New Family Orientation
The day before school starts in the fall, students and families new to the OES community meet with administrators and other pertinent school representatives.  It is a chance for them to tour the facilities and familiarize themselves with the Middle School, their new classroom locations, and to ask any last minute questions.

Back to School Night
A couple of weeks after school starts, you are invited for an evening to run through a quick schedule of your child’s day, including gathering in the morning. This is a chance to see teachers face to face, though not an opportunity to address questions about your individual child.

Back to School Picnic
This picnic is held near the sports field in the evening during the first week of school.  It is for all Middle School students and their parents.  It is a potluck in which all parents participate.  It is a great time to meet with other parents and visit with faculty. Traditionally, after the picnic is over, the 6th grade parents and their students help clean up the area, while the 7th and 8th grade families break into groups to discuss the fall trips and any other information necessary.

Advisory
Sixth, seventh and eighth grade students are each assigned to a teacher who meets with them regularly.  Advisories are gender-based, and usually consist of eight students. Your child’s advisor will touch base with them approximately four times a week. Advisory is a place for your child to relax, get to know others, play games, go for walks, have an ice-cream cone, and do activities together. The advisor is a great person to call if you have overarching concerns about your child.

Parent Partnership Days
A day or two after school starts, all parents are asked to spend a morning with other parents, school administrators, and counseling and academic support staff. The goal of this day is to build a support net for our children by communicating with one another about our mission and programs, as well as getting to know one another better and setting some protocols for handling problems. Parents are an important part of the support net. You are asked to collaborate, define issues, and provide information about your child; you will be introduced to the parent pledge, laptop use, and disciplinary system, among other things. Please make every effort to attend Partnership Day. These dates will be on the website, as well as in a mailing to Middle School parents in August.

Advent Service
During the winter season, OES holds an all school evening program for the entire family.  It begins in the chapel with a student instrumental program.  This includes performances by the orchestra, band and choir, as well as a songs performed by the 5th grade hand-bell ringing students.  There is a brief sermon given by the chaplains, followed by food, the OES jazz band and an Upper School student-driven art showing. This is a warm, wonderful night for all.

Advisory Awards Ceremony
At the end of the school year there is a morning chapel where advisory awards are given to every child. The advisor writes this award based on information gathered from team members, their own observations, and the student, using the themes of “head, hands, and heart.” Parents are encouraged to attend this event. Each child comes to the front of the chapel with their advisory to receive their award and should be dressed in nice clothing.

After School Program
The Middle School offers an After School Program that runs from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. A parent may sign up their child for the ASP on an “as needed” basis, such as before a game, or sign up for the whole year. It is monitored by adults under a director and is a safe place for children to have time to be physically active, socialize with friends, and study. Built into the program is 45 minutes of mandatory study hall when everyone studies at the same time. Those who are enrolled in the day’s ASP receive a nutritious snack. There is a per hour fee for the After School Program which is billed to your monthly account. Check in and check out is by a parent is in the Middle School Commons.

Student Store
The Student Store is open for about 20 minutes after school. Some nutritious snack alternatives are available for children to purchase with cash. Those students enrolled in the After School Program receive a voucher for one free item. There is no pop or candy offered in the store, nor any item that lists ingredients beginning with sugar. Students may pay cash or charge to their parent’s school account.

Drop Off and Pick up from Middle School
Safety is of paramount concern when dropping off or picking up your child. There is a published diagram for drop off and pick up and we ask that you please follow it. It will be in The Messenger at the beginning of school. Please know that if a child is not picked up after school by 3:20 p.m., they will be enrolled in the After School Program so we know where they are.  Please do not come early to pick up your Middle Schooler!  This creates a backlog of traffic for the Lower School parents who pick up their children earlier than the Middle School. Besides, your child will like to socialize for a few minutes after classes end, so help us all out and do not come before Middle School ends.

Opening Day Belltower Ceremony
On the morning of the first day of school, all students walk to the Belltower (located in front of the Chapel) with their entire class behind a banner with their graduation year. After speeches and prayers, the bell is rung once for each year the school has been in existence. Each student then shakes hands with the head of school. Classes begin immediately thereafter.  Parents are encouraged to attend – it usually lasts about one hour. It is a wonderful community experience and a great way to kick off the year.

Opening Chapel and MS Parent Coffee
In late afternoon on the first day of school, the MS hosts a parent coffee just before the MS Opening Chapel.  It is an opportunity to meet and chat with other MS parents.  Parents are encouraged to attend both the coffee and the Opening Chapel, which welcomes new members with apples and offers a blessing for teachers.

Socials
There are two all-MS socials in the fall.  The Halloween Social is typically held on campus in the MS on a Friday close to Halloween.  It includes music, dancing, movies, games and food. The Ice Skating & Pizza Social is held in early December. Typically it is at a close-by off campus location followed by a pizza party. Transportation to the rink and restaurant is provided by OES bus.  There is one grade-specific social in the spring, organized by parents. Parent chaperones are needed for some of these events. This is a good opportunity to remind your child that the events cannot occur without parental support

Conferences for 6th Graders and New 7th & 8th Graders
Conferences for 6th graders and new 7th and 8th graders are in November over four days, a Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday.  These conferences are held with most, if not all, of your child’s teachers and his or her advisor in the MS Conference room.  Each faculty member provides a summary of your child in the classroom. This process gives you insight into your child through his or her teachers’ eyes.  There is no school for 6th graders during two of the conference days because sixth grade teachers are all in conferences. During two other mornings, your sixth grade child will be taking standardized tests. (See ERB tests.)

ERB (Educational Record Bureau) Tests
ERB tests are standardized tests that are administered to provide both general and specific information about student achievement in reading, writing, vocabulary, and math. They are taken annually from 4th grade through 9th grade at OES. They are not used for grading purposes but provide one more snapshot of a child’s performance in verbal and math skills. Childcare is provided both afternoons if students need to stay on campus after the ERB tests. Breakfast is provided before the tests.

WRAP Test (Writing Assessment Process)
Part of the ERB process is the WRAP test, a written component, which is taken by every Middle School student during his or her humanities class in the spring. Teachers use the WRAP rubric all year. Results can help teachers pinpoint areas that need attention in writing.

The Gallery
The Gallery is the school store where you can purchase OES spirit wear and OES accessories (mugs, pencils, etc.) as well as enjoy the art of the OES community.  Hours are set at the beginning of the year.  Parent volunteers can help staff The Gallery.  This is a great way to meet many different people from the OES community.

Fall Trip - Outdoor School
Outdoor School is a unique and wonderful Oregon tradition. Your child will have the opportunity to participate in a weeklong residential environmental education program provided by the Multnomah Education Service District.  Groups of OES students accompanied by their OES teachers will be assigned to one of several Outdoor School sites. The students live in rustic cabins with students from other middle schools in the area. They learn about Oregon’s natural resources and the environment through hands-on field study and they participate in a number of camp-related activities.

Freedom From Chemical Dependency (FCD)
FCD is a well-established and effective drug education organization, and has been working with the OES community for six consecutive years.  Two FCD educators spend a week on campus working with Middle and Upper school students, parents, and teachers in a variety of formats.  Their work with students is clear, straightforward, developmentally appropriate and geared toward empowerment.  The bulk of their direct student work is done with seventh and ninth graders.  Middle and Upper School parents are invited to attend a presentation and discussion session with the facilitators during their visit.  Watch for the date, which will be some time in early March.

Sports
Your child will have the opportunity to participate in a number of team sports throughout the school year. OES has a “no-cut” policy so students of all abilities will have the opportunity to play and learn skills and sportsmanship. Practices and games are usually after school during the week; games and practices are not held on weekends. OES encourages every child to participate in the sports program. It is a wonderful way for students and their parents to meet and connect with other OES families. Students will be notified about sign ups during morning gathering and parents should look for notices regarding the after school sports program in the Messenger and on the Middle School website.

Morning Gathering

Grandparents’ Day
Grandparents’ Day is a special event, which provides an opportunity for your child to introduce their grandparents to the OES community. It opens with a Chapel service and then students have brunch with their grandparents in the Dining Hall. This is a memorable experience for both students and their grandparents.

Spring Trip – Vancouver, B.C.
The annual sixth grade spring trip is to Vancouver, British Columbia, during the last week of school. It is a wonderful culmination to our study of Canada in humanities and to the school year. Please know that your child will need a valid passport and you will need signed affidavits (forms provided by OES) in order to enter and leave Canada. More information will follow with plenty of time to order passports.

Middle School Messenger
The Middle School Messenger is the primary method of communicating with MS parents.  This publication is e-mailed to parents every Wednesday.  It is very important for you to read the Messenger and transfer important dates, times and place information to your calendar.

Middle School PAL (Parent Alliance Link)
Middle School PAL meetings are a great way to stay connected to OES and other MS parents.  The meetings are held from 8:15-9:15 a.m. the first Wednesday of the month in the MS Commons.  MS PAL will host guest speakers, discuss upcoming OES events and have grade-level breakout sessions at the end when time allows.

There are three Middle School PAL representatives who are available to assist you if you have concerns or issues and are not sure who to discuss them with. They will guide you to the right person. These reps will also arrange the service learning drivers, assist in finding chaperones for social events, lead the MS PAL meetings, etc. 

6th grade: Kathy Haugh
7th grade: Jaci Wilson
8th grade: Sarah Grewe

Parent Volunteer Service

• Service Learning: All middle schoolers will participate in three service learning days in the school year through their advisory. Parents are asked to drive the students to their projects.
  
  
• Driver’s Training: You MUST go through parent driver training to be eligible to drive OES students anywhere. Training dates are usually in September and will last approximately 2 hours.  The certification is good for 3 years so we encourage all incoming 6th grade parents to attend the driving class. Please note the dates when they are posted in the MS Messenger.
  
  
•  “DEAR” (Drop Everything and Read) Baking: One day a week in the MS, everyone reads for a half hour (Drop Everything and Read.) On the morning of DEAR throughout the year, parents bake treats for the students who successfully “dropped everything and read” the previous week.  Students must start and read quietly for the 30 minutes to achieve this treat the next week.  Two parents bake at school (from 8-10 a.m.) and one parent bakes at home (dropping the treats off that morning by 9 a.m. This means six dozen treats each week Baking together is a great way to get to get to know other MS parents and learn about other grades in school. You can volunteer to bake once, or several times, throughout the school year

• Asian Potluck: In the fall, sixth grade parents are asked to host an Asian Potluck (usually the end of October) that ties into their study of Asia in humanities. Parents coordinate food, decorations, serving, and clean up. This is a great way for parents to get together to know each other and for students to try new foods. Food may be store/restaurant purchased, or made at home, keeping in mind our “no nut” policy.
  
  
• Other Volunteer Opportunities & Training: In the fall, Charyl Cathey will hold a training session for other chances for parents to volunteer. There are many opportunities for parents to help, including helping plan the 8th grade graduation party, the musical, working in the library, classroom projects, science fair, teacher appreciation day, or advisory time activities. You must attend the training to be able to volunteer, as there are specific rules, including confidentiality.

6th Grade Science Fair
In the winter, the science teacher will send information about sixth grade science projects and science fair. Most of the work is done in the classroom, though you may be asked to purchase specific supplies, depending on the subject of the group’s experiment. This is a learning opportunity for sixth grade students to show their understanding of the scientific method as applied to specific research of their choosing. There will be two months to complete the projects, and then students hold a science fair one evening so parents can celebrate the work of all students.

Parent Book Groups
Cindy McEnroe, Middle School Counselor, will lead a series of book discussions throughout the year for MS parents.  These books relate to the changes occurring in our pre-teen and teenagers, physically and mentally.  These discussions are a wonderful opportunity to meet other MS parents and ask questions. Detailed information will be posted in the Messenger.

Humanities Projects
Several times during the year the humanities classes may have projects where you help arrange a costume, prepare food, or participate in sharing your experience. Be sure to watch your child’s syllabus so your child doesn’t inform you the night before that he/she needs food the next day.

MBS – Virtual Bookstore
All Middle School texts and novels can be purchased through MBS, an online bookstore. They provide a list of books, and will ship them to you, with a return shipment label so books can be returned at the end of the year. Most books are sold at discounted prices, and there is the opportunity to purchase used books through MBS.

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