November is not a month known for lots of school time in the Portland Public School System. Between inservice days and a couple of holidays is almost feels like we’re already on winter break! Believe it or not, next week is a full week with every day a Roost Day so your student (and you) can enjoy that regularly scheduled Roost time.
Here are the items that may be of interest to you as you enjoy a “regular” week:
FIRST ROOST PARTY FOLLOW UP
FRIDAY HAPPENINGS AT THE SWAP SHOP, GYM AND ROOST
MISSED TIME AT THE ROOST
HOLIDAY WREATH FUND RAISER
NEW BATHROOM UP AND RUNNING
GREAT PARENTING TALK AT HOSFORD
NOW YOUR NEIGHBORS – REALTY WORKS
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH – Family Night – Japanese food 5:30-7, all ages gym and Roost 6-9
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18TH – Hosford parenting talk on healthy independence 7-8:30
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH – Next Family Night Hoop Jam (music, rythmn, rock and hula hoops)
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FIRST ROOST PARTY FOLLOW UP: Thank you to everyone who helped make our first Roost Party of the year possible. The students did several weeks of planning and a lot of decorating. Root beer floats and pizza were a big hit and a lot was learned by everybody along the way. All the students are getting an opportunity to reflect on the event in the daily community circle that happens on each Roost day. If you have any questions about the party or future events open to visitors or guests, please contact Amber Peoples, Sunnyside site manger for Camp Fire programming by phone or email.
FRIDAY HAPPENINGS AT THE SWAP SHOP, GYM AND ROOST: We have all the usual offerings tonight, space to lounge in the Roost and run around in the gym 6-9pm. This is the first week we are starting our food service early: 5:30 instead of 6pm so it will be easier to pick up your youth and grab a bite if you are headed out elsewhere.
Emi Yamauchi who lives just two blocks from the Roost is bringing her Japanese heritage and love of healthy, loving food to all of us tonight.
Here is her menu . . .
- $5.00 Big Love Salmon Plate: Broiled Salmon, Potato/Carrot/Onion Stew, Hijiki Salad, Broccolli, Salted Cabbage, Rice
- $4.00 Bless Up Veggie Plate: Potato/Carrot/Onion Stew, Hijiki Salad, Broccolli, Salted Cabbage, Rice
- $1.00 Warm Love Miso Soup
- $2.00 Handmade Onigiris (2): Not sure what Onigiris are? Onigiri is a very common food in Japan. It is also known as omusubi and nigirimeshi and is often included in packed lunches. Onigiri literally means “taking hold of (something) with your hands”. Onigiri is made by cupping hot, freshly boiled rice in your hands and pressing down on it so that it is soft inside and firm outside. She will have two types plain (just salt) and seasoned (with carrot top, sesame seeds, agave, and soy sauce) It sounds quite exotic, but it’s quite accessible, even to picky kids, the carrot tops are chopped up fine and fried with sesame seeds in a teriyaki flavor.
MISSED TIME AT THE ROOST: Several families have asked about missed days (because of school schedules and the heavy flu season). When the Roost is more full (nearer its space and ratio capacity of 30 students per day) it just wouldn’t be possible to accomodate missed days. Also, needing to have a solid operating budget, we don’t want to get in the position of discounting payments at the end of a month already paid for. With all that said, one of the benefits to you of being a founding family of this wonderful new way for middle schoolers to “roost” is some special accomodations (while you are accomodating our growing pains too.) I am more than willing to explore with you some amount of flexibility in scheduling in a way that fits very well into our goal of being a great sanctuary and resource to families during the ever changing middle school years.
Please get in touch with me if you have some specific ways you’d like to use your “unused” Roost time and I will work with Camp Fire to see what is most feasible for everyone.
HOLIDAY WREATH FUND RAISER: SUSTAINABLY MADE HOLIDAY WREATHS: May of us have the option of buying wreaths and pointsettias from Sunnyside Environmental School. If you don’t have students attending SES or something about this approach speaks to you, here is a note from my dear friend Sarah Cox at Windward (a stustainability research center up the Gorge past the Klickitat River):
Much thanks from all of us here at the Roost if we can help you get the wreath you want from a forest that is well cared for with some funds for our ongoing growth.
NEW BATHROOM UP AND RUNNING: Three cheers for a working toilet right in our Roost space. The kids will be adding their own decorative flair to this part of the Roost in no time I’m sure. Check out our new facilities through the second O of the big Roost sign on the far wall.
GREAT PARENTING TALK AT HOSFORD: The Hosford Middle School PTSA has arranged for a free talk by Kris Gowen from Portland State University’s School of Social Work on:
Healthy Risk Taking? How to encourage your child’s independence without completely letting go.
Date: Wed. November 18, 2009, Time: 7:00-8:30 PM Location: Hosford Middle School 2303 SE 28th Place
Since some good, healthy independence with out all of us as parents feeling like we have completely let go is the core of what the Roost is all about. Several of us that have been part of building up the Roost from the beginning have this event on our calendar already. Please join us if you are interested. I will also do my best to recap in our next email.
More details about the presentation and discussion in the attached flyer.
KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS – NEIGHBORHOOD WORKS REALTY: I’ll be spending a bit of my Saturday morning writing up our first of many neighborhood realty reports from two wonderful women, Jarrett Altman and Tracy Dau of Neighborhood Works Realty who are long time Swap Shop members, long time Sunnyside residents and the kind of locally focused real estate agents that really know the old houses in inner southeast. Lots of great info to share. Look for their special Roost sponsor feature in your email box this weekend.
