Important Information for MEWA Parents and Students

The Metro East Web Academy provides a technology-rich 21^st century learning model that ensures student success in a rapidly evolving learning, work, and community environment. 

Dear Parents and Students:  

This year, MEWA is focusing on attendance as our primary goal.  As chronic absenteeism is a major factor relating to students at risk of dropping out of school, we are determined that each of our students attend school each an every day.  Our goal is to have 95% of our students in attendance every day.  It is expected that every MEWA student check in with a teacher and/or turn in an assignment everyday!

Riddle of the WEEK!

Riddle:

The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?

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Students of the Month for September

Paige Durias
Ben Holliday
Aurora Leino
Pepe Galindo-Ramirez

Most Improved Students for May

Alexis Lugo
Daniell Pinchuk
Eli Gutierrez
Amaya Caldwell

Students of the Month and Most Improved receive a $10 Starbucks gift card and a MEWA t-shirt! Come in and claim yours so we can take your picture.

OCTOBER 21 – NATIONAL PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE DAY – NATIONAL REPTILE AWARENESS DAY – NATIONAL MAMMOGRAPHY DAY

National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day – October 21

NATIONAL PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE DAY

National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day is observed annually on October 21. Fall the is the perfect time to add pumpkin to one of America’s favorite desserts!  

Cheesecake is a sweet dessert that is a mixture of fresh soft cheese, cream cheese or cottage cheese, eggs and sugar on a crust made from crushed graham crackers, crushed cookies, pastry or sponge cake.  Pumpkin may be added to cheesecake recipes in various ways. For example, it may be swirled throughout,  mixed thoroughly with all ingredients or layered.  Cheesecakes can be prepared baked or unbaked, flavored and are often served topped with fruit, fruit sauce, chocolate or whipped cream.

An ancient form of cheesecake may have been a popular dish in ancient Greece.  It has been found that the earliest attested mention of cheesecake is by the Greek physician, Aegimus, who wrote a book on the art of making cheesecakes.

James Kraft developed a form of pasteurized cream cheese in 1912.  In 1928, Kraft acquired the Philadelphia trademark and marketed pasteurized Philadelphia Cream Cheese which is now the most commonly used cheese for this creamy dessert and many other recipes.

For more information, visit the National Day Calendar page for National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day.

Announcements:

• Friday October 28, 2016 9am-2pm we are headed to Oregon Humane Society. We will meet at MEWA and be transported by bus to their facility in Portland. We will take a tour fo the Oregon Humane Society and hear about the services they provide.  We will also be doing community service by serving on site doing any yard work or helping in whatever manual labor is needed.  Pick up your permission slip at the front desk or email Nikki Albelo for more information at albelo@mewebacademy.org

• The Month of November we will be having a school wide food drive for Snow Cap.  Snow Cap serves families in need East of 82nd.  Please bring canned goods to the school the entire month of November.   On November 17th we will meet at Snow Cap, bring our canned goods, tour their facility and volunteer!  For more information please contact Nikki at albelo@mewebacademy.org

• Thursday November 3rd we will be headed to Portland Center Stage! We will see the play, “Hold these truths.”  Students will hear a perspective on the challenges the U.S. and it’s citizens went through during World War II.  “Gordon Hirabayashi agonizes over government orders to forcibly remove and mass incarcerate all people of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast. As he fights to reconcile his country’s betrayal with his passionate belief in the U.S. Constitution” Cost is $15.  For more information please contact Nikki at albelo@mewebacademy.org

• Do you need a math tutor?  Contact Toyoko Akiyama-Becker at (503) 669-1052 or toybecker@gmail.com. She charges $20 for 45 minutes of tutoring.

Fish Hatchery Field Trip Photos

·Now available on our website:

We can now accept payments via PayPal for fees or donations.  If you would like to donate to our school, we use the money to pay for scholarships and activities such as field trips, incentives, and other extras that we provide our students and programs. As we are a 501 (c) (3), all donations are tax deductible and we will furnish you with a letter with our federal tax ID #.

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The Season of Giving With Metro East

It’s November.  The days are getting dark earlier, the storms have arrived, & Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away.  Celebrating the holidays marks the beginning of the "Season of Giving."  This year, Metro East is excited to partner together with SnowCap Community Charities, the Service Learning Club, and the Volunteer Club to sponsor a canned food drive!  Our drive will run through November 22^nd and we have a large collection barrel in our school lobby for donations.  Foods such as canned fruit and vegetables, peanut butter, dry pastas and grains, soups, stews and chili, canned meats, tuna fish, shelf stable milk, breakfast cereals, soups and sauces, baby food and formula are much needed in our community and are appreciated.  All non-perishable donations can be brought to the school.  For every item donated, students will receive a ticket for a chance to win a $10 iTunes gift card.  The more you donate, the higher chance of winning the iTunes gift card!  Contact Ms. Hathaway with any questions.

About our partner, SnowCap Community Charities:

“SnowCap Community Charities is a philanthropic organization created to provide food, clothing, advocacy and other services to the poor.”  The organization began in 1967 when members of the East Multnomah County Community noticed many of the needs of the residents were not being met.  SnowCap (which stands for Suburban Neighborhoods Operation Witness Community Action Program) originally set-up three centers from which the community was served.  By the organization’s 40^th anniversary it had served over 1.4 million people, had a staff of 7 and a budget of $500,000.  With this, SnowCap was able to implement new programs including: English language instruction, community gardens, and home delivered food boxes for seniors.  For more information about SnowCap visit: http://www.snowcap.org/Home.aspx.  We at MEWA are proud to be partners of this organization and a member of the community at large.  Thank you for your generosity and participation in our canned food drive!

Important Announcements…

Tomorrow is a sequential calendar date!  “Each century contains twelve such sequential number calendar dates, the first being 01-02-03 and the last one, 12-13-14. So, December 13, 2014 will be the last such sequential calendar date in the 21st century” (Aziz S. Inan, Ph.D., Professor, Electrical Engineering, University of Portland, Portland, Oregon).

MEWA Student Leadership Club.  This club is open to all students with a focus on building leadership skills for those who join. If you are interested in joining, please attend the next meeting on Thursday, November 14, 1:30 PM at MEWA.  You do not have to be present to participate.  Contact Ms. Norrander for more information: Julie Norrander <norrander@mewebacademy.org>

Our Parent Booster Group will have the next meeting November 20^th at 6:00 PM at MEWA.  Participation in this group is open to all MEWA parents, grandparents, guardians, and staff members.  The focus of this group is to organize and support activities that promote our school and provide enrichment and growth opportunities for students and staff.  Snacks and refreshments are provided.

College Bound Students: Take a Free ACT/SAT Practice Test! Warm up for the test and find out how you would score.  Get realistic practice and try your hand at the types of questions you’ll face on the actual exam.  You’ll receive a personalized score report pinpointing your strengths and weaknesses.  Princeton Review Assessment:  1-888-578-8378 ext. 1030. The dates for the 4-hour test are 11/16 – 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM or 12/8 – 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM.  They are located at 421 SW Hall St., Portland.  You can check them out at: PrincetonReview.com.  The test and results are free – this is a for-profit company and they will offer students the opportunity to take prep classes at a cost.

Field Trip Opportunities…Our school is scheduling a field trip for November 26^th to the Portland Art Museum to see the Samurai exhibit. We plan to take the kids there via MAX.  Please contact Mr. Kennedy or Ms. Powell if you have an interest or questions.  Join us December 4 as we tour the new Portland-Milwaukie Lite Rail Project! Fill out the permission form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1uMUH-gpVorp3hCGy4JUujeCNG2QwEYfNX_UxnOivjYU/viewform

Stay Active! We have many incentive programs right now including: a drawing for (2) 16GB iPod Touches, weekly drawings for Drop-In Lab goal achievements, & Student of the Month awards.

Remember the ME in MEWA; at Metro East you come first.

Hands-On Learning & MEWA Announcements

Mr. Barrentine is teaching students about crustaceans.  There are many opportunities for hands on activities at MEWA.

Last week’s blog talked about the importance of involvement in the education process.  This week, we take this concept one step further and discuss the importance of actively participating in one’s learning, known as hands-on learning.  Studies have shown hands-on learning increases the level of engagement and understanding of the student and the benefits of this are immense.  An article by Everest describes these benefits from the perspective of a student’s future.  First of all, the student exhibits a greater retention of course material through active engagement with the concepts being taught.  Additionally, critical thinking skills are easily developed in a stimulated environment.  This is due to the increased attention given to “in-the-moment” learning.  Finally, the personalized guidance a student receives from the instructor during the hands-on-learning process is much greater than in a lecture or classroom setting.

(Source: http://news.everest.edu/post/2010/01/top-5-benefits-of-a-hands-on-learning-environment/#.UmqmKFwSAps)

For students at MEWA, hands-on learning is still a big part of their education as we offer the stimulated environment needed to apply, discuss, and discover the concepts explained in coursework.  Our teachers work on-site and are host to drop-in labs in which students can visit, ask questions, and progress through their assignments.  Drop-in labs are encouraged so that students receive the hands-on application they sometimes need to better understand what is being learned.  We also invite students to participate in field-trips and clubs to interact with each other, their teachers, and the school on a more social level.  At MEWA, we want to stimulate the student’s mind and help them to achieve all of their future goals.

Important Announcements…

Don’t Forget!  Our incentive program is in full swing.  We will have a drawing on November 22, 2013 for a giveaway of two iPod Touch 16GB players.  To enter, students must login every school day, work at least 1 hour on coursework while logged in each school day, and complete 5 assignments per week that are submitted for grading.  We hope all MEWA and GED students continue to participate!

Let Us Help… We will begin an Open Support Class that will meet each Thursday from 1:00 to 3:00, beginning next week to assist in clearing up any issues students & parents are having with the new Genius/Brain Honey learning management system.

The Student Leadership Club is open to all students!  The focus of the club is to build leadership skills for those who join.  Ms. Norrander will be the staff sponsor with Mr. May-Varas and Dr. Gray assisting. The next meeting will be Thursday, October 31 @ 1:30PM at MEWA.

Our Parent Booster Group will have the next meeting November 20^th at 6:00 PM at MEWA.  Participation in this group is open to all MEWA parents, grandparents, guardians, and staff members.  The focus of this group is to organize and support activities that promote our school and provide enrichment and growth opportunities for students and staff.

MEWA Gold Card Program.  We have an exciting new incentive program for the drop-in laboratory. Each time you achieve your study goals that you've listed on a Gold Card, you'll be able to turn that card in for a weekly prize drawing. Currently, our weekly prize is a $10 Starbucks gift card. We look to add different prizes in the future. So, stay tuned, stay on task in the drop-in lab, and you too can win prizes.  If you'd like to know more about the details of how this program works, click on the following link: https://docs.google.com/a/gbwebacademy.org/presentation/d/1oeAGfNBaTgcmBAVkDjfmzjtg4qlgrvrrG51RZwSFmv8/edit?usp=sharing.

College Bound Students! Connect with your counselor to discuss the ACT, SAT, or the PSAT.  They have information and dates for registering for these tests.

Remember the ME in MEWA; at Metro East you come first.

The Harris Bell History & Important Announcements

 

“The Harris Bell is just that: a bell. It resides just outside the MEWA Principal’s office and is there for the occasions when students achieve success and earn the right to "Ring the Bell."  This honor is relative to a student accomplishing something significant, which could be completing their last class to earn their diploma; earning their GED; or for some of our students, simply passing all their classes for the first term ever. It is our hope that to "Ring the Bell" will become a fun and thoughtful reward in celebration of students who are getting on track or performing great feats.  We also look forward to the potential community building that may result when students in the building hear the bell and come calling to see who is celebrating a recent achievement.” –John Kitchens

While the Harris Bell celebrates the success of our students, it is important to look at what success is.  What is your success?  Do you ever reach a point of maximum success, or do you take the time to celebrate life’s little achievements?  Think back to when you were younger.  Success was often found in something small, such as crossing the street for the first time without holding the hand of a parent.  Perhaps success was riding a bike down the driveway without training wheels.  These achievements may seem small in hindsight, but at the time, they were huge moments of pride.  Now think about what success means to you now, and where that success will lead in the future.  Prepare for your success by writing goals, benchmarks for a greater achievement.  Talk with your counselor about how to reach these goals.  The most important thing is to hold yourself accountable; don’t let others tell you what your success should be and find the will within yourself to make a dream a reality.  Remember the ME in MEWA; at Metro East you come first.

Important Announcements…

MEWA is starting a student leadership club.  This club will be open to all students!  The focus of the club will be to build leadership skills for those who join.  Our first meeting is Thursday, October 17 at 1:30 PM at MEWA.  Ms. Norrander will be the staff sponsor with Mr. May-Varas and Dr. Gray assisting. 

MEWA is starting a parent booster group.  Our first meeting will be held Wednesday October 16 at 6:00 PM at MEWA.  Participation in this group is open to all MEWA parents, grandparents, guardians, and staff members.  The focus of this group will be to organize and support activities that promote our school and provide enrichment and growth opportunities for students and staff.