Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – September 22, 2023

Greetings Sellwood Community,

The school year is well underway and going very smoothly.  Checking in with students and staff, I have noted a lot of smiles and positive responses.  I have been made aware of one bus that is consistently late in the mornings.  My apologies about the bus.  I have reached out to Transportation for an explanation, but it seems the issue has not yet been resolved.  Over the past two weeks we have also experienced the challenges of an aging school building.  Sellwood Middle School was built in 1914, and while it is a beautiful old building, this week it has been showing its age.  On Tuesday, deep in the rooms under our building, one of our older building fans burned out.  While there was no fire, smoke, or actual danger, the fan pushed a burning odor into the school’s main areas, alarming students and staff and prompting an evacuation.  The fan is being replaced.  It took a bit of time to uncover the source of the odor, but I wanted to share its origin, as I had heard rumors being passed around about a gas leak (not true at all).  In addition to the old fan burning out, the water station nearest the main office has a clogged drain.  While we have closed the water station (as well as the station above it) until it is repaired, I want to reassure everyone that there is not a problem with the water quality, which is highly filtered and has been tested.  The water station can’t be used because the water has no place to go, due to the drain blockage.  It should be fixed in the next few days, but I ask for your patience.  I am very much looking forward to the day when Sellwood has its turn for school modernization.

Speaking of school modernization, I am sure you know that Cleveland High School is in line for redesign.  PPS is currently putting together the Cleveland Comprehensive Planning Committee (CPC).   Most Sellwood students will attend Cleveland as their neighborhood high school, and the work of the CPC will have great impact on current Sellwood students and families.  Below, under Help Us Create A Modernized Cleveland High School there is a description of the CPC’s work and an invitation to apply and a link to the CPC application.  They are interested in current Sellwood families and students.  I encourage you to get involved in this exciting work!

Finally, a reminder that next Tuesday evening Sellwood will host Back-to-School Night from 5:30 to 7PM, followed by the first PTA Meeting in the library from 7:00 to 8:30. The schedule and details are outlined below.  We hope to see you there!

Enjoy the weekend :-)

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – September 17, 2023

Greetings Sellwood Community,

I apologize that you did not receive my newsletter last Friday.  I sent it late in the afternoon, but unfortunately I accidently sent it only to myself and just realized that today.  I guess I am still getting back in the swing of things.

It was wonderful to see all of you at our Ice Cream Social Tuesday night.  It was an enjoyable, relaxed opportunity to connect with fellow parents and Sellwood staff.

On Tuesday, September 26^th, we will welcome families to our annual Back-to-School Night.  We will start at 5:30PM in the gym, followed by a shortened bell schedule where parents will follow their children’s schedules and get to meet their teachers and hear about their classes.  I will send more details later, but here is the schedule for the evening.

• 5:30-5:50 - Presentation in Gym
• 5:55-6:02 - Period 1
• 6:06-6:13 - Period 2  
• 6:17-6:24 - Period 3 or 4 
• 6:28-6:35 - Period 5 
• 6:39-6:46 - Period 6
• 6:50-6:57 - Period 7

We hope to see you there!

Enjoy the weekend :-)

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – September 8, 2023

Greetings Sellwood Community,

We are very much looking forward to seeing you at our first Sellwood Middle School community event next Tuesday, September 12^th @5PM.  Our PTA sponsors the Ice Cream Social, and it will be a fun and casual event.  Come and meet other Sellwood parents and students while enjoying some tasty ice-cream.  One half of the field will be reserved for families to set up picnic blankets and/or camp chairs.  You can even bring a picnic dinner if you desire.  The other half of the field will be reserved for students (and parents) who have the energy to run around. Soccer balls and other recess equipment will be available.  The weather forecast looks to be ideal for an end of summer community event. 

We hope to see you there!

Enjoy the weekend :-)

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – September 1, 2023

Greetings Sellwood Community,

It has been a joyous first week of school, with 6^th-graders starting on Tuesday with a “Jump Start” orientation.  I would like to thank all of our wonderful 8^th-grade WEB leaders who made the orientation day a success.  Our counseling team, Ms. Katie and Mr. KB, provided WEB leaders with training that helped them prepare for the event.  7^th and 8^th graders returned to school with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and I can tell it is going to be a great year.  Sellwood’s PTA decorated our sidewalks and courtyard with inspirational chalk art that welcomed all students back to school. Thank you to staff, students, and families for the amazing kick-off.  We are all happy to hear childrens’ voices ring in the hallways once again.

As of today, most 6^th-graders are able to navigate the school and find their way to all of their classes.  We have spent a lot of time providing locker support, and almost all students are able to confidently open their lockers.  We will continue to help fix any remaining locker challenges next week.

I wanted to re-share two important documents.  The Sellwood Student & Family Handbook 2023-24 and the PPS Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook 2023-24.

Here are a few photos of new staff members so when you see them, you will be able to say hello.

Today was disappointing – for us but, most importantly, for our students and families. The Portland Association of Teachers offered no counter proposals – and yet declared impasse.

Today, we offered compromises that would both reward our educators and further our students’ success. We were able to raise our compensation offer substantially. We are not there yet, but we are committed to the hard work of finding common ground.

Today, we started the state-led mediation process with one priority: our children’s success. We offered compromises that would keep that vision at the heart of our work – and maintained our position on proposals that would negatively impact students.

On behalf of the Board of Education and district leaders at PPS, our best wishes for a positive and joyful start to your school year!