Hello ACCESS Families,

Thank you to everyone who joined me for Principal Coffee this week—it’s always such a joy to connect with you. For those who couldn’t make it, here’s a quick recap and a few important updates:

 Walk to Math
We’re wrapping up our fall math diagnostics, and Walk to Math officially kicks off Monday, September 8th! This year, we piloted optional summer assessments for middle school students so we could start more quickly. While we’ll continue this for middle school in the future, elementary students will always begin Walk to Math after our first two weeks of in-school diagnostics. Thank you for your patience and encouragement as we refine this process—it’s all about making sure each student gets what they need.

 Technology Expectations
Middle school families—please make sure you’ve signed and returned our technology agreement (attached here and sent earlier this week).
For all families, a reminder: personal devices (phones, smartwatches, e-readers, gaming devices, laptops, etc.) should be off and away from the moment students enter the building until dismissal. We know some students carry a phone or watch for safe travel or for after-school activities, and that’s fine—it just needs to stay tucked in a backpack during the school day. Thank you for helping us keep school time focused on learning.

We’re also setting clear expectations for school-issued Chromebooks: these are learning tools, not gaming devices. We so appreciate the effort families put into setting healthy screen-time limits at home, and we want to carry that same spirit into the classroom.

 Cafeteria Microwave
A big thank-you to families who have already offered to donate a replacement microwave! We’ll let you know as soon as one is up and running for student use.

 Community & Advocacy
We talked about how to make our voices heard as a community. Our PTA continues to be a fantastic partner—if you’re not already involved, now’s a great time! And remember, PPS leaders always benefit from hearing what’s going well in our schools, so don’t be shy about sharing the positives.

 Save the Date
Back to School Night is September 30th—details coming soon!

 Attendance Reminder
If your child will be absent, late, leaving early, or changing transportation plans, please email accessattend@pps.net. Jillian and Susie will make sure everything gets updated quickly.

 Things We’re Working On

• Exploring a buzz-in system for students moving between portables and the main building.
  
  
• Requesting pest control for the yellowjackets in the front garden.
  
  
• Awaiting PPS guidance on middle school courses taken for high school credit, and more support on understanding the SBG gradebook in ParentVUE.
  
  
• Making sure all staff are consistently using ParentSquare for communication.
  
  
• Updating the school website calendar with special schedule days and events.
  
  

 Schedule Note
This Tuesday is our first staff meeting day. All students—elementary and middle—will dismiss at 3:15. For elementary families, nothing changes. If your child rides the bus, they may get home a few minutes earlier than usual.

Thank you for all the ways you support our school—it’s a privilege to serve this community.

With gratitude,
Principal Aaron

Hello ACCESS Families,

Happy June—and Happy Pride Month to all who celebrate!

As we enter the last full five-day week of the school year, we’re excited to wrap things up with Spirit Week and a number of fun events. Please take a moment to review the important updates and upcoming activities below.

Volunteers Needed for Field Day (Tuesday, 6/11): We are still looking for volunteers to help with Field Day next week. If you’re available, please sign up here. Your support makes these events possible!

End-of-Year Family Feedback: Earlier this year, PPS moved the annual family survey to the fall. Thank you to everyone who shared feedback then—it truly helps us improve.
As we close out the year, we’d love to hear from you again. We've recreated the Panorama Family Survey in a Google Form and would greatly appreciate a few minutes of your time to share your thoughts

Here’s what’s happening this week:

Monday (6/2): Animal Day

Tuesday (6/3): Sports Day

Note: Last staff meeting of the year; all grades dismiss at 3:15 PM.

Wednesday (6/4): Monochrome Day

Principal’s Coffee at 9:00 AM Join us virtually to connect and reflect.
Google Meet link: meet.google.com/cso-ifmz-hud
Dial-in: +1 276-695-5119‬ | PIN: 187 388 940#
More phone numbers

Thursday (6/5): Historical Day

We’ll also host our Middle Grades Debate Tournament.

Friday (6/6): Beach Day

We’ll celebrate our graduating 8th graders with a field trip to Oaks Park during the day and our 8th Grade Graduation Ceremony in the evening at Lincoln High School.

Saturday (6/7): PTA Potluck & Bingo Night

Join us from 4:00–7:00 PM for our Spring Potluck & Bingo Night! This is a school-wide, family-friendly event—a great way to meet other families and enjoy time together on campus. We hope to see you there!

Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. Let’s make this final stretch of the school year a memorable one!

Warmly,

Aaron Ferguson

Principal, ACCESS Academy

Good Morning ACCESS Families,

I hope you had a wonderful long weekend and that everyone is feeling rested and ready for a great (short!) week as we wrap up May and head into June.

A few important updates and reminders:

Schools to Pools

Today marks the final day of swim lessons for our 2nd graders! They’ve done an outstanding job engaging with this program over the past few weeks—we’re proud of their progress and enthusiasm!

Street Painting – Volunteers Needed

This Wednesday, May 28, the Climate Council will be completing their street painting project from 12:00–3:30 PM. Volunteers are still needed to help make this event a success. If you're available to lend a hand, please sign up here.

6th Grade Field Trip – Portland Art Museum

Also on Wednesday, our 6th grade students will be heading out on their field trip to the Portland Art Museum. We’re excited for them to experience this enriching opportunity.

Climate Council Field Trip

On Thursday, the Climate Council will be visiting the Hoyt Arboretum—a wonderful way to connect with nature and celebrate their year of work.

Talent Show – This Friday!

Join us for our school talent show on Friday night at Lincoln High School. The show starts at 6:00 PM and promises to be a fun, inspiring evening of student performances.

Office Snacks

Thanks to our generous PTA, we offer protein-rich, filling snacks for students who need them. However, demand has recently more than doubled—supplies that used to last a month are now gone in two weeks. If possible, please talk with your child and consider packing a snack from home so that we can continue meeting the needs of students who rely on this resource.

End-of-Year Family Feedback

Earlier this year, PPS moved the annual family survey to the fall, and we’re so grateful to everyone who shared feedback then—it truly helps us improve. As we close out the school year, we’d love to hear from you again. We’ve recreated the Panorama Family Survey in a Google Form, and would greatly appreciate a few minutes of your time to share your thoughts.

Thank you for being such a vital part of our ACCESS community!

Warmly,

Aaron

Monday Message (5/19)

Hello ACCESS Families,

I hope you've had a restful weekend and that our Atomic students are recharging as we head into the final four weeks of the 2024–25 school year!

Earlier this year, PPS shifted the annual family survey to the fall. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who provided feedback at that time—it helps us grow and improve. As we wrap up the school year, we’d love to hear from you again. We’ve recreated the Panorama Family Survey in a Google Form, and we’d really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to share your thoughts.

Here’s a quick look at this week’s schedule:

• Tuesday:

  • 5th Grade Field Trip to the Oregon Zoo

  • 2nd Grade Schools to Pools Field Trip

• Wednesday:

  • Early Release Day - All students will be dismissed at 12:45 PM

• Thursday:

  • Our annual Renaissance Faire – always a highlight!

• Friday:

  • BIPOC Food Festival

Thank you for being such a vital part of the ACCESS community. Let’s make these last few weeks memorable!

Warmly,

Aaron Ferguson

Principal, ACCESS Academy

You can find a recording on June's Principal Coffee virtual meeting here.

You can find a recording on January's Principal Coffee virtual meeting here! 

Please enjoy the newest edition of the Atomic Articles!

Atomic Articles - June!

Here is the link to view the video of today's principal coffee, which had details about dates for the end of this school year as well as previews of next year's schedules: Recording

Here is the link to the powerpoint with the basic info: PPT

Also note: If you know people interested in the lottery results for the 24-25 school year, we anticipate the initial offers to go out early next week, May 13 or after. Thanks!

Please enjoy the newest edition of the Atomic Articles!

May Atomic Articles

Please enjoy the newest edition of the school newsletter!

Atomic Articles Volume 29

Congratulations to Lincoln High School students Richard Deng and Coral Platt! Both were awarded National Merit Scholarships of $2,500 toward their college studies.

They were chosen from more than 15,000 finalists nationwide. Richard plans to pursue a career in politics and Coral is looking at a future in the legal sector.

Two exceptional PPS educators, Ricardo Barber and Hang Jones, were recently named OnPoint Educators of the Year for 2025.

As part of this prestigious honor, both teachers will have their rent or mortgage paid for an entire year, and their schools also receive a $2,500 donation. 

Ricardo Barber teaches third grade at Faubion, and Hang Jones serves as a social worker at Marysville Elementary. 

The OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education celebrates educators who embrace innovative teaching techniques that ignite enthusiasm in their students. 

Congratulations to Ricardo Barber and Hang Jones! And thank you both for everything you do to make a difference in the lives our students.

The assignment their teacher gave them was simple – make a short film that begins with a phone call and ends with someone hanging up. Benson first-year students Dylan Martinez-Torres and Dariel Soriano Zamora ran it all the way to a small city populated by two very big and rather iconic monsters – Godzilla and Hedora.

The result, Sorry, Wrong Number, is one of the more than 90 films entered into the annual Best of PPS Film Festival. The festival is a celebration of exceptional student filmmaking that includes a showcase at the historic Hollywood Theatre. 

The fourth annual installment of the festival took place on May 21 and included a screening of 13 standout films. The films came from all over PPS and ran the gamut from Dylan and Dariel’s monster short to documentaries, film noir, and broadcast journalism. 

If you are a passionate student or community member that wants to make a difference at PPS, apply to join the Climate Crisis Response Committee! This is a committee that reports to the PPS Board of Education.

On the committee you will learn about how PPS is making progress towards our climate justice and sustainability policies, provide input and recommendations to the PPS Board on how to better support PPS staff as we advance these policy goals, and connect with other passionate members of our PPS community from diverse backgrounds, knowledge areas, and lived experiences.

No previous professional experience in climate change or sustainability required! Students can apply via this form. Community members can apply here.

Deadline to apply: June 6.