Dear PPS Students, Families and Colleagues,

Today we celebrate and honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a hero of mine. As his influence is seen and felt in the ongoing movement for racial justice, I want to share this video created by the Boise-Eliot/Humboldt Elementary School community. They found a creative way to unify their voices to bring us a unique reading of Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech of 1963, originally delivered to a crowd of almost a quarter million people at the March for Jobs and Freedom in Washington D.C. I think you will enjoy this collaboratively produced presentation of Dr. King’s words brought to life by a new generation of change-makers for justice at PPS.

Dear PPS Families,

We are so grateful to our educators and our community who have continued to support our students through these times of transition this year. The presidential election and its fallout, especially the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, have been disturbing and unsettling for all of us, and the feeling of unease continues as next week’s inauguration of Joe Biden nears. We know it can be an especially difficult time for our students and we remain optimistic about the power of democracy and education as they try to make sense of the events and issues.

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has issued adapted versions of its annual reports for every school and school district, including Portland Public Schools. The 2019-20 reports do not include data on statewide assessments, class size or attendance. That data is typically included but was not gatherable because classes were conducted online starting in March during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dear PPS Families,

I join all those in public education across the country who denounce the attack on the U.S. Capitol yesterday. The violent and ultimately failed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was traumatic to witness for all of us, including our students, but I remain optimistic about their future and our country’s.

1/15/21 School Messenger
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School News (NEW)
Upcoming Dates (NEW)
Websites to Know
Multnomah County Library Resources (NEW)
News From Nutrition Services (NEW)
Fliers from the District (NEW)
Volunteer Opportunity (NEW)
Talking to Students about Events at the Capitol 
Connect with Caitlin Quinn (drama, art, classes, etc) 
Volunteers Wanted: Teach a MS Mini-Class 
Join Team Chicken! 
Anti-Racist Reading and Resources (NEW)
SES PTSA News ((NEW)

School News (NEW)

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

Dear PPS Families,

We are so grateful to our educators and our community who have continued to support our students through these times of transition this year. The presidential election and its fallout, especially the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, have been disturbing and unsettling for all of us, and the feeling of unease continues as next week’s inauguration of Joe Biden nears. We know it can be an especially difficult time for our students and we remain optimistic about the power of democracy and education as they try to make sense of the events and issues.

To help families support your students in navigating these challenges, we have gathered a pool of resources focused on the election and its fallout. They can be found on this webpage:

www.pps.net/civicengagement

In the left column of the page, you will find resources intended for students and families, with translations in all five of our supported languages. You also will find a full “Civic Engagement and Unrest Tool Kit.” While intended as a resource for PPS staff, this PDF contains information that could be valuable for families and community members, as well.

The social and political unrest that our country has witnessed has led to the violent and ultimately failed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. We know that our students and the community are experiencing the traumatic effects of these events, which are aggravated even more during a pandemic. We want you to know that we are here to support one another. 

We encourage you to use all the resources we have available to help, including speaking to your student’s teachers and school staff. Please know that our top priority is always your student’s well-being.

Thank you, and please stay safe.

Upcoming Dates 

Websites to Know
District COVID Resources & Info
PPS Family Resources Page
Sunnyside School Page
SES PTSA website
SES COVID Fund on Venmo

Multnomah County Library Resources (NEW)

Jen May at Multnomah County Library shared the following resources with the PPS community: 

• Family Newsletter in English and Spanish. It was created to support families through the home learning experience.
• Online content like Storytimes in multiple languages for younger kids and Books We Love series for older ones in English and Spanish. 
• Lots of online events
• More coming for school-aged kids soon, like a weekly Tween Club that will have a Graphic Novel Book Group, Minecraft Challenges, D&D and Science! 
• Reminder: Multnomah County Library has services including curbside service and lots of ebooks.

News From Nutrition Services (NEW)
MEAL SERVICE NEWS: Due to Martin Luther King Jr.’s Day falling on a meal service day, the Nutrition Services department will be providing extra meals on Friday, January 15 and Wednesday, January 20 in order to continue to cover meals for all 7 days. On Friday, January 29 (a teacher planning day), meal services will continue as scheduled. 

For PPS families not near a meal pickup location or who need assistance accessing meals and would like to request home meal delivery, please contact nutritionservices@pps.net with:

• Family name
• Address (where meals should be delivered)
• Contact phone number
• Number of children in the household
• School(s) attended

Requests submitted by end of day Monday, will begin receiving meal deliveries on the following Monday. For cancellations, changes or updates, please contact nutritionservices@pps.net.  Please feel free to visit the Nutrition Services website or contact them at nutritionservices@pps.net with any questions. 

SNAP BENEFITS NEWS: The federal economic relief package passed late last month included a temporary increase of approximately 15% in SNAP benefits. These benefits are planned to be distributed this month in Oregon. To see the details please read this news release.
SNAP Emergency Allotments will continue for January as well, meaning families will still receive their maximum household allotment of SNAP benefits. Please see these FAQs for more information and feel free to share the news with partners and clients.

Fliers from the District (NEW)

• At Home Strategy: First-Then Language

Volunteer Opportunity (NEW)

Human Solutions, a local organization whose mission is to, “Counter the forces that keep people and communities in poverty,” invites families to contribute to their drop-off potluck dinners for families living in their emergency shelters. Learn more and sign up here. 

Talking to Students about Events at the Capitol - Family Resources
As a K-8 school with nine grades, Sunnyside is on a unique child development spectrum. As a result, the conversations that took place this week differed depending upon the grade, the class, and the feelings within those groups. Teachers shared resources with one another in order to prepare for conversations with students about Wednesday’s events and classes talked as whole groups, in small meetings, as well as in one-on-ones. We combed through these shared resources for information that would be helpful for families. If you are looking for ways to talk to your children, here are a few items we hope will help:

• NEW: How to Talk to Kids About Scary News
• Helping Children Cope with Frightening News
• Talking to Children About Violence
• Tomorrow is Not Simply Another Day at School

Connect with Caitlin Quinn (drama, art, classes, etc)
Want to reconnect with Caitlin Quinn? Caitlin, Sunnyside’s former art teacher, artist in residence, and summer camp instructor, is sending out a weekly newsletter and has some great, new offerings for kiddos and families. You can find out more at her ReFrame Collective site HERE.

Volunteers Wanted: Teach a MS Mini-Class
For many years it has been a tradition in the SES middle school to invite parents, guardians, and community members to teach mini-classes. This is a time when we draw on the expertise and interests of our school community to teach an enrichment course to our middle school students who are excited and passionate about the topic. We've had parents from all grade levels offer to teach courses. Some examples of past classes are: woodworking, sewing, computer programming, trail running, history of radio, purse/wallet making, poetry, watercolor, yoga, chess and card games, and movie making.

This year our mini-classes will of course be virtual and will of course look a little different.

Mini-classes will take place on Thursday and Friday, January 21 and 22, from 10-11am (with optional extension to 12pm) on each day.

We look forward to providing our students with a range of offerings to choose from. If you are available, but undecided on what class to teach, we can help. If you have a class in mind, we look forward to learning what your class will be.  We are happy to welcome you in whatever capacity your busy life allows.

If you will be joining us during our mini-classes, please complete this form or email Kieran Cannistra at kcannistra@pps.net.

Thank you so much for helping us provide a rich and engaging curriculum.

Join Team Chicken!
We are always looking for families to help out with chicken care for our Sunnyside hens. This is a great way to volunteer a little bit of time while getting the kids outside, with grateful chicken clucks and fresh eggs as a bonus. Chicken volunteers sign up for a week of care at a time, and are asked to come around 4-5 days out of that 7 day week.  No experience necessary - you'll get all the directions you need. Contact Sunnyside Garden Coordinator Steph (sunnysidesustainability@gmail.com) to join the list. 

Anti-Racist Reading and Resources (NEW)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Was More Radical Than We Remember: “The sanitized version of King’s life and work — the colorblind “I have a dream” narrative — often fails to acknowledge how King’s increasing profile as a radical, anti-racist organizer drew antagonism from the FBI and its director at the time, J. Edgar Hoover, which began as early as 1964, four years before he was assassinated.”

SES PTSA News (NEW)

New Date for PTSA General Meeting
SES PTSA General Meeting: Wednesday, January 27, 6:30-8pm

Dear Sunnyside Community,

Each fall & winter season, Sunnyside engages in a community-wide event called The Circle of Giving. Families are invited to participate as receivers or givers, creating a system of support through the seasons and holidays.

Like many communities across the nation during this pandemic, Sunnyside has an increased number of families in need. It’s heartbreaking to hear stories from our neighbors who just want to have some semblance of normalcy during this season.

Many of you have reached out, asking how to help. Here’s how:

This year, to practice safe social distancing, the Circle of Giving will operate as a gift card based donation/request system. Please consider supporting this tradition by donating what you can to @SESCOVIDFund-2020. Please make a note in the Venmo donation to read “Circle of Giving”.

If you’d like to receive, families can fill out this Circle of Giving Request Form to select which gift cards would be most helpful to their family. Requests can be made until Friday, December 4th.

As always, we handle giving and receiving with discretion and all names remain confidential.

Thank you so much for your generosity, kindness and support of one another.

With love and gratitude,
Alix

Thank you to those families that were able to join us for our first open house. Below is the link to the presentation:

Middle School Lottery Open House Slideshow

If you missed our first open house on 12/1, join us Tuesday, December 8th at 6:30 for our virtual Middle School Lottery Informational Night - https://meet.google.com/cbg-dnoi-siy

Our principals Amy Kleiner and Alix Pickett will lead the open house and share insights into our school program as well as answer questions. To read ahead about our school, please check out our Sunnyside Climate Handbook. 

The lottery is open November 12-December 11 and applications can be submitted online through PPS School Mint.

Check out the links below for more information on the lottery process:
Enrollment & Transfer Lottery Site
Enrollment & Transfer Open House Schedule

Join us Tuesday, December 1st at 6:30 for our virtual Middle School Lottery Informational Night - https://meet.google.com/cbg-dnoi-siy

Our principals Amy Kleiner and Alix Pickett will lead the open house and share insights into our school program as well as answer questions. To read ahead about our school, please check out our Sunnyside Climate Handbook. 

For families that cannot make it to the first meeting, we might either record the event on 12/1 or host a make-up open house. A potential make up date is to be determined as we decide- please note that PPS has posted 12/8 as an additional open house but that is not solidified and we will post the acurate info on our own school website.

The lottery is open November 12-December 11 and applications can be submitted online through PPS School Mint.

Check out the links below for more information on the lottery process:
Enrollment & Transfer Lottery Site
Enrollment & Transfer Open House Schedule