We are officially had a full house starting Tuesday when our Kinders began their first day of school.  Welcome Kinders and Kinder Families!  You and our newly enrolled FPE families got a special invitation to the Kinder and New Family Social - an annual FPE event with a new twist this year.  Thank you FOFPE for hosting new families on Friday, 9/20 @ 5:30pm in the FPE Library!

3rd graders gave the Kinders a round of applause at lunch as they entered the cafeteria.  

As I visit classrooms and see teaching and learning in action, I see evidences of best practice.  FPE teachers are super strong, and know that before we dive into core academic standards, we have to have safety and community.  Teachers want to know their students and for their classrooms to be a place where students feel safe to explore and take risks in their learning.  Routines, procedures, and classroom norms are all being set.  Homework has been purposefully light as we start the year.  

We've had two excellent fire drills so far this year: swift exit with students in line, following teacher directions without talking.  Let's keep this up!  During our first month of school we must practice once each week.  Interested in other aspects of safety at FPE?  Join me Friday at the first Morning Mug with Lisa 09/13 @ 8am.

You got a lot of homework last week.  Don't forget to review and return Student Verification Forms and Walking Permission Slips and take time to read through all the material, including my Welcome Back 2019 letter.  You'll also find our updated FPE Parent Handbook and School Climate Handbook helpful reads.  

Mark your calendars for Back to School Night on 9/12/2019 @ 6:30pm.  We'll start in the gym with introductions and brief announcements before we open the doors to classrooms.  Children are welcome to join.  This is meant to be an informal evening of meeting your child's teacher, seeing classrooms, getting curriculum information and signing up for Parent/Teacher Conferences.  

There's lots more to celebrate in the land of Forest Park; read on below.

Warmly,
Lisa Newlyn, Principal

In this week's PPS Pulse: Best of PPS Film Festival highlights student filmmaking; first day of kindergarten

Two teachers wanted to find a way to celebrate the filmmaking accomplishments of their students. That was the genesis of the first Best of PPS Film Festival that will be held Sunday starting at 4 p.m. at the Hollywood Theatre (4122 NE Sandy Blvd.).

This past Saturday a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrated the opening of the newly modernized Grant High School. Grant was completed after a two-year construction period and is the last project from the landmark 2012 School Improvement Bond. 

The health of students is one of the biggest priorities for Portland Public Schools, and thanks to partnerships with health organizations, all of our students have access to free medical services.