Hello ACCESS Families,

Time is flying—we’re down to just six weeks left in the 2024–25 school year!

Spring Dance Thanks
A huge thank you to all the amazing parent volunteers who helped make our spring dance a success. It was a joyful night, and your support made it all possible!

Volunteers & Coolers Needed for Black TAG Family Night – Wednesday, May 7
ACCESS is proud to host a district-wide Black TAG Family Night this Wednesday from 6:00–8:00 p.m., featuring food, kids' activities, and a parent panel.
We need volunteers from 5:00–9:30 p.m. to help with setup, food service, activity support, and cleanup.
If you’re available to lend a hand, please reach out to Eliz Roser at volunteer@accessacademypta.org.

We’re also hoping to borrow a few large coolers for the event. If you have one you can drop off at school on Monday or Tuesday, please let me know!

Reminders for This Week:

• Schools to Pools: 2nd grade families—please remember to send swim gear on Tuesday.

• Early Release Tuesday: Due to a staff meeting, all students will be released at 3:15 p.m..

• Arts & Crafts Fair – Thursday, 6:00–8:00 p.m.: Come support our 8th grade trip by shopping handmade student goods!

Teacher Appreciation Week
This week is all about celebrating our incredible educators. ACCESS is what it is because of our amazing teaching team—please join me in showing them how much they mean to us.

Finally, a heartfelt thank you to the families who surprised me with coffee and pastries for Principal’s Day last week. Serving as Principal of ACCESS is truly an honor and a pleasure.

Warmly,
Aaron Ferguson
Principal, ACCESS Academy

Dear Atomic Families,

Thank you to all of our students and parents for helping us successfully complete last week's OSAS testing for our middle school students. We made excellent progress in getting most students through their assessments. We will be in touch soon to schedule make-up sessions for any middle school students who missed a testing day or require additional time. Elementary teachers will be completing testing over the next few weeks. 

This week will follow our regular daily schedule, with standard start and dismissal times each day. Please note a few important events coming up:

• Tuesday: Our second-grade students will have their swimming sessions. Please remember to send your child to school with their swimwear on underneath their regular clothes, along with a separate set of dry clothes to change into afterward.

• Friday: We are excited to host our Spring Middle School Dance! In keeping with ACCESS tradition, our fifth-grade students are also invited to join the fun. Permission slips should have already been sent home. Please ensure completed permission slips are returned to the school office by Wednesday, April 30.

Thank you again for your continued support!

Sincerely,
Principal Aaron

Hello Atomic Families,

• Wednesday, April 23, is an early release day—all students will dismiss at 12:45 PM.

• All other days this week follow our regular start and dismissal times.

Middle School State Testing (Grades 6–8):
This week, ACCESS will administer OSAS state assessments in ELA, Math, and Science to students in grades 6, 7, and 8.

• Wednesday, April 23: Students will follow a special testing schedule for the entire school day.

• Thursday, April 24: Students will follow a special testing schedule during periods 1–4 and Atomic Time, then return to their normal schedule for periods 5–7 after lunch.

To be ready for testing, students should bring:

• Their fully charged school Chromebook

• Wired headphones with a 3.5mm audio jack (not Bluetooth)

• A physical (non-digital) book to read after completing their tests

If your student doesn’t have wired headphones, loaner pairs will be available at school.

For students opting out of testing:
They will spend testing periods in technology-free, supervised silent reading. Please remind them to bring a physical book to read.
If you are planning to opt your child out of testing, please submit the opt-out form by the morning of Tuesday, April 22. Last-minute opt-outs on testing days create significant logistical challenges—thank you for helping us plan accordingly!

2nd Grade Families:
Don’t forget to send your child with swimming gear on Tuesday for their swim lessons! If possible, have them wear their suit under their clothes and pack dry undergarments to change into after. This helps maximize their time in the water!

Big Congratulations to The ACCESS Academics!
Our middle school OBOB team placed 2nd in the state last Saturday! We’re so proud—not just of their incredible competition performance, but of their growth, teamwork, and dedication throughout the season. Their journey has been inspiring, and they’ve made our entire community proud!

Celebrating Autism Awareness Month:
April is Autism Awareness Month, and we want to recognize and celebrate the positive contributions of all of our twice-exceptional and neurodiverse students. At ACCESS, we believe that our diversity makes us stronger. We are committed to creating a school community where every student feels welcomed, valued, and supported for exactly who they are. We are honored to learn with—and from—one another every day.

Thanks for reading this extra-long update. I hope you enjoyed the beautiful spring weather this weekend, and for those who celebrate, hope you had a wonderful holiday!

Warmly,

Principal Aaron

Good morning ACCESS families,

I hope you had a chance to enjoy the beautiful spring weather this weekend—and for those who celebrate, I hope your Passover celebrations are off to a joyful start!

We’re on a regular schedule this week with no early release days for staff meetings.

A reminder for our 2nd grade families: the Schools to Pools schedule has shifted. Swim lessons will now take place tomorrow (Tuesday, April 15th) and continue on Tuesdays for the remainder of the program. If possible, please send your child to school wearing their swimsuit under their clothes, along with a set of dry undergarments to change into after. This helps us get them into the pool quickly and ensures they have more time with the instructor.

I also hope to see many of you at our ACCESS PTA meeting on Thursday evening!

Warmly,
Principal Aaron

You can find a recording on January's Principal Coffee virtual meeting here! 

Please enjoy the newest edition of the Atomic Articles!

Atomic Articles - June!

Here is the link to view the video of today's principal coffee, which had details about dates for the end of this school year as well as previews of next year's schedules: Recording

Here is the link to the powerpoint with the basic info: PPT

Also note: If you know people interested in the lottery results for the 24-25 school year, we anticipate the initial offers to go out early next week, May 13 or after. Thanks!

Please enjoy the newest edition of the Atomic Articles!

May Atomic Articles

Please enjoy the newest edition of the school newsletter!

Atomic Articles Volume 29

Happy March Atomic Families! Please check our newest volume!

Atomic Articles - March!

The assignment their teacher gave them was simple – make a short film that begins with a phone call and ends with someone hanging up. Benson first-year students Dylan Martinez-Torres and Dariel Soriano Zamora ran it all the way to a small city populated by two very big and rather iconic monsters – Godzilla and Hedora.

The result, Sorry, Wrong Number, is one of the more than 90 films entered into the annual Best of PPS Film Festival. The festival is a celebration of exceptional student filmmaking that includes a showcase at the historic Hollywood Theatre. 

The fourth annual installment of the festival took place on May 21 and included a screening of 13 standout films. The films came from all over PPS and ran the gamut from Dylan and Dariel’s monster short to documentaries, film noir, and broadcast journalism. 

If you are a passionate student or community member that wants to make a difference at PPS, apply to join the Climate Crisis Response Committee! This is a committee that reports to the PPS Board of Education.

On the committee you will learn about how PPS is making progress towards our climate justice and sustainability policies, provide input and recommendations to the PPS Board on how to better support PPS staff as we advance these policy goals, and connect with other passionate members of our PPS community from diverse backgrounds, knowledge areas, and lived experiences.

No previous professional experience in climate change or sustainability required! Students can apply via this form. Community members can apply here.

Deadline to apply: June 6. 

Earthstock 2025 was a huge success!

Each year, special education students from across the region gather at Portland's Crystal Ballroom for a truly unique and uniquely joyful high school dance. 

Earthstock began in 1992 at the request of a young student who was confined to a wheelchair and was disappointed he couldn’t attend the high school dances because of transportation issues. There were 60 kids at the first event. Earthstock now entertains more than 700 students, staff and volunteers, and is rapidly becoming one the largest events of its kind in the country. 

Students at Skyline school were recently treated to a visit from PPS teacher-turned-graphic novelist Aron Nels Steinke. 

Steinke is the award-winning author and illustrator behind the popular Mr. Wolf's Class series. He also taught at Skyline during the 2015-16 school year.

During his visit to Skyline, he opened up to a group of third, fourth, and fifth graders about how he got started as an author despite struggling to read and write in school. He also read a short excerpt from his newest book, Speechless. 

Speechless tells the story of Mira, a sixth grader who spends her first year of middle school finding herself and her voice. Skyline students were some of the book's first readers. We can't wait to see what Mr. Steinke writes next!