May 20, 2020

Dear Hayhurst Families,

I hope this message finds you well.  We are ending our second month of distance learning and I just want to send a shout out to all of you to say thank you for your patience and flexibility as we have navigated through these unchartered waters.  I do not know what our future holds, but I do know that with all of your support and our wonderful teachers, we can do anything!  I am truly honored to be part of such an incredible community.

I would like to provide you with some important information as we are ending our school year in the next few weeks.  Our last day of school was originally set for June 5^th and is now set to end on Wednesday, June 10^th.  3 additional days were added back into our school calendar and approved by our School Board at the last School Board Meeting. 

In regard to class placements for students for next fall, we are not quite ready to make decisions yet for a variety of reasons, to include our school district’s budget freeze which impacts our school’s staffing.  When I have more information that I can share, I will let you all know.  We may not have staffing information to share until sometime this summer.

We were recently notified that as a District we will be issuing Elementary Report Cards for our students for the end of the school year in June.  Students will receive either a “Pass” or “No Evidence” in Lou of grade marks.  ‘No Evidence’ is also the equivalent to ‘no harm’ and all of our students will be promoted to the next grade level regardless of their report card marks.  We recognize that each student and family have unique situations during these unprecedented times, and we will be taking into consideration student performance prior to distance learning through mid-March, as well as any work done through distance learning.

I want to send out a friendly reminder about next Tuesday’s (May 26^th) Read Aloud with the Principal at 9am via Google Meet:

Join video conference

meet.google.com/pcj-xgfk-uum

Join by phone

‪+1 510-680-3909 PIN: ‪890 219 586#

I will be hosting a Parent Happy Hour on Wednesday, May 27^th at 7pm via Google Meet:

Join with Google Meet

meet.google.com/qhp-cduv-hdg

Join by phone

‪+1 937-738-9494 PIN: ‪113 147 231#

I will also be hosting my last Parent Coffee Hour of the school year at 8am on Thursday, June 4th via Google Meet:

Join video conference

meet.google.com/ypm-pttn-wwk

Join by phone

‪+1 260-218-1016 PIN: ‪404 602 216#

Do you have an incoming Kindergartener?

Register for Kindergarten Online!

If you have a child who will be 5 years old by September 1, please register for kindergarten! To register, go to pps.net/kinderenroll. The process takes 20-30 minutes and school staff will follow up with you later in the summer. With schools closed, online registration is the easiest option, but paper options will be available soon. You don’t need to register if your child attends a PPS Head Start or Pre-Kindergarten program. Children with IEPs need to register using a paper form. 

Click here to access this blurb translated into the 5 supported languages

Paper registration packets will be available in multiple languages at meal sites starting Wednesday, May 27th.

Coming soon: The Early Learner Programs team is developing a family-centered kindergarten transition plan. We know families are worried about the start to school, especially kinders. We’re planning on a slower, more family-friendly approach this year. Early registration will ensure that families stay in the loop on updated plans for the start of school.

Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can help you in any way.  Thank you for all of your support and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,

-Tara M. Bourland, Hayhurst Principal

A public meeting of the Board of Education, acting in its capacity as the Budget Committee of Portland Public School District 1J, Multnomah County, Oregon, will take place during the regular School Board meeting on the 11th day of June at 6 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to receive any additional public comment related to the Superintendent’s budget message and Proposed Budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, which was presented on May 26.

My heart breaks.

My heart breaks for the Black lives that continue to be lost to racist brutality and the failure of recognizing our shared humanity. 

Two teachers from Portland Public Schools were named finalists for the OnPoint Educator of the Year Awards, leading a strong showing by PPS in the OnPoint Excellence in Education program.

Madison High School teacher James Jeffrey-West has been named a 2021 Oregon Regional Teacher of the Year. Jeffrey-West, who is in his seventh year at Madison and 22^nd year as a teacher, won for the region covered by the Multnomah Education Service District.