Hello all! I cannot believe it is Thursday again! This week has zipped by!

Earlier this week we had a LOCK OUT DRILL. Lock Out's are a tool we use if there is something going on in the neighborhood, but not on school grounds. For example, if there is police activity in the neighborhood, the police may let us know and we would go into Lock Out which means we lock all exterior doors (which for us, all are always locked) and we bring in any classes that are outside for recess or garden. After this, we continue with school as usual except no one can come in or leave until we can assure safety. This weeks drill was quiet and uneventful...which is great!

Tomorrow is Vestal Spirit Day...so wear your Vestal gear!

Also, next week is our last full week of the quarter! Remember, students have the whole week of Thanksgiving off as we have conferences. Conferences are a terrific time to focus on how your child is doing at school...please be sure to attend!

The HALL PASS beverage at Blank Slate will be there all of November...if interested, give it a try!

Peace!

Sabrina Flamoe

sflamoe@pps.net

Hello all on this beautiful Fall day!

This week has flown by and we are back to another Community News! A few notes-

* Our Lost and Found is EXPLODING with jackets and coats! We will have the lost and found out at the front entrance for the next several days...please take a look and encourage your student to take a look! All of these coats came from somewhere:) After conferences, anything left unclaimed will go to the PPS clothing closet.

* No School on Monday/Veterans Day

* Conferences are coming up quickly...Nov. 25th and 26th. If you have not signed up yet, please contact your child's teacher!

* Picture Re-takes are on Nov. 12th

* TOOLBOX- Hopefully you have received a bright Orange paper that has information about our school wide TOOLBOX work. We are offering an evening overview of all 12 tools and a 4 week class to discuss the tools in more depth. We are finding that both our students and adults in the building are using the tools!

Please see PTA news below:)

Sabrina Flamoe

sflamoe@pps.net

Pottery Fun (www.potteryfunpdx.com at 7821 SE Stark) is donating 10% of their sales from November 11th to Vestal! You can make a holiday gift or decoration and contribute to Vestal!

We are still looking for vendors for the Vestal Winter Bazaar.  Email vestalelementarypta@gmail.com if interested.

Wow, it is November 1st!

It is hard to believe that we are done with the first quarter of the school year! I am hopeful that each of you have had a chance to schedule a conference with your child's teacher...this is a wonderful time for a conversation about how your child is doing at school!

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for our Community Dinner this week! It is always wonderful to gather, eat, and talk about Vestal and your children. Our leadership team will be looking at the input gathered and ind areas where we can improve.

One specific wondering that came up was, "Can families come to Town Hall?" and the answer is a huge YES!

Town Hall happens every Monday morning from 8:15-8:45 in the auditorium. This is a community gathering time where we celebrate, teach our character trait of the month, teach and practice our Toolbox Tools, and talk about social justice, and SING together! Once a month we celebrate the students who receive recognition for academics and character traits. I appreciate folks asking about attending this special time together!

Thank you to everyone for supporting Vestal!

Sabrina Flamoe

sflamoe@pps.net

 

 

PTA News-

PTA meeting Tuesday November 5th at 8:15am.  Everyone is welcome!

 

Pottery Fun (www.potteryfunpdx.com at 7821 SE Stark) is donating 10% of their sales from November 11th to Vestal! You can make a holiday gift or decoration and contribute to Vestal!

 

Girls Inc is looking for volunteers! Girls Inc. needs volunteers to help inspire girls to be strong, smart, and bold.  They are a contributor to the SUN after school program.  Reach out to allie@girlsincpnw.org if interested.

Hello Vestal Community!

I apologize for being tardy in sending this out! I heard the Harvest Festival was a blast and I am sorry I missed it! Thank you to our amazing PTA for planning and making it happen!

This week I have been attending a conference through Teachers College (TC) at Columbia University in NYC. Teachers College is known throughout the world for it's work on literacy in schools and it is the author of our reading and writing curriculum. I got to visit a school that has been working closely with TC for the past 8 years. It was both inspiring and encouraging...Vestal is absolutely on the right path with our teaching of reading and writing...in fact while there, I thought of many of our classrooms that showcase such strong literacy instruction. One fascinating keynote that really struck me is how the teaching of literacy IS an act of social justice when it teaches students to be critical thinkers, strong readers of all genres of text and writers that can capture profound thoughts and write to change systems. Please know that I see teaching like this at Vestal every single day! This combined with a teaching staff that is always open to growing makes Vestal truly awesome.

In being away, I did however very much miss the daily life of school and am thrilled to come back on Monday! Please tell your readers and writers that I missed them!

Have a wonderful weekend all.

Peace, Sabrina Flamoe

sflamoe@pps.net

 

 

 

PTA News!

Thanks to all who bought pies and fruit!  Hope you are enjoying them.

PTA is hoping to have a Vestal winter bazaar.

Please email vestalelementarypta@gmail.com if you are interested in participating/selling crafts.

Next PTA meeting is Tuesday November 5th at 8:15am.

The Franklin High School boys soccer team made history Saturday, winning a state championship or the first time in program history, with a 2-1 overtime win over Summit in the Class 6A final at Hillsboro Stadium.

With parent-teacher conferences just around the corner, it is important to know that PPS offers free interpretation services and other resources for our linguistically diverse families. If you need an interpreter for the conferences, which will be held Nov. 25-26, let your school know. 

School level data for the Successful Schools Survey is now available. The survey, which was conducted during the 2018-19 school year, is part of the district’s initiative to use data to make informed decisions about school climate and culture.

SafeOregon continues to grow as a reliable way for students, families and community members to report unsafe situations. Portland Public Schools has been encouraging our community to use the anonymous tipline since 2017.