This Week in Newberg Nation

What an event INCOMING FRESHMEN NIGHT was! Monday night was a sight to behold here at NHS as we hosted approximately 450 incoming freshmen and their parents for our first annual Incoming Freshmen Night! With over 60 staff members, parent and student volunteers here to get the class of 2019 off on the right foot the event had a true Newberg Nation positive vibe about it!

With information sessions including how to get involved, academic and career planning, and secrets to successfully navigating NHS as a student and parent, the evening was bursting with energy and information for all! We would be remiss not to mention that the “All Things Newberg Nation Fair” was also a spectacle as dozens of staff, students and parents put together remarkable displays that provided insights and information while reinforcing our effort to have all of our students “get involved!”

On behalf of the NHS administrative team we would like to thank all of our staff and the parent and student volunteers that helped make this such as successful event! Lest we forget our appreciation of the class of 2019’s families and their efforts to turn out at this first “Freshmen Experience” activity in force! Way to go Tigers!

FORECASTING IS UNDERWAY!
The first students to forecast (give input on potential courses at NHS for next school year) were our incoming freshmen from Mt. View on Tuesday. On Wednesday our incoming freshmen from Chehalem Valley had the same opportunity as NHS counselors and VP Janay Cookson held forecasting sessions over there!

Yesterday, Thursday, March 12, 2015 current NHS 9th, 10th and 11th graders received their forecasting materials in their advisory classes thus forecasting began at NHS! Meanwhile, our 2015-16’ course guide was also put onto our website with all of our forecasting sheets. We need all students attending NHS next year to complete a forecasting sheet. Please note that the forecasting sheets are by grade level when you access them on the website and they also require parent signatures.

Those documents can also be found at Forecasting

NEW COURSES/MORE OPTIONS FOR STUDENTS
In this week’s course guide and forecasting sheets that we handed out this week there are several new courses and opportunities for students to choose from. This is a result of our efforts to reorganize our master schedule into a whole school model. By removing the small school constraints on the master schedule (meaning, dividing up our teachers/courses/departments/students by small school first)and moving to a whole school master scheduling process we have been able to create more flexibility in terms of the courses we can offer, which teachers teach which courses, students ability to access a wider range of teachers and for our curriculum departments to work together in offering a broader range of experiences for our students. We are excited about having this opportunity for our students!

Please read the course guide and the forecasting sheets closely and take full advantage of these new opportunities!

FORECASTING HELP CENTER
In support of our forecasting efforts counselors and administrators will be staffing our first ever “Forecasting Help Center” on Wednesday, March 18, from 5-7pm in the West Commons at NHS. This is your chance to get all of your forecasting questions answered, assistance with completing the forecasting forms or your questions about specific courses answered and explained.

FORECASTING FORMS DUE?
A reminder that all forecasting forms are due by Thursday, March 19! Incoming freshmen can return them to their respective middle school counselors while current NHS students can return them to their advisory teacher!

Please ensure that your forms are returned by March 19 as we will begin inputting the data over spring break!

2015-16’ COUNSELOR ASSIGNEMTS
As a follow up to our announcement last week that our incoming freshmen will be assigned to their counselor based upon the first letter of their last name (A-E = Mr. Baker, F-L = Mrs. Conrad, M-R = Mrs. Eggiman and S-Z = Mr. Monson) we wanted to take a little time this week and explain how next year’s sophomores, juniors and seniors counselors and advisory teachers will be assigned.

Next year’s 10th, 11th and 12th graders will keep their current counselor and will remain with their current counselor until such time as they graduate from NHS.

ADVISORY TEACHER ASSIGNMENTS
Our incoming freshmen will be assigned their advisory teacher based upon the first letter of their last name, just as they are their counselor. We are assigning them their advisory teacher by the first letter of their last name so that the counselor and the advisory teacher can work together in supporting our freshmen next year.

Similarly, next year’s 10th,11th and 12th graders will keep the counselor they currently have this year, as well as their current advisory teacher, which are also paired together in supporting our student’s needs.

We will keep students with their counselor and advisory teacher until such time as they graduate from NHS.

SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER ASSIGNMENTS

Students already enrolled in special education programs here at NHS will retain their current special education teacher, counselor and advisory teacher, again, until such time as they graduate. Meanwhile, the incoming freshmen that are enrolling in special education programs will be assigned their special education teacher by the first letter of their last name (as we are also doing with their counselor and advisory teacher).

PHASE IN/PHASE OUT
In an effort to simplify how counselor, advisory and special education teachers are being assigned suffice it to say that we will be phasing out these assignments by small school and replacing them by first letter of the students last name beginning with the incoming freshmen this fall. Assigning students by small school will phase out graduating class by graduating class over the next four years while each new class of freshmen that arrive will be phased in by assigning them by the first letter of their last name.

WHY THE CHANGE TO FIRST LETTER OF LAST NAME FOR FROSH (or Alpha?)

This change in how we assign students to counselors was necessitated by our efforts to improve our master scheduling process, course offerings and teacher availability to students as was outlined in our article “Changing Needs at NHS” that was published in our December 19 newsletter (available to read by clicking this link: http://www.newberg.k12.or.us/nhs) and reiterated in the “New Courses/More Options For Students” section above.

UPDATED ADVISORY CURRICULUM
We have an Advisory Team here at NHS that leads our advisory curriculum and teachers. Staffed by administrators, counselors and teachers the Advisory Team helps design curriculum, takes care of logistics, and helps support our advisory teachers in support of our students in those classes.

Our Advisory Team is preparing an updated curriculum for all of our Tigers next year, an update that includes our updated freshmen advisory curriculum (as described in last week’s newsletter)  and other updates for all of our students including developing strong academic mindsets.

While the sophomore and junior advisory curriculum will look much the same (although the juniors will start working on their senior projects sooner than they have in the past) our senior advisory curriculum will focus heavily on developing a seamless transition for our seniors and what they plan to do upon their graduation from NHS.

To this end our senior advisory curriculum will focus more on our senior’s access to post-secondary education and career opportunities, more awareness of the options available to them after high school as well as strategies, tricks, tips and suggestions of how to navigate the senior year and how to create pathway to that effect. It is our hope that our seniors, and their families find this update very beneficial.

COLLABORATION BETWEEN MIDDLE, HIGH AND POST-SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Last week’s newsletter talked about the increased collaboration efforts that are underway to help our incoming freshmen transition to NHS much more smoothly. This week we would like to share that we are also working hard to help our seniors transition to their post-high school endeavors more seamlessly as well.

As part of our updated advisory curriculum we will be placing great emphasis on partnering with all of our post-secondary providers for our students. With more access to college and career recruiters, more information available, and increased supports implemented to help our seniors find their pathway and connect to it, we are excited about helping redefine how supported our seniors feel in their final year in the Newberg School District.

REGISTRATION AND FROSH ORIENTATION: SAVE THE DATES!!!!
Our last newsletter included information about the dates we have set aside for fall registration. Tuesday, September 1, our incoming freshmen will register in the morning and stay for frosh orientation that afternoon. The afternoon of September 1st our seniors will register. The morning of September 2nd our juniors will register followed by the sophomores that afternoon.

We wanted to share this week that our registration process will include an opportunity for all students and their parents to get a first glimpse of how we have re-organized NHS in an effort to provide exemplary service. We will have students begin their registration process on the south side of the school at the four glass doors that enter into the commons. There will be check in tables where students and their families will check in and receive their registration materials, a packet that will include a registration checklist as students and families tour the school getting pictures taken, schedules handed out to student, and even schedule changes made during the registration process.

It is our goal to have a registration process where all of our students and their family needs are met prior to the first day of school so that once we begin classes we can focus on academics!

WE NEED STUDENTS TO CARRY ID CARDS
Along with updating our registration process next year we are also going to ask for your assistance in helping us ensure that all students have an ID card on them at all times. We will issue all students an ID card at registration when their pictures are taken. Having students keep their ID card on them is one of our efforts to further promote a safe campus environment. Meanwhile, having students keep their ID cards on them will also help us speed up some of our processes, such as taking attendance, which we hope to do electronically by ID card next year.

95% OR BETTER ATTENDANCE MATTERS!
Speaking of attendance NHS will be striving next year to ensure that we maintain a 95% or higher school wide attendance rate. Studies show that if a student is in class 95% or more of the time there is a 95% chance they will pass all of their classes! To this end we will be asking students and parents to utilize our pre-arranged absence process in the event you know of an absence ahead of time, and when absent, to clear that absence the same day if at all possible.

Knowing how important great attendance is to being a successful student NHS will also be following up on attendance matters much sooner and more efficiently beginning in the fall.

INTERVAL PROGRESS REPORTS
While attendance is certainly a key variable when it comes to determining if a student will be successful in a class or not, keeping track of ones grades and remaining updated on progress in classes is equally, if not more, important. In an effort to support our students and their parents monitoring of their grades NHS will be implementing an Interval Progress Report (IPR) beginning in the fall. We are currently in the process of seeing if our technology will also allow us to include attendance and behavioral feedback to students and parents as well as part of the IPR’s. Stay tuned!

NEWBERG NATION ’15-‘16
One of the new programs we will roll out in the fall in support of our Newberg Nation efforts is something we call “PBIS,” which stands for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support! We will be unveiling a very positive recognition campaign and are currently forming our PBIS Team that will lead these efforts. It the task of this team to find any way and every way possible to celebrate all the great things that not only our students are doing, but also that are staff, parents and community members are doing in contributing to help make NHS the greatest school in the land!

We will celebrate anything and everything! From a link located on our website to accessing our Facebook page or using our Newberg Nation Twitter access, or our ability to have all of our staff have an email link on their desktops, we will celebrate everything and anything positive happening across Newberg Nation! You simply need to go to any of those nomination links/forms and send them our way! We will do the rest!

From random acts of kindness to academic and co-curricular achievements, improved student behavior or exceptional efforts and volunteerism that occurs in any regard, we will be looking for anything and everyone to celebrate in our own Newberg Nation way; a.k.a. when someone does something special we refer to them affectionately as a Flying Tiger!

Stay tuned Tigers, more to come and the nomination links will go live this fall!

NEXT WEEKS EDITION OF “This Week In Newberg Nation?”
We will talk about our other efforts to help improve our:

• Curriculum, instruction and student achievement.
• School culture, student/parent involvement and engagement next year.
• Student support systems and structures for next year.

NHS College & Career Center:

• All juniors will be attending the NW Youth Careers Expo on Tuesday, March 17th.  Permission forms were distributed in Advisory.  To learn more about this event visit the College and Career Center webpage.
• Attention any students planning to attend George Fox next fall: The McGrath Family Scholarship applications are now available.  The award amount is $2,800 dollars and the deadline is April 30th.  Pick up your application in the College and Career Center.
• Spring Break is right around the corner, and this is the perfect time to visit colleges!

Check out more available scholarships on our website!

Internships are available at Newberg High School!
For students interested in the health career field, there is a program with Providence Health System called Career Highlights. These are three hour mini courses focused on a specific health care career field. This qualifies as a Job Shadow needed for graduation. These events are on Saturdays and students need to provide their own transportation.

Registration for April Career Highlights begins on Monday, March. 2nd and will be open until spaces are filled. The April Career Highlights include:

• Physician on Thursday, April 2 at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center from  1-4 p.m. P
• Physician on Friday, April 10 at Providence Portland Medical Center from  9 a.m.- noon.
• Rehabilitation Services (physical therapy, speech and language pathology, occupational therapy, audiology) on Tuesday, April 21 at Providence Willamette Falls Community Center from 9 a.m.- noon.
• Health Care Finance on Friday, April 24 at Providence Office Park (POP2 Bldg.) from  9 a.m.- noon.

SPRING FLING DANCE-
April 3, 2015
Ticket Prices:
$8.00 through March 20th
$10.00 March 30th – April 3rd (by 3:00pm)
$15.00 at the Dance!
*Students bringing a non Newberg student MUST complete a guest pass form—
  DUE MARCH 31st, 2015

Got A Story? An Accomplishment?
An Award? Scholarship? Internship? Joining the U.S. Military?

As we talked about in last weeks newsletter we want to know, we want to celebrate, and we want to honor all things Newberg Nation! This message was delivered to all NHS students at last weeks assembly by Activities Director Mark Brown, Assistant Principal Janay Cookson and Principal Mark Risen.

Again, we want stories, we need to celebrate your and our accomplishments, and we are proud of everyone in Newberg Nation! Please feel free to send your stories to brownm@newberg.k12.or.us and rennet@newberg.k12.or.us. Go Tigers!

Got Robots?

This past weekend three robotics teams from Newberg Nation competed in the State Robotics Tournament at Benson High School. The following link is to a clip from KPTV that was forwarded from ORTOP, the local organization that organized the event. 
 
 http://www.kptv.com/clip/11213486/oregon-robotics-teams-compete-in-portland

Newberg Team #9474 – “Revolution,” appeared in the clip. While our Tigers do not talk their robot was shown a few times and they were the boys in the black with orange lettering at the very end of the clip. The other Newberg teams at the state competition were Team #6712, “Bullet Proof” and Team #6713, “Aeterna.”

We are very proud of our robotics teams and the successes they have brought to Newberg Nation over the years including three national championships!

Now there are some Flying Tigers for you!

Crab Feed & Auction time n.N.!

It’s fundraising time here in Newberg Nation and the Flying Tigers Boosters are in full speed to raise some dollars! The annual Crab Feed & Auction is scheduled for Saturday, March 14th, beginning at 5pm at the Newberg Armory!

With Mark Brown, Mark Risen and Matt Willcutts hosting the oral auction this could be one fun event to be a part of! The silent auction starts at 5pm followed by dinner and the oral auction at 7. Here is a quick list of oral auction items, just to wet your pallet:

                Bon Appetit will cater a meal for 20!

                Subterra and the Downtowners are donating wine tasting, a lovely dinner and a night’s stay!

Chehalem Valley Golf Club and Ye Olde Pizza have partnered to offer a package for golf and pizza enthusiasts! (You will have to outbid Mr. Malone on this one!)

Nichol Guide Service has generously donated a professionally guided fishing trip (watch Mr. Risen’s paddle raise on this one!)

Ann and Bill Dolan have offered their cabin in Lapine that sleeps nine for a Central Oregon family get away!

Newberg Ace Hardware has donated some really nice corral boots and apparel! (watch for Superintendent Dr. Kym’s bids on this one!)

                Wilson Orthodontics has put up a $GRAND worth of orthodontic work!

Mrs. D (Yes, Carolyn DeCrevel) has donated a flat screen TV and Lewis Home Audio will install it! (March Madness anyone? Calling Mark Brown…Calling Mark Brown…)

TDP Landscaping has generously donated a $1K gift certificate…uh yes, we said $1K! (Don’t get any ideas Mrs. Cookson!)

Doug and Kathy Caffal have stepped up yet once again and offered a two night stay at their Arch Cape home! (Mrs. Santana is already on this one!)

Salishan anyone? Stay there, eat there, play there! This package has it all! (No, Mrs. Santana, you are going to have to bid for this at the auction just like everyone else!)

Tickets anyone? We have Ducks Football and Blazers Basketball tickets (and a signed Blazer pennant)! (Watch for Susan Burke’s auction # on this one!)

Or how about a Larry Bird autographed basketball? (hmmm, would go great in Darrell Risen’s sports memorabilia room!)

Mrs. Beckius has donated an Italian dinner for 6! Mmmmmmm….

Tired of hearing your student complain about parking at school? Well now is the chance to get them their own reserved parking spot!

NHS Athletes and Coaches have donated:

1. Four wrestlers for whatever/whenever
2. Four softball players for whatever/whenever
3. Couch Surfing in the end zone at NHS home basketball games next year (+pizza)!
4. Four home passes to all NHS sporting events!
5. Reserved parking spots for sporting events!
6. A Sideline Pass and Reserved Parking Spot for next fall’s games!

Ever wanna rub elbows with the big Bengals? The Administrative Team at NHS, yes, all 5 of them, have donated a dinner for 8! They will cook, clean and serve!

Speaking of big Tigers, Mr. Risen will load you on his jet boat with the bait and tags you need to enjoy a day crabbing on one of the bays of the Oregon Coast! Mark Brown will join in the fun as first mate! Suffice to say you won’t just crab, you will also enjoy all the laughs that come with those two!

Let’s build it! The NHS Boosters have set a goal to get a new batting cage facility built at NHS! This is a great goal and given our climate here in the Chehalem Valley it is a no brainer! Get on board Tigers, and let’s get this thing built!

Get your tickets now Tigers, the fun begins tomorrow night at 5pm! See you there Newberg Nation!
https://nwbrgbc.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/2015CrabDinnerAuction/tabid/667414/Default.aspx

Grad Night $$$$
Every Tuesday, Ye Olde Pizza donates a portion of their proceeds to help support NHS Grad Night.  Take the family out for some great pizza between 4:00-9:00pm and help provide a safe and fun grad night for our 2015 Seniors. 

Tiger Music
Just a quick heads up about a few events that are happening over the next few weeks with the NHS Tiger Bands: 
Saturday, March 14 the Wind Ensemble is performing at the George Fox University Band Festival at 3pm in Bauman Auditorium.
Thursday, March 19 at 7pm is the Spring Concert for Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Concert Band and Orchestra.
Save the date(s) Tigers!

Newberg NationThoughts…
~Principal Risen

I received a very interesting email late yesterday afternoon from Mrs. Molly Baker, one of Newberg Nation’s Education Assistants. Mrs. Baker talked at length about how we have many students that often hold doors for her as she tries to navigate them with carts in tow. Yesterday, however, these boys saw her coming long after they had gone through the door, walked back several feet, and made a concerted effort to go out of their way and help her.

She commented at the end of her email about how much she appreciates these deeds and the positive energy they exude somewhat eluding to the fact that enthusiasm, random acts of kindness and keeping an optimistic mindset are all contagious! She is right. Unequivocally!

As you have read throughout our series of newsletters the fabric of Newberg Nation is about being positive, having good will toward others, continuously striving to improve and doing so with free will. For if we do those things we can support one another to become whatever each of us individually aspires to become, and we can collectively aspire to achieve whatever it is we want to become as a school and community.

And let’s just be honest Tigers. It is going to take hard work to achieve our individual and collective dreams so we might as well have fun, be positive, share the experiences and grow the memories together! For it is in the journey that we will recall in the end, regardless of how much we achieve!

Flying Tigers…
“It’s good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end!”
 ~Ernest Hemingway