SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM ❚ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2019 ❚ 3B
Back-to-school tips for from students
Name Here
Columnist
Newspaper Name
USA TODAY NETWORK – REGION
If you have school-age children, then
you’ve probably already received a “wel-
come back-to-school” letter from your
student’s principal or a list of necessary
school supplies from a teacher. You
might have also received advice from
one expert or another about how to best
prepare your child for the new school
year.
But one source of advice on getting
ready for that summer-to-school transi-
tion is often overlooked — advice from
the students themselves! So, I reached
out to a few knowledgeable children in
the region who attend Oregon Connec-
tions Academy. They represented vari-
ous grade levels, and offered some really
insightful responses.
“Having your desk clean and orga-
nized for the school season is important
so that way you don’t have anything
from last year that you don’t need. And,
find out what classes you are going to
take so that way you can make folders
for them.” That organizational tip is
Glacier
from 16-year old Isabella Ramos, from
Sublimity, and her 13-year-old sister Ad-
dy. Isabella will be a junior at the online
public school in the new school year and
Addy is starting 8th grade. The Ramos
sisters added, “Don’t be afraid to get to
know your teachers, they are really nice
and just want to help you. Also, go to
events because it’s a great way to make
friends.”
The Peterson sisters from Molalla
help each other throughout the school
year and are happy to share tips for suc-
cess with other students. Ingrid Peter-
son, an incoming freshman, puts her fo-
cus on academics. “The week before
school starts, try warming up your brain
by doing multiplication cards and writ-
ing exercises to get your brain geared up
for school.” Younger sister Grace, enter-
ing 8th grade, recommends students
help their brains adjust with better
sleep. “Start getting into routine a few
days prior — such as going to bed early,
and getting up early.” Audrey, a 4th
grader added, “make sure you have all
your supplies,” while 2nd grader Raquel
suggested students, “organize your
workplace.”
Christian White from Salem is a ju-
nior enrolled in the school’s ASCEND
Career and Technical Education pro-
gram in the business and management
pathway. Christian suggests students,
“look into the materials you're given or
classes you're assigned, so that way you
can be ahead of the game."
“My best advice to students would be
to focus on your well being,” said 17-
year-old Mikayla Wood from Scio, a
senior enrolled in the ASCEND medical
pathway. “Summer includes many fun
and exciting opportunities to better
yourself but also offers those chances to
let your guard down and spend less time
on your mind and body. Remember to
focus on you! Do something to revive
your mind and bring rest and eat right
while enjoying exercise to prep your
whole body and being for the upcoming
school year.”
These students offered some sensi-
ble suggestions for ways their peers can
get their new school year off to a great
start. However, as parents there are
many other areas of daily life to consider
and your children may have their own
concerns or new things they want to try
going into a new school year.
Communication is key. It’s important
to check in with your student each day
for even a few minutes to find out how
things are going. Spending time reading
or doing other learning activities to-
gether is especially important with
younger children.
Moving to a new school or into a new
grade band, like from elementary to
middle school, can also be stressful for
children. Ask your student what kind of
support they need from you and you
might be surprised at the creative solu-
tions they suggest.
For those students who have a little
anxiety going back-to-school this year,
and even those who don’t, I want to
leave you with a line from one of my fa-
vorite children’s books by author A.A.
Milne. It’s the part where Christopher
Robin said to Winnie the Pooh, “promise
me you’ll always remember: 'You’re
braver than you believe, stronger than
you seem, and smarter than you think.'"
I hope every Oregon family starts the
new school year off strong!
Susan Pollnow is Oregon Connec-
tions Academy Middle School Assistant
Principal from Salem. Enrollment is
now underway for the 2019-2020 school
year. For information please visit:
www.OregonConnectionsAcade-
my.com/Events or call (800) 382–6010.
If you go
Continued from Page 1B
Those seeds left behind will sprout and
become new pine trees. The connection
between the whitebark pine and the
Clark’s nutcracker is an ecological bond
that allows the bird to get energy-rich
food and the tree to have its seeds plant-
ed. Each species helps the other and to-
gether they both survive. Scientists call
this mutually beneficial relationship
symbiosis.
At 6,400 feet I leave the last of the
straggling trees behind and enter a
world of constant wind. The few re-
maining plants squat low in rounded
cushions of tight growth. Deep taproots
quench their thirst and fuzzy leaves pre-
vent water loss. Bright blossoms attract
the attention of determined pollinators.
At 6,800 feet sprawling circular mats of
dwarf juniper look like alpine putting
greens. Ground hugging growth is the
only way to survive up here.
At 7,200 feet my breath comes in
short gasps. I step trailside and look di-
rectly down on the lower portion of the
White River Glacier. Dislodged rocks
and small boulders litter its frozen sur-
face. The old snow near the glacier’s
snout is pink. Climbers call it watermel-
on snow.
It is algae that thrives at low temper-
atures. The red pigment absorbs heat,
providing the algae with a small amount
of water as the top layer of snow melts.
Directions: To prevent traffic conges-
tion at Timberline Lodge, visitors are
encouraged to take the Mt. Hood Ex-
press shuttle bus from the Sandy Tran-
sit Operations Center located at 16610
Champion Way in Sandy, Oregon. The
cost is $2.00 each way. Details and
schedule are available at www.mthoo-
dexpress
.com.
Length: 4.25 miles round trip
Duration: 4 – 5 hours
Elevation gain: 2,500 feet
Age range: suitable for fit adults
Watermelon snow is an important
source of food for the tiny ice worms
that inhabit glaciers.
At 8,500 feet the clarity of this high
bright world is radiant. I am filled with
the joy that only a mountain can bring.
A rhythmic pounding reverberates in
my ears. Is it the mountain’s heartbeat
or my own?
I choose a sequestered spot in the lee
of a boulder and study the ice. From its
natal grounds just below the summit the
White River Glacier spills down an enor-
mous cliff. Hundreds of feet beneath the
top layer of this frozen mass the bedrock
is being abraded and quarried by the
enormous weight of the ice as it slowly
moves downslope. Huge crevasses
cleave its surface as it stairsteps to the
Crevasse in White River Glacier on Mount Hood BOBBIE SNEAD / SPECIAL TO THE
STATESMAN JOURNAL
southeast. The glacier sweeps through a
raw canyon to fill the infant White River
with its meltwaters. It is difficult to
grasp the significance of this glacier’s
size, even in its current shrunken state.
My eyes follow the route of this
morning’s hike, starting a couple of
miles below and climbing the steep
ridge all the way up to the rocky spot
where I sit. Looking to the summit
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again, I spot a wisp of steam rising from
the fumaroles known as the Devil’s
Kitchen. The mountain exhales softly
from its volcanic core. The evanescent
vapor comes as an alpine benediction. It
signals me to go back down to the every-
day world. I will return.
Bobbie Snead is a local naturalist.
She can be reached at naturalist.col
umn@gmail.com .
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