Hello Vestal families-

Welcome back to our first week of school for the year 2021. It has been delightful to see your children back in class, smiling, happy to see their friends, and learning! 

There have been some mixed messages about a potential return to the building and I want to try and clarify. Gov. Brown came out on Dec. 23rd saying she was letting go of state wide metrics and giving the control to each district to decide plans for return to school. She did say she hoped schools would be back in February.. Stating February has led to confusion, as some people have heard this as “we are going back to school in Feb.” and this is not accurate for PPS and Vestal.

Portland Public Schools, our district, has said that school will not resume until all adults that work in schools have the opportunity to be vaccinated. As we know, vaccinations in Oregon, and the nation, are behind schedule. So, for now we stay focused on learning from home. As the district makes more decisions and concrete plans,. We will definitely let you know.

It is frustrating to many, myself included, that the return to school date remains unknown...but I keep reminding myself, “Of course it is frustrating, this is a global pandemic that is not yet under control…” I remain hopeful that this is a once in a lifetime event and we will make it through by continuing to support one another.

Upcoming Events- BRAND NEW SUPPLIES!!!!

• Tomorrow’s pick up day is a special one! We have a grocery bag full of wonderful, brand new school supplies for every child! The bag is full and HEAVY as it includes a whole ream of paper, many art supplies, math manipulatives, and a fun cool indoor squishy ball! Please plan ahead for the heaviness of the bags!

• Packet Pick UP...2-4 Please come if you can!

• Because of the school supplies, we will NOT give out library books tomorrow...we are in short supply, so PLEASE return any library books you are done with so we have enough to share next week!

Monday’s Memorial Celebration in honor of Lola and William Stiles

• Please come to the playground at any time on Monday to visit the playground and tie a ribbon in honor of Lola and William next to the new, beautiful playground sign.

• There is NOT a SET TIME for this event as we cannot gather together.

• We are hoping many people can come throughout the day so they can play on the new playground when it is not crowded.

• Please use masks, social distancing, and hand sanitizer (will be available)

2021 continues to bring unprecedented times, events, and actions. We wish you safety and health...and the reminder to breathe and enjoy the simple joys our children bring us!

With hope and peace,

Sabrina Flamoe

sflamoe@pps.net

Hello Vestal Community-

Today I sit down to write this as I try to process the historical and scary events of yesterday. I have been thinking about how we help kids process and respond to yesterday’s events and I keep coming back to, “This has NEVER happened in the United States before...this is truly unprecedented.”

As I listen to the news and read from various sources, I am aware that our nation will be processing what led to this violent attack on our nation’s capital and how people responded to the riot for a long time. 

For the immediate, I harken to one of my heroes. Fred Rogers, and his reminder that we need to listen to kids and we reassure them that we will always listen to them, and we look to the helpers. We can also talk to our kids about who is helping. 

We can  be honest with our kids about how strange and scary and different this is...our  kids have been hearing a lot of that from us over the whole past year, but I think it is very powerful to be honest and vulnerable with our kids, saying, “Wow, this is a lot of information...I am not even sure I can answer all of your questions, but we can learn together…” “Yes, this is a strange and scary time in our country, let’s keep talking about it…” WHILE making sure the news is not on constantly and kids have protected space away. 

Overall, I remain hopeful that as our kids learn and experience so much of the current challenges, they will not forget and will grow into adults that believe in hope, and change, and justice, and democracy.

In hope, Sabrina Flamoe

sflamoe@pps.net

Some resources  I hope that may be helpful…

• How to Process a Scary Day for the Nation with your Kids

https://laist.com/2021/01/06/how_to_process_a_scary_day_for_the_nation_with_your_kids.php

• Seven lessons from Mr. Rogers

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/seven_lessons_from_mister_rogers_That_can_help_americans_be_neighbors_again

• PBS Newshour- Teaching Resource (this was shared with teachers today)

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/daily-videos/classroom-resource-insurrection-at-the-u-s-capitol/

Hello wonderful Vestal Community! Lots of notes today...

Mr True Update- We are so thankful to report the Mr. Michel True, our beloved counselor, is at home resting and recovering. If you would like to make him a card or note, please bring it on Friday Pick Up (2-4). We know he will LOVE being surrounded by warm healing thoughts from Vestal. We will also have a big poster for everyone to sign...a big 'hug' from our community!

Hip Hop Nutcracker- It is almost here! Tomorrow at 9:30 our school community will view the Hip Hop Nutcracker as whole community...but each from our homes! (families members more than welcome!) A suggestion from the director- "At the perfomance, encourage students to pay close attention to the movement, lighting, costumes,and music. Ask them what they are hoping to see? Ask them- What do you notice about the lighting? How does the music make you feel? What is the vibe of the performance?

I remember being very confused as kid when I saw the Nutcracker...you might want to remind your child that most of the show is a DREAM:)

Library Books- This week is  A-H for library book pick up and  please  returns bags if you are done with them Unsubscribe

Hello Vestal families-

Welcome to December! Time keeps moving forward, even during these strange times.

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for Conferences, now we have a 3 week push until Winter Break.

An amazing school wide opportunity-

Next Friday at 9:30 12/11  we will be able to view the show Hip Hop Nutcracker as a whole school! Hip Hop comes directly from a community responding to oppression and poverty. In this way it is similar to the Jazz traditions being rooted in slavery songs and oppression. 

This version of The Nutcracker combines hip hop and classical music in new and fascinating ways that still tell the story of celebrating New year’s Eve but with new twists!             

The director shares- "I hope young audiences will see that at its root, The Hip Hop Nutcracker is about using dance to bring a community together. I think the idea of using art to create change is extremely important. "

We are very aware that New Year’s and Christmas are the dominant culture holidays celebrated during this time of year. 

We want our students to recognize that many of their classmates and folks in our community (and around the world) celebrate a variety of other important holidays. Some of these include Eid, Chinese New Year, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa Boxing Day, Los Posadas, and Winter Solstice. 

We have such an amazingly diverse community; please know that we have families that celebrate all of the above! What a gift of knowledge and respect to teach our students about the many ways people celebrate! Over the new few weeks, teachers will be introducing some of the above mentioned holidays so your child’s understanding of the many winter holidays will grow!

 Attendance- thank you all so very much for making school a priority! We are seeing many of our students attend school every day, stay engaged with their class community, and continue to learn!

We will start packet Pick Up again this Friday, so please try to come to the school between 2-4 for packets and grab some food! If you need packets delivered, PLEASE let your child’s teacher know and we will make it happen!

News from PTA- Next PTA mtg. Is Tuesday 12/8 6:30-8:00..watch for a link to arrive the day before!

With hope and peace,

Sabrina Flamoe

sflamoe@pps.net

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.