Welcome Back Falcons!

We are so excited to welcome you and your student(s) back to school this year. While school will look a little different this year, we are committed to offering a joyful and  student-centered learning environment for your child in the safest environment possible. 

Q: Who is my child’s teacher?

A: Class Assignments were emailed and mailed home at the end of last week. If you did not receive this information, please call the main office to update your addresses and find out.She will be reaching out to you in the coming days and weeks to get to know your family better and answer any questions you may have before the first day of school. Our teachers use email, phone, and Remind to connect with families.  

Q: What time does school start?

A: School is from  8:00 AM - 2:15 PM and we begin welcoming students into the building at 7:53 AM. A light breakfast will be offered to students at the door as they enter if needed and will be eaten in the classrooms.

Q: Will I be able to drop my child off at the classroom door?

A: While walking our children to the door on the first day feels like a right of passage for many families, at this time we are not allowing non-essential visitors to enter in an attempt to limit COVID exposure to our students. The exception is our Kindergarten classrooms who all have external doors to allow for direct drop off and pick up. You can connect with teachers in-person, masked and socially distanced outside during pick-up on the back playground. Below are the entrance doors for each grade level. 

Q: What supplies does my student need?

A: Please make sure your student brings in a backpack, mask and water bottle to school everyday. All other materials are provided by the school, though you are welcome to make a suggested donation of $10-20 dollars which goes towards community supplies.  

Q: What is the plan for breakfast and lunch? 

A: All students at Sitton receive a free nutritious lunch, though families are welcomed to bring their own lunches. For the first six weeks of school, students will be eating lunch outside. Students will be socially distanced and sitting in assigned seats only with their classes. Breakfast will be provided as an option at the entry door. Students will eat breakfast outside before entering the building as per district requierment. 

Q: When and where do I pick up my child?

A: Classes will gather on the upper playground during dismissal and teachers need to visibly see the designated pick-up person before releasing each student. Teachers will be connecting with each family regarding the “pick up plan” ie: bus, family member picking up, or walking home. Please know that we can and will only release students to individuals who are registered in our database. 

Q: How can I arrange for my child to ride the bus?

A: Students will have assigned seats on the bus and will be required to wear masks and remain socially distant on the bus. Kindergarten students wear a yellow bus tag and must be met by an adult to be released from the bus. Please see the following routes/times. 

Q: Are masks required? 

A: Masks are required for all individuals within our school building. Please send your child with a back-up mask if desired and know that we have extras as needed. Studentsare now required to keep their mask on while playing outside at recess. Children are at all levels of understanding, ability, and stamina for mask wearing. We respect that many children will be learning how to wear a mask all day and we will use a variety of teaching strategies and supports to encourage proper mask wearing including the “why” behind keeping each other safe at school.  

Q: What should I do if my student is ill? 

A:Students are to be kept home if they display any of the primary symptoms of COVID-19 including cough, fever, sore throat, chills, loss of taste or smell. Please reach out to the main office immediately if your child develops any of these symptoms and keep them home. We have rapid-testing available here on site for any symptomatic students. If you have more questions about our layers of safety mitigation, please see the PPS COVID Health and Safety website.

This can be both an exciting and anxious time for your family as we return to full-time in person learning. Please  reach out with any questions, worries, or wonders you may have. 

Sincerely, 

Becky Berry, Principal

rberry@pps.net   

(503) 916-6277

Dear Kindergarten and First Grade Families, 

We are so excited to be welcoming you and your child to the PPS family! Kindergarten is a special time for families, children, and schools.  This year, we are designing the start of school year to focus on welcoming our youngest learners, knowing that many of our first grade students have yet to experience a "first day" in person. Along with all other PPS elementary schools, we will start both Kinder and First grade in half-groups so that students can get used to a full school day in a smaller group of students. 

September 1: First full day of school for all students in grades 2-5

September 1: Warm Up Day (8:00-2:15) for First Grade Students with last names starting with A-M. These students will not attend school on September 2. 

September 2: Warm Up Day (8:00-2:15) for First Grade Students with last names starting with N-Z. These students will not attend school on September 1. 

September 3: First day of school for all First Graders 

September 3: Warm Up Day (8:00-2:15) for Kindergarten Students with last names starting with A-M. These students will not attend school on September 7. 

September 7: Warm Up Day (8:00-2:15) for Kindergarten Students with last names starting with N-Z. These students will not attend school on September 3.

September 8: First day of school for all Kindergarten Students

During the week of August 23rd we will be mailing home teacher and room assignments to every student. Should you need to know sooner, you can call the main office starting the week of August 16th.

When teachers are not with students, they will be reaching out to families to connect and learn about all of the talents and gifts your students are bringing with them to school. We can't wait to meet our newest falcons! 

Dear Community,

After careful consideration and in consultation with school principals, we are extending the temporary distance learning return date until Tuesday, February 1 for the following three middle schools: George, Harriet Tubman and Kellogg.

On Thursday, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) released graduation rates for the 2020-21 school year, with 84.4% of Portland Public Schools  students earning a high school diploma within four years, an impressive result and a steady increase for the 12th year in a row.

Dear Community,

We are so pleased to inform you that your school (see chart below) will return to in-person classes early next week. 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,

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.