March Newsletter

March 1, 2011

In This Issue:

Jesus "Paz" Ramos to speak at March Membership luncheon.

Save the Date: 9th Annual Employment, Contracting & Promotional Trade

Tax Credit for Families with Children in College.

March Calendar of Events

New Members

Paz Ramos, Principal

Alder Elementary School

Membership Luncheon

Principal Jesus "Paz" Ramos will address members at the Hispanic Chamber's Membership luncheon in March.

Paz Ramos has served as Principal at Alder Elementary School in the Reynolds School district since 2009. Formerly, he worked for the Hillsboro School District, Nyssa School District, and Parma School District in Idaho.

In 2010, Ramos instituted a "No Excuses" policy and created the expectation that his students would continue their education after high school graduation. In August 2010, the state announced that Alder Elementary had met federal performance standards under the No Child Left Behind act. It was the first time in four years that Alder had met the federal benchmarks for reading, math and attendance at the same time. Alder Elementary has an enrollment of over 600 students K-5, with 63% being Hispanic.

In October 2010, Alder Elementary was chosen as the nation's first Dreamer School. As a "Dreamer School," Alder will receive tutoring, scholarships, and mentoring along with other support. The aid will begin in the 2011-2012 school year and continue until the students have graduated college. The program is sponsored by the I Have A Dream foundation Oregon.

Paz received a BA in Physical Education from Linfield College in 1984. He received a Masters in Administration from Northwest Nazarene College in 1994.

SAVE THE DATE:

9th Annual Employment, Contracting & Promotional Trade

Previous Trade Show

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Time: 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Place: Oregon Convention Center

777 NE Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd.

Portland, OR 97232

Cost: Free to the Public!

Sponsor: American Family Insurance

For booth pricing & information, please e-mail Gale Castillo at: gcastillo@hmccoregon.com.

Tax Credit for Families with Children in College

American Opportunity Credit

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), more parents and students will qualify over the next two years for a tax credit to pay for college expenses.

The new credit modifies the existing Hope Credit for tax years 2009 and 2010, making the Hope Credit available to a broader range of taxpayers, including many with higher incomes and those who owe no tax.

It also adds required course materials to the list of qualifying expenses and allows the credit to be claimed for four post-secondary education years instead of two. Many of those eligible will qualify for the maximum annual credit of $2,500 per student.

For more information about the American Opportunity Credit, please click here.

El Crédito de la Oportunidad Americana tiene un valor de hasta $2,500 del costo de matrícula y gastos relacionados. Para obtener más información, haga clic aquí.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

March 10, 2011 - Workshop

"How to Apply for Federal Employment"

Presenter: Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and other federal agencies

Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Place: Hispanic Chamber

333 SW 5th Ave, Ste. 100, Downstairs training room

Portland, OR 97204

(503) 222.0280

Cost: None to Attendees

RSVP to: Sandra Cervantes at scervantes@hmccoregon.com or online.

March 24, 2011 - Workshop