Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – October 16, 2020

Greetings Sellwood Community,

This week there are two important fundraisers kicking off that I want to make sure you are aware of.  The Sellwood Middle School Foundation is launching its annual fundraiser, and you can find out how to donate on this page.  https://www.sellwoodmiddlefoundation.org/donate.  The Sellwood Foundationg raises money to hire more teachers!  This year, Foundation funds are helping to pay for French and Technology electives, so we are very grateful for that support!  Here is a link to an awesome video that was made for the foundation by Ms. Souther’s Publications class. https://youtu.be/jgM_s9zO4Us

Second, Sellwood’s PTA is holding its annual fruit fundraiser.  If you love apples and pears, this is the fundraiser for you.  See below for more details about the fundraiser, and also how you can join the PTA and get involved.

Finally, We will hold our first Site Council meeting on October 28th, from 8:15 to 9:15 AM.  The Google Meet link is below in the Important Dates section.  We would love to see you there.  This year, the Site Council will be working to write Sellwood's mission statement, and also working on our school improvement plan.

Thank you for all of your support!

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net  

Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – October 8, 2020

Greetings Sellwood Community,

Thank you for your patience if you were waiting for the new version of our Back-to-School night video, re-recorded due to sound issues.  Of course, not being a video editor, I had technical trouble and had to buy special software to convert the various video formats.  I learned a lot though, and finally finished it! Here is a link to the document that has all of the Back-to-School Night videos in one place: the all-school introduction video with a message from PPS board member Andrew Scott, as well as links to teachers' videos.

Tomorrow there is no school due to the State In-service Day, and progress reports will be coming to you sometime next week. 

I hope you enjoy the long weekend and get outside before the rain begins.

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – October 2, 2020

Greetings Sellwood Community,

It is hard to believe it is already October!  Distance learning is up and running, and we will strive to continually improve our program. 

Thanks to all of you who attended my first virtual Coffee with the Principal event this morning.

I hope you get outside to enjoy the good weather this weekend,

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – September 27, 2020

Greetings Sellwood Community,

I apologize for the delay in getting this newsletter to you. I hope you enjoyed the beautiful weather yesterday.

This Friday, I will host my first Virtual Coffee with the Principal event.  It will be from 9-10:00 AM.  I plan to hold to hold the coffee with the principal event twice monthly, on the first and third Friday of each month.  As the year goes on, the frequency and time of the meeting may change, depending on participation and feedback.

Coffee with the Principal will take place as a Google Meet.  You can use this code to join:  meet.google.com/hoi-hsnb-dwa

If you have any particular questions or concerns you would like me to address, I ask that you email me in advance, so that I can make sure I have any relevant information on hand.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Also, you and your student should have received an email from me on Friday about our new internal website.  The site will be a convenient place where students can go to access the “Good Morning Sellwood” livestream, the Sellwood Website, the PPS Middle School Bell Schedule, all of their Google Meets, and more.  As this is an internal site, it is only accessible to students and staff logged in with their PPS emails.  Please watch the screencast below the “important dates” section to see how it works.

Please make sure your student has opened my email and bookmarked the site on their bookmark bar.

Many of you have shared questions and concerns about the PPS Middle School Bell Schedule.  I want you to know that I have shared those concerns with senior leadership.  Yesterday, you should have received an email from PPS Communications with clarifications regarding the middle school bell schedule.  In case you did not receive it, I have pasted the letter at the bottom of this newsletter. 

Finally, we are re-recording the all-school presentation from Virtual Back-to-School night and will share it tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Dear Families of PPS Secondary Students,

During Comprehensive Distance Learning, opportunities are built into the schedule for all families to be able to connect with teachers during office hours. As in a traditionally formatted year, we will also be offering Parent-Teacher Conferences (morning to evening) on November 23-24. 

Dear PPS Families,

With the announcement that Portland Public Schools is extending Comprehensive Distance Learning through at least January 28, we want to make you aware of upcoming updates to our meal service as we adjust to the coming colder weather and shorter days.

Dear PPS Families and Staff,

We are now several weeks into Comprehensive Distance Learning, and simultaneously working on the next phases of a gradual re-opening of schools. PPS remains focused on published health metrics from the county and state and our medical experts. We also continue to observe Oregon Department of Education guidelines as we contemplate introducing limited in-person opportunities. While we are anxious to have all of our students back on campus, we will proceed in a measured and prudent manner that prioritizes the health and safety of our students and employees. 

Dear PPS Families and Staff,