Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Purported 'anti-Muslim' protest in Medford turns out to be pro-police rally ... Guest Opinion: Overcoming evil with good ... Guest Opinion: We know what to do to prevent mass shootings ... Purported 'anti-Muslim' protest in Medford turns out to be pro-police rally ... Guest Opinion: Overcoming evil with good ... Guest Opinion: We know what to do to prevent mass shootings ... EDUCATION Supporters of new Medford charter school vow it will be ready for classes Organizers, parents work together to open Valley School of Southern Oregon Comment By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 26, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Aug 26, 2015 at 10:24 AM By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 26, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Aug 26, 2015 at 10:24 AM Burglars steal 10 Valley School laptops --> Burglars broke into Valley School of Southern Oregon last weekend and swiped $1,800 in items, including 10 new laptop computers and an acoustic guitar.  Amy Maukonen, director of the cha... » Read more X Burglars steal 10 Valley School laptops Burglars broke into Valley School of Southern Oregon last weekend and swiped $1,800 in items, including 10 new laptop computers and an acoustic guitar.  Amy Maukonen, director of the charter middle school at 1253 N. Riverside Ave., said two of the laptops were turned in to pawn shops and were recovered Tuesday afternoon. Medford police Lt. Mike Budreau said the school had received the laptops — Google Chromebooks valued at $165 apiece — Aug. 12, and that the computers had been placed in the administrative offices. Investigators said the school is undergoing construction and renovations, making the missing property hard to see at a glance.  Between the Chromebooks' value and the guitar's $150 price tag, the incident qualifies as a first-degree burglary. Anyone with information about the burglary is asked to contact Medford police at 541-770-4784.  » Social News Posters, maps, white boards, microscopes and book shelves differentiate the Valley School of Southern Oregon from the Mexican-themed restaurants that occupied this building on North Riverside Avenue for many years. In the three months since their charter was approved by the Medford School Board, Valley School organizers and about 100 parents have transformed the building into a learning environment for middle-schoolers that caters to Montessori-style teaching philosophies. Parents turned out for weekend work parties and transformed the bar area into a science lab and library, banquet rooms into a classroom and “concept room,” the large dining room in a project and reading space, and an empty parking lot into a fenced-in physical-education area. About 20 of the vinyl booths were retained and will be used as project work spaces. Board members have taken on janitorial, public relations, human resources, curriculum development, purchasing and business roles, and director Amy Maukonen all but sleeps at the new school, said Valley School Board Chairwoman Andrea Dabbs-Partsafas. “I’m learning how many cogs it takes to make a wheel,” she said Tuesday at the school where she was painting. “It’s a labor of love for sure.” Dabbs-Partsafas and other board members and parents also have been involved in hiring seven staff members — one bookkeeper, two assistant teachers and three lead teachers, all with Montessori experience — and in purchasing curriculum, planning field trips, writing grants, meeting with community members and working with the county health inspector to get the commercial kitchen up to code so the school can offer a culinary arts program. On Tuesday afternoon, the school met its 75-student cap and will begin putting any other interested students on a waiting list. Most of the enrolled students, Dabbs-Partsafas said, are sixth- and seventh-graders and only a handful are eighth-graders. However, per the Montessori model, students will not be arranged in classes by grade level and will take more ownership in how they spend their time, Maukonen said. "If students have finished their traditional lessons, then they have the opportunity to work independently on long-term projects, such as designing a Web page or participating in a school club, committee or team, like the robotics team," she said. "The point is that they are applying the skills they are learning in their traditional lessons in real-life ways." Before the school opens its doors Sept. 8, it must get its alarm system approved by the city of Medford, set up its curriculum, install basketball hoops and cut out the cubby-style lockers that students will build their first week of school. "But we can do it," Maukonen said. "It's going to happen." Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected] . Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt . By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 26, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Aug 26, 2015 at 10:24 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501