Hello Vestal Community!

It has been wonderful to have students back in the building this week…so much joy and learning is happening!

This Saturday, our wonderful PTA will be hosting our Pancake Breakfast from 9-11. At 10:30, we will ask all families that are coming to learn about Kindergarten to join us in a kindergarten classroom. If you have neighbors or friends that have a child in kindergarten next year, PLEASE extend an invitation! The earlier folks register the better for our planning!

Next Wednesday is the Coffee with the Principal at 8:15…we will use this time to focus on the TOOLBOX curriculum that we are teaching. Please join us if you are interested!

As I shared Tuesday evening, we had an incident at school that included Hate Speech. Our 3^rd -5^th grade classrooms each had a class meeting to discuss and process. I wanted to share a few quotes from student writing,

 “I dislike when people are racist! It makes me feel really angry.”

“What I think is it isn’t funny it is very rude and it makes me feel sad because it is just sad.”

“I wish that didn’t happen. It made me feel sad and mad.”

“That is wrong. Even if we weren’t a school for social justice. It is always wrong.”

Our K-2 classrooms also had class circle times and talked about the impact of hurtful words and positive words.

We will continue our focus on social justice and deepening understanding about what it means to respect each individual and our community…even when it is hard.

Below are some great resources-

Children’s Books: A Resource for Talking About Race with Young Children, Raising Race Conscious Children  http://www.raceconscious.org/childrens-books/

Knowing Our History to Build a Better Future: Books to Help Kids Understand the Fight for Racial Equity

https://www.readbrightly.com/books-to-help-kids-understand-the-fight-for-racial-equality/?ref=PRH3E867A5666&aid=randohouseinc48567-20&linkid=PRH3E867A5666&kwp_0=475207&kwp_4=1737486&kwp_1=743271

Children’s Books about Human Rights and Social Justice

http://www.niahouse.org/blog-fulton/2016/11/3/40-childrens-books-about-human-rights-social-justice

Talking to Children after Racial Incidents

https://www.gse.upenn.edu/news/talking-children-after-racial-incidents

Tomorrow is Vestal Spirit Day! Please wear your Vestal t-shirt, Vestal colors, or clothing with social justice messages!

Peace, Sabrina

sflamoe@pps.net

TAG News-

Talented and Gifted (TAG) Meeting: Monday, January 13, 2020 from 2:30 to 3:30 pm

Brooke Murphy’s Room: 106

This will also be a time for families with students in the TAG program to connect. We will have Brandon Burke as a guest to talk about the TAG International Studies Class he’s been teaching and we will share information about upcoming events within Vestal and PPS. Anyone interested in Vestal’s TAG program is welcome to attend.

PTA News-

Hello!  Here is the PTA news for this week.

Come join us for Pancakes!  This Saturday from 9-11 at Vestal!  $3 per person and $10 for the family.  We will have pancakes, juice, coffee and fruit.  Hope to see you!

TAG meeting-Monday, January 13th at Vestal from 2:30pm-3:30pm in Ms. Murphy’s room.

MLK Jr. Day of Service for Vestal!  PTA is partnering with Grow Portland and Access to clean up the garden.   We will be there from 9:30-12 working.  This is a family friendly event.   Please bring work gloves if you have them.

Megan O'Keefe

Hello all and welcome to the night before the last day of school for 2019! It is difficult to believe, but here we are! I so wish your family and friends a restful holiday of health and relaxation. We will miss seeing your awesome kids every day and will certainly be excited to welcome them back to school on Jan. 6th, 2020!

*Thank you for coming to the Winter Bazaar this year!  We had a great time and hope you did too!

*Do you order from Amazon?  The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Vestal Elementary which in turn will be used for the school.  PLEASE go to smile.amazon.com and search for Vestal Elementary (93-6039411) and connect it to your Amazon Account.  Make sure you are in https://smile.amazon.com/  when you order for the donations to accumulate. 

*Upcoming Events:

PTA Meeting: Tuesday January 7th at 8:15am.  See what the PTA has been working on!

Pancake Breakfast: Saturday January 11th 9am-11am.   Come support Vestal and eat some yummy pancakes!  

MLK Day of Service:  Volunteer on Monday January 20th 9:30am-12:30pm at Vestal.  Together with Grow Portland and Access we will be working on making the garden a more inclusive learning space!  

Kinder Connects- Jan 11th(10:30am-12pm),  Feb 11th(6:30pm-8pm), April 17th(4:30pm-6pm), May 19th(8:30am-10am).  Do you have a kindergartner in the 20-21 school year or know a family that does?   Please mark those dates to come check out Vestal!

Hello Amazing Vestal Community~

Next week is our last before Winter Break! Remember that there is no school from Dec. 21st-Jan. 5th...first day back is January 6th!

The Scholastic Book Fair is here!!  You can purchase books at the library or online. Book Fair schedules and details are on 

https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/vestalelementaryschool1

Tomorrow, Friday is Vestal Spirit Day!

Monday at TownHall is our celebration day where we celebrate students receiving awards for Appreciation, Academics, and Social Justice!

Alrighty, I am heading to the Winter Bazaar and Showcase!! Hope to see you there:)

Sabrina Flamoe

sflamoe@pps.net

PTA News

We hope to see everyone at the Winter Bazaar and Sun Showcase tonight!

Join us for the Vestal Choir performance’s on Tuesday!  12noon at Pioneer Square or 6pm at Vestal!   We will have cocoa and cookies at Vestal after the show!

We are looking for volunteers for events coming up!  We have a Pancake Breakfast on January 11th and the Rock Paper Soirée March 7th just to name a few.  Please email Vestalelementarypta@gmail.com if you are interested.

Megan/PTA Secretary

Megan O'Keefe

Hello all...what a great first week of December! Our students have been busy with lots of reading, writing, math, social studies, art and lots of conversation about what makes the Vestal and Montavilla neighborhood community diverse!

Tomorrow is Spirit Day...please wear Vestal spirit gear or clothing with positive messages!!

Social Justice Books Shelf...Please feel free to borrow books from the social justice bookshelf across from the office. There are books here geared for both kids and adults!

Please visit our 2nd Peace Pole...it is on the playground! This is a great place to go to peacefully solve problems...the "I feel...because...I wish...card is there to support!

Our new amazing choir is performing a few times in the next two weeks...they will be singing for Monday's TownHall meeting...please join us if you are able, they sound wonderful! (8:15-8:45)

Thanks all...Sabrina Flamoe

sflamoe@pps.net

PTA’s Winter Bazaar is Thursday, December 12th from 4-7:30pm!  Come support local artisans and get some holiday gifts.

Our new choir will be performing Dec. 17th at 6pm in our beautiful auditorium! Please come for Choir and Cocoa!!

All you can Pancake!  Mark your calendars now for January 11th-Come support Vestal from 9am-11am and eat some pancakes!

Due to weather, all schools and offices will open two hours late this morning. Buses are also on snow routes and will arrive approximately two hours later than regularly scheduled.

In this week's PPS Pulse: Roosevelt, Madison use support from Damian Lillard to help students take positive steps; advice for parents to help high school students cope with finals

If you’re the parent or guardian of a high school student, you surely know what’s coming next week: final exams. It can be a stressful time for students, but there are ways you can help. Here are some tips on ways to assist your student during finals week, courtesy of Portland Public Schools’ Student Success and Health Department: 

Students and staff, packed in a high school gym, cheer wildly as Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard enters the building – that is probably the prevailing image of Lillard’s RESPECT program on local news. But if you look closer at the details, you’ll see just how much the program means to the two PPS high schools that are partners in it.