September 28. 2011
^Jortlanh (Dhsernrr
Helping Your Child
Do Well in School
ticipated your child would learn with
the skills and information your child
actually learned. The information and
skills learned should be on the report
card. If your child is on track for
learning everything that was intended,
ask what you can do to help ensure
your child stays on track for the next
grading period. And a big thank you is in
order for the teacher! Good teachers don’t
hear this enough.
If your child has not m astered the skills
and inform ation that had been projected
for the first grading period, ask teachers
what steps will be taken. W hat is the
written plan to help your child catch up?
Ask what can you do at home to help your
child catch up? Are there resources to
locate tutors to help your child catch up?
This is very serious. M ake sure every­
one (teacher and parent) knows what is
planned, and what each will consistently
do to help the child catch up. Ask for a
weekly sum m ary from each class indicat­
ing if your child is m aking progress. If
your child is on track to catch up, great.
If not, get in writing what additional steps
will be taken to make sure your child
catches up and perform s at grade level.
This is extraordinarily important. Every
time report cards are received during the
year it is crucial this process is followed.
All too often, when children fall behind
in first, second and third grade, they never
catch up and become one o f the num bers
representing academ ic failure. The result
is potential wasted, talent not developed,
and child and society lose.
During this school year, there should
be no surprises about your child being on
or off track. All o f your efforts are fo­
cused on preparing your child to be col­
lege bound!
Parents Preamble: I will ensure my
child receives a quality education. If I
d o n ’t fight for my child’s education, no
one else will. It’s worth the effort. My
child’s future depends upon me.
The follow ing can help your child do
well in school: Make sure your child
attends school every day and is on time.
One day’s lesson builds on the previous
d ay ’s as well as the next day’s lesson.
W hen children miss school, they miss a
series of sequenced lessons and instruc­
tion. Often teachers don’t have time to
individually help students catch up who
are frequently absent. Prim ary school
children should be in bed by 8:30 p.m. All
screens off: TV, Facebook, twitter, text
m essaging, cell phones and Internet. Diet
is also very important. Children need a
healthy breakfast every morning.
At the beginning o f the school year,
parents should ask teachers to share a copy
o f the curriculum for each class their child
attends: Reading, math, science, art, music,
social studies, and history. Ask teachers
what the curriculum anticipates a child will
learn between September and the first grad­
ing period, and the first report card. If
teachers expect your child to learn either
more or less than the information covered
in the curriculum for the first grading pe­
riod, ask why? Make sure you clearly
understand the teacher’s response and ask
for the response in writing.
After receiving the new school year’s
first report card, schedule time to meet with
Ron Herndon is a long-time advocate fo r
each of your child’s teachers. Prior to the educational opportunities fo r African-
meeting, carefully check your child’s re­ American children. He has served as direc­
port card. Compare what the teachers an- tor o f Head Start in Portland since 1975.
Postal Workers Rally
c o n t i n u e d f r o m page3
Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 82,
representing about 1,200 letter carriers in the
Portland metro area.
“We want fellow citizens to understand
the issues better.”
At a rally to save the U.S. Postal Service
last Wednesday, speakers presented ways
the USPS can become financially stable and
continue universal postal service six days a
week long into the 21st century.
“The American public has been misled by
their own Postal Service officials. It’s time to
set the record straight,” said Kevin Card,
President of the Oregon State Association of
Letter Carriers. “The Postal Service is not
broke. Congress created this mess and they
have the power to fix it.”
The social and economic value of the
USPS was addressed by community repre­
sentatives and elected officials, and prior to
the rally, Portland Mayor Sam Adams and
City Council members discussed a letter ex­
pressing support of the long-term viability of
the USPS, which provides vital services for
the citizens they represent.
“We are grateful to Mayor Adams and the
Portland Commissioners for their civic lead­
ership, understanding and support,” said
Cook. He said the USPS offers a choice for
reliable, secure national network for com­
merce and communication, but if the contin­
ued dismantling of the public’s universal
postal network is allowed, he questions the
unity of the country.
Page 7
Handling the Henna Business
c o n t i n u e d f r o m page 4
and repetitive florals o f M orocco to
Arabic’s thick, bold lines and animal-free
florals.
The henna plant grows wildly in Africa,
the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, vary­
ing widely in use among cultures and re­
gions. Traditionally, henna is used medici­
nally or for religious purposes, but most
often the ink decorates people's bodies in
celebrations, usually weddings and preg­
nancies.
However, henna, has become so popu­
lar that henna artists can be found tattoo­
ing in all comers of the world. People
wanting temporary body décor for special
occasions from wedding to Baliwood-
themed parties, or even a souvenir from the
Saturday Market keep at least twelve art­
ists practicing henna just in Portland.
The process of henna-making is simple.
Lemon juice, sugar, essential oils are com­
bined with henna powder, which she im­
ports in bulk from Pakistan. The henna
paste must sit for 24 to 48 hours before
Mason can seal it in a cone and once the tip
is cut off, the henna is ready to be applied
to the skin.
In 5 minutes or less. Mason can whip up
a quick flower design, but for more intri­
cate designs, such as those for a bride, she
may spend one to three hours. Depending
on o n e’s body chem istry and the region
from which the henna was distributed, in
two to three days the henna darkens on
the human skin from a dark orange to a
maroon or brown color and lasts for one to
three weeks.
Although Mason has little ambition to
return to nursing, she embraced a role as
doula for close triends and family, support­
ing mothers before birth and helping them
adjust after the new baby arrives. So who are
her favorite henna clients? Pregnant bellies.
Mason enjoys talking with expecting
mothers at the very end of their pregnancies,
“One baby kicked and moved every time the
cone touched the belly,” she said, “It turned
out lopsided.”
As a Muslim henna tattoo artist. Mason
draws on artistic ideas from a range of cul­
tures as well as inspirations from nature and
everything around her, but when ink touches
skin, she likes best to roll with it -free hand.
Visit Camille Mason for a henna tattoo
when Free Hand Mehndi re-opens to the
public the week of Oct. 5.