Sept. 3
Muskrat News
Upcoming events:
September 7th 4-5:30pm Open House
September 8th 8:30am, as early as 8:15 First day of school
September 8th 8:30am Parent Coffee in the Community Room
From our Executive Director
Happily I am back and eager to welcome you and your children back to school. We will be making some changes this year that we hope will make our school even more inviting and pleasing to you. I will share some of them with you at the Parent Coffee Wednesday morning and as the year progresses so as to not make this newsletter too lengthy. Our new people are Tom Day- 4/5 teacher, Kari Evans- Afternoon Adventures leader, Marci Brown- PE teacher, and Cedar Dunn- Administrative Assistant. Laura Oakes will be doing some classroom assistance work besides her custodial duties.
I ask your patience with us regarding office functions. Please call and gently remind Cedar (or me) what it is that you need but are not getting. We will work hard to provide whatever it is.
In this job market I was able to be really picky about the people we hired. So, besides the necessary work skills, I also sought people strong in the people skills. I think you will like our new staff members, and the effect they have on our school climate.
School starts September 8th for all but half of the kindergarten (please see Miss Jenny’s section below for more Kindergarten information). Students should be in their desks before 8:30 as teachers often have students actually begin the minute they walk into the classroom which can be as early as 8:15.
We will be sending home a Code of Conduct packet that we want you and your children to go over and sign. We will work from the start practicing being safe, being responsible, and being respectful.
Parents of First and Second graders can stop by or call the school at 541-752-0377 to find out which class your child is in. The class lists are posted by the front door.
Again, and I speak for all of us, we are eager for the new school year to begin.
-dan
First of the Year Staff Introductions
Tom Day – I have the honor of being the new 4th/5th grade teacher at MCCS. I am excited about working here at MCCS and being a part of this community. I am eager to meet each of my students so that I can learn about their unique talents and qualities.
While my students and I get to know each other through diverse interactions, I will be demonstrating and implementing the structure and procedures of the classroom. The purpose of the classroom structure (e.g. routines) and procedures is to maximize the instructional time. However, I enjoy tying my sense of humor into all activities, so there is going to be plenty of laughing happening this school year.
Once again, I am thrilled to work with such a wonderful and skilled staff, and I will be looking forward to seeing you and your family soon.
Ms. Gorman – I am happy to be returning for my third year teaching 1/2/3 at Muddy Creek Charter School. I feel lucky to be teaching in a school that values community, art and science, as well as one that nurtures children’s creativity and spirit of inquiry. For those of you that don’t know me, I have lived in Corvallis since 1997 and have masters degrees in Wildlife Science and Education. I love books and writing… and luxuriated in reading novels this summer. I also bought a house for the first time! I hope to see you at the Muddy Creek Open House!
Miss Bridget – Welcome back everyone! I am so looking forward to seeing all the new and returning students and I am excited about all the wonderful things we will learn this year. This is my second year at Muddy Creek, and I know it will be a good one. Room 1 will be a safe, productive and fun place to be.
Hamster Happenings “Hi guys! I am a little tired because I am nocturnal and I am usually sleeping at this time of day, but I just snuck out of my cage for a minute to say, Hello. If you get a chance come by and see my new cage you’ll see there is a lot more space for me to run around and play. Well, see you soon; I need to go back to bed.” -Sam (The Hamster)
Miss Jenny – Welcome to Muddy Creek Kindergarten. My name is Jenny Swanson and I will be returning for my second year as the Kindergarten teacher at MCCS. I have been teaching K-2nd for twenty plus years. I attended Western Oregon State where I received my BS in Elementary Education. My specialty was early childhood. When I returned to school, I knew that I wanted to teach Kindergarten. For eighteen years, I owned and taught at Country Playschool in Corvallis. It was a small farm school located on our family’s property.
Without knowing about place-based and project-based philosophies, in 1990, I developed a curriculum that was child centered using art and science with hands on projects to teach the core curriculum. After a brief retirement of two years, I returned to Kindergarten teaching, which is something that I am totally wild about. I look forward to meeting each one of you and spending time with your kindergarten child this year.
At Muddy Creek, we have a gentle Kindergarten starting date. If your child’s last name begins with A-L, your child will start school on Wednesday and skip Thursday’s class. If your child’s last name starts M-Z the starting day will be Thursday, your child will not attend on Wednesday. On Friday, all of the children will attend school. Having a gentle start allows the students to explore the classroom and become familiar with the routine with fewer students in the room.
Remember to stop in on Tuesday for the Open House.
Laura Oakes – I would like to say WELCOME to all the students and parents who are joining us for a very exciting year at Muddy Creek. I help keep our wonderful school nice and clean with the help of the 4th and 5th graders who participate in the stewardship program. I’m here every day and I have to say that being able to visit with the children is my favorite part of the job. In fact, I get to spend even more time with the students this year as I assist the teachers with the literacy program. I am also very pleased to have my daughter Jewel returning to MCCS as a fourth grader.
Marci Brown – Marci is our new PE teacher. She comes to us highly trained out of OSU’s Masters Degree program in physical education. One activity we are exploring is called “Brain Gym.” It is a research-based method that helps young students learn to cross their center line. It is similar to doing some stretching at your desk to start the day.
Kari Evans – Kari is our new Afternoon Adventures leader. She has two young children and has over ten years of childcare experience. She has received special training to work with children ages 4-6. Please see Cedar in the office for more information.
Cedar Dunn – Our new Administrative Assistant attended MCCS when it was Inavale Elementary. She has many years of office and customer service experience. Her family lives on a century farm nearby and she is thrilled to be part of the MCCS community.
Enrollment
There are a few spaces left and there is always a bit of flux over the summer. Tell your friends and neighbors about MCCS.
Supplies
The MCCS policy for school supplies provided by the families is to have each student put in $25 to cover their supplies for the year. This helps the teachers provide items for each student that are tailored to the project needs for their classrooms. Please see Cedar in the office if you have any questions.
Open House
Please join the Muddy Creek staff for our annual Open House on Tuesday September 7 from 4:00 – 5:30 PM. The school will be open for seeing the classrooms and visiting with teachers, other families and old friends. The office will also be open for any last minute registration paperwork. Please bring school supply fund money to the office and make sure your driving paperwork is up-to-date. Also, Muddy Creek students get outdoors a lot, so this is a good time to drop off a change of clothing for your child’s cubby. We hope to see everyone there!
Milk Cards
Muddy Creek does not have a lunch program. Students bring their own lunch and snacks to school each day. We do however provide milk to students for 25 cents. MILK CARDS may be purchased in the main office for $5 per card (10 milks). Many families purchase a few milk cards at a time so their child does not run out. On Fridays the students have the option of choosing chocolate milk, which is very popular.
School Year Calendar
Muddy Creek runs on the 509J District calendar for in-service and holidays. Please reference this calendar throughout the year for planning. The calendar is available at
http://www.csd509j.net/district_information/calendar/2010-2011%20calendar.pdf
Hard copies are available in the office at Muddy Creek.
Help Wanted
MCCS is looking for parents or community members that are interested in serving as substitutes at our school. The areas of need are the main office (phones, filing, general office helping), education assistants (math groups, reading groups), Afternoon Adventures (afternoon program for ages 4-6) and playground/lunchroom helpers. The positions vary in hours and times of day. Applicants would need to pass a background check to be eligible to work in the school. If you are interested and would like more information, contact Cedar in the main office.