Collinsview Neighborhood Association
Warning
Because of
our land use agreement we are not allowed to drop off our students in the
adjacent neighborhoods. I have been
warned that we are violating the terms of our land use agreement. The neighborhood voices that some of us have
been rude when approached by Collinsview Neighborhood Association members. It is our responsibility to use the high
school parking lot (as congested as it is) as our ONLY drop off/pick up
site. The land use agreement is a legal
document that defines the terms that make us welcome to use the premise. In order to avoid high-level issues of
concern, DO NOT DROP YOUR CHILDREN OFF ON NEIGHBORING STREETS. Your cooperation in this is greatly
appreciated.
May 22nd at 7:00 pm - Parent Presentation - The Teeanage Brain -
Dr. Stevens - RHS - Maverick Room
Dr. Stevens - RHS - Maverick Room
You are
welcome to participate in Dr. Steven’s presentation at the High School.
The Teenage
Brain: A User’s Guide
Alexander A.
Stevens, Ph. D
Departments
of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience (OHSU)
Below are some highlights of the presentation
our students were provided.
Dr. Stevens,
a cognitive neuroscientist at OHSU focused his presentation on
attention and
memory, and how brain changes in teens effects how they make
decisions. He
discussed how the conscious and unconscious parts of our brains
effect
decision-making. He presented information about the brain and decision-
making
factually, not moralistically, which most of the audience, if not all,
appreciated.
The
presentation began with a detailed description of brain function and
how the
workings of the brain are discovered through the use of Magnetic
Resonance
Imaging. It has been determined through MRIs that adolescents make
better
decisions on their own than they do when they are with friends. This is due
to over-activity
in the ventral straeum caused by stress and peer interaction.
Because the
prefrontal cortex of the teen brain is underactive, the over-activity of
the reward
pathways in the ventral straeum, which tell the brain when we’re doing
something
right, takes over and determines behavior. So if a teen is doing
something
pleasurable, the reward center of the brain (ventral straeum) responds to
the stimuli
in a positive way, generating positive feelings, which can cause the teen
to repeat the
behavior.
In terms of
drug use, students were given a straightforward explanation of
how the brain
acts like a thermostat on drugs. It works to return to “normal” when
under the
influence of drugs or alcohol. As the rush goes away the craving for the
positive
effect persists. This can lead to tolerance and eventually addiction. Over
time the
negative effects of the drug become greater. When drugs or alcohol are no
longer being
used, the body and brain experience withdrawal symptoms. These can
be moderate
to intense depending on the drug. Alcohol withdrawal is the only kind of
withdrawal
that can kill because it can produce seizures.
The factors
that affect drug use are: behavior, biology/genes (having a
particular
code of genes makes a person more susceptible to addiction), gender,
environment
(home, peer attitude, parent attitude), brain mechanism (prefrontal
cortex,
ventral straeum) and dependence. Of all of the available drugs the most
dangerous are
alcohol and tobacco, and they’re legal.
The final message
of the presentation was an invitation to students to do one
thing that
scares them every day. The only caveat was the final note to students that
only they
know the difference between risks that are dangerous, scary and stupid.
The leading
causes of death in 15 – 19 year-olds are bad decisions. The presenter
was thoughtful, intelligent and informative without being
“preachy”. He offered students information to make good decisions based on facts and
information, not because they are being told what to do. The students and staff
appreciated the straightforward message of Dr. Stevens.
Parking on campus
Many students
have earned their license, but there are no more parking spots available. Staff are not allowed to use the neighborhood
streets to park, due to the Collinsview land use agreement and they need their
parking spots. Unless your student has
an approved parking permit to park on campus they are not allowed to do so.
Attendance
If your
student needs to leave early, is gone, or absent for any reason we need to be
informed early in the day. Please call
Sam to report attendance. This is for
safety and to nip spring fever in the bud.
Scheduling
During the
month of April and into May a team of ten (parents, staff and a student) worked
to analyze our current schedule as well as several other potential schedules
for cost effectiveness, rich transcript opportunities and student to teacher
face- to-face time. Through much research
and analysis it was determined that through our current five-period trimester
block schedule we are able to provide the best opportunities for our students
with our current resources (thank you by-the-way for your contributions we are
able to continue with current staffing next year!). If you have specific questions regarding the
process or the research please call me for further clarification.
Senior check out!
Spring has
arrived and the school end is fast approaching. In order to release your
student’s grades, transcript, and diploma, each student must check out. They must demonstrate the following are
current:
- All late student fees of $60.00 due last September are paid.
- Outstanding field studies fees due in March are paid.
- All textbooks are turned in and/or paid for if lost.
- All library books are turned in and/or paid for if lost.
- Sports uniforms turned into the coach or Athletic Dept.
- Any outstanding school Tuition paid in full.
In addition,
all 12th graders must request a final transcript to be sent to the
college/university by submitting a request to Sam, Ms. Teeter or Mr. Murray.
Senior Exhibitions - Senior Exhibitions begin May 21 -- This culminating work of our senior class includes a public presentation. Please click here to view the schedule.
Amy W's Award
In April 2012, Amy W was awarded
national winner for National Center for Women and Information Technology
(NCWIT) Aspirations in Computing in Charlotte, NC. This award honors
young women at the high school level for their computing related achievements
and interests. Amy was selected for her computing and IT aptitude,
leadership ability, academic history and plans for post-secondary education.
RHS Library Book Swap
Wednesday-Friday, May 30, 31 & June 1, 2012
You Can
Help NOW:
It is not too
early to help the RHS Library Book Swap.
This sale is the official kick-off for Summer Reading, and we need your
used books.
How It
Works:
- Clean out your bookshelves with the bookswap in mind: appropriate adult and YA fiction, mysteries, historical fiction, sci-fi, graphic novels, non-fiction such as history, current events, cookbooks, travel, art, pets, psychology, sports, essays, philosophy, biography, CDs, & DVDs.
- Bag it! Bring in your donations (starting now) in a bag or box that is clearly marked with your name.
- 3 =1: We give you one book credit for every three items you donate. So, if you donate 12 items, you earn enough points to “buy” 4 books/cds/dvds at the sale. The more you bring in, the better the choices for everyone.
- On the first day of the sale, only those who donated items are allowed to select items. If you run out of points, you may purchase a title for $.50 for paperback, $1 for hardback/cd/dvd. On the second and third days, everyone is welcome and all titles will for available for sale at these great prices.
This sale is
not designed to raise money, but we sometimes make enough to purchase a nice
assortment of popular paperbacks to loan for Summer Reading.
Questions or
comments to Kate Loggan, kloggan@riverdale.k12.or.us
or 503.2624844
Student
Opportunities
Parents
of ninth graders: if your student has interest in studying abroad through
Rotary Youth Exchange, now is the time to contact the Rotary chapter near
you. Applications are due in November of the sophomore year;
students study abroad their junior year. Scholarships are
available. For more information: http://www.rotarypdx.org/
