Community Transitional School

"For our students, school is a refuge from the trauma and hardships of poverty and uncertainty—a place where they feel a sense of community and belonging. This is a place where they have room to learn, laugh with friends and build hope."
—Cheryl M. Bickle, Principal and Teacher

June 09, 2009

Graduation Day
Our five 8th graders were honored on June 8 with speeches, presents, cookies, flowers, hugs, laughter and tears. Adis, Joselena, James, Sierra and Neftaly were the graduating Class of 2009 - the largest group to graduate in the school's 19-year history. All are bound for high school. All overcame some big barriers in their lives to get this far. All made us proud. Friends, families, teachers, staff and volunteers gave them a big send-off. Marna reminded them that this was just the beginning, that there were a lot more challenges ahead. And that we would be here for them if they needed us. Cheryl told them she wants to be invited to their high school graduations. All of the grads gave speeches thanking the teachers and staff. All have high hopes for the future. Here is one speech from a student who started at CTS just this year:

"This fall will be different because I'm going to high school. I'm pretty excited because I think it will be fun. I'm not really sure what high school I'm going to just yet. But right now I'm just happy I graduated. I've been to three different schools in the past year, but I have to say CTS has helped me the most. They helped me with my attitude and my education. I would like to thank my teachers and the staff for helping me through this year. You have taught me respect and responsibility. You have taught me that it's not only about what I think. And I will remember that when I graduate high school and go to college. And hopefully get a good job in photography and get a nice house and car and have a good life. So I guess all I have to say is thank you and...Goodbye middle school!"

Celebratory toasts with root beer floats
CTS students and staff have a tradition of starting and ending each year with toasts and root beer floats. So that's how we ended our 19th school year on June 9. As an added bonus, the sun came out for our last day (unlike the root beer and ice cream, the sun doesn't always show up for the party). The kids made the most of it. Volunteers helped put on a field day with lots of games including a rubber chicken toss and the beloved water balloon-throwing event. Thanks to all who helped with the day and a big thanks to all the donors, volunteers and friends who helped make this a truly great year.

What we learned
Last week, Cheryl had her 2nd through 5th grade class do self-portraits that included 10 things they learned this year. Here are some examples of what they learned (edited for spelling):
I learned to be kind. I learned to be nice. I learned not to steal...
I learned 2nd grade math in 1st grade...
I learned I am good at math...
I learned to trust other people...
I learned to write cursive...
I learned long division...
I learned to do fractions. I was surprised I could do it...
I learned to use my inside voice...
I learned kickball. I learned dodge ball. I learned to do 'Double Dutch.' ...
I learned to stand up for myself...
I learned that I can run more each day...
I learned to read books...
I learned to keep trying...
I learned to have confidence...
I learned not to be afraid to read out loud...
I learned to keep my hands to myself...
I learned how to go to school every day even if my brother did not come.

Not to be outdone, Marna's 6th through 8th graders did essays reflecting on the year. They were asked to write about math, reading, writing and their social lives. Here are a few excerpts from their papers on each subject:

Math:
"I got better at math. Now I can do my times tables without even thinking about it. I like to do times tables and I like to use them anywhere."
"This year in math I learned a lot. I learned how to do negative integers, surface area, volume, graphs, functions, angles, pi, power and a lot of other stuff. To learn all this I had to put in some effort and less playing around."

Reading:
" 'Tom Sawyer' was surprising because a lot of people were dead, hurt or just died."
"Always in life I will need to read."

Writing:
"I learned a great amount of big words from both reading and writing."
"I know I got better at writing. I like to draw, not write, but good things can come out of writing good."

Social:
"At first I was really shy, but then I made a lot of friends. I have had some really hard spots in life and I've always needed help. My friends have always been there in the beginning and they shall be there in the end...We always hang out and we tell each other our deepest darkest secrets. (Well, maybe not all.)"
"I can make almost everybody smile."

May 01, 2009

  Tell me s'more, please
Marna's 5th-8th grade girls couldn't stop talking about their day at Portland Community College's Math & Science Conference for Middle School Girls. Our girls joined about 600 other girls from all over the Portland area on April 30 at PCC's Rock Creek Campus. They got to to to sessions led by women professionals in everything from architecture to medicine to engineering, software, hardware, welding and more. One 8th grader now wants to be a pharmacist, and a 7th grader thinks it would be cool to be a Park Ranger. Two students won an award in NIKE's workshop on engineering and design called "Just this one time it's ok to play with your food." Girls were asked to design and build s'mores out of the usual materials - graham crackers, chocolate, marshmallows - and the resulting objects were tested and judged. The CTS s'more was the biggest and heaviest. And it withstood 8 pounds of pressure, without crumbling. Although it won few points for looks, it did win the prize for Best Development Work/Best Performing S'more.

  Now, that's show biz!
Stars were being born all over the place at the CTS Third Annual Talent Show, which was held on April 24th. We had a trio of a capella singers doing a song about friendship. We had two colorful dance acts, a jump rope act, two teams of comedians performing knock-knock jokes and two magic acts. Other students helped out with the tape player, the emcee work and the "applause" signs. The signs were cute but probably unnecessary, as students, parents, staff and board members applauded enthusiastically. Some of our multi-talented staff participated, too. Transportation coordinator Tom Lechner played part of Beethoven's Tempest Piano Sonata, and bus driver Glen Allen played his own instrumental composition on acoustic guitar. It's hard to pick a highlight, though. Maybe it was the sign that decorated the lunchroom. It told students to reach for the moon, because even if you miss, you may land among the stars.

April 01, 2009
Better Living Through Chemistry (And Other Magic)

Hard to believe, but Spring Break has come and gone. And we are back, even though it feels like spring never arrived. Also hard to believe, but we have just 10 weeks left of school this year - and so much to do. We have our talent show coming, the CTS alumni reunion and all sorts of other projects to complete before we enjoy our traditional last-day-of-the-year root beer floats. To catch you up, we had some special visitors before the break. Jesse Lowes from OMSI came and put on a show called "React-o-Blast" that demonstrated all kinds of exciting chemical reactions. The kids got to participate and they loved the bubbling substances, reminiscent of Frankenstein's laboratory, as well as liquids changing color and exploding fires. Some of their favorite chemical changes were the "elephant toothpaste," a foaming substance that would not quit, and the fire blasts, assisted by teachers Marna and Jennipher. More than one student left the assembly saying, "I'm going to be a scientist!" Whether that happens or not, it is always great to see children get excited about science. Soon after, the venerable Dr. M came and presented his magic act. This has been an annual event for many years and it is always well-loved. This year, Dr. M shared some of tips with some of our burgeoning magicians. They are getting their acts ready for our all-school talent show April 24th. Besides magicians, we'll have dancers, some singers and other surprises.

Meanwhile, Back in the Classrooms
Marna's Class
The 5th-8th graders have been pondering career choices and doing research on occupations, based on what they think they'd like to be. We have a couple of future doctors, a lawyer and a "politician," as well as a future carpenter, mechanic and a computer programmer. One seventh-grade girl wants to be a pathologist, bringing cries of "Ewwww" from her classmates. This exercise segues nicely into an upcoming visit from a group of executive women who speak to the class about their various occupations. Some of Marna's students will also participate in a Portland Community College conference for middle school girls aimed at inspiring math, science and technology career choices... Marna's class also is reading "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and thoroughly enjoying this story from a very different time and place in America. It's surprising and somehow reassuring that these urban 21st century kids can relate to Mark Twain's story set in the rural Midwest in another era. Good stories live on.

Jennipher's Class
The Little Kids (as well call the kindergarteners and first graders) have been working on words with "b" and "n" in them. One child scored triple points for "bunny"... Jennipher has been reading the children different variations of classic tales. One is "The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pigs." Another is "Cinder Edna," an updated twist on the old "poor-girl-goes-to-the-ball" story. This modern heroine is totally self-sufficient. Pumpkin coaches? Nah. Edna takes public transportation to the ball. And rather than glass slippers, she wears comfortable loafers - all the better for dancing. The Little Kids think Cinder Edna is great. She even knows 16 recipes for tuna casserole!

Cheryl's Class
The 2nd-5th graders have been reading "Because of Winn-Dixie," which is about a 10-year-old girl named Opal who moves with her father to a new town. She learns about her absent mother, finds a dog that she names "Winn-Dixie," after the grocery store where she found him, and has a lot of adventures. Cheryl asked her students to write what they learned about themselves from the book. One child wrote, "Opal and I have a lot in common. When my dad left me, we moved to a new place...I learned you just need to let it go. You have to focus on what you have." ...The 5th & 6th graders have been reading poetry, too. Here's one they read by Langston Hughes:

The Dream Keeper

Bring me all of your dreams,
You dreamer,
Bring me all your
Heart melodies
That I may wrap them
In a blue cloud-cloth
Away from the too-rough fingers
Of the world.

February 20, 2009
  Harbingers
The hallway bulletin boards are still decorated with Valentines. It's one of the best days of the year. Each class had its own party, and everyone got cards and treats. Volunteers helped the littlest kids read their valentines. And the 6th through 8th graders had music on the boom box and pizza to eat. Now, we are seeing harbingers of spring. Recess is much improved because the sun occasionally shines. Spring break is just around the corner. And the kids are getting their acts ready for our third annual spring talent show. Past year's acts have included singers, dancers, jump-rope routines and magicians. We're all looking forward to the show this year.

  Our own first 100 days
The world is busy watching President Obama's performance during his historic First 100 Days. Meanwhile, on February 11, Jennipher's K-1st Grade class enjoyed our annual 100th Day of School Celebration. The class made all sorts of things. They made a LEGO contraption with 100 pieces of LEGO and a necklace with 100 pieces of cereal. They had an exercise where they had to think of things that "would be good to have 100 copies of" and things that "might be a problem" to have 100 copies of. Isaac said he'd love to have a collection of 100 Spidermen; but having "100 dragons flying wild in my room" might be a problem... Baron said 100 days of rain would really be a problem because "we couldn't have recess."... And Chase said owning 100 cars might be a problem because "you have to fix them."

  One more time
Another reminder: The Second Annual Gunnar Roads "Kids for Community" Benefit Concert, scheduled in December but canceled due to snow, is rescheduled for Sunday March 1st. from 6 to 9 p.m., at McMenamins Kennedy School, 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave. Five dollar donations at the door and raffle ticket sales will benefit CTS. One of the prizes is a Fender Squire Stratocaster, donated by local blues hero Norman Sylvester. Gunnar at just 14 years old but has been playing blues guitar for years. Last year, he and his band came up with the idea of "kids helping other kids" by holding a benefit for CTS. It was a great time, so boogie on over.

   Calling all CTS Alums!
If anyone reading this knows any former CTS students, get in touch with us! The older kids in the After School program are planning the school's first-ever CTS Alumni Reunion. It's quite a project. The kids are starting from scratch, tracking down former students. They're finding them, too - mostly on "My Space," a great research tool for this project! They'll invite the alums to an open house in the spring. The kids are excited, planning refreshments and decorations. The project also helps the staff. We often get asked where our kids end up, but we have no good way to follow them after they leave. The After School kids hope this list will be the beginning of a real alumni group and a way to keep in touch.

¡Hola! ¿Comó te llamas?
Do you know that the Mexican flag depicts an eagle eating a snake? Do you know why? Cheryl's 2nd-5th graders know. They are learning all about Mexico from Hilda, our teachers' aide, who was born in Mexico. Hilda is teaching the students about the country's geography, population, and history. All of the kids are enjoying it. Cheryl says the students with Hispanic backgrounds are noticeably proud to be studying Mexico in school. These students will make several maps, including a map that pinpoints where their families came from. When Hilda teaches the Spanish language, some of the students say, "I know that! I know that word." But even if they speak Spanish at home, they don't know how to write it, so they still have nearly as much to learn as the non-Hispanic students. Here are some drawings the students made of the Mexican flag. But first they learned about the flag's symbolism. Hilda says the images are based on a legend that recounts the way the Aztec people chose the site where they built their first capital city, which is where Mexico City stands today. According to the legend, the Aztec leader had a dream that told him to build a city in a place where the people found an eagle with a serpent in its beak, sitting on a cactus. And so they did. So, now you know.

January 16, 2009
We, the (Young) People

Thanks, and
Happy New Year!

Like the rest of the country, we are excited about watching a bit of history on TV on Inauguration Day. Marna's 5th through 8th grade students have memorized the presidential oath for the event, so they can say it along with President Obama. Also, this way they'll know it just in case one of them grows up to be president one day. They are also memorizing the Preamble to the Constitution, a good thing to know whether you are president or not.

Thawed Out and Ready
We're all back, thawed out and ready to dig into new projects. But before we go into that, here's a big thanks and a happy new year to all of our friends who provided holiday donations of food, clothing and toys to our students and money and supplies to our school. A special thanks goes to the volunteers who braved the snow and cold to make Christmas deliveries to our students and their families all over Portland and its outskirts. Definitely beyond the call of duty!

Classroom Cays, Crystals, Castles and Collections
Marna's class is reading "The Cay," which is set in the Caribbean, so they are listening to Harry Belafonte music...Teacher aides Tony and Hilda introducing 4th and 5th graders to the scientific method, and their first project is growing crystals...Meanwhile, students in Jennipher's kindergarten and 1st grade class are studying castles, learning about dinosaurs, rhyming words and learning sentence structures...Cheryl's class brought some of their favorite things to Collection Day. There was something for everyone, including collections of Matchbox Cars, Beanie Babies, My Little Ponies and a colorful collection of little bottles of nail polish. Also, rocks!

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