Dear Hogan Cedars Families,

Welcome to the 2017-18 school year! Our focus at Hogan Cedars is to "Create a dynamic learning community where every student is valued and supported on his/her educational journey." Our staff joins you as partners in supporting children on this journey. We will continue to provide quality instruction and meaningful learning opportunities for all students to succeed! Student learning is at the forefront of all we do. Let's work together to provide the best learning experiences for our students!

In addition to our continued focus on high academic standards, we have a new theme as we begin the 2017-18 school year: We are all unique and we are all wonders. Our work will be based on the children's book We're All Wonders, written and illustrated by R.J. Palacio. The story is about a boy named Auggie who feels sad because people notice he looks different than everyone else. We're All Wonders emphasizes friendship, kindness, and acceptance. These are all positive traits we want to instill in our children! We will be sharing this story with all classes, kindergarten - fifth grade, this fall. We want children to think about, "Why am I a wonder? What makes me unique?"

As we move into the school year, we will display children's art work on the main entry bulletin boards. As a Right Brain Initiative school, we believe in the arts. We want our students to have rich art experiences in visual art, dance, movement, theater, and music. In the past three years our students have had incredible Artist in Residence experiences: our students worked with visual artist Sarah Ferguson to create beautiful habitat murals displayed in our Media Center, classes worked with Northwest Children's Theater artists in Image Theater, and just this past year children worked with Alex Addy from the Obo Addy Legacy Project on African hand drumming! This year we plan to work with an artist in clay sculptures and tiles. We will keep you posted!

This year we will also continue to provide a safe, positive, and rigorous learning environment for all students in all areas. We are always looking at more ways to involve families and the community at Hogan Cedars. We welcome you into our school and classrooms! If you have a question, concern, or just want to become more involved in our school, please call me at 503-261-4500.

As R.J. Palacio says, "Look with kindness and you will always find wonder." :)

Warmly,
Elaine Luckenbaugh
Principal
Hogan Cedars Elementary School