LINCOLN ELEMENTARY
Options Opus
A Community Committed to Learning, Kindness, and Celebration
What’s the Buzz?
-- Rob Campbell, Options Community Council President
The Lincoln Options Community is buzzing. Harvest
Fest was another huge success this year as students, families,
teachers, and staff all enjoyed a rousing assembly, incredible
weather, fun activities, and fresh, healthy food and snacks.
Thanks to all those volunteers who worked hard this summer
and fall or volunteered the day of the event to make this another
day to remember at Lincoln!
As the seasons change, even the recent rains can’t
dampen the tremendous energy our families put into making
Lincoln such a unique and special learning environment. For
example, the garden committee is looking at even more ways to
make use of our awesome greenhouse this winter. The auction
committee has also begun planning the Spring Auction,
Lincoln’s biggest fundraising event. If you are still looking for a
way to volunteer or otherwise contribute to Lincoln, consider
serving as a classroom fundraising rep – either working on the
auction itself or working with your child’s class to create a one
of kind auction item.
And as daylight gets shorter every day, the Options
council remains busy into the evenings planning events and
looking for ways to support the students, teachers, and staff. The
council’s all day Saturday fall retreat included an in-depth
historical review of the Options program and philosophy,
presented by Michael Dempster, which highlighted founding,
growth, and maturity into the program we all enjoy today. It was
agreed that this history needs to be available to all Lincoln
families as the legacy of those founding families and teachers
provides inspiration for today’s families, teachers, and
volunteers. Look for a timeline of the Lincoln Options program
history in the hallway sometime soon.
I am constantly amazed at the energy our community
displays, but when I look back at the roots of the Options
program I am not surprised by anything accomplished by this
community founded on the basic principles of learning,
kindness, and celebration.
Cheers,
NOVEMBER 2012
Saturday 3rd 9-4
& Sunday 4th 9-3
USED BOOK & TOY SALE
Sunday 4th
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS
Wednesday 7th
NO MORNING BUS SERVICE
Friday 9th
DISTRICT WIDE EARLY RELEASE 12:32
Monday 12th
VETERANS’ DAY NO SCHOOL
Tuesday 13th
OPTIONS COMMUNITY COUNCIL 6:30 -8
Thursday & Friday 22nd & 23rd
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
Saturday 24th 11-5
LINCOLN WINTER MARKET
Tuesday 27th
OCC & COMMITTEE MEETINGS 6:30-8
DECEMBER 2012
Wednesday 5th
NO MORNING BUS SERVICE
Friday 7th
EARLY RELEASE – District Wide
Tuesday 11th
OPTIONS COMMUNITY COUNCIL 6:30 -8
Wednesday 19th - Tuesday, January 1st
WINTER BREAK
JANUARY 2013
Wednesday 2nd
BACK TO SCHOOL
Rob
Tuesday 8th
OPTIONS COMMUNITY COUNCIL 6:30 -8
Wednesday 9th
NO MORNING BUS SERVICE
Math Corner
Other Ways to Help your Child at Home: Ask them HOW? and WHY?
-- Sunshine Campbell (Deacon and Merrick’s mom)
Here are some tips for supporting your children with math at home:
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Provide a quiet place for your child to complete their homework.
Try to be consistent with homework time. Establishing a routine allows children to know what to expect.
Math should make sense. Resist teaching your child procedures for solving computation problems.
Instead, focus on the conceptual aspect of the mathematics (see examples below).
Ask your child “How did you get that answer?” Press for their strategy and why their strategy works.
Asking “How did you get that answer?” Or “Why does that method/strategy work?” are questions that will
help students use their reasoning skills. These questions help students articulate their thinking.
For example, your child has just solved 7 x 8 to get 56:
Parent: How did you get 56?
Child: I just did it in my head.
Parent: How did you do it in your head? Did you add 8 to itself 7 times?
Child: No. I knew that 2x7 was 14 so then I did 28 and then 56.
Parent: Where did the 28 come from?
Child: 4x7 is 28.
Parent: Wait – you just said you did 2x7 and got 14. Why are you doing 4x7 now?
Child: Because 4x7 is just 2x7 two times so that’s 14 plus 14 which is 28.
Parent: Oh! I see what you did – you are using what you know to find out what you don’t know. Then
what did you do?
Child: Then I did that again. 4x7 is 28 so doing that two times is 8x7 so that’s 28 plus 28 which is 20 +
20 + 16 which is 56.
Parent: Why does that work? To just keep doubling the answer?
Child: Because first I did 2 groups of 7, then 4 groups of 7, then 8 groups of 7 – I just kept doubling the
groups of 7 until I got what I was trying to find – 8 groups of 7!
Parent: That was some excellent thinking! And you explained it very well – I was able to follow your
thinking. Nice work!
Note: The doubling and halving strategy (halving strategy: I know that 6x7 is 42 so that means that 3x7 is 21 since
half of 42 is 21) works for all multiplication facts where one factor is even.
In this example, the parent is pressing the child for how and why they solved a problem in a particular way.
The child is able to explain how they solved the problem (doubling) and why that strategy works (because the child
needs to find 8 groups of 7).
Another example: Your child just solved 16+18 and got 34.
Parent: How did you get 34?
Child: I did 10 plus 10 and got 20.
Parent: Where did those two tens come from?
Child: A ten from the 16 and a ten from the 18.
Parent: Oh, OK. Then what?
Child: Then I have the 8 and the 6. I can give 2 from the 6 to the 8 and get another 10. Then there is 4
left. So 20 + 10 + 4 is 34!
Parent: Excellent! Can you think of another way to solve the problem?
Child: Well, I could take 2 from the 16 and give it to the 18 and that would be 20. Then I would have 20
and 14 and that’s easy! 34!
Parent: That was some great thinking! You were able to use two different strategies to find the answer
and you got the same answer each time. Are you pretty confident about your answer?
Child: Yes – very confident!
November 2012 Opus Page 2 of 11
In this example, the parent presses the child to find two different strategies to solve the problem. Finding multiple
strategies allows children to develop tools they can use to solve problems. Not all problems require the same tool.
Depending on the numbers in the problem and the action (addition, subtraction, etc) it may be more efficient for
students to use one particular tool over another. In this example, the child had two tools at her disposal. Both
produced an accurate answer.
Resources for helping your children with math at home:
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What's Math Got to Do with It?: How Parents and Teachers Can Help Children Learn to Love Their
Least Favorite Subject by Jo Boaler. This book is a MUST READ for all parents who are concerned
about their child’s relationship with mathematics. At some point this year, I would love to hold a “book
club” with parents on this book. Let me know if you are interested!
Elementary and Middle School Mathematics by John Van de Walle. This book details children’s
mathematical development and beautifully explains the conceptual aspects of elementary school
mathematics.
Math to Know, Math at Hand, Math on Call – are all great resource books for children and parents. These
books are kid-friendly and explain concepts, not just procedures. Publisher is Great Source.
If you have any questions or comments or would like to see an article in the OPUS on a particular topic
related to mathematics at the elementary level, please contact me, Sunshine Campbell at
[email protected].
BOOK and TOY SALE
Saturday,November 3rd 9-4 and Sunday, November 4th 9-3
Proceeds from the Used Book and Toy Sale provide much needed
funds to keep our wonderful library full of new books and other
materials for the children, teachers, and families to enjoy and
to support learning!
News from the Enrollment Committee:
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Parents of Full Day Kindergarten Students, this is a reminder to keep up with your monthly
tuition payments. Payments are due by the 25th of each month. If you have any questions or
concerns, please email Juliet Rosser at: [email protected].
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Enrollment Committee is also looking for volunteers. If you have any interest in helping out with
Lincoln's Information Nights or with the lottery process, please contact Juliet at
[email protected].
November 2012 Opus Page 3 of 11
Notes from Paul
Did you eat your vegetables?
—Paul Rocks, Science and Music teacher
Our theme in science this month has focused on digestion and nutrition. We learned the parts of the
digestive system and the roles each of these different subsystems play in the body. Did you know that it's
your hypothalamus that monitors your blood stream, and lets you know when to eat more? And that the
food you eat turns into chyme (KIME, rhymes with slime)? Chyme is a substance that when broken
down into molecules enters your blood stream in the small intestine, these nutrients are then carried to all
parts of your body. Looks like pea soup.
In addition to wanting our kids to understand how the digestive system works, I also want them to learn
that the food we eat helps our bodies to grow, heal, and have energy to do all the things we do.
I love that idea of energy. When we eat a carbohydrate, we are consuming an organism that is able to use
the sun’s energy to make chemical energy. How cool is that? A huge part of life on this planet is about
energy transfer. When we consume that chemical energy we are given the gift of movement, growth, and
repair. The nutrients we consume can help all the systems in our body.
This elemental connection of humans (and other animals, of course) to plants and to the sun has been
going on for millions of years; every person on this planet goes through this process of consuming and
digesting.
One of the things I love about Lincoln is that with our little organic garden we can model the process of
growing healthy foods, living sustainably, harvesting, cooking -- all within the context of community.
Here’s hoping that you will get some good, new information about what you are eating and how you are
fueling your body from your kids. And don’t forget to eat your veggies!
Early Release, Friday November 9th—Can You Help?
--Addie Spencer, Lincoln Parent & Early Release Coordinator
Four parent helpers are needed for the November 9th Early Release field trip from 12:30-3pm.
Ride Intercity Transit's free DASH city bus from Lincoln to downtown Olympia for a tour of historic
buildings, AND enjoy some hot chocolate! Have you ever wondered about the history of Sylvester Park,
the old capitol building, the Capitol Theatre, the old train station, the artesian well, or the murals
downtown? Wear your raincoat and boots, and walk with us to discover Olympia's history. Tour
provided by the Youth Education Program at Intercity Transit. Our goal is to build the next generation of
safe and healthy bike riders, walkers, and bus riders through education and encouragement.
November 2012 Opus Page 4 of 11
Communication is Key: Finding Out What’s Going on at Lincoln
Beth Wilson, Communications Chair, Lincoln Parent
Did you know there are two Lincoln websites? One site is maintained by the district:
http://lincoln.osd.wednet.edu/. The other is maintained by your Lincoln Options Community
Council: http://www.lincolnoptions.org/.
District Site: Includes useful district-wide info plus school-specific links for things like bus
routes, school lunch menus, the staff directory, bell schedule and more. Donna has an excellent
resource link for the library on the right sidebar. This site also includes information on Lincoln
teaching and learning, from guiding philosophies to information on special programs, and
important places like our garden. The chickens even have their own page!
Options.org Site: Includes information about the enrollment process, Community Council
(everything from committee details to a guide for bringing your own proposal to the council),
fundraising, Camp Elderberry, the Lincoln Oral History Project, and more.
We're working to make the Options.org site a more active and effective communication tool for
Lincoln families. Improvements to date include more streamlined organization and a
commitment to regular, informative updates. Tell us how we can improve the site for you. What
information would you like easy access to on the site? What would make you utilize the site as a
resource? Let us know! Contact: [email protected] with any and all suggestions. If you're
passionate about effective communication between home and school (or if you just think you can
lend a hand!) join our Options Community Council communications subcommittee. We meet
every fourth Tuesday in the Lincoln library @ 7 p.m. and childcare is available.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NTKDMTD
Follow the link above or access the survey through the sidebar link on our LincolnOptions.org
page. This will help us learn about how to direct our resources and make communication efforts
more effective. Thank you!
Used Kids’ Clothing Sale: A Great Success!
Many thanks to all those who donated, sorted, advertised, assisted shoppers, and
purchased loads of gently used children’s clothes, shoes, and boots. The three day event raised
more than $940 for Lincoln Options!
Patrons of the sale paid whatever amount they were comfortable giving. This allowed all
to participate and gear up for the seasons ahead. A portion of the remaining items will be
dispersed to local charities and perhaps even shipped to Lincoln’s sister school, Ruben Dario in
Nicaragua.
Lincoln Options plans to make this an annual event: start saving now for the next sale!
November 2012 Opus Page 5 of 11
Wreaths for Outdoor Education
This is the Last Week to Buy a Wreath to Support 5th Grade Outdoor Education at Cispus
Fresh wreaths can be yours for just $22 a piece, made locally in Shelton. The wreaths will be available
for pick up at Lincoln before Thanksgiving. If you have a neighbor, friend, grandparent, dentist who
would love some easy winter decor, this is it!
Forms and envelopes for checks are available in the main office. Please turn in sales by Monday,
November 5th at the latest. Special note to parents of 5th graders, the district goal was to have each 5th
grade student sell 4 wreaths.
If you are available to help with picking up the wreaths from Pioneer Elementary and distributing them in
the Lincoln parking lot on November 18th, please contact Connie Phlegley at 709-9574 or
[email protected]
A blanket can save a life
Brian Frisina (parent of Tekla and Nataani) is working with an organization called Goodthinking
(4allourrelations.org) to collect blankets for Native Tribes in the South Dakota area. The severe winters in
South Dakota these last few years have caused numerous deaths, mostly of native elders. The blankets
collected will help to prevent these needless losses. So, if you have extra blankets crowding your closets,
please bring them during the month of November to Wendy T in the office.
Hooray for Box Tops!
Lincoln is gathering Box Tops this year to try to tap into another source of “free money” for our
school and various programs to benefit our kids. We hope that children will be excited to
contribute to this effort and will look for, cut out, and bring Box Tops to their classrooms. Every
Box Top is worth 10 cents for Lincoln!
Please get the word out to your extended family. Ethan and Jacob’s grandma has a pile waiting
for us every time we go to visit. We are going to chart our progress and keep a bar chart updated
in the main hallway for the children to see. In September, Lincoln kids brought in $10.00 worth
(100 BoxTops). Our goal is to double our amount each month. Boxtops can be found on a huge
variety of items including clothing, school supplies, and boxed food items.
http://www.boxtops4education.com/Image.aspx?id=10852 They are everywhere!
If you have any questions or suggestions please e-mail Jeni Cotey at [email protected].
November 2012 Opus Page 6 of 11
Mark Your Calendars for the “One World” Lincoln Options Auction
– Saturday, March 16, 2013
About the Auction
Our Goal – raise $26,000 and have lots of FUN! Last year we beat our goal!!
The auction will be held on Saturday March 16, 2013 at 4pm in the school gym.
Dinner will be served and child care is provided during the Live Auction.
What do the Auction Proceeds Pay For?
The Auction makes Lincoln the wonderful place it is. The Auction is the major fundraiser supporting the budget
necessary to augment School District funding and make the programs we love possible. The auction pays for:
• The organic garden program, and garden maintenance and development
• Wetlands maintenance
• Teacher trainings
• Classroom funding
• Spanish curriculum and teaching
• Sister School relationship in Nicaragua
• Library
• Full-day Kindergarten financial assistance
• Funding for enrollment and advertising
• Early release programs so that Options teachers have additional planning time
• Annual All-school Day-Camp ("Camp Elderberry") to celebrate year end and our fifth-graders’ graduation
• Additional money for committees
• Playground equipment
How can you help?
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Join the Auction Team! Contact Bradley Naragon at [email protected] or your class
Fundraising Representative. We need people to make phone calls to businesses, help cook and serve
dinner, and to help with tech and “day of” tasks. Anyone can do it!
Make a donation to the auction (we’ll begin collecting donations in January – on-line and paper donation
forms will be available then, at www.lincolnoptions.org and in the OPUS).
We’ll make donating easy for you.
o YES! We can pick up your donation if it is a physical item.
o YES! We can fill in a gift certificate or even prepare one.
o YES! We will help write the description of the item and make sure your donation is recognized
in all our materials.
o YES! You can donate cash and earmark it for a specific item for the school or program.
o YES! Your donation is tax deductible. Our 501(c)(3) tax id number is: 91-1488108
And we'll give you a receipt
Do you know anyone who runs a local business or offers services? Please tell them about our auction, or
ask if our Auction Team may contact them.
Consider making a donation yourself – cook a dinner, lead a hike, teach someone to knit – the possibilities
are endless and are some of the best sellers at the auction!
Assist your class Fundraising Representative to make a class project to donate to the auction.
Most importantly, plan to COME TO THE AUCTION and bring your friends! You’ll have an entertaining
evening, get some great deals, find some treasures, and lend your support to our kids and their teachers!
November 2012 Opus Page 7 of 11
Why I Pledge to Lincoln
—Holly Davies, Lincoln parent
The Fall Pledge
Drive is On
It’s not too late to make
your pledge of support to
the Lincoln Options
Community Council. Pick
up an orange Pledge
Drive Form from the
Lincoln office or go to
www.lincolnoptions.org
(click on “Pledge Drive”
under “Categories.
Any donated amount,
large or small, is
treasured. You can even
encourage grandparents,
friends, neighbors, and
co-workers to consider
Lincoln as a donation
destination. State
workers can donate
through the Combined
Fund Drive and have their
pledge automatically
deducted from their
paycheck—talk about
simple! Options
Community Council
#0315737
http://www.cfd.wa.gov
Questions? Stacey
Waterman-Hoey at 360705-4638 or
[email protected]
I pledge for many reasons, because the money we raise allows us to
do many things that are not in the district budget. We (the Lincoln Options
Council) provide $700 to each teacher each year for his or her classroom
budget. The teachers use this money in many wonderful ways, for field trips,
guest speakers, and classroom supplies. Our pledges pay for our Spanish
program, opening the children’s minds to the benefits of learning another
language and to another culture through interactions with our sister school in
Nicaragua. Our pledges pay for Camp Elderberry. My children have always
loved this positive outdoor experience, enjoying fun, new activities in the
wild. As the district has cut its budget for teacher training, the money our
pledges bring in has been paying for more teaching training, so our children’s
teachers can learn new things to bring back to the school. And, while the
garden has its own additional fundraising, our pledges also help support this
magical place for our children to grow food and tend chickens.
I also pledge because someone once told me that if we each pledged
$5 per month for each of our children, that would be enough to cover our
entire budget; we wouldn’t need to do any additional fundraising. As a state
employee, I donate monthly through the Combined Fund Drive (the Lincoln
Options account number is 0315737). Another way to pledge is using the
pledge forms that are available in the office or on our website
(www.lincolnoptions.org).
Lincoln would really be missing something special without all the
items paid for by the money we raise each year, and the pledge drive is an
important part of our fundraising. Thanks for all that you do, and remember,
every little bit counts.
Saturday November 24th
Lincoln Winter Market
The Lincoln Winter Market will be held on Saturday, November 24th
from 11am-5pm. If last year’s inaugural market was any indication of
what’s to come, this will be an amazing day with dozens of vendors
offering handmade goods, tasty treats and music—all benefiting the
Options program while supporting small, local artists and makers.
If you and/or your kids are thinking about having a table, start creating
now because the 24th will come sooner than you think. Applications
will be available soon at Lincoln and on our website:
http://www.makeolympia.com
Tina Olson & Shanty Slater
Lincoln Parents/Make Olympia Team
November 2012 Opus Page 8 of 11
Healthy Food--Healthy Kids
Recipes and Results from the Healthy Snacking Test Table
--Stephanie Benna & Cate Pellicer, NTP, Lincoln Parents
Hooray for trying new tastes! The Healthy Food-Healthy Kids parent group hosted a taste test table at the
Harvest Festival for the first time this year.
The table was a hit— almost all the snacks had been gobbled up by the time the table came down. Parents
and kids alike were very interested and had fun testing the different snacks. Some of the delicious choices
included sprouted almonds, apple slices with almond butter, olives, crispy kale, date rolls, savory
popcorn, and carrots with black or white bean dip.
53 ballots were filled in, and even without in-depth analysis it was apparent that although all the snacks
were enjoyed, the most popular items were the
popcorn, the black bean dip, and the date rolls.
The recipe handouts were quickly snatched up
Black Bean Salsa Dip
and parents seemed to be happy to get some
Ingredients:
new snacking ideas!

1 15 oz. can Black Beans
(rinsed and drained)
½ C. salsa of your choice
1to 2 Tbs. Lime Juice
(start with less and add for more zing)
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
¼ tsp. Ground Cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
Just in case you missed the tasting table, or
have misplaced your recipe handout, here is the
black bean dip for you to try at home, perhaps
even with help from your young chef in
training!
Directions:
Combine the beans, salsa, lime juice, and cumin in a
blender or food processor. Process until smooth.
Season with salt and pepper.
If using a blender and the mixture is too thick to blend,
add a little water.
Enjoy:
Serve with fresh veggies for dipping
Don’t Forget to Fall Back (1 hour) Sunday,
November 4th. Daylight savings time ends!
November 2012 Opus Page 9 of 11
Some Reading from the
Math Corner
Raising kids with a positive attitude toward mathematics
This article by Sue Shellenbarger first appeared in the Wall Street Journal, in August of this year. Sunshine Campbell has provided
it here (and edited it for length.) You can read the entire article as it originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal, by clicking on
the link below: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444914904577615690632669590.html
Many parents who loathe math fear raising kids who feel the same. This is becoming a more urgent concern as the
fastest-growing occupations increasingly require skills in either math or science. Tammy Jolley is one of these
parents—"a horrible math-phobic," she says. After struggling through algebra and statistics in high school and
college, helping her 9-year-old son Jake with math homework makes her "feel like saying, 'Aaarghh, this is hard! I
know why you don't get it,' " says the Madison, Ala., state-court official. Instead, she forces herself to encourage
Jake.
Ongoing research is shedding new light on the importance of math to children's success. Math skill at kindergarten
entry is an even stronger predictor of later school achievement than reading skills or the ability to pay attention,
according to a 2007 study in the journal Developmental Psychology.
Parents play a pivotal role in kids' math attitudes and skills, starting in toddlerhood. Those who talk often to their
youngsters about numbers, and explain spatial relationships in gestures and words, tend to instill better math skills at
age 4, according to a long-term, in-home study of 44 preschoolers and their parents led by Susan C. Levine, a
professor of psychology and comparative human development at the University of Chicago.
Yet many parents unconsciously teach children to fear math. A parent who reacts to a child's math questions or
homework by saying, "I have never been good in math," or, "I haven't done math in 20 years," conveys to kids that
math is daunting and they probably can't do it either, says Bon Crowder, a Houston-based teacher, tutor and
publisher of MathFour.com, a website on math-teaching strategies. It is possible for a math-phobic parent to raise a
quant, but parents need to change their behavior, researchers and educators say. This means halting negative talk,
mixing math games and questions into daily life just as they do reading and spelling, and encouraging kids to dive
into tough math problems and not be afraid to struggle.
Parents don't have to know math to help kids get off to a good start. Teaching youngsters to make connections
between numbers and sets of objects—think showing a child three Cheerios when teaching the number three—helps
children understand what numbers mean better than reciting strings of numbers by memory, Dr. Levine says. Doing
puzzles together or using gestures to help describe spatial relationships such as "taller" and "shorter," can instill
spatial abilities, which are linked to better math skills, she says. Something as simple as playing with blocks side-byside and encouraging a child to replicate your stacks and structures can teach spatial skills, says Kelly Mix, a
professor of educational psychology at Michigan State University.
Although Fiona Cameron struggled with math in school, she is trying to teach her children Iain, 5, and Mhairi, 3, to
enjoy it. Snuggling with them at bedtime, she encourages them to spot patterns in picture books, such as the "stripestripe-dot" on an eel, says Ms. Cameron, a Pasadena, Calif., financial adviser. She also poses daily problems from
Bedtime Math, a nonprofit website launched last February to help parents integrate math into their children's lives.
Baking in the kitchen, Ms. Cameron explains fractions while having each of her children crack half the eggs. Filling
muffin cups becomes a subtraction problem: "If we fill eight muffin cups and there are 12 in all, how many more do
we have to fill?" Thanks to this "stealth math" approach, her kids are having fun solving problems, she says.
When kids start bringing math homework home, many parents have to break old habits of emphasizing good scores
and grades, and praise them instead for trying hard and using multiple approaches to figure out problems. In Dr.
Levine's study, 9-year-old children were more eager to tackle new math challenges if their parents focused on the
process of problem-solving, rather than correct answers. Struggling alongside your child can actually be helpful,
November 2012 Opus Page 10 of 11
says Suzanne Sutton, a Rockville, Md., math consultant and founder of NewtonsWindow.com, a website to help
parents and students with math. A parent who is comfortable with trying and failing can teach a child how to look up
things and grapple with challenges.
If you haven't a clue how to help, Ms. Crowder says, avoid voicing your anxiety or frustration. Instead, tell your
child your time together would better be spent in other ways, and offer to get a tutor or another person to help.
Another option: Hire your child to tutor you in math. A parent asked Ms. Sutton years ago how to help her teenage
son tackle a tough algebra course when she couldn't even understand the syllabus. Ms. Sutton told her to pick the
toughest topic and offer to pay her son for writing a report on it and teaching it to her. The mother picked
logarithms. When her son gave her only a superficial explanation, Ms. Sutton says, the mother told him, "You didn't
meet the terms of our agreement. I don't understand what it means." The teen dug deeper and tried again, and finally
got the concept across to his mom, Ms. Sutton says. Secure knowing that he had already mastered one of the
toughest topics in the course, the teen went on to do well in the class.
Options OPUS Deadlines
Our goal is to get the OPUS out to you during the last week of the month for the month to come. If you have an
item that you think should be included, please forward it to Melissa Minjares at [email protected]. You can
help by not assuming that items submitted for the weekly Talking Points will automatically be in the OPUS.
Upcoming Deadlines:
December OPUS
November 21st
January OPUS
December 17th -- publication will likely be the first week back in January. If
you have items that need to be in prior to that time, please submit them for the December issue
Questions? Contact Melissa Minjares at [email protected].
Sustainability: We hope to shift distribution of the OPUS almost entirely to email this year. If you need a paper
copy or need to update your email address, please let us know in the main office.
November 2012 Opus Page 11 of 11