COMMON LINK 9/12/07 SUMMARY

One of my roles as MS Communications Coordinator is to summarize the Common Link meeting and forward it to you all.  Before I sat in on these meetings, I thought they were like Las Vegas, what went on there, stayed there.   Quite contrary, it’s simply a way for the head of various committees, PAL reps, and heads of schools to communicate and coordinate.  My job is to pass that communication on to you and hopefully demystify and inform.

Personal Notes:   Lots of laughing.  (Philip Craig, new Head Chaplain shared a great story about baking a cake with his son.  I’m certain he’d tell it again).  There is a school wide focus on COMMUNICATION.  From the smallest committee to the Head of the School, the emphasis on OES’s commitment to communicate cannot be overstated.  Jane Graybeal, Common Link Chair, had us introduce ourselves this morning with a new twist: where were you born?  There were more people born outside the U.S. than were born in Portland. It truly is a diverse community.  The MS faculty achieved 100 percent participation in the Annual Fund the first week of school.  WOW!  Let our goal be to have the parents match that. The new Head of School has to be a great guy; you should see the way his dog looks at him.  It’s weird that I’m old enough to be the parent of the Head of the Upper School.

From Matthew Hanly:

• Genuinely thrilled to be at OES and has embraced the community immediately.
• Committed to create a PreK-12 atmosphere at OES instead of three divisions. 
• Focused on honest and respectful COMMUNICATION.

Dates to remember:

• Driver Training – If you want to drive students for any OES event, you need to take this class.  Your certification is good for three years.  Current available classes are September 14th from 8:30-11:45 and September 19th from 11:30 – 3:00. 
• An All School Service Learning Fair October 4th from 8-12.
• ALL SCHOOL HOMECOMING CELEBRATION - October 5th – Girls Soccer at 4:15, All School Complimentary Picnic, Boys Soccer to follow.  Mark your calendars and look for additional information from Cindy Plummer.
• CW and HGS (Christmas Wreaths and Holiday Greens Sale) – Order period from October 1-22.  New products this year.  Potential for online ordering.  This funds our children’s education “outside the walls” like additional trips and guest speakers.

Miscellaneous:

• So many students and faculty are riding bikes to school we need a new bike rack!  And have you noticed the available parking?!?
• The new Loop is a huge success for Lower School Drop Off and Pick Up.   
• MS Parents – 7th and 8th graders can be met at the old lower school pick up.  If you don’t see your child, keep circling to eliminate the backlog.  Please do not drop off or pick up in the lanes designated for moving traffic.  It really isn’t safe.
• Gallery Store – Have your morning coffee meetings at the OES Gallery Story, proudly featuring Starbucks coffee and Shelly Stouffer’s fused glass pieces, plus some really cute OES clothes.
• 839 students at OES: 305 in the LS; 200 in the MS; and 334 in the US, including 52 boarders from 13 countries.
• The Parent Diversity Committee book is Freedom in Exile will be discussed October 5th at 8:00 in the cafeteria.  Jordan Elliott, a couple of students from the winterim trip last year and two local Tibetan refugees will be there as well.
• The Class of 2008’s theme is Gladi8tor, hence the Trojan Horse/VW bug on opening day.  It’s good to know these things.

Respectfully submitted!

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