about how to help you raise smart, responsible kids.
Oregon Department of Education Names
Oregon Teacher of the Year
West Salem High School's Michael Lampert, a Physics teacher, was designated 2008-09 Teacher of the Year by the Oregon Department of Education. Lampert recommends the following websites:
First Lego Robotics www.usfirst.org
ExploraVision Awards www.exploravision.org
Oregon Academic Decathlon www.orad.us
Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams http://web.mit.edu/inventeams
Earth Watch Institute www.earthwatch.org
High Five Challenge www.high-five.com
National Ocean Sciences Bowl www.oceanleadership.org/link/nosb
BPA Science Bowl www.bpa.gov/corporate/education/sciencebowl/
Murdock Trust Charitable Grants www.murdock-trust.org
Toyota TAPESTRY Grants www.nsta.org/pd/tapestry/
Science in Africa www.armadaproject.org
Science in Antarctica http://tea.armadaproject.org
Poetry Out Loud
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation present Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, in partnership with the Oregon Arts Commission. Schools are invited to adopt the 2008 - 2009 Poetry Out Loud curriculum, present school-wide contests, and advance to the state competition on Saturday, March 14, 2009 in Salem. Oregon’s state champion will advance to the National Finals, April 26-28, 2009 in Washington, DC. Oregon’s 2008 Champion, Sophia Soberon from Brookings-Harbor High, won second place at the national contest, which included a $10,000 scholarship.
An Oregon Poetry Out Loud curriculum guide will be available online by mid-September at www.oregonartscommission.org. The national Poetry Out Loud website offers details of the contest and suggestions of how to incorporate poetry into the classroom: www.poetryoutloud.org. Deadline for school registration has been extended to November 26.
To register, or for more information, contact Deb Vaughn, arts education coordinator, Oregon Arts Commission at deborah.vaughn@state.or.us or 503-986-0085.
A Call for Writing-November 21 Deadline
VSA arts www.vsarts.org, an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, is accepting short works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for publication in an online literary journal on the theme "At Second Glance." Entries must reach VSA arts on or before Friday, November 21, 2008. The call is open to students with disabilities and students who have connections to people with disabilities. Students must be between the ages of 11 and 18 years. Submissions must relate to the theme "At Second Glance." Prompts are available at the website, including the following: Describe how a second opportunity to experience a sound, smell, sight, event, or personal interaction led you to change your perception or opinion. Writing may be submitted in any language. A total of two entries per student are allowed: one fiction or nonfiction piece and one poem. See www.VSAarts.org for complete guidelines and entry / publishing information. The call for writing is a tool to encourage educators to explore creative writing in their classrooms and learning environments. It is an opportunity to draw out the expressive minds of students of all abilities through the written word, while also addressing education standards in reading and writing. Writing guides are available online at www.vsarts.org under Resources for Educators and Parents.
Rubber Band Contest
The Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS), The Akron Global Polymer Academy, and The University of Akron are hosting the first-ever Rubber Band Contest for Young Inventors to encourage students in grades 5-8 to demonstrate their creativity and ingenuity by creating an invention that incorporates the use of rubber bands. Young Inventors must be students in grades 5 to 8 for the school year 2008-2009, and original inventions must incorporate the use of rubber bands. Deadline for all contest entries is November 14, 2008.
"Education is our greatest opportunity to give an irrevocable gift to the next generation."
— Ernie Fletcher
Try to Learn Something New Every Day.
