SUMMER SCHOOL REPORT

Greetings from Good Neighbor Center!

As the summer season is transitioning into autumn, I’ve been working on summarizing all we accomplished in our special Summer School program. I wanted to share with you a full report of what we accomplished, which you’ll find below. I also wanted to send out a special thank you for supporting our Summer School. So much of this program would not have happened without your help, dedication, and generosity. The Good Neighbor Center is so thankful to you, and we hope you enjoy reading about all the things our students learned about and enjoyed. Thank you again for everything!

Sincerely,

Catherine Harris

Good Neighbor Center Summer School 2015 Report

By: Catherine Harris

Student/Parent Advocate

Accomplishments:

This year our Summer School program ran four days a week for ten weeks, from June 15^th-August 20^th. Over the course of our program students tackled academic themes and projects while practicing math, literacy, and social skills both in the classroom and out on field trips throughout the community. We also took weekly fun trips to a movie theater, swimming pool, library, and different parks all over the Greater Portland area. 

Week One: We set a solid framework for the summer; focusing on working hard and showing good behavior. We planned a “Learning Carnival” together – a fun event with a learning twist! Students worked on creating materials for the games and practicing what it means to be a good leader and a good sport. At the end of the week, they took turns playing and running the Carnival games, winning special raffle prizes and having a blast! This activity fostered a great since of fun and cooperation in our classroom while encouraging the practice of reading and math skills.

Week Two: This week we learned about the Rainforest. Each student chose an animal to research and made posters displaying the information they learned. We made special trail mix while learning which favorite foods of ours grow in the Rainforest. We also visited some of the animals we learned about through a nature hike at the Tualatin River Refuge, and at the Oregon Zoo! 

Week Three: Our third week we blasted off into space! Students did several projects related to the exploration of the stars and planets and made an “Edible Solar System” choosing different candies to represent our sun and planets. We also visited OMSI to learn even more about space and other exciting science themes.

Week Four: This week students enjoyed learning about The Great Outdoors! We learned about different types of insects and went on a special “Bug Hunt” on our very own playground, finding everything from spiders to honey bees to beetles! We went on a hike at Tryon Creek, exploring their amazing Nature Center and going on our own Nature Scavenger Hunt through the trails. We also had the opportunity to visit Circuit Bouldering Gym; the kids loved trying their best climbing the many walls and structures, and even had a blast hanging upside down in the kids climbing area! 

Week Five: This week we explored the performing arts.  Students participated in a talent show, preparing talent acts to share with the class while also learning about self esteem and self expression. Many of them performed jump rope and hula hoop tricks, several performed a dance to a Taylor Swift song, one showed off his boxing skills, a pair of students showcased their art and Lego-building talents, and another student showed off her amazing animal impressions! We were also invited to a special VIP showing of the Broadway Rose Theater’s Summer Theater production of “Sleeping Beauty.”The kids learned a lot about celebrating who they are and sharing what makes them special with others.

Week Six: Our sixth week we focused on healthy foods and where they come from. The kids learned about nutrition and making healthy choices while making posters showing everything we learned. We visited Baggenstos Farm to enjoy a hayride and picking our own blueberries!  We also visited Zenger Farm where the students participated in a farm tour – visiting compost piles, wetlands, vegetable crops and chickens! We also had a visit from Chef Julie from The Merry Kitchen, who taught our kids how to make their own healthy snack- hummus and veggie wraps!

Week Seven: This week we learned all about art. We did several science experiments about color and had a chance to explore and work with different mediums of art. We enjoyed a trip to SCRAP PDX where our students learned about “creative reuse” – making art out of recycled materials. They played games and got to make their own awesome rubber stamp to take home! We also visited Children’s Healing Art Project, a wonderful place where our kids were able to create art to help children in local hospitals. 

Week Eight: This week we made a pretend Time Machine and traveled to several fascinating periods in history together! One day we explored Ancient Egypt – learning how to write our names in hieroglyphics, making our own pyramids out of sugar cubes, and having a silly Mummy Race. We also went to the Medieval Times, making our own Coat of Arms art projects and learning the science behind catapults!

Week Nine: Our ninth week we beat the August heat by exploring the Arctic! The kids enjoyed learning facts about Arctic and Antarctic animals, and making special habitat dioramas. We also had the opportunity to visit the Sherwood Ice Arena where many of the children went ice skating for the first time. 

Week Ten: Our last week we wrapped up the summer with “Summer School Spirit Week” with special activities that challenged students to do their best. They worked independently and one-on-one with teachers on math, writing, and literacy work. They also participated in a Read-a-Thon. As a treat for all their hard work, we visited the Wunderland Arcade, and enjoyed ourselves at parks and water fountains throughout the community. On the last day of school, each child received an award recognizing something special about them as well as a special prize as an award of recognition for all their hard work and achievement. 

Special Thanks:

Keeping the program running smoothly and successfully was no easy task! I couldn’t have done it without the help and support of my supervisor, coworkers, my two interns, Meghan Hansen and Kassandra Brady, and volunteer Dorothy Ho.

Our classroom was generously donated by the Tigard Tualatin School District, and we had a wonderful time transforming our room at Metzger Elementary into a safe, welcoming space for our students.  Our school bus transportation was also donated by Tigard Tualatin School District, allowing us to venture out of the classroom and travel all over the area on our outings and fieldtrips.

So many people donated time, admission, and special services to the program, helping our students have wonderful experiences they normally would never be able to have.  A very special thank you goes out to the following organizations and individuals:

To Andrew, our fabulous bus driver from First Student Bus in Tigard who always got us where we needed to go.

To Jim Armour and the King City Civic Association, for donating use of their swimming pool to our students every Thursday. Our kids looked forward to swimming every week and it was a highlight of their summer!

To Parisjat Umscheid, for coordinating special picnic lunches for our students every Monday. They always had a wonderful time in the park, and loved eating lunch together outside.

To Amber Bell at the Tigard Library, for coordinating Book Talks, art projects, and always helping our kids find the perfect book.  

To the Oregon Zoo, for donating tickets so our kids could enjoy visiting the animals this summer.

To the Friends of the Tualatin River Refuge, for leading our students on an extraordinary hike through the Refuge. We loved experiencing wildlife in a new way, and learned so much from your guided tours.

To Catherine Ellis and Girl Scout Troop 40134, for funding our field trip to OMSI. We wouldn’t have been able to go without this generous donation, and the kids loved getting a chance to explore the museum!

To Dawn Magnum and her family, for sharing their amazing presentation about magnets with our class. Our students learned a lot and had a blast exploring the different stations and experiments!

To Circuit Bouldering Gym, for donating passes so our students could enjoy climbing for the first time.

To Beth Moore Jones at the Broadway Rose Theater, for inviting our students to attend a special performance of the Summer Theater production “Sleeping Beauty”. The kids felt very special and had an amazing time!

To Baggenstos Farm, for giving our students a hay ride, and allowing them to pick their own pint of blueberries. It’s sure to be an experience they’ll never forget!