We are almost three quarters through the school year, and we wanted to check in and see if your family could use some assistance. If your family has a need for a Fred Meyer gift card or other resources, please fill out this survey. The deadline to submit the survey is Monday, March 20th.

Also do not hesitate to ask the counselors to reach out to you if there are things you need or have questions about that are not on the survey.

Thank you!

Your Counselors - Chelsea LaValley, K-4 & Andrea Bloch, 5-8

Each fall and spring, we hold a gift card drive to support families in our own Laurelhurst community who need a little extra help. All cash donations are pooled and gift cards are distributed to families via our school counselors. This is a parent-led event led by Julia Jordan. You can donate via Venmo to: @julia-jordan-11 or bring cash, check, or a FM gift card to Brandie in the office. We'll take donations through March 21st and distribute them prior to Spring Break. Thank you for your support!

Middle school parents should have received an email late last week with a link to purchase a book for your student. 8th grade families received an email about baby ad purchases. Thanks to all the families who have purchased yearbooks already! All students Grades 6-8 receive a yearbook regardless of ability to pay, and all students attend an end-of-year yearbook signing party. This year, there is an option for families to choose to donate a yearbook. We appreciate all purchases/donations of yearbooks and 8th grade baby ads to help fund our student-run yearbook club and allow all students in middle school to participate in yearbook traditions. If you did not receive an email from Treering, you can purchase a book directly here: https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=101642997775432. Any questions? Please reach out to Julia Jordan (jumejo@gmail.com).

The Middle School Social Committee has been working putting together a SUPER fun night for our students. Our Middle School-only Social will be held next Friday, March 10th from 7:00-8:30pm. Students will have a variety of activities to choose from, including getting down to a curated sound track played by a live DJ in a black-light filled cafeteria, showing off their vocals in the Karaoke Room, getting strategic and fun in the Game Room, and enjoying short films in the Movie Room. In addition, we'll have a fun photo backdrop and plenty of props for taking selfies, and free snacks for all students.

In order to make this special night happen, we need LOTS of volunteers. Please consider signing up. All shifts are for the full 1.5 hours, but you can share a shift with a friend, or feel free to swap with another volunteer if you want to spend half your time in one spot and half in another job. SET UP and CLEAN UP can always use lots of folks. SIGN UP TODAY on this doc.

Dear PPS Community,

Saturday night, gunshots were fired outside of a district-wide basketball tournament held at Franklin High School. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured and the suspect is now in custody, but if you have any information about the incident please call 503-823-3333 or utilize the SafeOregon tipline.

Dear PPS Families, 

As we prepare for the winter sports season, we want to share a few reminders for our spectators.  

Dear families, students, and colleagues,

It has been a joy to visit learning spaces over the past four months and see our students reengaged in their classroom learning and school activities. I am pleased to observe our students interacting with peers and diving into new curriculum materials. 

This has been a very productive time for Portland Public Schools. My appreciation to all the dedicated Team PPS members who work everyday to make our school system better and stronger.

Dear PPS Community,

Every single person in Portland Public Schools believes that our learning spaces must be safe, stable, and secure, and that we have a shared responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of the students under our care. We recognize that recent events, both locally and nationally, have rattled our community.

Superintendent Guerrero issued a broader statement about gun violence and its impacts on our schools, but we also want to explain how we both keep schools safe, and keep you informed.