Community Transitional School

"For our students, school is a refuge from the trauma and hardships of poverty and uncertainty—a place where they feel a sense of community and belonging. This is a place where they have room to learn, laugh with friends and build hope."
—Cheryl M. Bickle, Principal and Teacher

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January 12, 2009
Gunnar Roads Concert

Norman Sylvester dropping
off the Stratocaster

Update! Because of the snow, Gunnar's concert has been rescheduled to March 1st, 5:30-9:00pm.

For the second year, young blues performer Gunnar Roads is putting on a benefit concert for CTS. Oregon blues great Norman Sylvester is donating a Stratocaster guitar for the benefit auction, and will jam with the band at some point during the evening. With special guest Danny Hay Davis Band.

Click for PDF flier.

December 2, 2008
We are thankful for turkey and other things

We had a great Thanksgiving at CTS with our 19th annual celebration and the first one in our new and permanent school.

Jennipher asked her kindergarten and 1st grade students to write down what they are thankful for. Some named the school, their bus drivers and their teacher. Here are a few others:

"I am thankful for friends." Bell

"I am thankful for recess." Alijah

"I am thankful for the lunch lade." Samantha

"I am thankful for breakfast." Mikaela

The Oregonian did a really nice story about our Thanksgiving. The kids helped cook the meal and they decorated with paper-roll turkey napkin rings and pilgrim hat nut cups. Some of the students impressed our guests by reciting the names of all of the U.S. presidents, in order! Nothing like thoughts of William Howard Taft to make you hungry for turkey!

We are all thankful because people keep doing nice things for us...Thanks to Entercom KidsGiving and to Three Rivers Charter School for the big food deliveries!..Thanks to the Multnomah County Library for sending a wonderful storyteller to our school...And thanks to the Onda Gallery in Lake Oswego for their fashion show event for us!

There's more to come, too. CTS is one of the charities that will benefit from the Lake Oswego Jr. Women's Club Annual Holiday Home Tour Dec. 4...On Tuesday Dec. 9, volunteers from the National Charity League will be wrapping gifts for our school at the Barnes & Noble at North Jantzen Beach Center.

As we look ahead to the winter break - just a few weeks away! - It's amazing to think about all that has gone on. The CTS volleyball team ended the season with a pizza party on Saturday Nov. 22. This was our school's first sports team ever. They won some and they lost some. And they were definitely the most enthusiastic team in the Portland Parks and Rec League. Most important, they learned how to be there for each other, just like, well, a team!

Another big project that is winding down is the LEGO Robotics team. Just five students have been plugging away at building a robot that will perform in the local competition on Dec. 6 in Hillsboro. Part of the competition involves presenting a research project on a topic of team's choosing. They chose to explain the connection between forest fires and global warming.

In recent classroom projects, Marna's class learned how pendulums work...Cheryl's class learned the names of the bones in the human skeleton. Then, they sketched life-size images of each other on big sheets of butcher paper, drawing in all of the bones and their names...and Jennipher's class is working on capital letters and counting.

October 29, 2008
Stylin' for the school

The Onda Gallery in Lake Oswego is having a Holiday Fashion Show to benefit the school on November 15, from 5 to 8 p.m. The Onda Gallery is located at 220 A Street in Lake Oswego. Click the image for the full pdf flier. Très chic!

Click for pdf, 1.4M
Click for pdf (1.4M)

October 22, 2008
No Bones About It!
CTS Chooses Chicken Nuggets

The big election at CTS is over. And the winner is...Chicken Nuggets.

The boneless and breaded fowl product won the CTS election for Best Lunch, with a total 20 votes. It squeaked by the popular Chili-Frito dish, which received 18 votes in a write-in campaign. Those two items were way out front of the rest of the pack. Many were surprised at the poor showing of Spaghetti, Tacos and Meatball Sandwiches, which received one vote each. And Burritos received a surprisingly low 12 votes.

The winning lunch will be served on the other election day, Nov. 4. At that time, the 2nd through 8th grade students will cast their ballots for U.S. president. However, Jennipher's kindergarten and 1st-grade class have been judged too young to participate in that election. So Jennipher decided to teach the little ones how it all works by sponsoring an all-school election to determine the students' favorite school lunch.

Jennipher's class had a nominating session on Wednesday. The campaign was Thursday and the election was Friday. (This could be the fastest election ever. Take a lesson, U.S.A.)

Three lunches were nominated by Jennipher's students: Burritos, Chicken Nuggets and Corn Dogs. One child was in favor of Ravioli. He got up and announced, "I want to dominate Ravioli." Jennipher decided that he didn't need a second, since he was "dominating" instead of "nominating." But Ravioli still failed to make the ballot. The children decided to be accommodating to the older students by leaving room on the ballots for write-ins.

On Thursday, glitter-encrusted election posters appeared all over the school. "Back Burritos" was a catchy slogan, but apparently not good enough. On Friday, the school voted. Turnout was 100 percent. Jennipher's class counted the ballots, with some help, and found some irregularities. Six of the voters had forgotten to check the boxes next to their write-in votes. After some discussion, the class decided that the voters' intent was clear and they let the ballots count.

Election results were announced at an all-school assembly on Friday afternoon. Those in favor of Chili-Fritos were dismayed by their narrow loss. Cheryl pointed out that they could have formed a coalition with the Taco/Spaghetti/Meatball block to swing the election. Ah well. Political lessons are sometimes hard to swallow, in more ways than one. But there's always next time!

Campaign posters decorate
the local watering hole

October 2, 2008
"CTS!CTS!CTS!"

Our new volleyball team, raring to go!

They stomped their feet in time to the cheer, looking good in their pristine new white kneepads and black shorts and Ts. Community Transitional School's first-ever volleyball team played two games during the Portland Parks & Rec Volleyball Jamboree in late September. They lost both games but you'd never know it by the smiles on the players' faces. "Fantastic!" they said. "Awesome!" They were just so happy to be there, playing on a team and being part of the kind of activity that most children experience as a matter of course.

The big drama occurred in the second game, when we had our first injury. One of the girls went for the ball and it bumped her face, causing her to bite her lip and bleed a little bit. Coach Lorie called for a towel, playing stopped, and the rest of the team dropped down on one knee, gathered around the injured player. Lorie was so proud that they remembered to do that. She had mentioned to them only once that that's what players should do when there is an injury. It was just one example of how this ragtag group of kids, who had never played a team sport, were becoming an actual team.

The other big thing the kids on the team are learning is dependability. If they don't turn in their homework or if they have an un-excused absence during any given week, they cannot play on Saturday. And this has happened to a few kids. They also have to be dressed and ready on time when their volunteer drivers pick them up on Saturdays. One boy was so excited, he told his driver he had been up and dressed since 5 a.m. - about four hours before the driver was due to pick him up! Now that's dependability!

Lorie has been coaching the kids since school started and during summer school, too. On October 4 they will play their first real game of the season. The season continues until the end of November. They'll be wearing their new yellow team T-shirts, which will include the logo of the Oregon Sports Authority Foundation. The OSAF provided a grant for the team this year. So thanks to them and thanks to board members who are volunteering on Saturdays to drive the kids - who live all over Portland - to the games and back home. GO CTS!

It's October, So It Must Be Time to Break Out the Glitter

The students are making Halloween cards and decorations to sell later this month at Cooper's Two coffeehouse, 1515 S.E. Water Ave. Don't get confused! In past years, CTS has set up shop at Cooper's on Southeast Stark. So, if you're in the market for our lovely handmade items, look for them at the new store near OMSI. Later in the year, the kids will make cards and decorations for the December holiday season and for Valentine's Day.

Spiders and Bats and Dazzling Facts

The little kids, Jennipher's kindergarten and 1st grade class, are learning about spiders by observing a spider-in-residence spin a web. They learned that spiders are not insects and that baby spiders are called "spiderlings." They're also being introduced to the cycles of nature, such as leaves turning color. They were shocked to learn that leaves can't turn blue....Cheryl's 4th and 5th graders are going bats. They are researching them on line and they will make paper bats with folded wings that will hang upside down in the classroom, in sleeping position...Marna's 5th through 8th graders are working on vocabulary. Research shows that there is a huge vocabulary gap between kids living in poverty and those who are better off...Marna and Cheryl's students participate in an ongoing friendly competition called Dazzling Facts. So far, they have had contests that tested their knowledge about the branches of government, the political parties and the candidates in the upcoming election. They're now learning the names of all the presidents, in order. They're also learning interesting presidential tidbits, such as: William Howard Taft was so overweight he got stuck in the White House bathtub. They liked that one.

Meanwhile...

Kelly's book group of 3rd graders is reading a book about a Navajo tribe. They are learning a Navajo song and they are constructing paper hogans, using real grass for the roofs of the miniature dwellings...Marna's 5th-8th graders went on a guided tour of downtown Portland. Many of the kids had never been downtown before! They were really impressed with the imposing statue of Portlandia...The After School Program kids, called SOS or Students of Success, are gearing up to hold school-wide presidential elections. They're visiting the Obama and McCain campaign headquarters....The SOS kids are also continuing their pen-pal relationship with their sister school in Nicaragua. More on that next time! And we'll also discover the wonderful world of LEGO Robotics!

September 3, 2008
Welcome to our 2008-2009 students

Yes, we're back, and early, too. The buses rolled in on time at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday Aug. 26. The kids lined up. And CTS teachers and staff welcomed the first students of the 2008-2009 year, and our 19th year of school.

There's so much to learn the first week of school! The first-timers had to learn their teachers' names and where the lunchroom is. The returning students had the advantage of knowing those things, but they had new things to learn, too. Some had moved on to different classes and teachers. So that all students know what is expected of them, teachers posted school rules and guidelines for success. One rule is: "Never give up." And the word of the month for September is Friendship.

This is our first full year at our own building. We're looking forward to some other firsts, too. Our students will participate for the first time in a team sport in the Portland Parks and Recreation volleyball league, thanks to an Oregon Sports Authority Foundation grant. Coach Lorie is on the job teaching the game and the importance of teamwork. Another new team effort this year is our Lego Robotics team. Six students will learn how to build a robot and they will participate in the local LEGO Robotics competition, thanks to friends at Intel. Two teachers, Cheryl and Marna, will be the coaches, and our whiz IT guy, Tom, will be the mentor. We'll tell you more about these teams as the year goes on.

By the end of the first week, all of the 5th through 8th grade kids applied to be in the after school program called SOS (Students of Success). Here's part of what one 8th-grade girl wrote in her application: "I want to be ready for high school and college...I want to be successful in life and I want to be someone in my life. I want to be known for good stuff."

The younger kids filled out applications for school wide jobs, all of which require good attendance, getting along with others and getting homework turned in on time. A 5th-grade boy applied to be recess captain: "I will lisin to the teacher and it will be a good job for me because I will tell the teacher if thar is a fite or a kid is hrte. I will cleen up after the resses and I will cooperate with eters." A 4th-grade girl applied to be bathroom monitor: "I think I will be good at it. I will be good at it because I like to hand out paper tols and tell them they are don." Sounds like these two understand what it takes to get the job done!

At recess, all the students are going out to play on our new track and play area, built for us by Jamba Juice. Sure beats playing in the parking lot! And the staff continues to marvel at how nice it is to be in this bright, new school. But we will keep up our school traditions. One important one is root beer floats on the first and last days of school. So, at the end of the first day, all the students and staff had root beer floats to welcome in the new school year. As Cheryl always says, any day that ends with ice cream has to be good!

August 12, 2008
The new school year's coming...

We hope you are enjoying the end of summer. We are. But the recent quiet at 6601 N.E. Killingsworth will soon be over. Can you believe it? School starts on August 26. We enjoy summer as much as anyone, but we are really excited about starting our 19th year of teaching and our first in our own lovely building.

Of course, it wasn't quiet around here for the whole summer. During our 5-week summer session, which ended July 17, there was plenty going on, including volleyball, a trip to the Historical Races and plenty of reading and math. Thanks to all who volunteered and contributed! But it's been a while since the end of summer school, and we know that our students will be happy to come back to school. And we look forward to enrolling new students, many of whom may have had dreary summers with no school at all and nothing much to do.

So, we're getting ready. We're getting the floors waxed. We're watching the completion of our long-awaited track-and-playground. We're fueling up our school buses (OUCH! Anyone out there have an oil well?) And we're taking inventory of our supplies. So, thanks to all of those who have been calling about donating school supplies. Thanks for holding off until we got our Wish List ready. It is now on this site. It includes personal hygiene items for the kids and office supplies, as well as school supplies. Anything on the list will be appreciated!

Here's something else we need: cans of pop for the kids. We know, we know. Juice is a healthier choice. But we have a ceremony each Friday afternoon called the "I Can" awards. We hand out a can of pop (wrapped in decorative paper) to selected students who deserve a treat for being particularly good during the week. The award might be for working hard on a class project or for showing qualities we stress like perseverance or just being polite. Somehow, handing out a can of juice at the end of the school week just isn't as festive! And the "I Juice" award has no ring to it at all. (We do give them juice and other healthy foods with their breakfast and lunch). So, yes, bring on the pop cans. It won't be long...!

June 11, 2008
Hail to our graduates!

Community Transitional School held its first graduation ceremony at its new and permanent building on June 5. We had two students complete the 8th grade this year, and both of them are bound for high school.

Jamie has been here since she was in second grade. Jesse has been here three years. Teachers and staff have watched Jesse and Jamie make great academic and personal progress despite difficult family situations. We are very proud of them.

Jesse is going to go to public school, and Jamie is going to De LaSalle North Catholic High School. You can read about their determination to succeed and their hopes for success, in their own words, from excerpts of their graduation speeches:

Jesse:
"I've been here three years. I've learned so many things, like geography, geometry, and I'm a better reader. I want to be an electrical engineer, also known as a Double E, when I get older. Until then, I will go to high school and work as hard as I can. My grades will be A's and B's. Then I will go to engineering college and become a Double E. My dad never got a chance to reach his dream. But I will reach mine because I am determined. This school has helped me reach the realization that anything is possible if and only if you put your mind to it. This is a quote that has been in my family since the beginning, “Never give up, never surrender.” This school has helped me in more ways than they even realize. So I give thanks to everyone who helped me in CTS, both staff and volunteers. This school has changed my life for the better. I could never fully show my appreciation.

Jamie:
"When I first came to Community Transitional School I was in second grade... I lived with my mom, brothers and sister. I kind of didn't have a stable place. This school has helped me a lot... My Dream is to graduate from high school and go straight to college. Then I think I want to get a degree in business. I'm really not sure what I want to be but I'm mostly thinking about a real estate agent. But I really want to be successful in life... I am ready for high school and I am not that afraid of what work gets put in front of me. I hope my little sister and brothers will make a good choice for themselves, too."

May 19, 2008
A couple of photos from our open house
Here are just a few shots from Friday, May 9, when many of our supporters came to see the new school. The kids gave tours, 2 kids gave a magic show, and 5 of Marna's students performed a dance that they choreographed themselves!

May 5, 2008
We're here! We're here! We're really here!

The first day at
the new school, and
the first lunch
being unloaded!
It's been a long time coming, friends, but CTS is now in our own permanent -- and beautiful -- school building. After 18 years of leasing and moving and leasing again, we are walking on air. It is cheerful, sunny and OURS. We actually moved Thursday, April 24, and spent the weekend unpacking and getting ready for the arrival of the children on Monday morning. Here are some notes from that first day of school:

It rained, of course, which was appropriate, because it also rained at our July groundbreaking ceremony, and because, well, of course, it's Portland. It rains. Some of the 5th-8th grade students in the After School Program wanted us to have our own ribbon-cutting ceremony on the first day. So, when all of the buses arrived, staff and kids gathered at the main entrance, where Marna had strung a long ribbon with a big bow.

Cheryl reminded the children that when you get a present, it is usually wrapped with a ribbon and bow. She said that this building is a present for all of us. Then, she cut the ribbon, and we all went in. (More than one staff member's eyes filled up. As noted above, this has been a long time coming.) The staff worked all weekend to get the place ready. So, the classrooms were all set up, the books were on the shelves, the bulletin boards in the hall were papered with brightly colored borders. And it was worth the work to watch the wide eyes and big grins as the kids stepped into THEIR roomy, sunny classrooms. Then they went to THEIR roomy, sunny lunchroom for breakfast.

After breakfast, the architect and builders spoke to the kids about how they planned and built their school. The kids asked good questions, like "how much concrete did it take?" and "how many days did it take?" One brave boy asked what all the rest were wondering: "How do those automatic flush toilets work, anyway?"

The rest of the day went really well. The kids got tours and had lunch. At recess, they played in the parking lot, which is their track and playground until our real track/playground (donated by Jamba Juice) is built this summer. All day, of course, we asked kids how they liked the new school. One of the best answers: "It's sure yellow." Indeed it is (the wall color is "Rutabaga").

At the end of the day, we all had ice cream cones. And as Cheryl said, any day that includes ice cream has to be a good one. And it was. We hope all of you will come to see our very yellow walls very soon. And remember the opening party is at 1:30 p.m. May 9. Thanks so much to all of you who have helped us in our capital campaign and over the years. Thank you all so much again for this wonderful "present."

April 2, 2008

We are moving!
We’re back from spring break, charged up and ready to pack! Yes, our long-anticipated moving day is almost here. On April 24, CTS will move to its brand new and permanent school in northeast Portland. For those keeping track, we started raising money for the school in May 2006. We broke ground on July 18, 2007. We expected the school to be ready for us this summer, in time to start the 2009-2009 school year, but our wonderful builders, Schommer & Sons, have finished in record time! So, we are on the move sooner than we thought. The kids are excited, too. Especially the 8th-graders. They thought they would never get to go to the new school. Now, they get to be our first graduates from the new school. Thanks to so many of our great friends who donated to the capital campaign during the past two years, and to all of our longtime supporters!

Of course, we’ll need drier weather to complete some of the outside work Our new track and playground, paid for by Jamba Juice Inc., will be installed in June. And there’s a little outside painting to do and some more landscaping. But the inside is just great. Sunny, roomy and all on one floor!

Our new address starting April 28 will be:

Community Transitional School
6601 NE Killingsworth St.
Portland, OR 97218
(Our phone and email will be the same).

Meanwhile, back in the classrooms...
Marna’s book group of middle school-aged students is really excited about reading "The Diary of Anne Frank". They chose the book themselves after they saw the movie "Freedom Writers," which is about another group of students learning about the holocaust and the famous diary. The Wednesday After School kids have been reading lots of books by the award-winning children’s author Lois Lowry. They read "The Stars" and "The Giver," and then they went to the Multnomah County Library to see Lowry speak. They liked her so much, they asked if they could read the sequel, so we ordered copies of "Messenger" for them.

Cheryl’s class has been learning about our solar system. Their favorite planet is Saturn. Cheryl says it’s because they just love those rings. Cheryl’s class also has been studying Native Americans. Each child wrote a report about a different tribe. Now each student is making a woven tribal "blanket" out of construction paper, using the colors and symbols that match that tribe.

Jennipher’s K through 1st grade students all learned their own birth dates and had a great group birthday party, with balloons, cupcakes, presents and pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. Jennipher’s kids also just finished their unit on eggs. They learned what animals come from eggs and they learned about the amazing strength of an eggshell. (Do you think you can hold an egg in your hand and break it? Try this at home at your own risk.)

More to come
We pledge to be better about updating our friends on this website. So check back here for more news after the move. Meanwhile, there’s packing to do. We hope you are all enjoying spring’s late but great arrival as much as we are.

August 29, 2007
The new school year has just begun! Lots of new and returning students arrived for school on Tuesday. We have an updated wishlist to get the year going.

It will be exciting to watch our new permanent building being built through the year. On July 18, we broke ground at our future location in northeast Portland, and hope to move in for the 2008 school year. Here are a couple of scenes from the big day:

April 5, 2007
Some of our students wrote essays about a barrier that they've had to overcome in their life. You can read some of them here.

We are very proud that one of our students, Terri Boshell, was one of the winners of an essay contest called Breaking Barriers, organized by Major League Baseball and Sharon Robinson, daughter of baseball great Jackie Robinson! Sharon visited our school to personally give Terri her award, waded past all the camera crews, and shared with us her own story of hard times she has been through. You can read an Oregonian story about it here.

"I decided skipping school was not a good idea. I decided to go for excellence in my school work. I just ignored the kids who made fun of me. I would try to mind my own business. This trimester I am in grade level 5 and I turned out to be a good student. I'm determined to succeed so if I have my own kids they won't have to be homeless and feel ashamed of themselves."
—Terri, grade 5. Read the whole essay here.