Helman Herald

March 2013

From the Principal

Greetings Helman Community!

These last few months have given me so many opportunities to be proud to be a Helman Dragon. Whether it

is coming together to have fun, or show our talent or help out others in need, you can count on our community

to make a strong showing!

This was our first year to participate in the Battle of the Books and it was a ringing success. Kids were read-

ing and talking excitedly about books for weeks around here. The final two teams were greeted like rock stars

and the winning team moves on Saturday to the regionals (see article)! Thanks to Weatherly Oakes and Jo-

Anne Lau-Smith for bravely taking this huge venture on.

Bingo Night was a roaring success with the 5th grade coming together to provide a night of food and fun and

fabulous prizes. They raised nearly $4500 for their coast trip and other projects, and gave us an opportunity

to enjoy each other and have a great time. Thank you to the 5th grade!

The Helman Talent show was a roaring success with more than 40 acts to entertain us, inspire us and make us

laugh! A huge thanks to Sheila Jarvis and Stacey Poole for all of their hard work in pulling this huge feat off

and making it look so effortless. I was amazed and enthralled by our wonderful students and their wide varie-

ty of talents!

The Matsiko World Orphan Choir were welcomed into Helman families’ homes just yesterday. They repaid

us with a fantastic and highly energetic performance for our students. The orphans will be housed here in

Ashland for three nights before they move onto their next venue.

And, of course, the entire community has come together in a multitude of ways to support our own Trish, Jack

and Alex Dorr. Between visits to Portland bearing carloads of cards and gifts, doing work in and around her

house to make sure it is in tip top shape when they return, or organizing Jackapalooza (see article) to raise

money to help out, the Helman community really knows how to lend a hand.

I can’t wait for Dragon Faire, Science Fair and our brand new community event coming in May . Thanks for

doing your part in making this such a great place to be.

Sincerely,

Glenna Stiles

Principal

Helman School

UPCOMING EVENTS

March 18th Site Council

March 20th ScienceWorks Assembly 9:00am

March 22nd Walk-A-Thon

March 25th-29th Spring Break

April 5th ASF Perk Up at Noble Coffee

April 9th SSGSW—Spring Classes

April 16th ASF Call for the Schools

April 17th Kindergarten Open House 2:00-4:00pm

April 18th Science Fair 5:00-6:30pm

April 19th Jackapalooza at ScienceWorks 6-10pm

May 10th Spring Music Program 1:30pm

May 24th 4th & 5th Grade Track Meet

May 23rd & 24th Book Swap

May 31st Watermelon Olympics

Matsiko World Orphan Choir

By Gemma Mesco and Payden Swofford (5th

grade)

On Tuesday March 12, Helman School had a very special group named, Matsiko World Orphan Choir

visit. All of these amazing kids come from different villages all around the world such as, Liberia and Peru.

The main goal of this choir is to raise money for school. Many of these kids don’t get to go to school and they

hope they can go to school, be successful, and help other kids like them.

They wanted to name the group “hope” because these wonderful kids are hopeful. A tribe in Uganda

named Asholi has a word “Matsiko” that means “hope”.

We were lucky to talk to one of the children in the choir named Faith. She told us that she is from Li-

beria and she has traveled many places to sing.

The assembly was full of happiness. The children were very cheerful. They must spend a lot of time

practicing their songs and dances. We learned to think about others and not just ourselves. These children are

raising money for their education and the education of other kids back home.

Can You Save Our Title I Funding?

What does Title I funding provide for the Helman community?

Title I funds our Reading Specialist, our Math Intervention Specialist, many of our Educa-

tional Assistants, professional development for our staff as well as computer programs and

other assistive technology! This year we got almost $250,000! The funds are critical to

maintain the quality education that we are able to provide here.

Title I funding is generated by families who qualify for the Federal Meals Program. Many

working families qualify and don’t know it. Helman School is in jeopardy of losing this im-

portant funding unless we get a few more qualifying families to register for the program.

Here are some things you may not know:

1) Even if you qualify, you may still bring your lunches from home.

2) You may qualify for reduced lunch even if you don’t qualify for free

lunch. It still counts towards Title I funding.

3) Students who qualify also get free breakfast!

4) Your application and participation in the program are both completely

confidential.

Please check with Malinda in the main office and pick up an application! We seriously

need your help! By April 1st, it will be determined if Helman keeps Title I schoolwide sta-

tus so please apply soon.

Spring means Standardized Testing at Helman School

This spring we will be testing students using a number of measures to assess our students’ growth in several

key areas. All students will be tested using the ECBM progress monitoring program during the last two

weeks of May. That testing is focused on a number of ELA (English Language Arts) and mathematics skills.

During April and early May, 3rd-5th graders will be tested using the OAKs test (Oregon Assessment of

Knowledge and Skills) for both math and ELA. 5th graders will also be assessed on their science knowledge.

These tests provide our students with a unique challenge both this year and next year as we are transitioning

into the Common Core standards but the tests are still based on the old Oregon Standards. Our students have

traditionally done very well in these areas but we could see a slight dip in scores this year due to the fact that

what we are testing them on doesn’t always line up with what we have been teaching them.

In two years, a test known as the Smarter Balanced test will replace the current OAKs test. This test will

align with the Common Core standards so we will be able to have a more accurate way to assess our progress.

The 3rd and 4th graders this year will get an opportunity to take a peek at the new Smarter Balanced test as we

have been chosen to pilot the new ELA test later this spring. Luckily, spring is also a time of fine weather,

renewal and lots of field trip opportunities so hopefully all of this testing will not take the fun out of school

for our students!

Science at Helman!

March 20 – School wide science assembly presented by ScienceWorks

April 18 – Science Fair 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Helman cafeteria

Encourage your child’s innate love of experimentation by helping him or her with a

science fair project. Open to all students at Helman (Kindergarten-5th grade), sci-

ence fair participation is free. The Helman PTA has purchased tri-fold boards for

the presentation component – simply turn in your science fair permission slip to

Malinda Wood in the office and she’ll give you a board.

Science fair projects can take nearly any form – from researching which fruits float… to demon-

strating the ideal environment for box turtles… to documenting traffic patterns through Ash-

land… to showing off a prized collection of rocks. It is up to the student to decide what to study,

but parents/guardians can help by motivating the child and listening to his or her ideas.

The Helman Science Fair is a fun opportunity for independent learning, rather than a competi-

tion. Each participant will talk to one or two judges, who will ask questions about the project

and listen to the student’s research and conclusions. All participants will receive a ribbon.

So, go ahead and inspire your budding young Albert Einsteins or Marie Curies – We can’t wait

to see the experiments they cook up!

- Science Fair Coordinators: Dave and Daisy Hering, Becky and Matt Sniffen.

WALK-A-THON

The time is here once again for the annual Helman PTA Walk-a-thon! On Friday

March 22nd, each class will have a half-hour period to run, walk, jog or whatever

at any speed they feel comfortable, around a 1/10 mile loop on school grounds.

Children can secure pledges from friends and family on a per lap basis or a flat

rate donation. This is the PTA’s major fundraiser each year and it is a chance for

kids to be a part of raising money for the activities and programs they enjoy that

are sponsored by the Helman PTA.

The kids always enjoy this event, with parent volunteer to help cheer them on! If

you are interested in helping with the Walk-a-Thon, please contact Dominique

Sukles at sukles@yahoo.com.

Oregon Battle Of The Books

Well, the Helman School Battles may be over but we are on to the Regional Com-

petition!

The Helman School OBOB battles took place during the week of February 4th –

February 8th and it was quite exciting! We had 18 teams of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders

battle one another over questions regarding the title, author, and content of 16 dif-

ferent books. Each team had at least two battles. The top scoring 50% of those

teams went on to battle again and this continued until we were down to the final

two teams. Every team did an excellent job in their battles! It was exciting to see

how much our students knew and how close the battles were!

On Friday, February 8, the reigning 4th grade team, Lightning, battled against the reigning 5th grade team,

Knights Of Knowledge, during an assembly in front of the second thru fifth grade classes, teachers, and par-

ents. It was a thrilling battle and both teams did a magnificent job! In the end, the Knights Of Knowledge

beat out Lightning by one question and will go on to compete in the Regional Competition!

The OBOB Regional Competition will take place this Saturday, March 16th at Hillside Elementary School in

Eagle Point, OR starting at 9:00 a.m. Our Helman team, The Knights Of Knowledge, consisting of Sam

Austin, Walter Kent, Caleb Sutherland, Henry Williams, and Zach Williams, will battle against eight oth-

er 3rd-5th grade teams from schools in our region including Walker and Bellview Elementary. If you have the

time, please come out and support our Helman students! They have been studying and practicing intensely

under the guidance of their coach, Janese Williams. This is an exceptional team and Janese has been working

hard with them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they went on to the State Competition! So please come out and

cheer for our Knights Of Knowledge!

I would also like to thank all of the students, and coaches who participated in this “voluntary reading motiva-

tion and comprehension program.” And a big thank you to the parents for helping and supporting your chil-

dren at home. It would not have been such a successful program without the help and support of so many!

Go Helman Dragons!

Summer Reading Book Swap

When: Thursday, May 23rd & Friday, May 24th

Before school: 7:45am—8:10am Sharp & At Lunch Time

Where: The stage in the cafeteria

Who: All the great readers at Helman Elementary School

Its time to start thinking about summer reading and one way to get fresh new books is the

Helman Book Swap. Go through all the books you’ve read throughout the year and trade

them in for some great new books for summer. Parent helpers will be needed both before

school and at lunch time. The kids really enjoy the book swap and it’s a fun way to help!

We can always use lots of chapter books for the older children (4th & 5th Grade) so if you have

some old chapter books that are appropriate for the bigger grades, please bring those in. All

books in relatively good condition are gratefully accepted. Hope to see all of your children at

this fun event!

The Strong Girls Speak!

What is Strong Girls? Strong Girls is many

things. In the winter, it is an afterschool pro-

gram that goes on field trips to meet women in

the community. Some women are artists, police,

designers, scientists, and veterinarians. One of

my favorite field trips was the vet. The vet is a

great place besides the fact that it helps animals

who are sick. We got to watch machines like an

ultrasound machine that can show how many

puppies a dog is having. At the Groomers, we

watched a Pomeranian take a bath. We met a

cat named “Seven.”Strong Girls is great!

-Ava, 4th grade

Today we met three women who

were in the Peace Corps and I

learned about their adventures to

different parts of the world. One

woman spoke about Valenzuela and how she

stayed in a tiny house made of mud bricks.

The bathrooms and showers were not very

good. A bathroom was a hole in the ground.

At school, all the children had to wear uni-

forms. They seem poor but when you think

about it they have a lot of family and friends.

The children all worked to make what they

had. In Guatemala, we saw pictures of chil-

dren and adults making everything they

owned. They wove and sewed their clothes

out of wool. They made tortillas in their

homes over fires. In Nepal, people sat by the

side of a road smashing rocks to make grav-

el. They had to keep gravel on the road to

keep it open. Everyone in the village used a

certain kind of pot. The pot was used to car-

ry water into your home, and make food in

it. Also, in Nepal all the children worked.

They were responsible for the babies. Girls

did not go to school past fourth grade. Men

had to be served and ate first. What I

learned is that people can change the way

they view others. People go into the Peace

Corps to meet and learn about other people

around the world, and the people they visit-

ed learned about Americans. Not only did

they make wonderful friends, they changed

the way they saw themselves and others.

-Hailey, 5th grade

In Strong Girls, Strong Women we met a lot

of interesting women. For instance, my favor-

ite was when we went and saw a veterinari-

an. She told us about her experience becom-

ing a vet. She also introduced us to a very

cute cat called “Seven.” We went into an x-

ray room and saw what happened to a dog

named Zoey, who broke a bone from getting

hit by a car. After that, we saw the

surgery room. It had a large mov-

ing lamp to see what was happen-

ing to the animal.

-Talia A., 4th grade

One of my favorite field trips was when we

went to OSF. I loved hearing the stories about

the actors they hired and looking at all the cos-

tumes. I also enjoyed being able to go on the

big outdoor Elizabethan stage. We also went

back stage to see how everything is run. Isn’t it

cool how the actors have to change for scenes

and can get undressed and dressed again in 27

seconds?

-Flora, 5th grade

My favorite Strong Girls, Strong Women

field trip was when we went to YALA, a

place where they design stretchy clothing

made out of bamboo. They also design and

make a very unique thing called a “dream

sack.” This sack is made of silk and allows

you to sleep comfortably when you travel.

The people at Yala were very generous and

gave us two very cool and pretty things. The

woman at Yala told us that as long as we

have an idea, we can make that idea come

true! It was very fun! We also went on other

very fun field trips. If you are a girl in fourth

or fifth grade you should totally join!

-Poppy, 4th grade

Helman's "Young Masters" After School

Enrichment Program Second Session starting April 17, 2013 - May 22, 2013

We are excited to announce a second session for the after school art

program. They have been well received with great enthusiasm. The kids are hav-

ing fun and our instructors have not stopped talking about how creative and super

these Helman kids are. I agree!

The Young Masters after school enrichment program believes appreciation of the

arts is the hallmark of both a complete person and a healthy society. Its mission is

to enable children to engage in artistic and cultural activities that otherwise

would not be available to them.

The programs are designed not just to teach particular skills, but to nurture indi-

vidual creativity, encourage group collaboration, and give participants the chance

to explore new and sometimes life-changing experiences in the arts.

The classes will meet every Wednesday from 1:35 until 3:30 in a specified location

at Helman. The Cost is $40.00 for the 6 week session with scholarships available.

Supplies are included. Children can choose from three different classes:

1. Recycled and Nature Sculpture taught by instructor Samar Dawisha

(room 5)

2. Color Class taught by instructor Angelina McClean (cafeteria)

3. Drawing Class taught by instructor Meredith Page (stage)

Look for more information and permission slips

in your child's take home folders.

Thank you PTA for sponsoring this wonderful event.

2012/2013 PTA Board: Kieran Taylor President Kieran@helmanpta.org

Blaine Pickett Vice-President Blaine@helmanpta.org

Colleen Gibbs Sec./Communications Colleen@helmanpta.org

Gus Janeway Treasurer Gus@helmanpta.org

Becky Sniffen Membership Becky@helmanpta.org

Kayde Lemley Volunteer Coordinator Kayde@helmanpta.org

JACK-A-PALOOZA

The Helman PTA is honored to present Jack-A-Palooza, a benefit

event for Jack Dorr, on Friday April 19th, 2013 from 6pm until 10pm

at ScienceWorks. In late January, Helman 3rd grader, Jack Dorr

was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

You can help Jack and his family by joining us

for an evening of celebration. Live music,

great food & drinks, great friends, dancing, silent auction, raffle and

general merriment! For more information please visit:

www.facebook.com/Jackapalooza Community