ORIENTATION 2022/23
Welcome to Woodhaven!
We are so excited to gather together soon!
In the mean-time we invite you to join our online community on Instagram and Facebook (both our public Woodhaven School page and the private Woodhaven Friends group). These pages can help you connect with other families, offer creative craft and nature activity ideas, and show a glimpse into what you and your child will experience at Woodhaven.
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Please watch the video below from Ms. Nicole to learn more about the
Woodhaven Way and how to prepare for Fall.
Nicole O’Rourke is our preschool teacher at Woodhaven School. For over a decade, Nicole has worked with young children in a wide range of educational settings, including early childhood and elementary classrooms in Montessori schools, charter school, public schools, after-school programs, and led school groups at an aviation museum.
Nicole graduated from Southern Oregon University with a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies and when she discovered Waldorf education, it immediately resonated with her. She knew that play and creative expression are very much needed for a young child’s development and is continuing with Waldorf education coursework.
Having grown up in Oregon and Washington, she spent her childhood in the evergreen forests and camping along the many beautiful rivers and lakes in the pacific northwest, flourishing a lifelong love and respect for nature. She brings to Woodhaven her passion for Waldorf education, learning through play, creative arts, nature and fostering emotional growth for children.
Nicole loves to go backpacking and hiking in her spare time as well as taking photographs, reading, and learning languages.
You can email Ms. Nicole by clicking here.
Or you can email her at ms.nicole@woodhavenschool.com
Erin Ratzlaf
President, she/her
Mama to Rosebud Anneke.
This is Erin's second year at Woodhaven.
or email her at erin.ratzlaf@woodhavenschool.com
Amanda Jagelski
Secretary, she/her
Mama to Rosebud Fintan.
This is Amanda's first year at Woodhaven.
or email her at amanda.jagelski@woodhavenschool.com
Kim Donnet
Sunflower Rep, she/her
Mama to Sunflower Howie.
This is Kim's first year at Woodhaven.
or email her at kim.donnet@woodhavenschool.com.
Amber Roller
Vice President, she/her
Mama to Sunflower Ford.
This is Amber's first full year at Woodhaven.
or email her at the.rollers@woodhavenschool.com
Megan & Tony Marquez
DEI Chair, she/her & he/him
Mama and Papa to Sunflower Emilio and alum Elianna. This is their third year at Woodhaven.
You can email Megan & Tony here
or email them at megan.marquez@woodhavenschool.com.
Audra Allis
Rosebud Rep, she/her
Mama to Rosebud Ana.
This is Audra's first year at Woodhaven.
or email her at audra.allis@woodhavenschool.com
James Kehaya
Treasurer, he/him
Papa to Rosebud Elsie.
This is James’ first full year at Woodhaven.
or email him at the.kehayas@woodhavenschool.com
Kelli Barnett Patterson
Registrar, she/her
Mama to Henry-Wayne and Alum GladysAnn.
This is Kelli’s fifth year at Woodhaven.
or email her at kelli.barnettpatterson@woodhavenschool.com
Elena LaCuesta
Alumni Advisor, she/her
Mama to Alum Julian.
Annual General Meeting
Every year in April we hold our General Meeting. This meeting is an introduction to the Woodhaven Way: our school, community, teacher, and what to look forward to over the summer. At least one parent/caregiver from each family must attend. If you were unable to attend the General Meeting, you can view the recording here.
Annual Orientation Meeting
Every year in August we hold our Orientation Meeting. This meeting is an all-school briefing on the classroom drop-off procedure, required supplies/gear, fundraising goals & opportunities, and family jobs and work party requirements. Expect to leave the meeting with all the information you need to start school confident in your role at Woodhaven. One parent/caregiver from each family must attend and the meeting is for parents/caregivers only (babes in arms are okay).
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August 17, 2022 | 6-8 PM via Zoom
Family Teacher Training:
The parent or caregiver who will be serving as the parent teacher during class time must attend one family teacher training session. You may choose one of the following two dates:
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August 13, 2022 | 9-11AM
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August 30, 2022 | 6-8 PM
Conflict Resolution Training:
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September 27 | 6-8 PM
Your Family Job
All families contribute to the administration of Woodhaven School by holding a family job. You will receive an email to your personal email address from the Vice President with your assigned family job and a job description. Each position functions within one of four teams, led by a board member. Throughout the year, you’ll utilize your team leader for assistance or questions that arise. For more information about family jobs please refer to the School Handbook.
After you’ve been assigned your job, you’ll receive access to the corresponding Woodhaven email address. You’ll receive an email to your personal email address with details on how to log in and access your Woodhaven email account. The Woodhaven email account log-in also provides access to our online calendar and Google drive where we store all our school documents and information. We highly recommend installing the Google apps to your phone so that you can easily access your Woodhaven email, calendar, documents and photos.
One of the most important roles you’ll play at Woodhaven is as Family Teacher in your child’s class. Actually, our insurance won’t allow class to take place unless there is a parent present - Woodhaven literally depends on you to run. Prior to serving as Family Teacher or attending class with a child, all parents/caregivers must submit and pass a background check. All Woodhaven Parent Teachers must enroll in the Oregon Registry (ORO), which is ORO's Central Background Registry.
If you have previously been employed or volunteered in schools, childcare, healthcare, or law enforcement, it is possible you already have an Oregon Registry number. We recommend contacting the Early Learning Division at: (800) 556-6616 or email: childcare.emp@state.or.us. If you are in the Registry, then they will give you your registry number that they have on file. Then you can provide that registry number to us.
To enroll in the Registry the process, please fill out the free application available HERE. Scroll down to where it says, "Apply Online for the Central Background Registry". This will take you through the process online.
If you'd rather print the application and mail it in, you can do so by clicking HERE (please note, this could delay the application and approval process).
Please use the following info when completing the form:
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Why Applying: I am applying for work, plan to volunteer or be associated with a licensed child care facility.
School Resources
Parent/Caregiving Resources
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Local bolga market basket source: Talarico's Produce, 2230 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214
Fundraising is a crucial part of membership & stewardship at Woodhaven School -- in order to cover basic operating costs, provide a living wage for our staff and maintain competitive tuition for our families, it is imperative that our members participate in our various fundraising opportunities throughout the entire year. This year, our budgeted fundraising goal to raise together is $20K. To help us reach this goal, we invite you to get involved in these ongoing fundraisers even before school begins:
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Download and use the RaiseRight mobile app -- this is your place for purchasing e-giftcards from a huge selection of businesses that donate a percentage of purchases back to Woodhaven! Choose from businesses like Whole Foods, Instacart, Target, Amazon, AirBnB, Starbucks, Lowes and many more. To enroll, enter Woodhaven's enrollment code (XH3BKWTBVX6M) when setting up your account.
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Pick up a blue BottleDrop bag at school and collect your redeemable bottles & cans for a direct donation to Woodhaven. Simply drop off your full bag at any BottleDrop redemption location and the sticker on the bag will contribute the funds to our account.
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Use AmazonSmile when purchasing from Amazon - simply choose “Woodhaven School” as your cause of choice, and a small percent of your purchases will come back to Woodhaven School.
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Open the Amazon website in your browser or the Amazon app on your phone
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Select the main menu (=) & tap on "AmazonSmile" within Programs & Features
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Select "Woodhaven School" as your charity
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Follow the on-screen instructions to activate AmazonSmile
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Throughout the school year, we'll be hosting several fundraising events so that we can collectively reach our budgeted goal of $20K. Please plan to attend and commit to helping spread the word on your social media! Here is an example of a typical fundraising season:
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Ice Cream Social, late August
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Woodhaven T-Shirt Fundraiser, Sept/Oct
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Pies & Wreaths (Dual) Fundraiser, Oct/Nov
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Direct Ask Fundraiser, Nov
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MixBook Photo Cards & Gifts, Dec
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Brunch Box Fundraiser, Feb
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Farmington Gardens Fundraiser, Mar/Apr
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Annual Auction, Apr
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Restaurant Fundraiser, May
