Odle Viking News November 16, 2011

The Odle Viking News is distributed on the first and third Wednesday of every month. Submission requests are due on the first and third Monday, and may be sent to the newsletter editor.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011 Success = Odle's Only Option

Calendar

Thursday, Nov. 17: PTSA General Meeting, 6:30 pm, Odle Library

Friday, Nov. 18: Student of the Quarter, 12:00 pm

Monday, Nov. 21: Deadline for Reflections entries

Thursday, Nov. 24 & Friday, Nov. 25: No School, Thanksgiving

Wednesday, Nov. 30: Internet Safety Parent Education Night, 6:30 pm, MUR

Thursday, Dec. 1: FOOM Monthly Meeting, 7:00 pm

Thursday, Dec. 1: Arena Conferences, 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Friday, Dec. 2: PRISM Winter Potluck, 6:00 pm

Wednesday, Dec. 7: Winter Band Concert, 7:00 pm

Thursday, Dec. 8: Winter Choir Concert, 7:00 pm

Upcoming Events

You are Invited! Get to know the Vice Principal! Meet Some Fellow Parents!

What: PTSA General Meeting

Special Guest: Our own Vice Principal Jonathan Shearer

Jonathan will sit down with us to take questions. He says that after being at Bellevue High he is happy to discuss preparing middle schoolers for the rigors of high school. Other possible subjects might be Odle's anti-bullying curriculum, the ASB leadership club's plans for the year, and a status update on success.

When: This Thursday, November 17, 6:30 pm

Where: Odle library

We hope you can join us for coffee, tea and cookies!

Meet other parents and to stay up-to-date on what's going on at Odle.

Reflections Countdown!

If you still want to participate in this year's National PTSA Art Competition, you have one more week to do so. The categories are: visual art, photography, video production, literature, dance choreography, and music composition. The deadline is Nov. 21st. Please make sure to completely fill out and sign your entry forms and consent forms (if applicable). Please make sure to finish your entry according to the rules and guidelines (available in the office). Unfortunately, I can't accept unfinished entries! Please drop off your entries at the office.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact Ilona Larson at i.larson@comcast.net

Good luck!

Ilona Larson

Reflections Chair

SEATTLE POLICE Information for 21st CENTURY PARENTS

Internet Safety, Facebook, Cyber-bullying, Cell Phones, Texting & More!

Essential information for monitoring your children's online and social media activities

how to respond to cyber-bulling effectively
keep your child's social networking page safe & private
the reality of posting and sexting
rules to implement and ensure safety online

SPECIAL GUEST: STEFANIE THOMAS

Advocate with the SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT

Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force

Location: Odle Middle School (MUR)

November 30, 6:30 pm

Hosted by Odle PTSA & Bellevue PTSA Council

Arena Conferences

Dear Odle Parent(s)/Guardian(s):

I am writing today to let you know about Fall Conferences. Your parent representatives met with staff representatives to come up with a conference plan. The details are below:

Date: Thursday, December 1st, 4 - 8 pm (one night only)

Format:

For General Education and Special Education classes: This year, there will be both Arena Conferences in the Library and Portfolio Conferences in teacher classrooms. Students will bring home information for each of their teachers which will let you know if that teacher is doing Arena Conferences or Portfolio Conferences (the format is by teacher choice)
For PRISM core classes: As in past years, there will be targeted conferences for PRISM LA/SS, Science and Math only. These targeted PRISM conferences are by invitation only.

New to Odle: All parents new to Odle this year are invited to trainings in the computer lab at 5, 6, and 7 pm in order to learn how to access Parent Internet Viewer (sessions are identical - parents choose the time that works best for them)

Upon Arrival: All parents will be given a sheet of paper with a general schedule of the night, an alphabetical listing of where teachers are, and a map of the school

Feedback: Before leaving, we will ask parents to fill out a short survey about conferences so we can better meet parent needs next year

1. A Spanish translator will be available during the conference to assist Spanish speaking parents.

2. For any other language, support can and will be arranged upon request. Please send your request to the Principal, Eric McDowell McDowellE@bsd405.org - who will ensure that adequate support will be available.

I want to encourage all parents to attend conferences this year and to give feedback upon leaving so we can continue to improve our service to parents. To avoid lines, etc., it is best to arrive early if possible. The biggest lines are right in the middle of the evening (between 5:00 and 7:00). If you can attend on either side of that window, you will most likely have the shortest wait.

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday, December 1st.

Eric McDowell, Principal

PRISM Winter Potluck

We hope you can join us for the PRISM Winter Potluck in Odle's MUR on Friday, December 2, 2011, from 6 - 8 pm.

Prease bring enough for 8 - 10 people:

Sides and salads - people with last names beginning with A - G
Entrees - people with last names beginning with H - N
Desserts - people with last names beginning with O - T
Beverages - people with last names beginning with U - Z
PPAC will provide paper products.

Please pass the word to other PRISM families who may not be in the PRISM contact list.

Odle News

PE Clothes

At the start of the school year we limited the number of PE uniforms that parents ordered to two. This was to ensure that we had enough on hand for each child to receive at least one complete uniform. If you would like to order additional shirts, shorts or sweats now would be a great time. Now that the weather is getting colder your students might like to have a pair or two of sweat pants. The pricing is as follows:

T shirts: $5.00

Shorts: $9.00

Sweat pants: $12.00

You can either come into the school office to purchase the uniform using cash or check or you can now access the purchasing of PE uniforms on line with a credit card at: https://touchbase.bsd405.org

(please see article below concerning how to purchase on line).

You can either print the receipt from home or send the student into the office for a reprint of the receipt to take to their PE teacher ad pick up their new clothes.

Paying for Uniforms, Fees and Limited Field Trips on Line

Each family should have received a letter at the start of the school year with instructions for accessing the online Odle store. Here is a copy of that letter:

Dear Parent or Guardian,

The Bellevue School District secondary school your student attends has wanted to offer a more convenient way for parents/guardians to be able to purchase school related items and view and pay for student fines. In order to meet these requirements we would like to invite you to try TouchBase our new Point of Sale website.

From the TouchBase website you will be able to make online purchases for items made available by the school. Possible items could be class fees, selected trip fees, ASB etc. You can also view receipts for items previously purchased, view and pay for fines for your student.

It is important to note that you will be charged a small convenience fee of $3.00 per transaction for any online purchases. These transaction fees will help BSD offset the cost of providing the website. Please note that purchases will appear on your credit card statement as BELLEVUE SCHOOL DISTRICT ONLINE.

In order to access the Point of Sale you need to visit the following site: https://touchbase.bsd405.org

Once at the site you will need to use the login ID and password for one of your children. Your account has already been created using the student's id as the username and the default password is the student's last name.

If you have multiple students then the account may be under one of their student ids and the password is the last name associated with that student.

Once logged in you can change your password by clicking the "your account" link in the top right hand corner of the page.

Please direct questions to posalerts@bsd405.org

Spanish Newsletter

Si a ud. le gustaria recibir una version en espanol de las novedades del Viking cad otro mes, por favor mande un email a odleptsa@hotmail.com con su nombre e, e mail, con lo siguiente " novedades del Vking en espanol por favor." Nosotros solo tenemos a 20 familias en nuestra lista y hemos enviado ya una version en espanol en el mes de Noviembre, este ano.

Gracias.

If you would like to receive a Spanish version of the Viking News by mail every other month, please email odleptsa@hotmail with your name and mailing address with the words "Spanish Viking News Please." We only have 20 families on our current mailing list and have sent one Spanish version (the November issue) so far this year.

Math is Cool Competition

In the Math Is Cool regional contest held on Nov 4, Odle's mathletes had a very strong performance in both individual and team contests!

7th grade was ranked #1 in team competition

8th grade was ranked #2 in team competition

The following students were ranked in top in individual contests:

Geometry division:

Patrick Wang (7th grade), 1st place

Abhinand Sivaprasad (8th grade), 2nd place

Erich Liang (7th grade), 3rd place

Brian Gu (8th grade), 4th place

Patrick Liu (7th grade), 13th place

Phillip Wang (8th grade), 14th place

Advanced division (for students below 7/8th grade)

Daniel He (6th grade), 2nd place

Congratulations to all our mathletes for the strong performance and achievements!

Time is running out for the magazine drive! Get your orders in fast!

The Odle Associated Student Body (ASB) magazine drive has been extended because our sales are low this year, and we need to keep trying! Proceeds from magazine sales fund many things including assemblies,activities buses, field trips, student socials and so much more! Mondays are the turn in days for orders. Keep this in mind for holiday gifts! Please contact Cathi Hervey at herveyjc@hotmail.com if you have any questions. Thanks for supporting Odle students!

Odle PTSA

Odle Middle School Spring Fundraiser - Save the Date

Spring Fundraiser

Friday evening, March 23, 2012

Tam O'Shanter Country Club in Bellevue

An opportunity for Odle Parents, Teachers & Staff to have a fun evening together and raise some funds to benefit all kids in the Odle community.

Stay tuned for more details!

Any questions or would like to volunteer to help on our committee?

Please contact Julia Krill at jkrill@windermere.com.

Alert: State Budget Cuts

The state is looking at $2 billion in cuts. On the governor's likely list is about $600 million in cuts to kids. Most of that is to K-12 education. You need to weigh in. Please tell the governor:

1. What's your strategy? All cuts, new revenue, or balance of cuts and revenue?

2. What are your top three funding priorities?

Take Action

Context:

You should know legislators are considering cutting a week of school. Washington State PTA opposes this. Cutting instruction is no way to pay for education. The present economic situation will be our norm for the foreseeable future and we need solutions that provide for essential services. Legally, the state must fund and prioritize basic education.

Washington State PTA will be seeking a balanced approach. We advocate for the well-being and education of all children, and we are deeply concerned abou access to health care as well as cuts to juvenile justice, early learning and programs that keep children safe. We will be carefully reviewing all revenue options and will continue to ask that efficiencies be explored.

Another cut discussed is to levy equalization, also called local effort assistance or LEA. This is tax relief for property-poor districts. Many school districts rely on it to meet contractual obligations. LEA funds core services and Washington state PTA prioritizes it, but not at the expense of providing for basic education. Funding basic education is stable and equitable. Relying on levies and LEA to pay for schools puts the state on legally shaky ground and perpetuates a broken system of paying for student needs.

Ramona Hattendorf

Goverment relations coordinator

Washington State PTA

Success Initiative Feedback Email: successodle@hotmail.com

Dear Parents,

The Success Initiative Feedback Email is still available for you to give constructive feedback on the new success initiative. Suggestions for improvement as well as compliments will be collected and passed along to our principal and the faculty success teams so that they can make the program as effective as possible.

The feedback email account is designed for people who want their beedback to be anonymous. Names and email addresses will be removed by our webmaster or one of the PTSA presidents before the comment is forwarded to the principal. If you have a question and would like the principal to respond to you personally, go ahead and just email him directly. Thank you for comments we have received so far. They have been anonymously forwarded to the principal and vice principal.

Volunteer Needs

ALL HANDS ON DECK! HELP KIDS BE SUCCESSFUL AT ODLE!

The faculty "Success Team" has requested some extra help from parents after school in the Work Completion Zone (MUR) and Homework Club (Library). This will mainly be light supervision with an occasional question.

To make it very easy to sign up, we have put a "SUCCESS CALENDAR" on the PTSA website: http://www.odlemiddleschool.org. Parents can simply click a spot and add or delete their name. Please consider signing up to help once a month after school at Odle from 2:33 - 4:10 (M, T, TH or F).

If everyone takes a spot, we will all have played a role in creating a supportive and effort-rewarding school atmosphere so that our students can thrive.

Parents who plan to volunteer regularly for success, please fill out a VIBES form which can be found in the attendance office. It is free and easy to fill out, and once you have done one, they are kept on file and do not have to be done again. The district requires these forms for regular volunteers and field trip chaperones, etc.

VIBES (Volunteers In Bellevue's Education System)

Be a Mentor, Be a Tutor, Become a Volunteer.

Visit VIBES on the web at: www.bsd405.org/vibes

ONE Hour a Week

Attention Parents and Community Members! Make a difference in the lives of Bellevue students by becoming a VIBES volunteer! Click here to get the details and get started.

Email: Vibes@bsd405.org

Phone: (425) 456-4154

VIBES is generously funded in cooperation with these partners:

City of Bellevue, Bellevue Schools Foundation, Bellevue School District

Click here to read Bellevue Schools Foundation's Investment Spotlight - VIBES, which is a full article that describes the VIBES program in detail.

Bellevue Schools Foundation Representative for Odle

Job Description: Link to detailed job description from BSF

Learn about the Bellevue Schools Foundation (BSF) and become knowledgeable about how the Foundation enhances student learning at Odle. Attend a Foundation board meeting or coffee during the year. Promote the foundation at Odle events and through the Viking News. Organize a table or two of parents to attend the Spring for Schools luncheon.

Please contact Dominique Vincenti Dominique.Vincenti@nordstrom.com or Krista Hammer krista_hammer@yahoo.com.

Thank You

DonorsChoose Donators

Dear Dominique Vincenti, Kristine Yoo, Brendan Williams, Tracey Williams, Elizabeth McIntyre, Chuck Gillam, Sara Gillam, Kellie, Hope Isitt, Amber Anderson, Yucheng Zheng, Marteena Caple, Julie Hancock, Sakthivel Nachimuthu, Liz Anderson, Karen, Dana Tavener, Carter Pietz, CenturyLink and Anonymous Donors,

It is with great appreciation that I say thank you for supporting our science learning and exploration with your donations. Students this year and beyond will benefit from our shared vision of active, hands-on, technology rich experiences in their science education.

The digital microscope that you have funded will draw students into explorations of the micro-world in ways that a simple light microscope is unable to. The digital microscope will take advantage of students' interest in technology and allow for greater collaboration. Students will not peer into the microscopic realm as a solo learner but instead will work with peers to interpret and understand images sent to their computer screen by this digital microscope. With gratitude,
Mr. W

Dear Stephanie Lee, Michael Zwilling, Debby Benzinger, Megan Sheets, Autumn Bader, Demetrius, Dee Ann Wilson and Sandra Lompe,

Your donation to our "Game to Learn!" project helped fulfill the funding request! The resources that your donations provide will allow us to approach science content in another engaging mode. These games will allow students who quickly demonstrate mastery with a concept to explore related content in a fun format. Struggling students will have the opportunity to play these content rich games with me and other students during class and at after-school re-teaching sessions. Hopefully all of my students have so much fun with these games that they don't even realize that they are learning! Thank you again for supporting the learning in our classroom and school. I appreciate your support. With gratitude,

Mr. W

CD Player Donators

Thank you Paul Nghiem and Stephanie Lee for the donation of a new CD player for the classroom of our French teacher Bonnie Karmouch! Our language students will benefit from your generosity.

Spanish Newsletter Volunteers

Thank you to Odle parent Rosalba Vazquez Camino for translating a November issue of the Viking News into Spanish. Thank you to Kim McDermott for copying and mailing it.

Success Volunteers

Thank you to all of you who have signed up on the "success calendar" to help after school in the library. The teachers report that having parents in the homeowork club makes a huge difference and they are very appreciative to have your support! Thank you very much for being involved!

Bellevue Schools Foundation News

Thank You, Dialing Up Excellence Volunteers

A huge thank you goes out to all of the parents, students, district staff, and community leaders who helped to make the Bellevue Schools Foundation's Dialing Up Excellence Phonathon possible!

From Odle, thank you to Patty Roberts, Ramon Jallow, Catherine Smith, Cindy Hu and Ana Vincenti for volunteering!

Our BSF Reps are amazing recruiters! 100+ volunteers called thousands of district families, raising funds that will help to provide the best possible learning opportunities for every one of our 18.000 students in the district.

If you answered the call, thank you! If you missed the call, it's not too late to help! make your gift online today at www.bsfdn.org.

Bellevue Schools Foundation Investment Sportlight - Enrichment & Innovation Grants

2011-12 E&I Grands Investment: $50,000

2011-12 E&I Grants Estimated Impact: Students in every grade across the district

The Bellevue Schools Foundation provides unique enrichment opportunities for students across the district through the annual Enrichment & Innovation (E&I) Grants program. Teachers and school staff apply for these competitive grants to fund projects that extend the regual curriculum, encourage higher-level thinking skills, or enrich students through culture, art, or other activities.

Examples of projects funded include a full day Young Authors' Conference at Eastgate Elementary, the purchase of leveled nonfiction science books to supplement the curriculum at Highland and Odle middle schools, and the opportunity for Bellevue High freshment to explore the treasures of Tutankhamen at the highly anticipated exhibit coming to the Pacific Science Center.

This year, the Foundation received 92 elementary and middle school applications and 15 high school applications, a 43% increase from last year! This underscores the need in our schools to provide extra support for these types of experiences. Volunteer committee members (including parents, community members, and a teacher) carefully reviewed the 107 applications and recently announced the grant awards (a listing can be found at www.bsfdn.org). Their decisions were based on respectful collaboration and attention to program guidelines.

Community News and Events

Crossroads Community Center Homework Help Program

Moms, Dads, Teachers, Youth & Teens;

A fun new program is beginning at Crossroads Community Center. Drop by the Center for homework help. Meet new friends, bring your friends and stop by for help with your math, science, reading, writing, spelling, papers, and more. Fun, energetic, upbeat staff and volunteers from Cross Connections will be at Crossroads Community Center to help you.

THIS IS A FREE PROGRAM

Ages: 7-18 years old (Under age 7 can attend with a parent or guardian)

(Parents need to complete a signed Child Waiver Form)

Grades: 2nd through High School

Days: Monday - Friday

Time: 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Location: Crossroads Community Center, 16000 N.E. 10th Street, Bellevue, WA 98008

Questions: Contact Crossroads Community center at 425-452-4874

This information will be provided in alternate formats for individuals with disabilities upon request. We invite everyone's participation, please provide two weeks advance notice for special needs requests. Assistance for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing can be provided through the 711 Telecommunications Relay Service.

Go Ice Skating and Raise Money for Odle PTSA at the Same Time

If you plan to go ice skating at the temporary ice rink at the Bellevue Downtown Park please remember to tell rink staff when you pay the entrance fee ($10.00 which includes skate rental) that you are from Odle. They will give $3.00 of every admission to our school PTSA. This special promotion is valid November 25 - December 16, 2011 & January 3 - 8, 2012 (excluding Mondays).

Be sure and visit the concessions booth at the ice rink and support Sammamish High School!

Boys Lacrosse - Registration Now Open for Sammamish Lacrosse Club

Lacrosse, the fastest growing team sport in the country, combines some of the best aspects of many other sports into one, while at the same time allowing for players of all sizes and skill sets the ability to contribute and compete.
Lacrosse is a spring sport, with practices starting in February for kids in 5th grade and above, March for the younger kids.
Sammamish Lacrosse Club serves boys from Kindergarten through High School that live within the attendance boundaries of Newport, Interlake, and Sammamish High Schools.
For more information, or to register, please go to: www.SammamishLacrosse.com

Parent Edge Presentations

Staying Close While Standing Back

Parenting Adolescents

Julie Metzger RN, MN & Rob Lehman MD

For parents with middle and high school aged kids

November 17, 2011 7pm

Islander Middle School - Library

Free for Mercer Island and St. Monica PTA members or $5 at the door

- Support independent decision making & know when to step in

- Build mutual trust & resilient connections

- Spot risk taking behavior & learn how to talk about it

- Differences in gir/boy thoughts & reactions to peer pressure

- Myths/Truths about teen decision making

www.MIParentEdge.org

Jointly sponsored by the PTAs of Lakeridge, West Mercer, Island Park, Islander Middle, Mercer Island High and St. Monica schools.

Improving Washington's Public Schools

Education Reform and how Washington stacks up to the rest of the country

Bill Daggett, Ed.D

Friday, November 18, 2011

4 pm to 7 pm

Sammamish High School Performing Arts Center

100 - 140th Avenue SE, Bellevue, WA

For parents, teachers, school administrators, school board directors, legislators, business leaders, neighbors, local policy makers, volunteers, and you!

Nationally recognized educator, speaker, and CEO of the International Center for Leadership in Education, Dr. Daggett knows - our state's education system, federal education mandates, current issues and trends - as he shares best practices and what all students need to succeed.

Free: advance reservatioin required by November 1st. Email your reservation to marcie@marciemaxwell.com. Please include attendee name, email and title and/or organization.

Event sponsors: Bellevue Schools Foundation, Bellevue School District, League of Education Voters, Mercer Island School District, Renton Community Foundation Maxwell Fund