Tuesday, September 15, 2015

2015 Back-To-School Essay Contest

TOPIC: ”Who is your hero and why?”


Entries must be received no later than Friday, October 16th, 2015, at 5:00 pm (PST)
Essay contest form (You may choose to use this form, but it is not required)

Win a $20 gift certificate to Powell’s bookstore! Submit a 1-page essay (500 words max) answering the topic question. Submissions may be typed or hand-written legibly. This contest is open to all students Kinder–Grade 8. One winner will be selected from each of the following two categories: Elementary (K–Grade 5) and Middle School (Grades 6–8)

Please e-mail submissions to dhomeagent@gmail.com (Subject line: 2015 Essay Contest)

-OR-

Mail submissions to:
Essay Contest
Attn: Elizabeth Ramos
Keller Williams Realty, Sunset Corridor
1915 NW Amberglen Pkwy, Suite 250
Beaverton OR 97006
Include your name, address, phone, e-mail address, age, grade level and school that you attend. Entries must be received no later than Friday, October 16th, 2015, at 5:00 pm (PST). The winning essays will be published in the next issue of The Neighborhood Connection and on this Web site (www.dhomeagent.com).
Click here to download and use the essay contest form

Thursday, November 20, 2014

2014 Back-To-School Essay Contest

        Over the past month I received essay entries for the 2014 Back-To-School Essay Contest from students ranging from Kindergarten To Middle School. Thank you to each and every one of the participants—I truly enjoyed reading all your essays.

        The winners from each category (elementary and middle school) received a $15 gift certificate to Powell's bookstore. The elementary and middle school teachers of the winners also won a $25 gift certificate for school supplies and a 152 pack of Crayola Crayons for their class.

        The winning essays were published in my November/December issue of The Neighborhood Connection newsletter. Below are the winning essays and the honorable mention essays. Thank you and happy reading!



Dayana P.  Grade 5.  

        I've been watching  teachers do things for almost 6 years.

         
Me  being  a  student, I have had  many of  the same subjects through the past years: math, reading, writing, science, and social studies. Sometimes the teachers focus on other subjects than others. Now I'm the teacher, and I have important choices to make for my classroom and students. This is how my classroom would be different.

       I would spend more time on math, reading and writing.

       A teacher's biggest goal is to get their students ready for a career. I know some students don't like these subjects for example  math, but when we have OAKS or Smarter  Balance testing, they aren't going to get a passing  grade.I want to teach my students that math isn't something that you should ignore or any subject, for it can get you a great grade, a diploma, a job, or a scholarship. There is only so many things that I can teach them. They may think that I would do a lot of the work but they do, they choose to put the effort. I would love to know that they know it is up to them.  Adding more time to those subjects would help the students be stronger in these areas, and life.

       Homework. As a student, I know homework can be torture!

       But what I didn't know about homework until my 4th grade teacher Ms. Bergerson, is that it's practice. Learning something and making sure you remember it, that is what homework is. In this case I would give the same amount of homework, but I would give the homework out to the student depending on their learning ability. If they are strong in the area of reading, I would give them an assignment suiting them. Part of your job being a teacher is to understand the needs of your student, and challenge them.

       And for my last change if I were a teacher, I would have fun.

       Three of my teachers in the past Mr. Palau, Mrs. Stephenson, and Ms. Bergerson, let us play games or do activities. The teachers who you can tell understand you, let a little fun into the class. Either to reward you for hard work or to make you interested in learning. I remember playing 7 up, kickball, 4 corners, sometimes play pop music while we worked, and draw fun things. 

        4th grade was an adventure! Ms. Bergerson was fun in so many ways, you couldn't get bored. She understood us so well, that one time during math when we were learning fractions she cut the whole {a foam hexagon} into thirds {rhombuses} even though she wasn't suppose to! You could tell that she didn't really act like a teacher, more like a friend. I want to leave a mark on my students like Ms. Bergerson left on me. I want to see my students happy to learn and enjoy being at school. I want to leave memories on them as they leave my classroom. I know that it is hard to have fun when you are pushed hard, but when you are rewarded you feel way better. I am going to be one of those teachers. I don't just want to be a teacher to them. I want to be a friend. 

      And that is what I would do if I were a teacher.
  

Jasmine C.  Grade 6. 

         We children are like plants ready to sprout, but without soil, water and sun we can’t grow tall because what we need are teachers to help us along the way. So if you were a teacher how would your class be different?
        
         If I were a teacher my class would be different because I would hang paintings and art all over the walls to show some creativity. Inspire my students to find out meanings of those paintings to see that everything has a meaning to it. Including more art projects to help them develop their artistic skills that they could use to succeed in life. Have them explore with colors to show their personalities.
       
         As a teacher I would include more field trips and more volunteering as a class in the community because as we help the community they help us. Field trips are a great way to learn without looking at a book. It’s very fun and educational, you can see things up close, which is better than looking at a picture up close. It’s a great way to learn but in a fun way.
     
         You can explore more. Discoveries to be made waiting to be found. These are some very good reasons of how my class would be different.The main thing that would be different in my class is to add more reading time because reading is the main reason of learning for children. Reading is what we use the most in our lives, even math involves reading.
       
         I believe that in my class this is how I would change the way children are educated. Not every learning should be involved in a classroom. Some people might say teaching is hard, and its true but the children know that teaching is like learning. It’s hard work but they should know that hard work will pay off. These are some different ways my class would be for a better future.


Friday, April 4, 2014

15th Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Title: 15th Annual Easter Egg Hunt


When: Saturday, April 19th (Rain or shine)

Where:  Reedville Creek Park 11:00 am
and Cooper Mountain Elementary 2:00 pm 

Come prepared to collect your Easter goodies, play games and win prizes! Please bring donations of canned goods  for the local homeless shelter.




Friday, December 20, 2013

Received an early Christmas present! I have been named as a Five Star Real Estate Agent for the fourth consecutive year. Thank you to my clients who continue to bless me with this award. I am deeply honored and grateful.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Over the past month I received essay entries for the Back-to-School 2013 Essay Contest from students ranging from Kindergarten through High School. Thank you to each and every one of the participants—I truly enjoyed reading all your essays.
The winners from each category (elementary, middle and high school) received a $15 gift certificate to Powell's bookstore. The teacher from the elementary school category also won a $25 gift certificate to Office Depot for school supplies.

The winning essays were published in my November/December issue of The Neighborhood Connection newsletter. Below are the winning essays and the honorable mention essays. Thank you and happy reading!
TOPIC: “What is the best way to study?”
What is the best way to study?  Do you study individually or in a group? Explain why this is the best way to earn good grades in class.

**Elementary School Winner**

Emma G.      Grade 4
There is no right way to study because everyone has their own way to study. I personally think it is easier to study in a quiet room then a loud room. If you study in a loud room, it is hard to concentrate because of all the distractions. For example, if I try to study in my family’s living room, my sisters are always talking to me or they are watching TV. Also, my cat George will be doing something funny that I will have to watch or my mom will be talking to my sisters, so it is impossible to focus. On the other hand, my sister Madeline can study for a math test if she was at a concert or even in the middle of a circus. I’ve always been jealous of her ability to study anywhere, but it shows there is more than one way to study and get good grades.

I think the best way to study depends on what the subject is. When I’m studying my math, I need to be alone because it is best to read through the problems first and memorize the vocabulary then I can go back and work on the problems. Math is difficult and takes a lot of concentration. This is also the best way to study for spelling and vocabulary tests. My favorite thing to do with vocabulary words is to write them down several times and then study my notes. When I think I have them all figured out, I have my Dad read them to me and I write them down again. I also think studying alone is important when doing my reading comprehension. When we do reading comprehension in class, we always do it alone and quietly so we can focus on what we are doing. My teacher must think that’s the best way too. I don’t think studying alone is always the best option. For example, when I do brain storming it is easier to come up with more ideas if there are more people. When I come up with ideas I get a piece of paper and pencil and write down the most important parts and study them. Another thing, I like doing with friends is studying science. This is the best way because we all get to do a science experiment and write down notes about the results. Doing work together helps us all learn more because we get to share.

To conclude, there is no right or wrong way to study because everyone has their own way to get good grades. For me, it depends on what subject I am studying and where I am when I need to get my homework done. I don’t think it matters how you study, it just matters that you know what works for you.

**Middle School Winner**
Jay C.    Grade 6

I have observed that everybody has different learning style, also I noticed that each style has something useful which can be adopted by everyone.
Here I am going to give you some suggestions on how to study effectively and efficiently. Since I am getting some benefit out of it I want to share some of the ways with you.
I generally study individually.
First of all I want to make sure that studying is not only doing homework but it is a practice of what you studied. This helps you keep up with the school at present and also remember what is already done. Practice helps revising what we have learnt.
Manage your time schedule and your time table in such a way that all the subjects are being covered regularly.
Take notes in class, this is an easy way to remember more while it reduces your efforts doing homework taking a quiz etc. While taking notes you can use some shortcuts for technical word, or draw pictures etc. that you can understand.
Try to explain the concepts by experimenting them at home and understand the logic behind it.
Put charts on the walls in readable font so that whenever you walk by them you read them. This will help you remember easily for example you can make charts for math formulas.
Work hard practice regularly for 1-2 hours each day. In case you have any questions discuss with friends, teachers if you want some help, clarifications
Get up early and utilize morning hours while mind is fresh and all set to learn and grasp. It helps in better understanding, remembering.
Finally play with friends to recharge yourself.
I am sure that these tips will help you to make learning improve your grades
--Honorary Mention--
High School
Mark Wakeland.    Grade 10
I think the best way to study is to study by myself with music. But some people can't pay attention at all when there is music. If you are going to study with friends then I think it is important to actually be productive. A lot of children would get sidetracked and talk about other things and not study at all. The best way to get good grades in class is to study a lot and to learn things. You can't memorize the answers to a math test like you can with a English test so you must learn how to negotiate a problem or an equation. I think you should write things down when trying to memorize a speech, words or the definition of a vocabulary word. People learn things differently like some people can memorize things by writing them down and some can do it by using repetition. I can relate some words with pictures. Like in geography, class I could see the countries and it would help me remember the names. So I think the best way to study is to be in a good studying environment and to have people that are interested in studying and not getting sidetracked if you're going to be in a group. Aside from that I think all people are different and learn and study differently, so find a way that works and use it.     

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Win a $15 Powell's Bookstore Gift Certificate!

Back-to-School 2013 Essay Contest

TOPIC: Back-to-School 2013 Essay Contest: “What is the best way to study?”
What is the best way to study?  Do you study individually or in a group? Explain why this is the best way to earn good grades in class.


Entries must be received no later than Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013, at 5:00 pm (PST)

Essay contest form (You may choose to use this form, but it is not required)
Win a $15 gift certificate to Powell’s bookstore! Submit a 1-page essay (500 words max) answering the topic question. Submissions may be typed or hand-written legibly. This contest is open to all students Kinder–Grade 12. One winner will be selected from each of the following three categories: Elementary (K–Grade 5), Middle School (Grades 6–8), and High School (Grades 9–12).

Please e-mail submissions to dhomeagent@gmail.com (Subject line: 2013 Essay Contest)

-OR-

Mail submissions to:
Essay Contest
Attn: Elizabeth Ramos
Keller Williams Realty, Sunset Corridor
1915 NW Amberglen Pkwy, Suite 250
Beaverton OR 97006

Include your name, address, phone, e-mail address, age, grade level and school that you attend. Entries must be received no later than Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013, at 5:00 pm (PST). The winning essays will be published in the next issue of The Neighborhood Connection and on this Web site (www.dhomeagent.com).