February 16, 2019
Hello ACCESS Community,
We have been very busy both with the day to day, but also with an eye towards what is coming up. We also want to express our gratitude to all those who are supporting staff and students. The PTA potluck for staff was a recent example of the kindness of this community, and I know that we are all deeply appreciative.
Upcoming Events
- PTA Meeting - Wednesday, February 20, 7:00-8:30 at the BESC (501 N. Dixon)
- Principal’s Coffee - Friday, February 22, 8:45 to 9:45 in the Vestal Library. We will provide some coffee and hot water/tea that morning, just prior to the Parent Tour. You are welcome to join both administrators for this informal get-together.
- School Tour - Friday, February 22, 10:00 – 11:00. This tour is offered to parents who are interested in finding our more about ACCESS, including how to apply and the offerings here. It will be hosted by both administrators along with Brigid O’Hagan, (our amazing teacher), Linda Smith, (Director of TAG), and current parents. If you are a parent that is willing to come and help answer questions about the program, please let us know.
- Movie Night - Friday, February 22, at Vestal. Pre-events start at 6:30 and the movie starts 7:00.
Other Information:
- Inside Recess at Vestal – We’ve had to have inside recess after lunch several times in the last few weeks. Students get the choice of either going to read in the library, going to the “studio” to play board games, or going to the auditorium to watch a video (Planet Earth episodes on “Mountains” and “Cities”, with notable hit performances by golden eagles, grizzly bears, and swifts).
- Successful Schools Survey – Please take time to complete this PPS survey that will give school leaders an opportunity to hear your voice. The window to take the survey is open until March 1st.
- Communication - John discovered that his district Outlook account has been deciding to send some of his incoming emails to the “Junk” folder (its happening to other principals too). He has been looking through that folder, and so far only found one related to ACCESS (the email with feedback on the Read a Thon). He wants to apologize if any of you have had other emails that weren’t returned; PPS IT department has been working on this and we think it is fixed.
- Battle of the Books competition and Talent Show rehearsals are under way, stay tuned for upcoming details and updates.
- Interim Staff - With several interims stepping into roles right now, we want to make communication lines are open.
With Gratitude,
Pam and John
February 8, 2019
Hello Access Families,
I have enjoyed meeting many of you since officially becoming the interim principal on February 1st. I want to thank you for all the support and encouragement that I have received already. For those who were not able to attend the meet and greet on Wednesday night, I would like to give you a brief introduction to my background.
I have been in PPS for many years as a teacher (Madison HS and Grant HS) and administrator and have considerable knowledge of how the district operates. I am also a parent, with three adult children who went all the way through PPS schools, so I bring that perspective as well.
As an administrator I have been at all levels K-12:
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I was a vice principal at Cleveland High School
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Principal at Lane MS and Hosford MS
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Retired as the principal of Metropolitan Learning Center K-12 Alternative School Retired is a relative term, since officially “retiring” a year and a half ago, I have been working as a mentor to six new administrators (who are in their 1st or 2nd year as leaders) while also subbing in buildings as my schedule allows it.
In the past few weeks (before admin went on leave) I have had the opportunity to sub at both ACCESS sites. I have been impressed with the professionalism and resilience of the staff. They are very student-focused and many have leaned-in to help in ways that have allowed me to get on board quickly and understand the needs of the school.
I will be serving as the interim principal ACCESS for the month of February, my goal is to lead and manage the school while the Krista is on leave.
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This will include being responsive to the day to day needs of staff, students, and families.
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Ensuring that there is clear communication along the way. I consider myself someone who listens to lead.
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I will also make sure that priorities such as teacher evaluations, professional development for teachers, and Open Houses are effectively scheduled and completed on deadline.
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I will also be looking ahead at the calendar to make sure that events such as the talent show, auction, and 8th grade promotion are on track for Krista’s return. On a side note, I very much enjoyed the poetry slam that I attended this week.
I also want to say that I feel very comfortable working with John Blanck who is the interim assistant principal. I believe he has the right expertise and temperament to be the acting admin at the Vestal site. Area Assistant Superintendent Keeley Simpson and TAG director Linda Smith (who I met with last week) have also been tremendously helpful.
Finally, I can’t say enough about the parent community, you all are amazing. Thanks to those of you who came today to help with our Open House and for the lunch provided for staff at both sites. I admire your generosity and passion for the ACCESS learning community.
In Gratitude,
Pam Joyner, Interim Principal ACCESS Academy
February 8, 2019
Hello to the Access at Vestal parents and community!
My name is John Blanck, and I am happy to be the Interim Assistant Principal here during the leave for David Jamieson. During my first two and a half days here, I have been trying to jump in immediately to be of help to the staff and students. I have also been looking at ways to get you as much information and communication as possible. I really appreciate the patience and understanding that you have shown me in my brief time here.
Communication to you can come in many ways, and I am working to find the best ways to do that. In the meantime, I want to at least give you some preliminary thought and information. So as a very brief start, I want to at least let you know about the following:
· My background related to ACCESS: I have 4 adult children, and two of them attended a program very similar to ACCESS while in elementary grades in Illinois. I remember well my nervousness and the advocacy I needed to get them into that program (for example, in spite of my years experience as a School Psychologist in that district, and my usual calm demeanor, I’ll never forget my impatience in the eligibility meeting for my first daughter, waiting to hear them agree that she should be eligible for that TAG program and placement!). It was a wonderful experience for my kids. I have worked as a School Psychologist in public schools for 24 year (including about 7 years assigned to that TAG program my daughters had attended). I then went directly into Elementary Principalship at Maplewood Elementary near Multnomah Village in 2000, and stayed there 11 years. I retired as a Principal, but have continued in part time work supporting the Principal hiring process for PPS which included my facilitation of the meetings held to hear what the community wanted in their next Principal. I conducted those meetings at Sabin and at Rose City Park when there was administrative changes there for Access. (I remember those meetings well and what people were asking for, and remember thinking to myself that I’d love to be an administrator for Access.) I have been mentoring new administrators for PPS schools for the last 4 years, as well. When I was asked very recently to take on this interim role here, I did commit to continuing my work as a mentor, but making those appointments with them happen after school hours as much as I can.
· My time here at Access: I don’t have any information about how long Mr. Jamieson will be out, but I sure sympathize with the need for continuity, so I made the commitment to be here full time, as long as needed. So far, I am trying to address the immediate needs of the students, and the staff, to keep things working smoothly, and happily. I am confident in, and enjoy, helping in this way. I also want to assure you that I have great respect for you, the parent community, and always like to help facilitate your generous offers of time and help, which are very appreciated and welcome.
· Communication and Emails – I will be working to give you as much information as efficiently as possible. To those who have emailed me about upcoming events, etc., I want to thank you for your patience. I want to get to the immediate concerns first. In my career tried to reply as quickly as possible, but I know that I just haven’t gotten to some of the longer-range issues as yet. Regrettably, I know there is a backlog, but I promise you I am working on it as quickly as I can. I am also working closely with the Interim Principal, Pam Joyner, who I know well and respect immensely, to try to keep things working smoothly. I believe in healthy communication, which includes the concepts of assumption of positive intent, transparency, and integrity.
· Events – I enjoyed meeting some of you at the “Meet and Greet” and was delighted to catch most of the Poetry Slam last Wednesday night. I really appreciate Keeley Simpson, and the parents who coordinated the thought-provoking and mindful Slam. I am going to gather more specifics on many of the immediate and future events, including Author Visits, Talent Show, Movie Night, Tours, Taiko Residency, and other special offerings. I will get those dates and information out to you as soon as I confirm them (I really don’t want to send out incorrect or misleading information.)
· As I write this on my third day, I also know that the forecast makes us anticipate the possibility of another snow day, possibly on Monday. Please watch for messages from PPS and the media for information about that.
John Blanck
Interim Assistant Principal, Access at Vestal
August 13, 2018
Welcome to the 2018-19 school year families and students!
It is our absolute pleasure to welcome everyone to the start of what we deeply believe will be an incredible school year for us all. We know it is a year of significant change and apprehension as to the future of the program and school. We understand many of the complexities and emotions involved, due to so many of you reaching out to us and sharing your experiences. We also know that the driving force behind everything is the success and growth of the children who attend and depend on ACCESS to serve their unique talents and learning pathways. Individualized education that accounts for who each student is, what they are passionate about, where they come from, and who they want to be- is what we want to be a part of together.
We are co-located in 2 spaces, but often barriers provide opportunities for us to overcome them and become even stronger in spite of them. We also have a unique opportunity to grow skills around collaboration and learn from communities that are new and may be very different from us. My hope is that we find those things that unite us are as strong as those that define us individually. Knowing that there will be challenges has us embracing the belief that the only way we will address them is together, which includes student involvement and input.
David and I are thrilled to be in this with you. We will be the ACCESS Community's supporters, advocates, leaders, learners, and thought partners in the journey. When Dr. Curtis called me to offer me the opportunity and privilege to come to ACCESS, my response was, “Absolutely. Let’s do this!”
That is how David and I have been diving into it all, along with everyone else we have been working with since we came on board. We ask you to adopt this “Let’s do this”, mindset alongside us and the ACCESS staff. We know and honor that there is a special history and culture that comes with you. Most of all, we want work with you to make the ACCESS Community even stronger as it moves forward.
Thank you for allowing us into your community. It is truly an honor!
-Krista & David
July 3, 2018
Hello ACCESS families of 1st through 5th graders and welcome to the Vestal Campus! We are excited to have you join us at our amazing school.
David Jamieson has been named the Assistant Principal for ACCESS. He will have an office here at Vestal. Many of you got a letter from me in May sharing some of what we knew then about our co-locating plans. David and I have spent some time meeting and we are able to share more of what we now know. Our intention is to share another letter in August. Once the school year begins, our intent is for David to share a weekly newsletter with ACCESS families and I will send a weekly newsletter to Vestal families.
Here are a few more things we can share as of July 3rd:
- ACCESS and Vestal will have different start/end times to allow for a smoother entry and exit.
- We are working with transportation on our bus/car drop off/pick-up plan. The specific details will be shared in August. It seems hopeful that the buses will NOT be on the playground. ACCESS and Vestal students will wait outside until the doors open and students are greeted by staff. Please note- there is not an outdoor covered area for waiting in the morning. There are not staff available to be supervising students before school.
- ALL school doors remain locked during the school day. The door facing Everett has a buzzer for families (for both ACCESS and Vestal) to be let in during the school day.
- Vestal office in on the main floor.
- ACCESS at Vestal will have a separate office, on the 2nd floor.
- All safety drills (Fire, Lock down, Earthquake, etc.) will happen for both ACCESS and Vestal at the same times. David and I will work together on safety/emergency planning and drills. We will teach and practice all drills with all students. We will share details in the Fall.
- New information regarding the library/media teacher- we will share one library teacher, Ms. Melody Lang. She will be .50 Vestal and .50 ACCESS. The ACCESS library books are being integrated into the Vestal Library. Ms. Lang is working closely with head of the district library, Susan Stone.
- ACCESS and Vestal specialists will be Library/Media, PE, Art.
- We are moving forward with hiring a .60 Drama teacher. Details on scheduling to follow!
- ACCESS students will be notified of homeroom teacher in August.
- Recess and lunch times will be the same for both Vestal and ACCESS. We are currently working on our supervision schedules, which includes indoor recess procedures. All students will be taught recess/lunch procedures during the first week of school.
- ACCESS at Vestal will have a student handbook/calendar that will go home with every student on the first day of school.
- ACCESS at Vestal will be implementing the district EBBL (Equity Based Balanced Literacy) Writing Curriculum, Units of Study, in the Fall.
- Just FYI- ACCESS is currently in the process of hiring the following positions for ACCESS at Vestal- 1.0 School secretary, 1.0 Counselor, .50 School Climate Specialist, .60 PE, .50 Spanish, .50 Math
- Vestal hosts weekly KICKBALL games every Wednesday during the summer on our playground, 6:30-7:30...please join us. No kickball on July 4th!
- Community Clean Up day for both Vestal and ACCESS at Vestal is Aug. 18th, 9am-12pm. Please join us in sprucing up our campus!
This is a lot of information and I know it doesn’t answer all of your questions, but again our plan is to share another similar letter in August.
We hope everyone is having a fun summer! Know that we are working together to make the Fall welcoming and enjoyable!
Sabrina Flamoe and David Jamieson
June 22, 2018
Dear ACCESS Community,
I hope that this finds you enjoying your summer. I have been busy working hard with the district and the principals of Vestal and Lane on the transition of ACCESS to our new school campuses. More staffing information will be shared as it gets finalized, but I am happy to announce that Mr. David Jamieson will be the new Assistant Principal of ACCESS. He will have an office at the Vestal campus.
Mr. Jamieson joins the ACCESS community having served as an Assistant Principal at both Beach K5 and Ockley Green. During that time he has enjoyed the opportunity to learn from many mentors, lead a co-located Spanish DLI school, open a middle school and get to know the people in PPS who serve as resources to school leaders.
Before moving to Portland, Mr. Jamieson served as an administrator at a high-performing charter school in Los Angeles. While there he saw a 100% graduation rate for all students as well as the development of a school and instructional culture of acceleration, differentiation, creativity, and critical thinking.
Born in Portland and an Oregon native, his love of travel and diverse culture began as a child while his father volunteered as a doctor in the Philippines and Hawaii. Traveling throughout Central America and living in Costa Rica while studying Spanish in college shaped his early career path which lead him to pursue his Teaching Certificate at San Diego State University. He then obtained a Masters of Education Teaching English as a Second Language as well as a Masters of Education in Leadership. Mr. Jamieson’s career experience spans sixteen years of working in private, public and charter schools at the elementary, middle and high school levels. He also has international teaching experience at an IB school in Xiamen, China.
In his free time, he enjoys snowboarding, fly fishing, surfing, reading and spending time with his wife Sara, their son R.E and daughter Finley.
Mr. Jamieson looks forward to getting to know the ACCESS community and being part of the school’s next chapter.
Please join me in welcoming Mr. Jamieson.
Sincerely,
Anh Nguyen-Johnson, Principal
Upcoming Events:
- Back to School Picnic: Sunday, August 19 at Normandale Park (5700 NE Halsey Street) *More details to come
- First Day for All ACCESS Students: Monday, August 27
June 15, 2018
Hello ACCESS families of 1st through 5th graders and welcome to the Vestal Campus! We are excited to have you join us at our amazing school. Vestal is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse schools in the city. We have about 68% of our students receiving free or reduced price lunch, which qualifies us as a Title 1 school. We have some unique programs due to our Title status. We also made the community wide decision to be a school that explicitly focuses on social justice starting in the Fall.
My name is Sabrina Flamoe and I am just wrapping up my first year as principal of this wonderfully diverse and beautiful school. Previous to Vestal, I was the principal at Laurelhurst K-8, right down the street, and previous to Laurelhurst I was a teacher of grades 3rd through 8th, then an instructional coach.
I wanted to share a few things we know for sure for Fall 2018:
- ACCESS grades 1-5 will be co-located at Vestal; classrooms and the office will be in one wing. The ACCESS counselor and Learning Center will be in a different wing, but all on the 2nd floor.
- Vestal and ACCESS will share a .6 DRAMA teacher which will be housed in our gorgeous auditorium.
- ACCESS will have its own Assistant Principal, which will be the consistent administrator on campus. The ACCESS principal will be housed at Lane.
- Recess and lunch times will be common times for both Vestal and ACCESS
- We are hopeful to integrate the Playworks philosophy across both Vestal and ACCESS
- Vestal and ACCESS will each have their own Art and Media Specialist teachers, but both will be teaching in the Art room and in the Library.
- Vestal and ACCESS will each have their own PE teachers. ACCESS students will have PE in the Playcourt 2/week and in the gym 1/week…and hopefully outside lots!
- Vestal partners with Earth/Art/Agriculture to bring a garden teacher in for all classes. We are hopeful that we can extend this partnership for ACCESS students
- Vestal and ACCESS PTA’s have begun working together to schedule both evening and school day events that can be shared by all!
- Vestal is hopeful that our focus on Social Justice and ACCESS focus on Service Learning can be an area of common ground and shared learning.
- Vestal PTA hosts weekly KICKBALL games every Wednesday during the summer on our playground, 6:30-7:30. Please join us!
- There will be staggered start time for Vestal and ACCESS in the Fall.
- Vestal hours will be 8:00-2:15pm
- ACCESS hours will be 8:20-2:35pm
- PPS transportation dept. is working on logistics and will be communicating with families once decisions are made about transportation. Transportation decisions are not made by building administrators.
While we can all agree co-locating comes with challenges, please know we believe we can do this well, even knowing there will be challenges! We invite you to join us in positive problem solving and assuming positive intent that this can be beneficial to all of our students, families, and staff!
If you have ACCESS specific questions, please contact ACCESS administration. If you’d like to connect with Vestal’s PTA, please contact our PTA president Galen Gamble at galenblairg@gmail.com.
Thank you so much, I wish all of you a very enjoyable summer,
Sabrina Flamoe
sflamoe@pps.net
June 1, 2018
Dear ACCESS Community,
The final five days of the school year are here! How did we get to the end of the year so quickly? Next week will fly by!
On Wednesday we learned about our co-location sites and now the work of transitioning and preparing for the 2018-19 school year begins, as we also try to close out this year and finish strong. There is a lot to do and so I will be out of the building for some meetings next week to plan with the principals and the district for next school year.
As I mentioned in this morning’s Principal’s Coffee, we have been on a wild roller coaster ride this year and I want to thank you all for staying on this ride with us. As our learning community expands onto two campuses and includes two other communities, we will be working on ways to help everyone with this transition.
Our staff is still evolving as the year comes to a close. I have already shared the changes that we have so far in previous communications, but there is one more change that has come about in the last week. We also still have a few vacancies which we hope to fill by the end of June.
- Ana Simantel has accepted a position outside of PPS
Please also see the message below from Principal Lawler:
Being principal for the day was a lot of fun. It includes lots of learnings about being a principal today with Ms. Nguyen-Johnson. It was really fun being able to be in her office, walk around the school and eat in the teacher’s lounge. A principal's job takes a lot of responsibility. It is to take care of a lot of things and a lot of people. They help with activities, paperwork, meetings, answering questions, talking to people. A principal has their own office and is very busy.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Anh Nguyen-Johnson, Principal
Upcoming Events:
- Field Day: Tuesday, June 5
- Jr. Rose Parade Early Release @RCP: Wednesday, June 6 - Students dismissed at 11:15am *No lunch served
- 8th Grade Oaks Park Field Trip: Thursday, June 7
- 8th Grade Promotion & 8th Grade picnic: Friday, June 8
Year End Cafeteria Account Balances
Any remaining account balances (positive or negative) on students’ meal accounts at the end of the year will be automatically held for students at their current school or transferred to students’ new schools within the district. If your student is leaving the district, then you may call Robin Cafeteria Lead at Access and BC@RCP to arrange for a refund. Donations are also accepted for helping cover owed money on student meal accounts. Visit our department webpage www.pps.net/nutrition to make a donation.
Lost & Found
All Lost and Found items are on display at the main entrance of school until the end of the day on Monday, June 11th. Please take a look for any items you may be missing. All unclaimed items will be promptly donated to the PPS Clothes Closet the following morning.
8th Grade Picnic
Hello 8th grade families! Hopefully you’ve heard about the picnic following the 8th grade promotion. Here are details:
There will be an 8th grade potluck picnic at Rose City Park (the actual Park at NE 62nd Ave and Tillamook- we will set up on the 62nd side around the picnic tables) directly following the 8th Grade promotion ceremony on Friday, June 8th. This is not a school sponsored event, so students will need to be signed out by a parent or guardian at the office before leaving (or have a note from home with permission to leave school and go to the park). Students can return to school to catch their bus.
We will provide meat and cheese deli trays, bread, and fixings for sandwiches as well as a vegetarian option. Signup genius link is https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d4aafaf2cabfb6-8thgrade. It includes spots to sign up to contribute $ toward party trays as well as set up and clean up.
Hope you can come help celebrate the last day of eighth grade!
May 11, 2018
Dear ACCESS Community,
This week also flew by! We have four weeks of school left. The last day of school for 2017-18 remains June 8 - please see the message from the district that was shared with the PPS community earlier this week.
A huge thank you to the PTA and the families of ACCESS Academy for making the staff feel appreciated during Staff Appreciation Week this week! We were well fed, ready to go with morning beverages, and showered in notes and flowers. We also thank you all for the generous gift cards.
The latest staffing updates:
- Hans Weih, paraeducator, will be leaving PPS to explore other opportunities
- Mandarin Teacher; a new Mandarin teacher will be placed with us for the 2018-19 school year
Also, we still anxiously await a decision on our location(s) for next school year.
Enjoy the sunshine this weekend!
Sincerely,
Anh Nguyen-Johnson, Principal
Upcoming Events:
- Science Night: Tuesday, May 15 from 6:00pm-8:00pm
- Late Opening: Wednesday, May 16 - School begins at 10:45am *Reminder that breakfast is not served on Late Opening since Lunch/Recess begins 40 minutes after arrival
- PTA Meeting: Wednesday, May 16 from 7:00-8:30pm in the Library
- Dine Out for ACCESS: Wednesday, May 23 from 11am-10pm at ¿Por Qué No? (3524 N. Mississippi Ave.)
- ACCESS Choir Concert: Tuesday, May 29 in the Auditorium
- Principal’s Coffee: Friday, June 1 from 8:45am-9:45am in the Auditorium
- Last Middle School Dance: Friday, June 1 - 5th graders are invited to attend
- Field Day: Tuesday, June 5
- Jr. Rose Parade Early Release @RCP: Wednesday, June 6 - Students dismissed at 11:15am *No lunch served
- 8th Grade Oaks Park Field Trip: Thursday, June 7
- 8th Grade Promotion & 8th Grade picnic: Friday, June 8 *Details to come
May 4, 2018
Dear ACCESS Community,
It is hard to believe that May is already here...the time has been flying by!
I will continue to share staffing updates as they become finalized. In addition to the ones that were shared last week, here are the latest:
- Jeremy Johnson will be the Head Varsity Football Coach and Mathematics Teacher at Lincoln HS
- Yinan Sun, Mandarin Teacher, will return to China as her 2-year contract will end
- Ana Simantel will return as the Grade 1 / 2 Teacher
- Michael Todd will be the Learning Center Teacher (.50FTE) replacing Christy LeeWehage
Also, we still await a decision on our location(s) for next school year. There were two communications sent out this week from the district, and in case you did not receive them, I have linked to them below:
Sincerely,
Anh Nguyen-Johnson, Principal
Upcoming Events:
- Science Night: Tuesday, May 15 from 6:00pm-8:00pm
- Late Opening: Wednesday, May 16 - School begins at 10:45am *Reminder that breakfast is not served on Late Opening since Lunch/Recess begins 40 minutes after arrival
- PTA Meeting: Wednesday, May 16 from 7:00-8:30pm in the Library
- ACCESS Choir Concert: Tuesday, May 29 in the Auditorium
- Principal’s Coffee: Friday, June 1 from 8:45am-9:45am in the Auditorium
- Last Middle School Dance: Friday, June 1 - 5th graders are invited to attend
- Field Day: Tuesday, June 5
- Jr. Rose Parade Early Release @RCP: Wednesday, June 6 - Students dismissed at 11:15am *No lunch served
- 8th Grade Oaks Park Field Trip: Thursday, June 7
- 8th Grade Promotion & 8th Grade picnic: Friday, June 8 *Details to come
Safe Routes to School Bike Fairy Week
The Bike Fairy will be visiting the Rose City Park Campus on Wednesday, May 9 and leave a small surprise on all the bikes parked on campus.
Oregon Health Plan
Starting Jan. 1, 2018, the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) is available to more children and teens younger than 19, regardless of immigration status. OHP is free health coverage for Oregonians who meet income and other criteria. It covers many health care services such as check-ups, tooth fillings, glasses and prescriptions. It also covers labs, x-rays and hospital care. It even pays for rides to and from the doctor’s office. Apply to see if you qualify. Help is free. A trusted and OHP-certified community partner nearby can help you apply. You can find one by calling 1-800-699-9075 or 711 (TTY). You can also go online at http://www.oregon.gov/oha/HSD/OHP/Pages/OHPcoversme.aspx
