Malabon Elementary

Tip the Scale

Games! Music! Free food and prizes! Malabon students and parents have an afternoon of free and active fun waiting for them on Saturday, February 25^th at Petersen Barn. The UO, City of Eugene, United Way and others are teaming up for Tip the Scale, three hours of great activities for Malabon families.

There will also be a free raffle for prizes and lots of valuable ideas and take-home information about healthy lifestyles and interesting local programs to benefit your family. I’m hoping for a great Malabon turnout. It’s free, it’s practically next door, so stop in and check it out at Pete Barn on the 25^th from 2:00-5:00 p.m.

MAKE A LIFETIME OF DIFFERENCE IN JUST THREE HOURS

According to recent data, 82% of all children entering kindergarten in Lane County’s two Promise Neighborhoods do not meet the early literacy benchmark. Kids In Transition to School (KITS) is one of United Way’s “Promise Neighborhoods” strategies. KITS is a free sixteen week program where children learn skills such as sharing, lining up and taking turns. Parents learn valuable information about setting routines and being involved in their child’s education.

Turn a young life around by joining your neighbors and friends on one day as we go door-todoor distributing information about KITS, school registrations, and other community resources. Our aim is to double last year’s enrollment number and increase the number of families attending kindergarten registration.

WHEN:
Saturday, March 3, 2012

TIMES:
Two shifts: 10am to 1pm and 1pm to 4pm

28 volunteers needed for each shift

WHERE:
Malabon Elementary Family Resource Center

Each shift will meet at Malabon Elementary Family Resource Center (1380 Taney, Eugene, OR 97402). United Way will provide walking maps, snacks and a brief training at the beginning of each shift. We suggest you wear comfortable walking shoes, bring a water bottle and wear layered clothing (the weather can be unpredictable). Volunteers will do routes in pairs and will cover different neighborhoods depending on school boundaries.

For questions or to sign-up to volunteer, contact Lindsey Arkfeld at larkfeld@unitedwaylane.org  or #541-741-6000 x106.

Online registration is available at www.unitedwaylane.org and click on “Volunteers needed for Promise Neighborhood Canvassing” or enter the web address

https://volunteer.truist.com/uwlane/user/events/one.tcl?event_id=10510092093

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After collectively reading the list of sixteen books, from classic titles such as Charlotte’s Web to historical fiction literature such as Number the Stars, our OBOB teams were narrowed down to two. Our final two teams battled it out last week and the winning team for Malabon was chosen! Sarah, Camilla, Tycho and Caitlin, otherwise known as The Swords of Knowledge, are heading to Regionals. Elementary schools around Lane County will be battling on Saturday, March 3rd at North Eugene High School. We wish our Malabon team lots of luck and would like to thank all of our kids who participated in OBOB this year. We had lots of fun!

Malabon families: there’s no need to rely on rumors when you can hear the truth from the official source.

Everything you wanted to know about Bethel schools is on the agenda for Superintendent Colt Gill’s Question and Answer session this Wednesday, February 15, at 6:00 p.m. in the Willamette High School library.

This one-hour open conversation for the entire community will include important information about the state’s new Open Enrollment law, school budgeting, Bethel’s facilities needs, and anything else on your mind related to schools.

Spanish interpretation will be available.

Hot Off the Press Newsletters

Click on the February 2012 Newsletter for news from Malabon and click on PTO News Jan for news from our wonderful PTO!

Planning Activities For Bethel
What kind of programs and activities should the Petersen Barn Community center offer for Bethel youth, families, young children and seniors? This is your chance to let them know. Dinner is free this Friday night, February 3rd, 6:00 p.m. at Pete Barn. You only need to bring your ideas and opinions.

Speak now or forever hold your grumbling. For more information, call Petersen Barn at (541) 914-5430.

Malabon News…

Please click on January Newsletter 2012 for up to date information on the happenings at Malabon.

Malabon’s Report Card

Due to a change in state rules, we are now able to email our State School Report Cards to you. This will save the school district money, although paper copies will also be available at the Malabon school office for those who request a hard copy.

You may also recall that Oregon recently raised the bar on what kids are expected to learn in math at each grade level. As a result, although our students actually scored higher on the state tests, fewer kids were able to “meet” the state math standards.
The good news is that our teachers have already been implementing several new programs to further improve student learning in math. These include Math Facts Fluency and Bethel’s teacher-developed Math Core Units.

Click here for Malabon’s report card from last school year.

Finally, thank you for staying involved in your child’s education. Your active attention and support really makes a difference at each grade level. As always, feel free to email or call me.

mspence@bethel.k12.or.us (541) 461-6421

District News…

Why The Y In Bethel
The plan for a Community Center in Bethel is closer to becoming a reality, but first the City of Eugene wants to hear your thoughts on the idea. Take this quick survey to share your thoughts with City staffers.

The proposal would permit the Eugene Y to build a new facility along Legacy Street, immediately south of Meadow View School. The City would lease the land to the Y for $1 a year.

Like the idea? Not so sure? Share your thoughts in the survey today.

Success For All Students
Bethel is proud to host African American Student Support Night on January 12^th at 7:00 p.m. at Willamette High School. Families of African American and bi-racial students will learn about the Bethel programs in place to support students at every grade level. The event will include some inspirational straight-talk and will seek your opinions on what issues future events should address and how we can all improve our schools.