Quarter 1 Blog Post from Twality

The Twality Spotlight - Quarter 1

Dear community,

We hope your student and your family experienced great starts to the new school year!  We started this year with a focus on practicing our new vision statement that staff and community members created together in June.

Our Twality community includes everyone, values all voices, and celebrates kindness and learning.  We persevere, advocate, reflect and thrive!

Every day, students, staff and parents continue to put these values into practice.  Later in this post you will learn more about “Twality Stories.” School community members share their voices through interviews and conversations you can see and hear on our website. 

Every year, our entire teaching staff engages in learning about a specific, research-based instructional strategy.  This year’s focus on providing coordinated and targeted vocabulary instruction drives our annual professional development series. At Twality, vocabulary is taught in all grades in each and every classroom across the curriculum.  A strong academic vocabulary provides essential tools for reading comprehension and academic achievement.   A command of vocabulary and language skills allows students to access background knowledge, express ideas, communicate effectively and learn about new concepts. 

At this month’s professional development training, teachers continued to coordinate and collaboratively construct strategies to support increased student learning of academic vocabulary.  Interdisciplinary teams of teachers determined which words to target with students. Teaching teams also selected specific, shared strategies to teach the words and use the words in all classes. Research tells us that students can learn 6-10 new vocabulary words per week.  Teachers carefully choose high-utility words that students will use in multiple contexts. 

Here’s one way you can help!  To master new vocabulary, students need multiple exposures and practice using the words.  Ask your student what words he or she is learning and practice using the words in situations at home and in the community.   Students benefit from participating in authentic discussion in which they have the opportunities to hear and to use the words in many different settings.  

Please read more about the teaching and learning happening today and tomorrow at Twality! 

Carol Kinch, Principal

STANDARD BASED REPORTING 

 
Teachers are busily preparing first quarter report cards.  New this year, in addition to your students' grades, your teachers will include information about how your child is doing on the specific learning standards of each course.  Each standard will be rated on a 1 to 4 scale, where a 3 is considered meeting expectations.  In some cases, students may be able to demonstrate the skill in later quarters, and the teacher may re-score the standard at that time.  We're excited to be able to share more detail about your students' progress through our new report card. 

STORIES FROM TWALITY

Part of Twality's mission to value all voices. To give students a voice, we have implemented StoryCorps curriculum that gives students and staff the opportunity to share their stories, experiences and views. A few weeks back students in Inspire interviewed one another about their future. Mrs. Siron's English classes and Mr. Paldino's Technology classes have done similar activities. As part of the activity, students reflected on their experiences being interviewed. Many students expressed how they were happy that they had a voice and appreciated that someone cared and was listening to their stories. Students are excited for next week's interviews on family traditions. We're looking forward to hearing more stories and giving more students an opportunity to have a voice. 

What is "Stories From Twality" all about?  

Stories from Twality are stories about people just like you.  They are simply conversations in which two or more people sit down together and take time to get to know one another while their conversation is being recorded.  

Who is able to post a story? 

Anyone can post a story.  Students, teachers, parents, brothers, sisters and friends. 

Do you have to be a student or staff member to participate?  

No, not at all.  Students are encouraged to interview their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters or anyone that they would like to talk to in order to learn more about them.  

We invite you to listen to the following interview that Phillip Abraham did with Mr. McCauley.  It's a great interview and will show you what Stories From Twality is all about.  Click here to see the interview.  

Are you inspired to do a story with your own family?  Visit Story Corp and listen to the Great Thanksgiving Listen 2015.

OUTDOOR SCHOOL 2015

Our 6th graders had a fabulous time at Outdoor School this fall.  We sent over 300 students to Camp Trickle Creek and Camp Cedar Ridge last week.  The weather held out for the most part and the kids came back with huge smiles raving about what fun they had at camp! 

Here are a few pictures of the kids enjoying Outdoor School.

IMMUNIZATIONS

 

This year, the Oregon legislature enacted Senate Bill 895, a new law about school immunizations for 2015-2016.  This new law makes changes to immunization exemptions.  These changes include: 

• Any religious exemption signed prior to March 1, 2014 is no longer valid.  Parents are required to turn in documentation of immunization or complete the new process for a non-medical exemption prior to Exclusion Day in February of 2016. 

If your child has previously had a religious exemption that was signed before March 1, 2014, you have one of the following options:  

• Have your child vaccinated to meet all immunization requirements - your doctor will complete your child's immunization record and supply a copy to your child's school. 

• If you want a non-medical exemption for your child, complete the new process and turn in two forms: 

 1.  Certificate of Immunization Status - Fill in the dates of any vaccines your child has received, fill out the non-medical exemption section by marking the vaccines for which you want the exception, and then sign and date the exemption.  This form is available in the counseling office.

2.  Vaccine Education Certificate - you will get this certificate after completing the required education about immunizations from the online vaccine education module.  Parents must complete the portions of the module for every vaccine for which they are claiming exemption.  The module can be found online at www.healthoregon.org/vaccineexemption.  Print these completed forms out and bring them to the counseling office. 

• If you need a medical exemption for your child, get a letter from your child's physician with the information stated on the Certificate of Immunization Status form.  Turn in the letter to your child's school.  Medical exemptions are reviewed and approved by the health department. 

 www.co.washington.or.us.HHS/Immunizations/school-requirements.cfm

TWALITY'S ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE

November 16th - November 24th 

• Students can bring food items to their RV class beginning November 16th.  

• The top 3 RV classes with the most food points wins a doughnut party!

3 POINTS

 High Protein Items
Canned Meats / Tuna
Peanut Butter
Low-Sugar Cereals
Canned or Dried Beans


2 POINTS

 Healthy Items
Canned or Dried Fruits
Canned or Packaged Soup, Stew or Chili
Canned Vegetables
Whole Grain Pasta / Brown Rice / Quinoa

1 POINT

White Grain Pasta / White Rice
High Sugar Cereals
Ramen Noodles

All other items = 1 point!

Twality has always been the biggest food contributor! 
Thank you for participating! 

ACT TESTING

On December 1st, 8th graders will have an opportunity to participate in ACT testing.  The ACT college readiness assessment is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc.  The test was originally geared towards 10th graders who are preparing for the PSAT’s and SAT’s. 

The company recently introduced the Aspire test which can be used, similar to SBAC, to assess the Common Core State Standards for students beginning in 3rd grade. This is a timed test that is taken in one day in the areas of English, Reading, Writing, Math and Science. It is a timed test, very similar to the SAT test. One addition to this assessment that is unique from any other assessment taken in school is the incorporation of a Career Interest Inventory that allows students to explore careers based on their strengths and interests. 

The bottom line is, this is another opportunity for students to get feedback about their progress and learning and, specifically, their readiness for high school. Because the test is being taken during the school year, staff with have an opportunity to explain the test results to students and counselors will offer meetings with families at their request for individualized academic advising. 

For more information visit http://www.discoveractaspire.org/parent-overview/

CALENDAR OF EVENTS: 

November 17 - Drama Night - MPR and Commons - 7pm
November 19 - Drama Night - MPR and Commons - 7pm
November 20 - Honor Roll Breakfast and Volleyball Community Builder

November 26-27 - NO SCHOOL - Happy Thanksgiving

December 1 - 8th Grade Explorer Test

December 3 - 7th & 8th Grade Band Concert - Tualatin High School - 7pm

December 4 - Starry Nights - Treble Choir - Tualatin Commons 7:55pm

December 9 - Beginning & Advanced Band Choir Concerts 6:15pm

December 13 - Concert Choir with Oregon Repertory Singers -
                     First United Methodist Church - 4pm

December 15 - Winter Choir Concert - 7th / 8th Grade Choir - Commons - 7pm
December 16 - Winter Orchestra Concert / 6th - 8th Grade - Commons - 7pm

December 17 - Concert Band to THS Band Concert - THS Auditorium - 7pm
December 18 -Treble and Concert Choir to the Oregon Capitol 
December 21-January 1 - NO SCHOOL - Winter Break