Where is Ms. DuBois?

Teachers have many responsibilities. This Monday I will be out of the classroom engaging in some very exciting work with OEIB (Oregon Education Investment Board) and ODE (Oregon Department of Education). After my Teacher of the Year Award in 2010, my responsibilities expanded from my own classroom to many statewide expectations. I am excited to announce, through my work with Chalkboard serving on the Distinguished Educators' Council, I have been invited by the Oregon Education Investment Board to serve on an advisory committee which will guide the development of the new Network for Quality Teaching and Learning in Oregon.

This network was established during the 2013 legislative session. HB 3233 created the Network of Quality Teaching & Learning and HB 2506 funded the network at $33 million. An additional one-time investment of $12.8 million brought the total to nearly $46 million. The following Chalkboard priorities are included in the Network:

• School District Collaboration Fund

• Oregon Beginning Teacher and Administrator Mentoring Program

• New Models of Teacher Preparation

• Implementation of new performance evaluations systems required by legislation passed in 2011 (SB 290)

• Professional Development Clearinghouse

This means, for example, that instead of advocating every year for a little bit of money to fund mentoring for new teachers and administrators, mentoring will now be funded through the permanent Network. This is a big deal for Oregon and will directly impact educators in every district across the state.

Governor Kitzhaber championed the Network. He stated, “I am proud of the steps taken this session to improve outcomes for Oregon’s students. The creation of the Network of Quality Teaching and Learning demonstrates an important commitment to Oregon’s professional educators. We know that in order to deliver better results for students we have to deliver consistent and meaningful supports for educators. The Network is a significant step in the right direction.”

It is an honor and a privilege to take the Camas Ridge Voice with me as we begin to create a  statewide system that encompasses supports for educators at every stage of their careers. By supporting educators, students are assured a topnotch education in Oregon!

~Ms. DuBois

December 18th, 2013

ROOM 6, 7 and 8 FIELD TRIP  TOMORROW!

     We will be going to the Symphonic Safari tomorrow! Our class will leave Camas Ridge at 9:30 and return at 11:00.  Also, we are having a winter celebration on Friday, December 20^th.  If you would like to bring snacks for our celebration we would LOVE IT!  Students can wear their PJ’s and bring pillows and/or stuffed animals to our winter celebration.  

     Homework this week is a reading log and an essay about 'Family Traditions'.  All homework is due Friday, December 20th. Have a happy and healthy winter break.  We will see you back at school in the new year!

 Thanks for your support,

~Ms. D

December 5th, 2013

Don't forget we have NO SCHOOL on Friday, December 6th. In class we are hoping for snow! This week we created snowflakes to decorate our windows, we placed a white crayon and a glue stick in the window, and at home I hear students were flushing ice cubes down the toilet to encourage snow to fall.

This week in science we discovered all three of our newly hatched fish died over the break! The good news is we have harvested one new egg and we are watching the two eggs which dried up to see if they survived the 'drought'. Students recorded observations of the three dead fish, and the three remaining eggs using our classroom microscopes.

Below is a picture of Dory laying eggs in the yarn mop.
This happened today!

Homework came home today. Students brought home a reading log for the upcoming week, week 7 spelling words to write in cursive, and a writing assignment to write a true or creative story about a snow day. All homework is due Friday, December 13th.

We wrapped up our week with the Nutcracker!

Here are some of our thoughts...
Jordan ~ I thought the 4 gumdrops were cool.
Josie ~ I thought it was really amazing how they could bend.


Cate ~ I thought it was really cool how they could balance on one toe and pull their leg up to their head.
Lucas ~ The timing of the turning of the wind-up key to the music was impressive.
Sarah ~ I liked in the beginning when the girls and the brother were receiving their presents.
Alex ~ I enjoyed the costumes and choreography and color.
Summer ~ I thought it was cool how well they could balance.
Lillian ~ I actually liked the tutu on the sugar plum fairy.
Lily ~ I enjoyed the beginning scene and I thought they worked very hard on it.
Zach ~ I thought the Aladdin dancer was very pretty.
Thomas ~ I thought it was really cool because it took a lot of work, and I know because I did gymnastics.



Have a wonderful week! ~Donna