Hillsboro Online Academy Move to New Campuses

Lucy Allen, Edited by Natalie Allen

As you may know, Hillsboro Online Academy will be split between two campuses next year. Our K-8 will be moved to Tamarack Elementary School (which is in the process of being built), and our high school will be moved to Oak Street Campus. 


We will also be having a change in leadership. HOA will have our own assistant principal, Shannon Fruendenthal. We will not have our own principal. Tamarack and Oak Street Campus’s principals will be in charge of K-8 and High School HOA students. 


An announcement was sent out to students and families on February 10, at 3:15 PM regarding the changes. Here is the link: http://rmd.me/sJi8jYdlK6x

New Location Information

Tamarack Elementary School


Tamarack elementary school is currently being built. It is expected to be done on time for the new school year. Hillsboro Online academy will share the building with the students and staff of Tamarack.


Fun fact! Tamarack Elementary will have solar panels once it is completed.



Oak Street Campus


Oak Street Campus currently holds the Pathways Center, the David Hill building, Stan Miller community center, and the community garden. The Pathways Center serves Hillsboro students up to the age of 21. The center was finished in December of 2021 as part of the 2017 bond for the school district. It provides career and college pathway services as well as other programs to support students and help them get their diplomas. HOA students will be sharing the campus with the other programs in place.

Questions and Answers

I attended the parent meeting to discuss what we wanted in our assistant principal on February 23. While we did talk about that topic, it seemed that a lot of parents had questions regarding the campus change. I contacted the school district, and asked some of the unanswered questions from this meeting, as well as others. Below are the written answers I have received, as well as my own annotations in pink. Some of the questions received more thorough responses than others.


If you have more questions, add them to the comments section at the end of the newspaper. I will see if I can get responses for a follow-up article.

What prompted the move?

“This is not an entirely new situation. Some of HOA’s elementary staff have been housed out of existing elementary schools in past years – in fact, some are located at Atfalati Ridge Elementary School right now. We have been looking at ways to do a more complete restructure of the campus for a while, and with the leadership change occurring after this school year anyway, the time was right to make a holistic change. Restructuring the campus allows us to take advantage of economies of scale at other sites to better serve students at various grade levels, particularly at Oak Street Campus to allow more connections to the various pathways that exist there.”

How much money will the decision to move save the district?

“Perhaps it’s helpful to understand that running an online school the way the Hillsboro School District does is not a money-making venture. In fact, in certain ways and depending on enrollment, HOA can actually be one of our costlier schools to run. However, we believe it is an important option for our students and families and are dedicated to keeping it going.”

What will happen to Hillsboro Online Academy's current campus?

“The building is currently being shared with our Student Services department, which houses there some of its programs serving students experiencing disability. Those programs are currently also located in other buildings that are not considered school campuses, so having additional space at Boscow will allow for some program consolidation.”

Where will our secretaries, registrars, counselors, and other professionals be located?

“Current HOA staff will be split between Tamarack Elementary School and Oak Street Campus depending on which role they have. Some may be at Tamarack full time and others may move between campuses with a schedule. Families would be able to access staff at either campus.”

For the Oak Street campus, where will HOA students be located? Will it be a quiet environment?

“There are classrooms available to HOA students that would not have to be shared simultaneously with OSC students. We are in process of making some architectural changes to create additional office space and will be meeting with the new administrator and high school teachers for a walkthrough later in April to see what options might work best for students. There will be spaces that are quiet.”

What about at Tamarack?

“There are classrooms available to HOA students that would not have to be shared simultaneously with Tamarack students. They will be an area of the building all together to create a common HOA space.”

Where will teachers who teach both high school and middle school be located? Will they need to move between the schools?

“Those teachers will likely have their primary space at whichever location makes the most sense for them. Most of the teachers have been assigned to middle school or high school, but not both.  If they have a need to travel between buildings, they can do so.”

Tamarack is in the process of being built. If it is not finished in time for the school year to start, where will K-8 elementary and middle school be located?

“Tamarack is on schedule to be completed this summer – there will not be a delay.”

When will the online meeting to answer questions from families and students regarding the move take place? This was discussed with parents at the meeting to give input for the selection of the new principal.

“We have just hired Shannon Freudenthal for the new assistant principal position. She is still working for Portland Public Schools, but we are negotiating for her to have some time with us as we transition her into the role, which would allow staff, students, and families to meet her either in person or virtually – hopefully in May or June as we transition to the new spaces for HOA.”

This was a strange response. While the response discusses a meeting with parents, it is talking about meeting the new assistant principal, not about addressing the campus changes.

What was the process for the decision to move and divide HOA to different campuses to be made?

“As was mentioned in the answer to the first question, this is not a new situation. Some of HOA’s elementary staff are already located at Atfalati Ridge. However, that school is receiving additional students and programs for the 2023-24 school year and space will be available at Tamarack for quite some time. Having the programs/age groups split between campuses will better serve students at their respective ages/grade levels.”

Again, an odd answer. They respond with reasons the move is helpful, but did not respond about the decision-making process. 



Pet of The Month

Pet of The Month March/April

HOAmazing… Crystal Apple Nominee Ms. Saul!

Written by Lucy Allen

“Teddy Roosevelt once said, “ People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”  I share this philosophy.” 

- Ms. Saul


Ms. Saul teaches Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Agriculture, and Health at HOA. She first started teaching in the Hillsboro School district in 2004 at Brown Middle School. Then, she taught at Miller Education Center, starting in 2012. Ms. Saul transferred full-time to HOA this past fall. She likes teaching science because the classes offer hands-on problem solving and project based learning. She enjoys teaching High School. “High School students are somewhat independent and ask very thoughtful questions.” Ms. Saul used to be an associate teacher. She became interested in online education and its possibilities by teaching online full-time in the pandemic. 


“Student successes and accomplishments bring me much joy.”


Ms. Saul grew up in the Midwest, mainly Illinois, but has lived in the northwest since 1988. She majored in Agriculture with an emphasis in Animal Science at the University of Illinois. She also has a Master of Science (MS) in Animal Science from Missouri, with a concentration on nutrition. She worked in the animal feed industry for 15 years and then earned a Master of Arts (MA) in teaching.


“I love to learn new things. I am a lifelong learner.”


Ms. Saul has three horses and five cats and raises registered Angus cattle and Boer goats. She spends her spare time as an equine specialist in animal-assisted therapy. If Ms. Saul could go anywhere in the world, she would visit Europe, especially Slovenia and Germany because that is where her grandparents are from.


Fabulous Favorites


Food: Hard to decide…Coconut Shrimp, Szechuan Chicken, Seafood, if I go to a restaurant. We eat beef at home. 

Color: Purple

TV show: Gilligan’s Island, Mr. Ed  

Author:  Richard Bach

Activity: Spending time in nature on the back of a horse



This or That?


Cats or Dogs? Dogs.  I have a cat allergy.  I have 5 feral (fixed) cats and no dogs right now.  

Salty or Sweet? Almond M&Ms or Coconut Chocolate Kind bars

Hamburgers or Hot Dogs? Mushroom Swiss Burger or Patty melt on rye

Place Outdoors or Indoors? Outdoors

Mornings or Evenings? Mornings

Writing or Typing? Writing


“Life is precious, help others, make a difference.” - Ms. Saul



ROWEing Your Boat of Education

Abraham Staffa

Do you want to avoid the conventional work and school routines that leave you unmotivated and unfulfilled? Well, there's a new approach in town, and it's called Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE).


In the ever-evolving world of work, there's a fresh breeze blowing in the form of a Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE), a trend capturing the attention of many businesses across different industries. ROWE is an innovative management strategy that offers employees complete control over their work schedules and tasks as long as they meet the desired results.


Unlike traditional work environments focused on the number of hours clocked in and the process followed, ROWE focuses on the outcomes achieved and their impact on the organization's goals. This approach gives employees greater autonomy, flexibility, and ownership of their work, resulting in heightened job satisfaction and productivity.


ROWE has proven to be a game-changer for companies that have adopted it. For example, Best Buy, a consumer electronics giant, introduced ROWE in 2005, and it paid off with happier employees, decreased turnover rates, and a remarkable boost in productivity. IBM and Gap are also among the companies that have reported favorable outcomes after implementing ROWE.


You might be thinking, "How does ROWE relate to me?" The good news is that ROWE is not exclusive to the workplace but can also be applied in educational settings. In schools, ROWE can empower students to take charge of their learning and achieve their desired outcomes, whether academic excellence or personal development. Students given more control over their academic schedules and tasks are more likely to stay motivated, leading to higher levels of achievement.


In conclusion, ROWE is a contemporary and exciting approach to work that's rapidly gaining momentum. ROWE has boosted job satisfaction and productivity by granting employees greater autonomy and flexibility. Moreover, students can apply this philosophy to their education, taking ownership of their learning and achieving their desired results. As we navigate the ever-evolving world of work and education, ROWE is a management strategy worth exploring!



Recommended Reads- April Edition

By Madi and Natalie, Edited by Lucy Allen

Books :




Mangas (NOTE: All the manga suggestions are for 13 years or older!): 

For those new to manga, here is a basic description. Manga is the Japanese word for a comic or graphic novel. There are multiple genres, like any other book, but the two most common are shojo and shonen. Shonen is aimed at young male audiences and a shonen series typically has more action-filled plot than shojo, which mainly aims at young female audiences and focuses on personal and romantic relationships. 


Top Suggestions:




Student Art

April Art

Designing Your Future Business

By Carsten Rogers

Have you ever wanted to start your own business? At first, that can feel impossible. But with a bit of perseverance, you can achieve this fantasy. I interviewed the founder of White Birch Design Co., Darcy DeBord, to share the ups and downs of owning a small business. 


Usually, when you want to start a business, there’s a reason. For Darcy, she noticed a lack of home decor stores in the suburbs of Portland. “I felt opening a brick and mortar would not only benefit me as a designer but help others as well,” says Darcy.


There are many challenges to small business ownership. Having money to buy products is essential, but having enough for other expenses and staying afloat during slow periods is very challenging. 


A great quote Darcy used was, “manage the pennies, and the dollars will follow.” In the interview, the topic of managing money comes up numerous times. “Eventually, when you have employees, that is another thing that complicates things. You have to pay your employees,” says Darcy. “Knowing that their families depend on that money is tough, so you have to make sure you manage your finances really well.”

Advice helps with everything. Darcy advises taking classes. Online courses can easily be accessed and have great information. Basic skills, such as finance, communication, and business basics, are a great starting point with everything, and starting a business is no different. Mastering simple skills may seem useless, but they will be your best friend in the long run. One of Darcy’s strategies is thinking of the business as a machine, needing certain things to keep different parts running smoothly. Thinking of your business as less of a fun hobby and more like a business can help with this.

Corn Comics

Sequoia Art Gallery Hip 2B Square Show

Written by Lucy Allen

In the Hip 2B Square show, artists submitted pieces of art on wooden squares given out by the Sequoia Art Gallery. Adults and students submitted work. The art is displayed from April 4-29 for the public to see. Students at HOA submitted pieces, and the winners of the Learning Through the Decades HOA art contest pieces are displayed too!


The pieces are displayed in sections based on the student’s grade level (adults are in a section of their own). Each piece has its name, artist, and selling price beside it. Viewers can look at the pieces and reserve them to be bought at the end of the show. The gallery gets 25% of the money. 


There are nearly 300 pieces on display in all sorts of styles. Some artists submitted sculptures, art from found things, paintings, and some included multiple mediums! I have included pictures of some of the art, but there are  more to see if you would like to visit! See this website for more information about the exhibit including visiting times: https://sequoiagallerystudios.org/featured-artists/ 

Asian Drama Suggestions

By Madison M.

NOTE: ALL THESE SUGGESTIONS AND FUTURE SUGGESTIONS ARE ON NETFLIX!! 

Top two suggestions

Falling Into Your Smile

Genre: esports, drama, romance

Rating: TV-14 (14 or older)

Review: This was the first Asian drama I EVER watched and I’m glad it was! This series is about a girl who likes gaming and gets offered a spot to join a professional gaming group because one of the members sustains an injury that doesn’t allow him to play. The main story line is of her overcoming the obstacles of being the only female professional gamer, with dashes of romance that will surprise you!


The King’s Affection

Genre: Fiction, comedy, Sageuk (Korean historical drama)

Rating: TV-14 (14 or older)

Review: This series is something of a masterpiece! Everything that happens in this series has a purpose that will have you at the edge of your seat every second. The main storyline is about an heir that has to keep a dangerous secret from everyone they know in order to keep the ones they love safe, but strange events start to happen in the palace that make them have to go out of their comfort zone. 



What to do about tech issues UPDATE!

Lucy Allen, Edited by Natalie Allen

I have found a fix to Glitch #3 - New email glitch! On the top of the Outlook tab, you should see a blue mail symbol. If there is a red dot by it, you have an unread email. Sometimes, the dot shows up when you don’t. 


To solve this, go to the settings icon in the upper right and turn “Focused Inbox” on. This will create two tabs in your inbox, “focused” and “other”. You can switch between the two to view all of your emails. This fixes the glitch.


Note: This sometimes makes the dot not appear at all. Most of the time it still does though.

Board Game of the Month…

Dungeons and Dragons!

Written by Natalie Allen

Edited by Lucy Allen

5/5 stars




D&D Minis- All painted by me.

Introduction:

In honor of the movie, Dungeons and Dragons, Honor Among Thieves that came to theaters March 31st, I have decided to write about D&D for this issue's Game of the Month article. Dungeons and Dragons is a roleplaying game where the players run characters through an adventure created by the Dungeon Master (Also known as DM, Game Master, or GM). Typically, D&D campaigns run similar to fantasy adventures you might find in books or movies. The events of the story are led by the player's choices and by dice rolls that determine the success or failure of their actions. The DM is responsible for providing the scenario; the players are responsible for reacting to it.


The Characters:

Each player in a D&D campaign (except for the DM) has a character. This character is their avatar in the fantasy world. The character can be similar to the player or completely different. They can be based on a character from a book/movie, or entirely original. The characters will all have personality traits like Bonds (something the character cares about), Ideals (heartfelt beliefs), and Flaws. The player roleplays these characteristics during the game. For example, one of my characters is a descendant of a silver dragon. Because of this, she believes that silver is more valuable than gold. The party rogue proposed a trade where she would give my character 1 silver piece, and I would give the rogue 1 gold piece (worth 10 silvers). My character agreed to the trade. In this exchange, I was roleplaying my character's draconic heritage, and the rogue's player was roleplaying her character's greed.

Characters also have game statistics that detail their capabilities. They will increase in power over the course of the game. The initial statistics are based on a variety of factors in character creation, but primarily their class and their ability scores. Their class is what type of character they are. Do they focus on weapon combat? They're probably a fighter. Do they sneak around and steal stuff? They're a rogue. Do they cast spells from a spellbook? They're a wizard. Their ability scores are how good they are at certain things. If they have a high charisma score, they would be better at communicating with others. If they have a low constitution, they would be more likely to fall ill. These scores can inspire roleplaying and a character concept can inspire score selection.


The DM:

The Dungeon Master is responsible for creating the story of the world. They design campaigns- which outline villains, settings, non-player characters (NPCs), and certain scenarios. There are published campaigns called modules that DMs can purchase and run, or they can make up their own. Typical Dungeons and Dragons games are set in a fantasy setting, and will have heroic themes. However, campaigns can be set in any type of realm you chose, and can be any type of adventure. There was a recent set of adventures published that follows a heist theme, for instance. And I currently run a campaign that incorporates a bit of intrigue.

Another job of the Dungeon Master is reacting to the players' decisions. The DM provides the situation, but they can never predict exactly how the players will react. A DM needs to think on their feet and incorporate player actions into their plans in a way that creates a good story. When running published modules, most likely the characters will follow the plot hooks laid out for them, as the adventures are designed to attract the players' attention. However, when creating their own campaign, it is advisable to plan only a few sessions in advance so that the plot is flexible and player decisions can make a large impact on the game world.


The Dice:

Dice are a big part of Dungeons and Dragons, and the most important die is the twenty sided die, known to D&D players as the d20. Players and DMs both use this die when determining the success or failure of a player's actions and attacks. For example, if the rogue wants to sneak up and hear a conversation, the DM would call for a stealth check using the d20. Character capabilities can give players bonuses that they can add to the roll, increasing the chances of success. The rogue would likely have at least a +5 to their stealth roll, if not a +13 at later levels. (Two different rogues in two different campaigns that I run have this bonus. They can pretty much never be seen.) If the paladin wanted to sneak up on someone, however, they probably wouldn't have much of a bonus. They might even have a penalty of -1!


Ways to Play:

One of the best things about D&D is that it's flexible. You can play D&D with a character sheet (free online here), an online dice roller or set of D&D dice, some monster stat blocks (for the DM), and your imagination. This is called Theater of the Mind. The Dungeon Master's descriptions set the mood of the story, and the players describe what their characters do. You can also play with a dry erase board, markers, and tokens of any kind. The Dungeon Master can use the markers to draw maps of the area the characters explore and the tokens can represent the characters and the monsters or allies they encounter. You can also buy miniatures made especially for D&D campaigns and even design custom made miniatures.

Because of this flexibility, it is also very possible to play D&D over the internet. In fact, that is the only way I play! I run and play in D&D games over Google Meet, by angling a camera to view the board. If you play Theater of the Mind, it's even easier. There are also virtual tabletops available online.


Conclusion:

Dungeons and Dragons can seem complicated at first, but don't worry. The most important rule of D&D is to have fun! Don't focus on mastering all of the rules, focus on making a character that you can enjoy playing and finding some friends you enjoy playing with. We have a D&D club here at HOA, run by Mrs. Thompson, that is especially looking for Dungeon Masters. Contact her to find out more!

If you want to learn more about playing D&D, the basic rules can be found for free here.



This is a character sheet- where information about your character is recorded.

The Essentials Kit- which contains The Dragon of Icespire Peak, the module our D&D club is currently playing in their sessions. It also includes a rulebook, character sheets, and a set of dice.

A set of D&D dice

An example battle map- an actual scenario from one of my games! This shows the variety of tokens you can use to represent characters. The dnd minis, frog token, and dice all represent a character, character pet, NPC, or monster. My character is the one with the green cloak next to the red dragon (her pet drake).

Meeting the Houston Outlaws

By Gaer Hanson

The Houston Outlaws are a pretty good Overwatch team. I think they are the best. They are known for winning against other teams. They live stream on youtube and twitch. There are more than seven people on the team. According to their Youtube page, they have over 55,000 subscribers. 


I got to meet the Houston Outlaws online. We chatted about who our favorite character to play with is. Jake said that he likes to play Reaper as well as myself. We talked about how to make a twitch and youtube channel. We also shared our computer setups. Jake has the same keyboard as me. 


It was interesting to talk with them because I want to try to join their team at some point. So, it was great to meet them. 


If you want to know more about them, check out their website: 

https://outlaws.overwatchleague.com/en-us/news 



Horoscopes - April edition

By: Madi & Amity

Intro

For those who are unfamiliar with horoscopes, they are the placements of the stars that can represent characteristics or may predict the future based on their relative placement relating to your birth. There are altogether 12 zodiacs, and each is separated between days of the month. Now keep in mind that not every month is precisely one zodiac; instead, part of one month is a zodiac which extends to the next month. For example, cancer (the crab) is from June 21 to July 22, but because the zodiac cancer takes up most of July, it’s most commonly known to be the zodiac for July. Along with knowing your zodiac you can see what certain things are associated with these zodiacs, like each zodiac has a gem or particular planet that is related. Now onto the information!




What flower is your zodiac?

Aquarius (Jan, 20th - Feb 18th): The flower to represent Aquarius is the Orchid.

Pisces (Feb, 19th - Mar 20th): For Pisces it's the water lily.

Aries (Mar, 21st - Apr 19th): Aries has two flowers to represent the strong, fiery personality of Aries, and those are honeysuckle and thistle.

Taurus (Apr, 20th - May 20): For Taurus, there are a few flowers that can be associated with this sign but the official flower is Poppies.

Gemini (May, 21st - June 20th): Gemini has lavender as its flower due to its diverse uses like Gemini

Cancer (June, 21st - July 22nd): For the cancer sign the flower is white rose. Since the white color of the flower is what makes it so special it's the perfect flower to represent the unique cancers.

Leo (July, 23rd - Aug 22nd): For the brave Leos, their flower is the bold sunflower.

Virgo (Aug, 23rd - Sep 22nd): The two flowers that are most associated with Virgos are the buttercup and the chrysanthemum, due to their bright and small look representing the outlook Virgos have in life.

Libra (Sep, 23rd - Oct 22nd): For the sign that has the only inanimate object as its symbol the flower is the rose for its precision and balance in each petal.

Scorpio (Oct, 23rd - Nov 21st): The flower for Scorpio’s is the geranium since it comes in all kinds of colors like Scorpios, so expect the unexpected.

Sagittarius (Nov, 22nd - Dec 21st): For the sign that is known for their love of love, the flower for Sagittarius is the carnations, which is the most common flower for weddings.

Capricorn (Dec, 22nd - Jan 19th): The flower for Capricorns are the carnations as well, representing the loyalty in which Capricorns show. 





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