Lake Oswego’s Booktique

Located in Mercantile Village, right off Kruse Way and Boones Ferry Road in Lake Oswego, is the Booktique.  There have been on-going discussions about it moving to another location.  However, now due to an agreement with Providence Hospital who owns the premises, the Booktique is staying at its location in Merchantile Village.

The Booktique is a used library book store that profits from people donating books and people who buy them.  The monies from those sales are given to the Lake Oswego School Foundation.

This is one of my favorite places and I’ve been going to this book store probably for as long as it has been open – 17 years. Over those years, I have purchased many books from this store for myself and donated books from my collection to them as well. Other people I know have done the same thing.  Not always will you find the book you might be looking for, but you will always find a treasure.  Books start at $.50 and can be purchased for considerably more than that if they are a collectible. 

It’s a fun place to hang out on a rainy day and there’s the Blue Moon Coffee Shop plus a deli all in the same location.  They are closed on Monday’s but go there and buy a book or two on one of the other days.  They have a children’s nook loaded with books for the kids too.   You might just find that perfect Christmas gift there for Uncle Charlie while you’re at it.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Lake Oswego Schools Are Tops – West Linn Not Far Behind For 2009

The new 2009 school report cards are out and the Lake Oswego School District received the highest marks for each of its 13 schools.  The District has been on a 3-year winning streak and is tops among county districts.

The report cards were first mandated by the state Legislature in 1999 to determine school performance.  The evaluations largely used standardized test scores, but attendance, SAT scores, the number of students who took the tests and school improvement are all factors as well.

However, the West Linn-Wilsonville School District isn’t far behind LO and could grab the title, ”best-rated school district in Clackamas County”, away from Lake Oswego soon.  West Linn-Wilsonville received the top “outstanding” designation in this year’s report cards with only one school (Inza R. Wood Middle School) receiving a “satisfactory” mark. 

Congrats to both school districts, the students and teachers for all their hard work.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. © Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).
Portland

Marylhurst University + Adult Education

From attending classes, lectures, art exhibits to dances, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting this campus on many occasions.  The grounds are beautiful and boasts a commanding presence, Marylhurst University , sits on the banks of the Willamette River with a marvelous view of Mt. Hood.  The University is situated between two towns recently named by Money magazine as part of their 100 best small towns – #69 West Linn and #74 Lake Oswego.  Marylhurst University has its own post office:

• Marylhurst University
• 17600 Pacific Highway (Hwy. 43)
• P.O. Box 261
• Marylhurst, OR 97036-0261
• Phone: 503.636.8141
• Toll-free: 800.634.9982
• Fax: 503.636.9526

HISTORY OF MARYLHURST UNIVERSITY  (Watch all these YouTube videos)

From Montreal 12 nuns, the youngest was 18, set sail on a ship to journey for the frontiers of Oregon.  The voyage took five weeks and was not without adventure.   They had to transfer vessels two times as the ships were in poor condition to set sail, there was a violent storm on sea which threatened to destroy two of the ships but the third – the Northern – landed in Portland October 1, 1859.

On the dock it seemed as if all of Portland’s citizens were there to greet them and they arrived with the boom of a canon.  The Sisters had come prepared to educate its children.  However, from the moment the doors opened to their new school, they were called upon to care for orphans, the poor, the sick and the despairing.  Babies were frequently abandoned on their doorstep.  By 1950, there were 800 Sisters and their 18,000 students.  Motivated by a deep love of God, and an absolute passion for educating young people, they brought with them from Quebec, what is so deeply integral to their French heritage, a love for the beauty of music and art, and the gift for finding and celebrating God in the natural beauty of creation.

The “Twelve” started St. Mary’s Academy that first year in downtown Portland. Soon the Academy housed a school to educate teachers.

A track of land was purchased in 1906 in Oak Grove and 50 acres on the site of the current Marylhurst location.  In the early 1900s, the Sisters’ Province Administration and the Teacher’s College moved to this site on the banks of the Willamette River.  Marylhurst University was born.  In 1930, it was renamed to Marylhurst College from Saint Mary’s Academy and College.  The school and college were combined in 1950.  Marylhurst only became co-educational in 1974 and added graduate level programs in the mid-1980s.  The name was one again changed to Marylhurst University in 1998.

For more than a century, Marylhurst University has been dedicated to delivering academic excellence in an environment that supports student success. The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, knew how important it is to educate the “whole” person. They created an engaging learning atmosphere at Marylhurst that fuels the imagination, broadens intellectual horizons and strengthens professional expertise still today.

Sources:  As recalled by Sister Jane Hibbard, Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, and Marylhurst University Trustee, at the dedication of Knight’s Green on October 17, 2007, Oregon’s Iron Dream by Mary Goodall, and The Oregon Companion by Richard H. Engeman.

Now these traditions of educating the whole person, ensuring the development of spiritual and artistic growth, cultivating and delighting in a setting of extraordinary natural beauty: all of this is the heritage and pride of Marylhurst

ADULT EDUCATION

With the economy such as it is, many adults are not only needing to go back to school in order to advance in today’s business world, many are needing to change careers.  The other day I wrote a post saying Oregon has high ranking college towns.  Here are some of the colleges and universities around Portland, Oregon: 

1. Art Institute of Portland
2. Clackamas Community College
3. Concordia University
4. Lewis and Clark College
5. George Fox University
6. Linfield College
7. Mt. Hood Community College
8. Oregon Health Sciences University
9. Oregon State University
10. Pacific University
11. Portland Community College
12. Portland State University
13. Reed College
14. University of Oregon
15. University of Portland
16. Willamette University

© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).

Oregon Ranks High In College Towns + The High Cost of An Education

There’s a question I’ve been asking myself for years and have never found or seen the answer.  Why do college books cost so much?

Having had a small book-seller business, I have sold new books and college books.  The cost of those books to the public is horrendous yet no one seems to question the high cost of those books.  Yet the wholesale cost isn’t nearly as high and in fact, only a fraction of what students and their parents are being charged.

Many college classes will be starting either this week or, in other parts of the country, have already started.  Over the Labor Day weekend I saw this post  in the NY Times discussing the high cost of a college education.  It still doesn’t specifically mention books, however. 

Tuition costs have gone in only one direction — up — during Mr. Weiss’s career. “I genuinely believe that we are at a crossroads here in higher education,” he said. “I think we have reached a ceiling that we’re beginning to bump into.”

In a recent report, Portland had a ranking of #9 for a mid-sized town and Corvallis ranked #7 as a small-town for being the best places to attend college.  Oregon has many fine colleges and universities and, as a parent, you might consider buying a home for those college kids to live in and use as a real estate investment while they are in attendance here. 

© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).

 

Donate Needed School Supplies – Oregon Schools

Unfortunately, many of our children won’t have the necessary supplies to assist them in school this year and help them succeed. There are several places that are accepting needed new school supplies.  If you know of other donation sites, please let me know and I will add them to this list.

SLEEP COUNTRY U.S.A.

For Washington and Oregon’s more than 26,000 foster kids, sometimes getting ahead in school can be hard, especially without even the basic supplies. To help these children succeed, Sleep Country USA is collecting donations of new schools supplies for local foster kids. Contributions can be dropped off at any Sleep Country USA store and will be distributed among 20 Pacific Northwest foster care organizations.

Donations will be accepted at any Sleep Country USA store. Bring new school supplies including pencils, pens, erasers, calculators, paper, backpacks, binders and pocket dictionaries. For more information on the location of the nearest store, please use the Sleep Country store locator at http://www.sleepcountry.com or call 1-888-88-SLEEP. The store hours are M-F 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

KGW.com

Did you know almost 1 in 2 children start the school year off without the supplies needed to succeed in class?

Help support the KGW School Supply Drive by donating cash or supplies now through Labor Day. Our goal is to send more than 5000 children back to school with basic school supplies they otherwise couldn’t afford.
Help make a difference!

Pioneer Courthouse Square
Thursday, August 6th 11:30am-1:30pm

ENJOY GREAT MUSIC, WIN PRIZES, AND DROP OFF A DONATION OF CASH OR SCHOOL SUPPLIES!

Project Start Right

Sponsored by area churches in partnership with http://www.clackamasloveinc.org and the Oregon Department of Human Services.  Cash or donated school supplies accepted.  Check their website for the supply list.

Here’s part of a recent email I received:

Friends of the Children

To make it easy for you to purchase school supplies, I’ve created a link pairing Office Depot and Friends of the Children. Just click on this link and then click on the shopping cart to land on the Office Depot Website, where you can purchase supplies for us (or for your own use). You can have our supplies shipped directly to our offices at 44 NE Morris, Portland, OR 97212-3015.

Friends of the Children benefits from the supplies, and from the earnings – for a limited time, we will earn 6% of the total purchase costs on school supplies only (excluding shipping and tax) for all the supplies purchased through this link. (Please be aware that Office Depot offers other products, and while we earn on the other products, the 6% earning only applies to school supplies.)

We hope you take advantage of this shopping opportunity – and that you take some time to explore our profile on CafeGive.com.

---

Last year I wrote a post on the supply lists for all the schools throughout metro Portland.  Click here to check on your school for your childrens’ school supply list.

© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License. Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).

Oregon School Report Cards

The Oregon Department of Education is required to post an Oregon Statewide Report Card. It is an annual publication required by law (ORS 329.115), which reports on the state of public schools and their progress towards the goals of the Oregon Educational Act for the 21st Century.  The purpose of the Report Card is to monitor the trends in Oregon schools concerning achievement, special program offerings, student and staff characteristics, funding, and other significant information.

School Report cards are available for every district and every school throughout Oregon.  Click here for a sample for the Lake Oswego School District. In addition, you can check on each individual school and here is the latest report for Lake Oswego High School.  You can check further for stats as to: total population, gender, ethnicity, special ed., economically disadvantaged, migrant, TAG, CLRAS, and extended assessment.

If you’re thinking of moving anytime soon, it’s not too early to be thinking of schools and how they rate.  The website has lots of information to see if a particular school would meet your child’s needs.  I know it’s only mid-July, but the start of school is just around the corner.  The most recent report card is for 2007-2008. The Portland Monthly Magazine did an article on that most recent Oregon Statewide Report Card.  Here’s that article.

© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung.  All Rights Reserved.  Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate news, click on my monthly newsletter – JUNG’S JOURNAL – on my website www.bettyjung.com).

For Teachers-Students & Parents: End of The School Year Recycling

Here are some great tips I found on the Clackamas County “Trash Talk” website:

SCHOOL RECYCLING:

Use the Three Rs at the End of the School Year:

Reducing… the amount of trash your school sends to the landfill!

Reusing… your old school supplies. Set up a reuse area where students and staff can place materials they no longer need that can be utilized in the fall by others.

Recycling… during locker clean-out days. Make sure monitored and labeled recycling containers are placed in hallways next to the trash cans.

Why Bother?!?

The end of the year can be the busiest time of year for teachers, students and administrators. It is also the busiest time of year for your trash cans. Each year when students clean out their lockers, paper and other materials that could have been recycled or reused get needlessly thrown away. Developing a system to deal with these materials involves students in a hands-on environmental project, practices resource conservation and could even save your school money.

But How?

First Make a Plan:

I. Recycling During Locker Clean-Out Day

1. Contact your local garbage hauler to see if you can receive extra recycling containers for that day or need to arrange for additional recycling collection.
2. Provide outreach through signs or announcements so that students and staff are aware of the program and how to participate.
3. Label containers clearly explaining what goes in and what stays out.
4. Place containers next to trash cans and provide monitors to make sure students are not contaminating the recycling bins.
5. REMEMBER…what does not belong in the paper recycling bins:
   1. paper with paint, a lot of crayon or any glitter
   2. tissue, crystal and some art paper
   3. plastic type or laminated paper
   4. paper toweling, napkins & tissues
   5. food contaminated paper
   6. ream wrappers

II. Set Up A Reuse Area

1. Many materials students throw away at the end of the school year can be used again in the future. Examples include crayons, notebooks, markers, glue, scissors and many other school supplies.
2. Find an area to set aside as a reuse area and encourage students to bring to this central location items that can be reused again next semester.
3. Designate a “reuse closet” for these materials. In the fall staff and students will be able to obtain these school supplies free of charge.

III. Other Ideas

1. If you have damaged or obsolete textbooks to get rid of, your hauler will take them! Just be sure to contact your hauler for directions on preparation and to arrange for pick-up.
2. If your school hallways are divided by grade level, see which grade level can recycle the most material without contaminating the recycling bins. Think about providing incentives.
3. Check to see if your garbage hauler can provide you with roller carts for your paper recycling. They can be easily wheeled in and out of your hallways, making it a lot easier for all involved.

SOURCE:  Clackamas County

© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).

Art Classes – Ann Munson, Artist

One of my passions is art.  Although I can’t draw or paint, I have other artistic abilities and am always looking to expand my repertoire.  Art galleries, art festivals and events are subjects I’ve written about and will be writing more of in future posts.

Last winter I took an art class.  When I had first started thinking about taking a class, I didn’t want to go to a community college but somewhere that was more personal, in a more relaxed setting and more artistic.

What I found was Ann Munson, artist.  Actually, I became acquainted with Ann’s work in 1986 when she was the featured artist for the Lake Oswego Arts Festival and her painting was selected for a poster to advertise the event.

She conducts classes in mosaics, drawing and art, concrete casting and more for adults and children.  The classes are held in her greenhouse in West Linn and are conducted in small groups.   CLICK HERE for Ann’s upcoming classes.  I love her art and creativity!  Not only is she an artist, but she’s a gardener as well.

As a member of Local 14 Art Guild, a group of 85 juried women artists, she and her fellow artists put on a sale/show at Ann’s greenhouse. This year the shows will be held in October and December.  Check out Ann’s website for details. (All photographs from Ann Munson’s website).

© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).

It’s Back to School – School Supply Lists

Photo from Microsoft Office

It’s back to school September 2!  Since there’s lots to do before school starts, I thought I’d provide some information on the different schools around town. 

If you’re a newcomer to the Portland area, here’s the Portland School District information along with school information for the different suburbs on the west side of Portland.

Portland Public Schools:

• Portland School District Boundary Information (Not sure which school your child will be going to – check your address here and find the appropriate school).
• Portland Public School District info
• School Supply List
• Enrollment form in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish, Russian.
• Here’s where you can obtain the calendar for the different Portland schools.
• Lunch menu
• Tools for Schools - free school supplies for Portland Schools.
• To Donate School Supplies – CLICK HERE

Lake Oswego School District:

• Lake Oswego School District info 
• School Supply List – All Schools
• Lake Oswego Lunch Menu
• Lake Oswego School Calendar

Tigard-Tualatin School District:

• Tigard-Tualatin School District Info
• School Supply List – All Schools
• District Calendar
• List of all the schools in the Tigard-Tualatin School District

Beaverton School District:

• Beaverton School District Info
• School Supply List – Elementary Schools
• School Supply List – Remainder of the Schools
• School Boundary Map
• Enrollment Information

© Copyright 2008-2009 Betty Jung. All Rights Reserved. Use of this article, photos and images without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

ALL ABOUT…..Portland.Oregon.Real Estate by Betty Jung is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a Blog at WordPress.

(For more local and national real estate information, go to www.bettyjung.com).