Mrs. Bonnie Lilly

By Megan Shaw -

Bonnie Lilly has just started her thirty-third year of teaching at Corbett Grade School. Through these years, teaching fads and programs have come and gone. Every decade seemed to bring a new “focus” for educators. One might think when you’re at the point in your career that Bonnie is, it would be simple to do the easiest thing by putting in the minimum time required and not continue to grow professionally. If one believed this about a veteran teacher, then they have not met Mrs. Lilly.

For years, the teachers at Corbett Grade School have taught in multi-age classrooms of two grade levels. During the last three school years, Bonnie and the other primary teachers at Corbett have taught in multi-age classrooms that span three grades: kindergarten through second grade. People who are unfamiliar with this classroom configuration shake their heads in disbelief: “How can this work”?  “Not Possible”! “Huh”? These are all murmurings teachers of multi-age classrooms hear frequently.

Seeing Bonnie’s approach to multi-age in action will silence even the most fervent skeptic. It is like watching a master juggler at work. She uses a rotation of centers to accommodate the various skills and needs of her students.  The morning is comprised of language arts centers, which span from learning letters to reading and responding to chapter books. The numbers of each group fluctuate depending on when a student is ready to move to another group. For a given amount of time she meets with a group while the other kids work from folders or participate in class projects or activities.  She has designed her math hour in the same fashion.

Bonnie believes that the use of centers allows her to meet children’s individual needs while providing the structure that helps young children feel secure. She says, “The centers are consistent, predictable and routine, the children know what is expected of them”. When they are not meeting with her, everyone just gets to work.

Bonnie’s experience is an asset to our staff. Her generosity in sharing ideas and strategies has helped her colleagues many times in their own personal growth.

Gresham Lions Supper Club members Mary Warren (left) and Judy Giorgi (right) present backpacks to Grade School Principal DeeDee Hanes (middle)

The Gresham Lions Supper Club generously donated ten brand new backpacks filled with school supplies. They are intended for families that are in need of assistance in acquiring supplies for the start of school. The grade school office still has one pink backpack available for anyone in need.

Please contact DeeDee Hanes, Corbett Grade School Principal, at 503-261-4245 or dhanes@corbett.k12.or.us if your student would benefit from the Lions Supper Club’s generosity.

by Reed Sloan, Student Artist

Welcome to the principal’s corner!

As this site develops, so will the content published in this special category.  In addition to direct contact with me and our teachers, CSD is pleased to provide more granular access to specific notes from the school and individual classrooms.  With this increased access to news and teacher updates published on the website comes a wide array of subscription options.  Using the links provided on the Connect page, families can easily define what information (news and/or teacher notes) they wish to receive, as well as how they receive this information; delivery options for each category of news and/or teacher notes includes email, text message (SMS), Twitter and RSS.

We are looking forward to a wonderful 2011-2012 school year!

1. Pick up your child at 3:00 for primary or 3:05 for intermediate by skipping some of the allotted recess time and get a head start on your afternoon/evening at home as a family.  The pick up location is in the grade school office.
   

2. Have your child stay until 3:30 for primary and 3:35 for intermediate students. They can be picked up by an authorized party or take the bus home. If you choose this option then your student will spend some of their recess time allotted each day from 3:00-3:30 for primary students and 3:05-3:35 for intermediate students.  Pick up at this time will be in the cafeteria.
   

We are asking you to make one of the two choices and for security reasons not to pick up your child between the two time options. It is either 3:00 or 3:30 for primary students and 3:05 or 3:35 for intermediate students. As always, they can take the bus at the end of the day for transportation to their home. You can tailor different options for different days of the week. Your child’s classroom teacher will have the schedule for their students and guide them to the locations for either pick up or recess. The recess monitors will then guide your child to a pick up location or the bus.

1. Send your child to school full time, four days a week for a fee for the second half of the week. The fee is $200 a month for ten months, or about $25 per day. The payment is due on the last school day of the month from August 31^st through May 31^st. Transportation is provided in the morning and the afternoon by a school bus. If your family qualifies for free or reduced lunch then the fee is completely waived. Free and reduced lunch forms are available in the grade school office. Checks should be payable to Corbett School and given to the district or GS office.
2. Send your child to school Monday and Tuesday all day with no fee. Transportation is provided in the morning and the afternoon by a school bus.
3. Send your child to school Wednesday and Thursday with no fee. Transportation is provided in the morning and the afternoon by a school bus.
4. Send your child to school four mornings Monday – Thursday from 8:00 am – 11:30 am and waive the transportation provided at dismissal time. Transportation is provided in the morning and your family waives the afternoon transportation by the school and will pick up your child at 11:30 am.