middle school

The Oregon Food Bank, (OFB) is a non-profit, charitable organization. OFB recovers food from farmers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, individuals and government sources. It then delivers that food to 20 regional food banks. OFB also works to eliminate the root cause of hunger through advocacy, nutrition education, learning gardens and public education.

Gardiner Middle School students and parent volunteers have the opportunity to help others by volunteering at the Oregon Food Bank. Five dates were set up for our students to volunteer at the Oregon Food Bank during the 2008-2009 school year. We have completed our first volunteer experience and are looking forward to the remaining opportunities to help others.

Permission slips were signed, we met at 8:15 to get on the bus and travel to The Oregon Food Bank that is located in Northeast Portland. When we arrived we were told our task for the day was to package carrots, weigh them so that they were in five pound bags, and then place them in a large crate. After putting on hair nets, aprons, and washing our hands, our group was ready to work. The students and adult volunteers worked for two and a half hours packing carrots. While we were working we also had time to talk about what we were doing and the impact it would have on others. There was also much laughter and fun as we packaged the carrots that came in a surprising series of sizes and shapes. We also toured the Oregon Food Bank Warehouse and were amazed at how many empty shelves there were. We also saw the food that still needed to be packaged by future volunteers. At the end of our time at The Oregon Food Bank we packaged 4100 pounds of carrots, providing meals for 3154 families, which was an average of 78 meals per volunteer! We left feeling tired but energized by what we had accomplished to help others.

Gardiner Middle School parents please note we will be going 4 more times (November 4th 2008, February 3rd 2009, March 3rd 2009, April 7th 2009) if you would like to help volunteer. For general and/or volunteer information please contact Dianne Shewbert 503-785-8170

Oregon law requires the following shots for school and child care attendance*

A child entering Preschool, Child Care, or Head Start needs:

• 4 Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis (DTaP)
• 3 Polio
• 1 Varicella (chickenpox)
• 1 Measles/Mumps/Rubella (MMR)
• 3 Hepatitis B
• 2 Hepatitis A—New Requirement!!
• 3 or 4 Hib

A child entering Kindergarten needs:

• 5 Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis (DTaP)
• 4 Polio
• 1 Varicella (chickenpox)
• 2 Measles
• 1 Mumps
• 1 Rubella
• 3 Hepatitis B
• 2 Hepatitis A—New Requirement!!

A student entering Grade 1-6 or Grade 8-12 needs:

• 5 Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis (DTaP)
• 4 Polio
• 1 Varicella (chickenpox)
• 2 Measles
• 1 Mumps
• 1 Rubella
• 3 Hepatitis B

A student entering 7th Grade needs:

• 5 Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis (DTaP)
• 1 Tdap—New Requirement!!
• 4 Polio
• 1 Varicella (chickenpox)
• 2 Measles
• 1 Mumps
• 1 Rubella
• 3 Hepatitis B

* Doses required varies by a child’s age and how long ago they were vaccinated. Please check with your child’s school or healthcare provider for details.

If you have any questions you can call your child’s doctor, school or district health services.

Download a printable Immunization flyer (PDF)

Oregon City Destination Imagination (DI) Teams Score Big! Redland Elementary and Ogden Middle School both sent DI teams to the state tournament at OSU on April 5th. Both teams placed 2nd in their divisions and the Ogden team will compete in the Global Finals at the University of Tennessee in May with 1000 teams from across the US and 20 other countries.

DI is a critical thinking and creative problem solving program that has two components: (1) performing a long-term challenge with many complex components and (2) solving an instant improv-style challenge. Ogden chose "Hit or Myth" for their long problem and used the scientific process to determine if a myth could be true or not. They decided on: Can bananas from Costa Rica cause a flesh eating disease? They did actual research at PSU's microbiology lab. This was the third year for the Ogden team to work together and their success shows well-tuned critical thinking skills, creativity and teamwork! Good luck in Tennessee! (Students of all ages are eligible to join new DI teams in September.

Contact Becky Taylor at (503) 785-8510 for details about fall informational meetings.

For more information visit Destination ImagiNation,
Oregon Destination ImagiNation and Ogden's DI Team

The Task Force for Oregon Internet Crimes Against Children will be presenting tonight, Tuesday, April 22, at 6 PM at Gardiner Middle School in the cafeteria. We are really lucky to have these experts here, especially with the increase in misuse of cell phones, Myspace and the internet. We look forward to seeing you tonight!

Who should attend: Parents and Guardians in the Oregon City School District.

Oregon City Pioneer Robotics Organization (OCPro) is currently in Atlanta, Georgia competing in the world FIRST Championship. OCPro, also known as Team 2550, is a FIRST Robotics team which consists students from the Oregon City School District. They won the Rookie All-Star Award.

The team had to design, build, and program the robot in only 6-weeks. This is the nature of the FIRST Competition, as all teams have to complete this task in the same amount of time. FIRST also celebrates "Gracious Professionalism," which advocates teams helping one another to be their best, so the competition doesn't hinder teams from learning from one another.

OCPro won the Rookie All-Star Award at the Oregon Regional in late February. This award is for the rookie team that worked to educate others about FIRST, science, and technology, and which looks to be an extremely good team in the future.
OCPro has had numerous newspaper articles published about their team, and are currently serving as Ambassadors of the City of Oregon City during this trip.

For more information:
OCPro
FIRST
FRC Championship