Voice Newsletter

Semi! (New)

Winter Semi-Formal, February 4, THEME: Starstruck                     

LOCATION: The Ambridge Event Center, 1333 NE MLK Jr. Blvd 97232 (503.239.9921) 

Venue is accessible by MAX train, close to restaurants downtown and in the Rose Quarter. We have limited reserved parking and it is a Blazer game night. Carpooling as well as drop-off/pick-up are encouraged.                                                                     
TICKETS: $23.00 per person, $3 DISCOUNT per ticket purchased by February 3.  Refreshments will be available. Mid-winter madness will be hosting a fundraiser - Casino Night (play money, roulette, blackjack etc.) at the dance. 

GUESTS: Students may invite ONE off-campus guest who must be registered with Deri Bash by February 3.

ATTIRE:  girls wear appropriate semi-formal dresses and boys wear dress shirt/tie/slacks and/ or dress coat.

Re-Enrollment Contracts To Be Sent Via E-Mail (New)

Re-enrollment contracts will once again be arriving to you via email.  This is part of our ongoing efforts to improve our environmental and financial sustainability.  Look for contracts to arrive in your inbox on Monday, February 6.  If you do not see it in your inbox, please check your spam filter/junk email folder. 

Contracts with deposits need to be returned to the Admissions Office no later than Tuesday, February 21.   

Please do not return contracts via the lockbox for tuition payments – they need to be returned to the Admissions Office.

State of the School Event (New)

Board Chair, Steve Grant, and Head of School, Mo Copeland, invite you to a presentation and question and answer session on the state of OES on Thursday, February 16 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM. We will discuss the strategic plan and work we have accomplished in that area, the self-study and accreditation process, current admissions and fundraising targets, and the budget projection for next year. Finance Chair, Kirk Bass, and Associate Head, Kathy Layendecker, will present on the budget and current financial planning. We hope you can join us.

Look Ahead & Lean In - Leadership Volunteer Positions for 2012-2013 (New)

It's already time for Parent Community Link to start looking ahead to our next school year! Please take a moment to investigate the different volunteer leadership positions open for 2012-2013.  Click here  to access a listing of descriptions. Express your interest in being considered for a specific position by clicking on the “Express Interest” icon shown by the job description. All interested individuals will be contacted by members of Parent Community Link between March and April to determine if a placement might work and to discuss options. We look forward to hearing from you! 

CDL Books & Breakfast - Little Bee by Chris Cleave (New)

Please join Community Diversity Link in The Drinkward Volunteer Room on Friday, February 24, from 8:00-9:30 am to discuss Chris Cleave's incredible book, Little Bee. The book will be discussed for one hour, followed by a review of the year's programs and conversation about plans for the 2012-2013 year.  For more information: http://www.oes.edu/about/diversity-books.html

Midwinter Madness Updates (New)

Midwinter Madness Kicks Off Thursday, runs through February 14.

Midwinter Madness—OES's annual festival of fun and fundraising—will launch tomorrow (Thursday, Feb. 2) with a Kickoff Assembly in the gym at 10:45 a.m. Parents are encouraged to attend this event, which will also be attended by the 8th-12th graders. The Kickoff Assembly is a great chance to learn about this year's beneficiary organization, Elevate Oregon, a local non-profit that provides mentoring, leadership training and academic support to at-risk youth in the Parkrose School District. A few notes about specific fundraisers that are coming up:

• Midwinter Madness Casino Night at Semi is this Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Ambridge Events Center. Students may purchase, either in advance or at the Semi,  funny money with which to play the casino games. All proceeds to Elevate Oregon.
• The annual Midwinter Madness Senior-Faculty Basketball Game is at 3:20 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10. This is always a highly entertaining spectacle. Admission is $4 per person.
• The 3rd annual PowderTuff boys' volleyball tournament will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, in the gym. Admission is $5 per person.
• Parents from all three divisions are invited to pitch in by participating in the Midwinter Madness Parent Perambulation—a walk/bike/run-a-thon on the OES track, 1:30-4:30 pm. Monday, February 13. Interested parents donate $25 to Elevate Oregon and walk, jog, run, or bike a mile around the OES track to show support for the cause.  The Parent Perambulation will overlap with Midwinter Madness PowderPuff Football (games of flag football played between teams of girls from each Upper School grade), which is taking place 3:30-6 p.m. on the turf field that afternoon. So you can enjoy some riveting gridiron action while walking your mile. If you'd like to learn more about the Parent Perambulation, please contact one of the two parent organizers, or , or the faculty advisor for Midwinter Madness, 503-416-9352.

More information about Elevate Oregon is available at http://www.elevateoregon.org.

One Act Plays (New)

The OES Performing Arts present the Winter One Acts. This year's One Acts will include three plays that have been written, directed and performed by Upper School Students. The writers and titles are as follows:

"Honey, It's Only the End of the World," by Manav Kohli
Many teens with warm, caring, supportive parents say, "My parents are insane." Not many, however, are asked by their parents to pick up five thousand packets of Koolade and a crossbow at Costco.

"Lasagna," by Rachel Brock.
An abandoned brother and sister are so frightened of being placed in separate foster homes that they try to fly beneath the radar not only of the child-welfare system but that of the brother's cold but inquisitive high school teacher, Ms. Perkins.

"Residual Interest," by Darrin Schultz.
Ron and Harvey are knocking over their first bank.  Can Harvey find love in the heat of a desperate caper?  Will Ron break the shackles of his past as an exploited child actor? Should either one of them be allowed out alone?

Performances are Wednesday, 2/29/2012 (Preview night, all tickets $5.00), Thursday, 3/1/12, Friday, 3/2/12 and Saturday, 3/3/12 with shows beginning at 7:30 pm.  Tickets are $7.00 Students/Seniors and $10.00 Adults.  Seating for these performancesis General Admission.

Tickets can be purchased Online or through the Box Office. Please contact Jennifer Roney, (503)768-3170 if you have questions, requests or special seating requirements.

Winterim Update

Courses are enrolled and posted.  Ask your children what they will be doing. Initial costs will be billed via the business office.  Some courses have met already. All courses will meet on Friday, February 10 between 9:55-10:50am and again the week after the Science Fair.

Any questions, please call course leaders first, then email or call Hope Stevens at 503-416-9309.  Remember, there is a Winterim Catalog at http://www.oes.edu/us/winterim/index.html.

Science Expos

Parents, family, and friends of the OES community are invited to visit the OES Aardvark Science Expos where Middle & Upper School research projects/exhibits will be on display.

On Thursday, February 23, from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, the exhibit hall in SPARC Gymnasium is open to the public. Student exhibitors will not be with their projects that day, though it is an excellent opportunity for members of the entire OES community to spend time perusing the wide array of 250+ incredible projects and reading exhibit boards.

On Friday, February 24, after judging, there is an open house from 6:30 – 7:30 PM, followed by the awards ceremony from 7:30 – 8:30 PM.  We look forward to seeing you at the Expo!  Buses will run between SPARC and the lower lot by the athletic fields from 6:20–9:00pm. If you would like a parking permit for SPARC, inquire at the Upper or Middle School office.

would you like to help as a judge or volunteer?  Visit the Volunteer Opportunities page.

For a more comprehensive schedule visit here.

College Counseling

Gap Year Opportunities Fair—Wednesday, February 15, 2012 from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. at Lincoln High School. There will be a presentation from 6:00-6:30 followed by the fair from 6:30-8:30. We encourage interested upper school students and parents to attend. Various organizations offering gap year programs will be available to answer questions. A description from the organizers of this fair is included below. For more information: www.usagapyearfairs.org. If you would like to read more about gap year options and how students can benefit from this experience, an excellent book is The Gap-Year Advantage: Helping Your Child Benefit from Time Off Before or During College by Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson.

Dynamy Internship Year and Thinking Beyond Borders, in collaboration with Lincoln High School, are spreading the word about the growing array of opportunities for personal growth through experiential education (travel, language immersion, directed study, outdoor adventure, commu­nity service, and internships). More and more students are finding that post-secondary gap year programs enhance their traditional academic experience and lead them to a clearer direction and motivation for college studies and/or a career path.

SAT Prep (New)

This seven-week course will teach students the critical reading, math and writing skills that are needed to perform well on the SAT. Students will gain hands-on experience through taking a practice SAT and will learn effective score-enhancing strategies that are specific to the SAT. In addition, we will cover the psychology of test-taking as well as proven methods for overcoming test anxiety. Each student will receive their own book, The Official SAT Study Guide 2.

Instructor Douglas Bloch, a teacher, author and counselor. He obtained his BA in math and psychology from New York University and his MA in counseling from the University of Oregon. He is the author of 12 books on personal development, including The Power of Positive Talk: Words to Help Every Child Succeed.

11th-12th Grade
April 14-28 (3 classes)
Saturday, 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Location: DC 206
Cost: $175 (includes SAT book) Questions?  Joan Lowe, Summer and ASC Program Director,   503-768-3145

Fine Arts Department News

Art:

Congratulations to Antonia E., '12, William S., '13 and Sophia T., '13 whose artwork was selected to be in the annual, juried High School Art Northwest held at George Fox University, Newberg.   All are invited to attend the Opening Reception held on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012 5:00-7:00 p.m., in the Lindgren Gallery, in the Ross Center at George Fox University.  
Approximately forty-five students throughout Oregon, Idaho, and Washington were selected to have their art displayed in the High School Art Northwest. Artwork will be on display from Feb. 2 -  22.

Congratulations to Cecilia H., Class of 2013, for acceptance of her photograph into the Annual Themed Exhibition "Black & White", a juried show at NewSpace Center for Photography, 1632 SE 10th Ave. Portland.  The Opening Reception is on Friday, February 3 from 6-9pm and runs through Feb. 26. All are welcomed to come!

Music: (New)

US student Mina G. '13 has been invited to play harp with her teacher (Jennifer Ironside, OES harp teacher and principal harpist with the Oregon Symphony) at a special concert called "One Hundred Years of John Cage"
on Feb. 17 with FearNoMusic!  For more info, click here.

Financial Aid Information

Information about the financial aid application and timeline was sent by email to families currently on Financial Aid.  If you did not receive it, please contact .  All information may be found on the Financial Aid page of the OES website. If you are new to the process, please contact Jen Bash for application instructions.

For specific financial questions about Aid at OES, please contact Director of Financial Aid, , 503.416.9325.

Auction News (New)

Volunteer for the Auction - And get a cool auction T-shirt!

Anyone interested in helping please go to the VolunteerSpot website to sign up or email the auction office (auction at oes.edu). There are all kinds of opportunities to pitch in, from collecting bottles of wine curbside to entering data before the big event. There are also lots of fun jobs the night of the auction – setting up, selling raffle tickets, passing cocktails…

Tuesday, February 28: Please stop by the Charlton Room at 8:15am for a “bling party” to help put together the centerpieces for the auction dinner. As usual, there will be sweet things to eat.

The auction could still use some donations. Anything, big or small, is appreciated. How about extra air miles or hotel points?

The Wall of Wine is another great way to help.
Two wine shops have offered to help:

• SEC WINES will take 10% off wine donations to the auction: call Eric at 503.805.5871
  
• Anthony Dell Cellars will donate one bottle of wine for each bottle purchased for the auction, up to a maximum of 48 bottles. Call Brandee at 971.218.7040, Wed. thru Sun.12-6.

Our volunteers will pick up your donation from both stores and deliver it to the auction.

Finally, don’t forget the deadline for the auction poster contest! The deadline for entries is Wednesday, February 1 and judging will take place February 3. Turn posters in to the division offices. Don’t forget the signature, name and grade.