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Sellwood
8300 SE 15thPortland, OR 97202
View a map of the surrounding area
Phone: 503-916-5656
Fax: 503-916-2672
E-mail: hnolen@pps.k12.or.us
School-created web pages: http://www.pps.k12.or.us/schools/sellwood
School-brochure: http://www.pps.k12.or.us
Grade levels: 6-8 MS
Principal: Helen Nolen
Student Enrollment: 460
Information Sessions: Tours by our counselor and students are given on Tuesdays. Please call and make a reservation - 503.916.5656
Before and after school programs
- Sellwood MS is fortunate to have a SUN (Schools Uniting Neighborhoods) Community School which offers before and after school activities - dance team, drama, marimba, basketball, fitness training, science, cooking, dodgeball, yoga and many more. SUN also offers academic support with Homework Club. Sign up for activities and classes each trimester.
- Sellwood also has school-related activities such as yearbook, band (concert and jazz), marimba and the elected student council, which organizes student dances as well as other events during the year. Students as Peer Helpers are here to support all students in academics and activities.
Community partnerships
- PSU Community-University Partnership & Green House Project:PSU Faculty are working with our Science teachers to build a green house.
- Mt. Hood Cable Commission awarded a grant for a mobile lab and computers.
Student learning environment
- Engaging students - keeping them motivated and involved - is a primary focus at Sellwood Middle School. We strive to kindle every student\'s desire to learn by offering a wide range of classes and activities.
- Mixed-age Homeroom which allows for students to get to know each other. Students stay in the same homeroom for three years.
- Authentic assessments provide parents and students with accurate feedback as to progress toward standards in grades 6-8.
- Across our entire curriculum, students are exposed to intensive writing and project work. We feel writing is a core skill and provide many opportunities for students to refine this skill. To help students develop their organizational and time management skills, many classes have project assignments, with teachers mentoring students step by step as needed.
Curriculum components
- Sellwood Middle School has a very strong academic program that not only fully prepares students to enter any high school of their choice, but also provides opportunities to earn high school credit while in middle school.
- Our strengths are:•MATHEMATICS – Sellwood offers Algebra A and B. Students who complete both levels earn high school credit. Geometry is also offered and is equivalent to one year of high school credit. By taking these advanced courses, student wishing to enter the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in high school are prepared for higher level mathematics.•WORLD LANGUAGES – Sellwood offers a two-year Spanish program for seventh and eighth graders. One year high school credit is awarded to those who complete both years. This helps students who want to graduate from IB programs, which require five years of Spanish.•ART – Sellwood has an art program which prepares our students with critical thinking and production art skills needed to be well-rounded students. Advanced art students leave Sellwood well prepared to succeed in IB Art.
- Other strengths at Sellwood:•LANGUAGE ARTS & SOCIAL STUDIES – Students are exposed to a wide variety of literature including short stories, fiction, poetry, etc. Students analyze themes and develop critical reading, writing and thinking skills. Students learn a multiple step writing process which begins with generating ideas, drafts, and ends with publishing some of their work. Social Studies provides students with a strong foundation in culture, geography, government, economics and historical perspective. Our mission is to develop students to be engaged citizens.•SCIENCE – Students are taught a way of thinking which includes observing, collecting, manipulating and analyzing data, as well as evaluating and interpreting the results. Each grade level focuses on specific science curriculum – 6th grade focuses on Life Science; 7th grade focuses on Physical Science and 8th grade focuses on Earth and Space Science.
- Sellwood Middle School is on a trimester schedule. Students and parents receive academic, social/emotional information every 12 weeks. During the year students write and reflect about their school journey. A portfolio is kept and monitored throughout the year and students present it to their parents at the end of the year.
- Sellwood has strong exploratory courses. •BAND – There are four levels of band available: o Beginning gives the student fan opportunity to start with the basics at reading notes and rhythms. Correct technique is practiced to help develop good sound on a brass, woodwind or percussion instrument.o Intermediate continues with exposure to actual band literature.o Advanced offers a higher level of focus during rehearsals. Students learn to blend and balance within the group.o Jazz runs before school. Students are exposed to a variety of jazz styles, including swing, blues, Latin beats and funk. This group plays ‘gigs’ in the community throughout the year.o Marching techniques are learned in all levels of band. Every spring, we participate in the Jr. Rose Festival Paradeor the St. John’s Parade.• MARIMBA – Marimba is offered to all grade levels at Sellwood. The music is taught in an aural tradition and based on specific patterns and rhythms. We have 13 marimbas which go with students when they play at community events such as the Rose Festival/World Stage, lunchtime concerts at Pioneer Place, Earth Day Celebrations and many more.• VISUAL ART – Students learn the ‘language of art’ whileacquiring skills in the different media. We typically work in water color, color pencils, oil pastels and tempera in Studio Art. An Introduction of Art History is also included. We look at the artist’s work in context, studying the cultural and socio-political factors that may have influenced the artist’s work. •INDUSTRIAL ARTS - This class covers four areas of technology: o Communications – Students complete drawings using traditional drafting tools and equipment while advanced students complete a series of drawings using a computer aided drawing program.o Manufacturing – Students learn about wood manufacturing and complete wood projects and activities using various hand and power tools.o Construction – Students gain an understanding of how residential homes are built.o Transportation – Students learn about different modes of transportation as they design and build a CP2 race car.
Staff
- Committed staff of 25 teachers and 13 support team members.
- Full time Counselor, Librarian and PE teacher
Parent and family support
- Sellwood\'s Site Council has 9 members; four are parents. Aparent chairpersons our council which leads in creating ourmission/vision; writing grants, and shepherds our SchoolImprovement Plan (SIP) throughout the year to support ouracademic program.
- Parents are actively involved in outside-of-school activities such as our Back-to-School Bar-B-Q, August Clean-up Day, Magazine Sale, and many more. Parents help out by being in classrooms, chaperoning on field trips, and volunteering in the library. There is a place for you whatever time you have to offer. Also, Parent PAWS is beginning. It\'s a training class for volunteers who want to help supervise during lunch time. We want all of our parents to be at home at Sellwood.
- Sellwood Middle School Foundation spearheads our fundraising opportunities. From asking for donations to planning Sellwood Specials at local restaurants, to offering family activites such as bowling and a Fun Run called \'Spring on the Corridor\', our Foundation has lots of energy and creative ideas.
- PTA is strong and active at Sellwood Middle School. Many committees originate from our PTA such as Meals on Wheels, the Magazine Sale, Grandparents\' Day, New Student Orientation, The Garden Tour, scholarships, and many more projects to enhance our students\' school experience.
- Parents have started a Cultural Art\'s Committee which facilitates funds for art experiences from murals, assemblies, and field trips which help integrate art with curriculum.
- Whether you have a lot of time to give or only a little time to spare, there\'s a way to get involved in our school.
Special programs and features
- MUSIC PROGRAM - Award winning Advance and Jazz Band; Exceptional Marimba Band.
- STRONG ACADEMICS - High School credit for Advanced Math and Spanish Courses; High interest projects; Field Trips; Out Door School for Sixth Graders; Academic curriculum which will prepare students for any high school program.
- SUN Program for Before and After School which includes: Homework Club, Drama, Cooking, Writing Classes, Dance, Wellness and Physical Activities, and many more.
- LEADERSHIP - A strong Student Council & Peer Helper/Mediator program.
- INVOLVED PARENT COMMUNITY - Volunteers in the school, Site Council, PTA, Foundation and an Cultural Arts Committee.
- DEDICATED STAFF who work well and support student engagement and high achievement.
- Possibility of becoming a NASA Explorer School.
Statistics and test scores
- Report cards and AYP Scores
Oregon Department of Education school report cards - School Enrollment and Program Data
- Standardized test scores
Course syllabus
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