PPS Head Start is accepting applications for children who will be 3 or 4 by September 1, 2022!

Head Start is a free preschool program that promotes the school readiness of children ages 3 to 5 from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development.

Click here to enroll online.

Head Start es un programa pre-escolar gratuito que promueve la preparación escolar de niños y niñas de tres a cinco años de edad que vienen de familias de bajos ingresos para realzar su desarrollo cognitivo, social y emocional.

Head Start là một chương trình giáo dục mầm non miễn phí xúc tiến các trẻ em từ ba đến năm tuổi của những gia đình có mức thu nhập thấp sẳn sàng đi học qua sự phát triển về nhận thức, giao tiếp, và sự cảm xúc của các em.

學前班是一個免費的學齡前章程，促進兒童準備上學,年齡由三至五歲來自低收入家庭通過增強他們的認知、社會和情感發展。

“Head Start” является бесплатной программой дошкольного обучения, которая способствует подготовке детей к школе в возрасте от трёх до пяти лет из семей с низким уровнем дохода за счёт повышения их познавательного, социального и эмоционального уровня развития.

Barnaamijka Bilowga Waxbarashada waa barnaamij bilaa lacag ah oo kor u qaadaya u diyaargarowga dugsiga caruurta da’doodu u dhaxayso saddex sanno ilaa shan ee qoysaskoodu dakhligoodu hooseeyo, kaasi oo kobcinaya caqligooda, bulshawaanimadooda, iyo horumarinta shucuurtooda.

A BIG thank you to the Children's Book Bank and to Umpqua Bank for their recent donation to Melissa Kolb's Classroom!

We received 1,000 dollars worth of new books! The children, and their teachers are delighted! We have a student in our PM class to thank--Serenity was the recipient of the ONE MILLIONTH BOOK BAG given out by CBB! Serenity and her family were interviewed by the book bank and were on the news! We are grateful for their role, and that of the CBB and Umpqua Bank for putting more books where they belong--in children's hands!

State Program Offers Families Help to Pay for Food

It is Head Start’s goal to ensure a safe, positive learning environment for all children. Positive classroom climate contributes to positive behavior.  Head Start’s discipline philosophy approach consists of five basic components:

• High expectations for student behavior that are age appropriate;

• Supportive, secure relationships with adults;

• Clear, understandable, and predictable routines;

• Instruction focused on developing skills for self-regulation  and dealing with intense feelings; and

• Consistent response to student behavior.

In support of this philosophy and to ensure a safe and positive classroom environment, teachers will design and implement Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS), Tier 1 strategies that set clear limits, model appropriate behavior, redirect inappropriate behavior, and work with families to solve unique problems.

All discipline procedures will adhere to Head Start guidelines and Portland Public Schools policies. Teachers will teach expectations and routines that support students in ways to Be Safe, Be Friendly, and Be Ready to Learn. These expectations and routines will be retaught throughout the year.

Parents will be informed of classroom expectations and routines. They will be engaged as partners in developing additional supports as needed.

Recently, we have received several questions from staff, families, and a media outlet, asking us to detail our efforts at maintaining optimal air quality in our schools. We understand the concern and the need for reassurance from our students and employees – that as a school system, we are taking prudent measures to promote a safe and healthy learning environment.

On September 20, 2022, the Portland Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education unanimously approved a historic agreement that centers Black students, and embarks on the development of a community plan for their future by making the voter-approved Center for Black Student Excellence (CBSE) a reality.

We are pleased to announce that we will host a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in partnership with the Oregon Health Authority. The clinic will be open to all, and offer first, second and booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be available. Additionally, this clinic will include access to the new bivalent vaccine (12+). The CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccines for everyone 6 months and older, and boosters for everyone 5 years and older.

We are currently seeking membership applications for the district’s inaugural PPS Racial Equity and Social Justice Community Advisory Committee (RESJ CAC). This committee will advise both the Superintendent and School Board about about the racial equity and education impacts of policy decisions and work collaboratively to increase understanding and progress towards the PPS Racial Educational Equity Policy and the PPS RESJ Plan and Framework, PPS reImagined, and the PPS Strategic Plan.