The Twality Spotlight - April 2016
Message from the Principal
Smarter
Balanced Assessment
In May students will take the Smarter Balanced Assessment
(SBAC). SBAC is a high quality assessment that measures students’ acquisition
of the Common Core Standards. In October 2010, Oregon adopted the Common Core State Standards
for Language Arts and Mathematics. These standards were designed to challenge
students to understand subject matter more deeply, think critically and apply
knowledge to real life situations. The results will provide us with meaningful information about
each individual student’s skills and about the effectiveness of our
instructional program.
We created a testing schedule to minimize disruption and elicit
our students’ best effort. Most students
will complete the assessment in one week:
May 9th-13th: 6th
Grade
May 16th-20th: 7th
Grade
May 23rd- 27th: 8th Grade
Sixth graders will test in the mornings, Monday through Friday. Seventh
and eighth graders will complete most of the testing in two 90-minute blocks on
Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday (Wednesday and Friday will be normal schedules). Students
will be assigned to a proctor (one of their teachers) who
will be with them throughout the testing session.
We ask that you help us make this a positive experience for your
student by following
some of these tips and requests:
·
Please do not schedule medical or dental appointments, or vacations
during the testing window.
·
Encourage your child to get a good night’s sleep and eat a
healthy breakfast. (Students may bring snacks and water bottles).
·
Please bring headphones.
There is a listening portion on the Language Arts assessment and
students typically like using their own headphones.
·
Remind your child that phones will not be allowed in the testing
environment. All electronic devices will be secured with the proctor or in
their lockers prior to the testing session.
·
Remind your child to bring a book or drawing materials to occupy
their time if they complete the assessment before the end of the testing
session.
·
Your child may want an extra layer of clothing in case the
classroom is cold.
As a school staff, we are committed to creating a stress free
environment for testing. We believe that
SBAC is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their learning. Students (and
teachers) have worked hard all year and I am confident that each student has
achieved their learning goals.
Thank you,
Carol Kinch
Family STEM Night, Tue May 10th 6:00-8:00pm
Family STEM Night is a FREE opportunity for
families to have fun together while exploring a variety of hands-on STEM
activities and learning how STEM is involved in everyday life. Come create, design, explore, improve, imagine and invent!
We know that there are many of you out there that hold professions that incorporate STEM skills. We
NEED you to come and share what you do with students and families
attending STEM Night. There will be a two-hour block of time that we
will have for you to share. Please join us for the first hour, the
second hour, or both! Bring some hands-on tools, activities, pictures,
etc...that can help get students excited about pursuing a fun career in
STEM.
Remember, it may not seem the most exciting to
you, but when students hear about what you do, they are almost always
blown away and excited about new things they haven’t thought of before.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) encompasses a WIDE
range of skills and professions! Please come and share what you do!
Contact Dylan McCann or Carla Birkholz if you are interested in joining us!
dmccann@ttsd.k12.or.us cbirkholz@ttsd.k12.or.us
Drama One Act Plays
Our amazing advanced drama students have been preparing One Act Plays for you! Come enjoy a show on Tuesday April 26th or Thursday April 28th, 7:00-8:30pm in the MPR. Both shows have different performances, come see both if you have time! Thank you for supporting our Drama Department!
Have an 8th Grader interested in Tigard High School
Dance teams?
Tigard Youth Football
It's that time of the year again! Tigard Youth Football
season registration opens April 1st for the
Fall 2016 season. There is an Open House
meeting scheduled for April 17th if you have questions
about Tigard Youth Football.
TTSD Books on Wheels, Book Drive
TTSD Parent Presentation
Tigard Turns the Tide:
National speaker scheduled for Community Education Forum
Mark your
calendars now for Monday, May 9. National speaker and Police Officer
Jermaine Galloway will lead a discussion about emerging alcohol and drug trends
in our area. Before our event, he will do a community scan to identify our
local culture in alcohol and other drug items that promote use. We will have
the opportunity to learn about emerging trends, both nationally and locally.
The Community Education Forum will be held:
6 – 8 p.m., Monday, May 9, 2016
Colossae Church, 12244 SW Garden Place, Tigard 97223
This FREE forum is appropriate for parents, teachers, school staff, community leaders, coalition members, law enforcement, PSO’s, youth pastors, youth group leaders, and other adults in the community working with youth. This forum is not appropriate for children or students. Spanish language translation and refreshments will be provided.
The Community Education Forum will be held:
6 – 8 p.m., Monday, May 9, 2016
Colossae Church, 12244 SW Garden Place, Tigard 97223
This FREE forum is appropriate for parents, teachers, school staff, community leaders, coalition members, law enforcement, PSO’s, youth pastors, youth group leaders, and other adults in the community working with youth. This forum is not appropriate for children or students. Spanish language translation and refreshments will be provided.
