** Welcome to a New School Year **

Every September comes the start of a New School Year.  You know, getting the kids ready for those early morning bus rides to school, adjusting your sleeping habits, the addition of homework, sports and everything else that comes with being a student within the OTSD.  One of the other things that we have to get ready for is fundraising.  Yup, thats right, fundraising for our teachers, students and our school.

As part of the BMS Parent Teacher Club (PTC), we have decided that we will be doing 2 large fundraisers (Fall & Spring) and 2 raffle fundraisers. The money raised from these fundraisers will be used to support our PBIS Program, Sports Scholarships, Transportation, Teacher Requests and the End of the Year Activities.

The first fundraiser this year will be the "Mixed Bag fundraiser".  These reusable bags are made from recyclable product and are 90% green.  Good for us and good for the environment.  There are many different styles, colors and types of bags for you to choose from.  The "Mixed Bag Fundraiser" will take the place of the magazine fundraiser that we have been doing for the last several years.  We decided to change things up a bit this year and do something different.  This fundraiser will take place the middle of October (10/18 - 10/28). The top winner from each grade (6th, 7th & 8th) will receive a $100 gift card from Fred Meyers **To be eligible for this prize you must sell at least $300 worth of product. The top selling 7th period class will win a pizza party for their class and a "Mixed Bag" treat for your teacher.

We haven't decided on a Spring fundraiser yet, so if you have any ideas, please let us know.  You can turn your ideas in to our "Suggestion Box", send us an email at bmsptcpres@gmail.com, or come to our next meeting, October 8th, @ 6pm in our library.

We will be holding 2 raffles as part of our fundraising efforts this year. The first one will be a $1000 gift certificate to Gresham Les Schwab.  Tickets will be $5/ea and each student will receive 5 to sell and 2 weeks to sell them. This fundraiser will be held towards the end of November right after we get back from Thanksgiving break.

Our second raffle will be for a brand new HP Omni 120/1024 All-In One PC, worth over$350.  This PC has a Windows 7 OS, 4GB of RAM and a 500 GB HD with a 20" display, webcam and built in speakers.  We will be selling tickets for $1/ea.  Each student will be getting 10 raffle tickets to sell and will be given 3 weeks to sell them.  Of course if he/she needs more, we would be happy to provide them with additional tickets. This fundraiser will be held after we get back from Christmas Break in January 2014.

Remember, the more we sell, the more money we raise, and the more we have to delegate out to our teachers, our students and our school.  Our goal is to raise $10,000 for our school this year.  A big goal, but we know with your help we can accomplish this.

Thank you for your support, we couldn't do what we do without you.

BMS Parent Teacher Club

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Oregon House Bill 2220

The primary purpose of grading is to communicate student academic progress. Grades reflect what a student knows and is able to do.

1) How does Oregon House Bill 2220 address the content standards?

Oregon's State Board of Education has adopted the Common Core State Standards in English/Language Arts and mathematics. Oregon also has academic content standards in science, social sciences, health, physical education, foreign language, and The Arts. Student growth toward meeting all of the academic content standards must be shown.

2) How has HB 2220 changed student assessment and grading?

The purpose of HB 2220 is to provide students and parents an accurate assessment of a student's performance as compared to academic standards. It requires that districts show student progress toward acquiring the skills and knowledge needed to meet the academic performance requirements in the Essential Skills of reading, writing, and applying mathematics.

3) How is Oregon Trail School District (OTSD) implementing HB 2220 provisions?

In accordance with ORS 329.045, public school districts are required to provide instruction that is aligned to the state academic content standards. Since schools and districts have been expected to align instruction to the state standards since Oregon adopted a standards-based system in 1995, OTSD is positioned to meet the provisions of HB 2220. Every classroom in OTSD schools uses the standards as a framework for teaching and learning. However, the district and our schools maintain control over course content, format, materials and teaching methods.

Student report cards

Report cards will reflect student academic progress toward meeting standards.

OTSD middle and high schools will continue to use a traditional grading format in student report cards. OTSD elementary schools will use the following format: E-exceeds, M-Meets, P-Progressing,and D-Does not meet.M

High school reports will also show student progress toward completion of diploma requirements, credits earned, demonstration of extended application, and demonstration of the Essential Skills.

All OTSD student report cards will provide parents with a clear understanding of whether their student is performing academically at, below, or above grade level. The reports will include enough information so that parents understand the areas of strength and weakness in the student's academic performance.

Oregon requires that all academic grades reflect only a student's academic achievement in the course content, and that any grades for behavioral performance be reported separately. Behavior may include attendance, classroom conduct, and citizenship.

4) How is homework reflected in grading?

Meaningful homework and independent practice are important extensions of student learning that is evidenced through regular, on-going classroom assessments conducted by teachers during class time. It allows opportunity for student feedback rather than just relying on scores, and helps teachers monitor progress and modify instruction accordingly.

5) What are the requirements for earning a high school diploma?

Oregon's graduation requirements include passing state exams in reading, writing and math in order to receive a regular diploma. Course requirements to receive high school credit have become much more rigorous. However, students will be provided multiple and varied opportunities to demonstrate mastery of academic content standards.

For more information, visit: www.oregontrailschools.com/essentialskills.