Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – January 14, 2022

Greetings Sellwood Community,

Next week will be a four-day week, as we celebrate the life and work of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  on Monday, January 17^th.

I hope you enjoy the three-day weekend.  It looks like we will see some sun, and I plan to get outside for some long dog walks.

Stay safe and healthy!

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – January 9, 2022

Greetings Sellwood Community,

I hope you enjoyed a restful winter break. It was great to see students and staff on Monday :-)

The pandemic roller coaster continues with the new, dominant COVID-19 variant Omicron, which has added another level of stress for staff, students, and parents.  I have received a lot of questions and concerns about potential moves to distance learning.  As you know, several PPS high schools have moved to distance learning already, and for now the district’s strategy is to move to distance learning on a school-by- school basis if it is no longer safe to conduct in-person learning.  On Friday, PPS Communications sent a district-wide communication outlining their decision-making process.  You can read the letter here.  Please note, if it looks like Sellwood is moving to distance learning, I will communicate that as soon as I possibly can.

To help keep us all safe, I ask that parents remind students of a few key COVID mitigation points.  Please emphasize that children to try to maintain social distance where possible.  This seems to be the hardest thing for young people (and adults) to do.  Students are highly social, but they need to keep some distance at recess and in the hallways.  Students are much better at mask wearing, and will need to continue to be mindful of wearing well-fitting masks over their mouths and noses.  Also key is making sure to replace their masks when not actively eating or drinking. With the increased contagiousness of Omicron, even for those fully vaccinated, health authorities are recommending a mask upgrade to a well-fitting N95 or KN95 mask.

Please help us by reminding your child that if we have indoor lunch, they MUST sit at their assigned table.  Before this past week, we had only had a handful of days with indoor lunch, but since winter break the weather has been very unpredictable and changeable with several days of eating inside.  Students sitting at their assigned tables is essential to contact tracing in the event of a positive COVID-19 case, which I expect to increase in the upcoming weeks.  Their table assignments are posted in their first period classroom and also on the wall at the end of each table.  By now, every student should know their table number, and if they are unsure, we always have the master list and they can ask.

Unfortunately, we have had students sitting with their friends at the wrong tables, which causes a domino effect when students who would like to follow the rule cannot, because their assigned table is full.  Eighth graders were by far the least likely to be sitting where they were supposed to.  It is very difficult for our limited staff to check seating assignments for 140 students during our 15-minute lunch.  Please support us by reminding students the reason for assigned tables, especially if they are in the eighth grade.  We will be checking each time we have indoor lunch, and calling the families of those who are seated at the wrong table.

On our end, we will continue to work hard and do all we can to keep students safe under these trying circumstances.

Thank you for your continued support and everything you do.

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – December 17, 2021

Greetings Sellwood Community,

It was wonderful to see many of you at our in-person Winter Marimba Concert in the gym.   Mr. Beck and the marimba musicians’ hard work and practice paid off, as the performance was both mesmerizing and powerful.  Congratulations!

As we embark on a well-earned winter break, I wish you all a safe, restful, and joyful vacation.

Enjoy the two weeks and we will see you in 2022.

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – December 10, 2021

Greetings Sellwood Community,

Wednesday night, Sellwood held its first band concert in two years.  It was an amazing performance and it was so wonderful to participate in a school community event/celebration.  Mr. Patterson de Tarr’s and the students' hard work was apparent in both the music and the overall presentation.  The performance bodes well for the future of the band program, which is clearly thriving under the direction of Gavi Patterson de Tarr.  I predict growth and continued excellence (after our extended interruption).

Next week, we are thrilled to hold our in-person Winter Marimba Concert in the gym.   We are looking forward to this fun event.  The marimba room is right below my office, and I have been listening to them practice.  They sound excellent!  Each audience member will be required to wear a mask while in attendance.  No food or drink, other than water, will be permitted.  Also, proof of full vaccination will be required at the door (second vaccination dated December 1^st or before).  If you plan to attend, thank you for understanding and complying with these safety measures.

Have a lovely weekend,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Dear PPS Community,

On Monday, January 31, Portland Public Schools teachers and staff will have a day to collaborate and plan for the start of the second semester, with no classes held for students on that day. This comes after the PPS Board of Education, at a special meeting on Tuesday, unanimously voted to turn January 31 into a staff collaboration and planning day for school-based staff, creating an opportunity for school staff to work on campus-specific school climate plans and instructional practices to support the diverse needs of our students. 

The recent surge in cases due to the Omicron variant, compounded by the unrelenting and continued stress from this pandemic, has impacted all of us as individuals and as a collective society. Every sector continues to face challenges, and Portland Public Schools (PPS) is no exception. We know firsthand that navigating this pandemic is taxing, especially for our students who desperately need and deserve consistency, stability and access to in-person learning experiences. 

Dear Jefferson Community,

We are so pleased to inform you that Jefferson will return to in-person classes on Monday, January 24. We realize that closing the campus and moving to temporary distance learning created challenges for families, but the dramatic rise in absences of staff and students fueled by the omicron variant of COVID-19 made it too difficult to keep the campus open safely.

Dear PPS Community,

The PPS Board of Education will consider a resolution at an upcoming meeting to make Monday, January 31 into a school climate work day for school staff, with no classes held for students.