Dear Sunnyside Community,

We are almost back to school time! Our custodians and office staff have been working hard to get the school clean and ready for students and staff. Teachers return this Thursday and will be busy with setting up their classrooms and doing their professional development. As you all know, the first day of school is September 1st. All kinder families and first grade families should have heard from your teachers already so you know what your slow start days are. 6th grade students will be having orientation this Wednesday and if you need information regarding orientation, please reach out to Rebecca our counselor at rjohnson10@pps.net.

Safety Updates:

We have created an exit/entrance and lunch plan. Kinders will be eating in their classrooms six feet apart, all 678 students can eat outside, in the auditorium, or six feet apart in the cafeteria. 1-5 will be staggered lunches with at least 3 feet apart (seating charts) and assigned seats. Students will have five minutes to transition through the line (distances/masks on) and 15 minutes to eat at least 3 feet apart and with increased ventilation. We are going to have four air filters, two industrial strength fans blowing air in and out, all windows open, and distanced seating in the cafeteria.

We are going to ask that students wear masks at all times when they are not actively eating or drinking. We would like students to remain masked at recess.

The lunch schedule is linked here. We did work within our district perimeters and also utilized all staff and spaces that we have to create a viable lunch plan.

Entrance/Exit:

Our entrance/exit schedule is linked here. We ask that we take a pause on all parents/visitors to the building until after we have gotten school started and up and running safely. Please drop your student off outside at their marked entrance and pick up outside as well. We encourage a traffic flow around the building from clockwise-West on Salmon, North on 34th, East on Taylor. Please do not stop and let your student off in the middle of the street.

• Grades K-1 will enter the back doors across from the portables.
• Grades 2-5 will enter front doors on Salmon
• Grades 6-7-8 will enter the side doors on 34th
• Breakfast doors will unlock at 8:30 for breakfast students only and they will be spaced at six feet for breakfast.

Tours and Open House for K-1 and new families is Tuesday, August 23 at 9:00 and again at 12:30. Please meet on the playground by the basketball hoops and we will provide Q & A before doing a socially distanced tour after.

I know parents have concerns about Covid and starting the school year. We are going to have regular classes and cohorts, but will not be running assemblies or field trips until we get further guidance. Please note that we are still running air filters, opening windows, spacing kids, and requiring masks. We ask that our entire community join together to make safe choices so that we can have a safe and happy school year.

Community Care Day is Saturday the 28th. I will send more details towards the end of the week with specific supplies needed and jobs to do. If anyone has a pressure washer that they would like to come and wash the school, please let me know!

Thank you for all your support and encouragement. We are all in this together and I look forward to meeting you and your students.

Best,
Eryn

Dear 6th graders and new Middle School Students - 

Welcome to Sunnyside Environmental Middle School! Youʼre invited to 6th Grade Welcome Day 
Wednesday, August 25th. 
Group A 10:00-11 am 
Group B and 11:30-12:30 am 

On this Welcome Day, all 6th grade students and any new Middle Schoolers will learn about the ins and outs of what it’s like to be a middle schooler at Sunnyside. Together, with our middle school leaders and counselors, we’ll get to know each other and our school through activities. Students will leave the session feeling comfortable about life in middle school, having made new connections, and excited to start school on September 1st. 

A little about Sunnyside Environmental Middle School:
There are 7 Middle School CORE classrooms, each made up of 6th, 7th and 8th grade students together.

• Core: Social Studies (Grades 6-8, Thematic - Ocean, River, Forest, Mountain)
• Math: 6th-Grade Math, 7th-Grade Math/Compacted Math, 8th-grade Math/Compacted Math
• Core Elective: 6th grade school skills, 7th-8th grade Spanish 1-2 (receive HS Credit)
• Elective Wheel: PE, Art, Media/Library, Science Lab. 

An example of Middle School Schedule: (This is subject to change based on guidelines)

• 8:45 School begins
• 8:45-9:15 Morning Meeting whole middle school in the auditorium every Monday and Friday.
• 9:20-10:20 Specials or CORE (Specials are Media, Science Enrichment, PE, Art/Environmental Justice elective)
• 10:25-11:25 Specials or CORE (Specials are Media, Science Enrichment, PE, Art/Environmental Justice elective)
• 11:30-12:05 lunch and recess entire MS
• 12:10-1:05 CORE
• 1:10-3:15 6th Grade Math/School Skills and Community (6th grade only, 2 hour afternoon block)

Other things to look forward to in 6th grade:

• Gardening
• K-5 Buddies
• Service Learning
• Outdoor School in the fall (TBD)
• MS Dances
• Overnight trip in the spring

Orientation will be broken up into two groups, alphabetically:

• Group A From 10-11 AM (Last names A-L)
• Group B From 11:30-12:30 PM (Last names M-Z)

We are very excited for the upcoming school year. This yearʼs middle school includes a truly great mix of 6th, 7th and 8th graders.

Ashley Bevan abevan@pps.net
Rebecca Johnson rjohnson10@pps.net

Hello Sunnyside Families,

Happy Monday.  I am relieved for a little cooler weather today and hoping that everyone found ways to stay cool over the past week.  I am getting a lot of questions about school starting and Sunnyside in general, so I am going to give you some factual information based on what we know at the moment.  As you all know, going through the school year last year required a lot of flexibility on everyone's part and grace, and I ask the same as we weather these new storms.

Covid Safety Update:

PPS has a new website devoted to safety measures and the current guidelines for schools.  Please visit https://www.mkt-box.com/pps/backtoschool2021 for the latest up to date safety measures that PPS is implementing and expecting schools to implement.  Please note that Sunnyside has been on the schedule for HVAC upgrades and filter replacements and all classrooms have the new filters.

In addition to PPS Safety specifications, we are currently planning to continue to keep air flow going through our classrooms by opening windows and increasing air flow to all of our spaces.  In the spirit of all things Sunnyside, we will embrace ways to eat and meet outside when at all possible, Alix and I are currently working on a lunch schedule that includes at least 3 feet spacing, air flow, outside options when available, and limited capacity of our cafeteria.  As we get closer to the start of school, more information will come your way.  I know parents are nervous and that our news cycle bombards us each day, but please know that we are going to be taking into consideration as many safety measures as we can in our building and out and that if we need parent volunteers, we will make a call out.  Thank you to all who have already volunteered their time and energy.

Safety at Sunnyside:

I have also heard from many of you concerned about the safety of Sunnyside Gardens and Park.  I have been working with the Neighborhood Association, the city, and the district to reinforce how important safety is at SES and all our schools.  We are triaging an approach to the situation that includes: increased security patrols from the district in the evening and night to discourage drug and alcohol use and property abuse, city cleaning of camp and facilities, and finally, a promise from the city that they will be committed to helping support our school so that we can have safe routes to school and clean grounds.  I believe that the city will be doing a sweep of the camp in the next few weeks because though the camp isn't on school property, it is against city statute to have a camp within 150 feet of a school property/park.  We have also reached out with empathy to houseless advocacy organizations in hopes that they can assist in finding safe spaces for the campers to relocate.  I hope this triage approach will continue and I invite you to join the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association as they are an empathetic and helpful group that is working to make our city/neighborhood cleaner/safer.

Community Care Day:

In the spirit of community, Sunnyside School will be participating in Community Care Day on Saturday August 28th from 10-12 followed by popsicles in the park and meet and greet with Eryn & Alix.  After going on hiatus during the COVID-19 shutdowns, Project Commmunity Care will return in 2021 on Saturday, August 28.

Project Community Care is an annual tradition where community volunteers come out to schools and help clean up the school grounds prior to the first day of school. No need to register to volunteer for this event. Just show up during your school's event. Please bring a face mask, gardening/work gloves and your own water bottle. Thank you! We will have access to our tools and supplies so that we can all join in to assist in getting Sunnyside ready for back to school.

New families to Sunnyside, Kinder, & 1st Graders:

Many of you have not had a chance to be in the building yet, so Alix and I are offering tour windows on Tuesday August 24th from 9-10 and again from 12:30-1:30.  No need to register, just bring a mask and show up at 9:00, 9:30, or 12:30, or 1:00.  We also will be able to do a short tour after Community Care Day for any family that cannot attend.  Please save these slots for families that are new to Sunnyside or Kinder & 1st.

And finally, this year's motto in celebration of our Sunnyside Environmental School is All Hands in the Dirt.  We will need all of you to join together in concert with us to support your students, the teachers, the school, and each other.  Your hands are needed!

In service,
Eryn

Dr. Berg
Principal, Sunnyside Environmental School
https://www.pps.net/sunnyside
She/ Hers/ They (Why?)

Hello Sunnyside Families,

Welcome Back: 

I am looking forward to meeting you all in person soon.  I feel like as I am writing this welcome letter that this short, sunny, wonderful summer flew by too quickly, but as I start to move into my office and get my bearings for all things Sunnyside, I am excited for this year to start. As we think back over the last year and a half, I know it hasn't been an easy journey, but I also know that together we can face obstacles and overcome them with new knowledge and learning.  I am looking forward to a year together that will have new challenges, but will be filled with light, caring, joy, and resilience.  Our children are our hearts walking around outside our bodies, and we will do our work together to keep our hearts at the center.  

Covid Update: 

I also know that we are starting this school year with some questions about the Delta variant of the Coronavirus and how that might impact what school looks like this year. You can expect regular communication from me and PPS regarding COVID-19 protocols. Currently, all students and staff are required to wear masks while in the building. Classroom furniture is being placed to allow three feet between students where possible. I would encourage families to monitor for COVID symptoms and to keep children home if they have a fever of 100.4 F or higher, shortness of breath, an unexplainable cough or a sudden loss of sense of taste or smell. I will continue to monitor the guidance from the district and the state and keep you informed as things change.  

Kinder School Start: 

This year, we are excited to be participating in our district-wide Ramp Up to K-1! The Ramp Up will allow (1) all Kindergarten students to participate in a small-group “warm-up” day prior to the first day of Kindergarten and (2) all Kindergarten families to have a one-on-one connection with their teacher prior to the first day of Kindergarten. “Warm-up” days will be scheduled on either September 3rd or 7th and the first full day of Kindergarten for all students will be September 8th. Our teachers will be in touch with each family in the next few weeks to assign you to a specific “warm-up” day and to schedule a time slot for your one-on-one family connection. 

School starts:  

Wednesday September 1st for 2nd through 8th graders, September 3rd for 1st graders (½ class attends September 1st and the other ½ September 2nd , teachers will send more information shortly), and September 8th for Kinders.  

Masks:

Masks are required for all students, staff, and volunteers in the building.  We have extra masks for those students who forget, need a replacement, or who don’t have a mask.  Volunteers will be allowed in the building but must have masks on throughout the building.  Masks will not be required for recess and may be removed for short durations during eating and drinking.  

Kindergarten Registration:

If you have not registered for kindergarten for the 2021-2022 school year, please do so as soon as possible.  

Hope:

I am very much looking forward to a year with students in the building five days a week for full school days.  I know that there is still much uncertainty on the horizon, but what remains constant is our hope and belief that together we can build a better world.  I will be in communication frequently as we move closer to the start of the school year and please reach out with any questions or just to say hello.  As I close, I leave you with my favorite poem by Emily Dickinson (I am a poet, so you will get a lot of these).  

“Hope” is the thing with feathers - (314)

BY EMILY DICKINSON

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.

In gratitude for all of your hope,
Eryn  

As part of reopening Portland Public Schools in the 2021-22 school year, the district must submit a plan to the Oregon Department of Education. As part of the requirement, PPS is asking for feedback on the plan.

Dear PPS Families,

The 2021-22 school year is fast approaching, and we continue to prepare to safely reopen our schools for in-person learning. We want to make sure you are aware of upcoming opportunities to receive a COVID-19 vaccine during registration at our nine comprehensive high schools.

Dear PPS Students, Families and Staff,

As we finalize our last Back to School FAQ sections, we wanted to share with you a couple of updates. First, the district’s Office of Internal Performance Audit recently presented to the Board of Education its audit of our health and safety practices for hybrid learning last spring. We are pleased and proud to say that auditors reported no findings. From last week’s presentation:

Dear Colleagues,

The public health guidance is clear--vaccines are the best way to prevent the spread and the severity of COVID. Today we are announcing a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all PPS staff.

6/11/21 School Messenger
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School News (NEW)
Upcoming Dates
Websites to Know
PPS Meals Update: How to Access Meals Starting June 21 (NEW)
Summer Programming and 2021-22 Virtual School Options (NEW)
Garden Volunteers Needed
Art News from Indigo
Continuum of Care for Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Mindfulness Summer Camp for Middle Schoolers
COVID-19 Vaccination Consent Form for Students Ages 12-14
Fliers from the District (NEW)
Anti-Racist Reading and Resources (NEW)

School News (NEW)
Hello SES families and happy last day of school!

We had a wonderful, love-filled day today. Despite the many ups and downs over the last year (plus), it was wonderful to see children close the year with joy and excitement in their respective classroom communities.

Today marks the last day for students; however, the office is open for a few more weeks. You can expect a communication next week from our administrative team—information about some staff changes for next year, summer wishes and farewells, and some additional, technical information from PPS and SES.

Have a wonderful weekend and a fabulous kick off to summer!

-Amy and Alix

Upcoming Dates

Websites to Know
Can My Child Go to School Today?
District COVID Resources & Info
PPS Family Resources Page
Sunnyside School Page
SES PTSA website
SES COVID Fund on Venmo

PPS Meals Update: How to Access Meals Starting June 21 (NEW)
Though the school year is ending, PPS will provide opportunities for all families across the city to access meals during the summer. In addition to supporting many in-person programs, PPS will also provide grab-and-go meals at various schools and parks throughout the summer. For more information, please read this update.

Summer Programming and 2021-22 Virtual School Options (NEW)
Please look next week for a full catalog of summer programming on PPS campuses, including arts, child care, enrichment, STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), and youth employment programs.

Looking to the 2021-22 school year, PPS plans to welcome students in all schools for full-day, five-days-a-week, in-person learning, starting September 1. In the coming weeks, PPS will share details about virtual school options for families who are not ready to send their students back to in-person learning just yet.
 

Garden Volunteers Needed
Some folks did sign up to water the SES GARDENS (THANK YOU!), but we need more volunteers. Steph is only able to come in twice a week and with these hot/dry summer days, the gardens just won't make it without more volunteers. Thank you to those early signer-uppers :)  Please add your email to the sign-up so we can be in touch this summer.
 
If you haven't already signed up, please email Steph at sunnysidesustainability@gmail.com and she will get you all the details you need to help keep these gardens growin!

Thanks and be well.

Art News from Indigo: Monica and Heather's Hybrid Students Participated in the HeART of Portland
More than 200 PPS students contributed pieces guided by the theme "Postcard to the Earth," inspired by the work of Ansel Adams, the seminal American photographer. Sixteen SES student Art pieces are being displayed from June 1 to June 30 in the Portland Art Museum gift shop in conjunction with the museum’s current Ansel Adams exhibit.

The PPS pieces are viewable at no cost through the gift shop window (outside the museum in the main courtyard), and guests can also get a closer look and inside admission with a ticket to the Adams exhibit. All students 18 and under have free admission to the museum, but will need to reserve tickets ahead of time. Please see the Portland Art Museum website to purchase/reserve tickets and to see updated days and hours, and information on mask requirements and capacity restrictions.

The student pieces also are available for online viewing. Scan the available QR code on the display flyer to view on your phone, or go directly to the online display to view on a computer. You can also see selected student works from many PPS schools in a special virtual exhibition during the month of June at www.ppsartgallery.com. I hope your summer is filled with creativity.

Sending positivity, Indigo

Continuum of Care for Mental Health and Substance Abuse
See the following newsletter from PPS:

Dear PPS Community,

As this is the last week of Mental Health Awareness month, we want to ensure that everyone has information about our continuum of care for students who experience mental health and substance use challenges. We also want to highlight services for our BIPOC students and families.

Read the complete newsletter HERE.

Mindfulness Summer Camp for Middle Schoolers
Emerge into summer with a small gathering of Middle Schoolers at Mt. Tabor Park Tuesday 6/15 and Thursday 6/17 from 10:30-12. We will practice mindfulness techniques to center into summer, de-stress from this unique and challenging school year, set personal goals, laugh, play, create art, reflect and share. Sign up with a friend and join Karen Shay for this short chill summer camp. Sign up using this EventBright link or email karen2shay@gmail.com.

COVID-19 Vaccination Consent Form for Students Ages 12-14
The Oregon Health Authority recently announced the approval of Pfizer’s two-dose COVID-19 vaccination for individuals age 12 and up. In order to receive the vaccine, students ages 12-14 must be accompanied by either a parent, a guardian, or someone designated by the parent. If accompanied by an adult other than a parent, a student must have a parent-signed consent form. Below is the consent form in all PPS-supported languages:

English | Español | Tiếng Việt | 中文 | Soomaali | Русский

Please visit the PPS Student & Family Vaccination website for information about our supported Wednesday vaccination opportunities at the Oregon Convention Center, which includes shuttle bus availability for students and families at five PPS locations. You can also visit all4oregon.org for vaccination opportunities throughout the week.

Fliers from the District (NEW)

• Portland Playhouse Theatre Summer Camps Fliers

Anti-Racist Reading and Resources (NEW)
Portlander esperanza spalding has embarked on a mission to build a local BIPOC artist sanctuary, PRISMID SANCTUARY and SAL. spalding has launched a $300,000 campaign, the majority of which will be used to purchase property in North Portland. Additional money raised will go towards artist residencies and organic farming at the sanctuary.

spalding hopes the creation of this space will serve a need among Portland musicians, artists and cultural workers to be able to gather, share work and connect with land and community. She writes, “BIPOC artists are frontline cultural workers, in the sense that, we’re needed to triage, respond-to, and alchemize into beauty the violent chaos of our times. To do this cultural metabolizing work best, artists need the renewal and invigoration that comes in the healing presence of nature and fellow BIPOC creatives.” Learn more about PRISMID SANCTUARY here. You can donate to spalding’s vision here.