In this Edition
Message From Dr Berg: Below
K12 Update: Below
345 Update: Below
678 Update: Below
8th Grade Spanish Update: Below
Coach Payne Update: Below & Attached
Greetings From The Library Ladies: Below
Hats Off To Odyssey Families From School Counselor Stephanie: Below
Mr Z Art Class Update: Below
Online Enrollment for 2020-2021 Kindergarteners: Below
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Upcoming Events
8th Grade Promotion! (Via Zoom): Tuesday, June 9, 5-6pm
Item Drop Off At School: Monday - Thursday, June 8 - June 11
Iem Pick Up At School: Wednesday & Thursday, June 10 & 11
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Message From Dr Berg
Hello Odyssey Families,
I hope that you are all doing well this week as we finalize our last few days of school and get ready to celebrate the end of the year. This will be our final all cluster update for the year as teachers are done next Thursday and hopefully will spend the summer relaxing and staying away from computer screens! I think everyone is as burned out as I am with staring at my computer.
I look forward to seeing many of you next week as you return materials and pick up any items left at school. Here are the final instructions again if you missed them earlier this week:
End of year item returns & Misc:
Next week the Odyssey teachers will be in the building packing up their classrooms for the summer. Due to Covid19, we are unable to have anyone in the building except staff. Any leftover student belongings from teacher classrooms will be packed up and labelled with student names.
On Wednesday and Thursday (June 10 & 11) items will be available for pick up outside of the school. Staff will be available from 9-2 for pick up.
We will also be able to display lost and found and sign out unused medication to parents. Items that are not picked up next week will be recycled or if it is valuable, saved for next year.
Currently it looks like we just have miscellaneous student work, but we will pack up and have it available next week. Unfortunately, I cannot specifically let you know what exactly will be available because we haven't been in the building, but teachers are guessing that it is mostly art and student work.
We need students to return:
Calculators for Brinks-Dexter
Spanish Textbooks for Sénor Rainey
Lit Novels
Any library books you still have
Those can be returned Monday through Thursday of next week. You can knock on the door to return Monday or Tuesday and drop boxes will be available Wednesday and Thursday.
Thank you!
Dr. Berg
Principal, Odyssey Program
She/ Hers/ They (Why?)
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K12 Update
Hello K/1/2 Families,
We have mixed feelings about our year coming to an end. We are SO proud of our kiddos for staying so strong, focused and flexible as we all figured out a new way of learning. We also want to give a huge shout out to our parents for being patient and amazing with their children by guiding and teaching them! We have missed the children and families so much but are looking forward to seeing you all again very soon. We hope that you all have a restful and fun filled summer!
P.S. We will hopefully see the whole K/1/2 on Wednesday at 12:30 for our "Summer Sendoff". Parents should have gotten an email with some instructions for the kids.
Ms. Gregoire, Mrs. Wilebski and Mrs. Howard
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345 Update
Hello from the 345 Cluster!
The students in 345 have been working hard to wrap up their assignments this week as we approach summer vacation. We wrapped up our Sailing Simulation and the majority of the expeditions made it to the New World. Sadly, a few teams are lost at sea forever! Projects were presented this week and we are constantly blown away by the talents of our students.
We will be returning to school on Monday to prepare our classrooms for summer. We will be sorting and gathering students’ items as best we can. If there is anything in particular you’d like us to locate for you, please let us know and we will do our best to find them.
As we wrapped up final team meetings today, we felt a number of mixed emotions and think our students did too: sadness, pure joy, and excitement for what’s to come. Even though this has been a difficult endeavor, our students have come through this period of online schooling with resiliency and grace. We appreciate their persistence!
Next week, we are excited to celebrate with our students via an all group virtual meeting, where we will share a special presentation. We have a few tricks up our sleeves to send our 5th graders onto the next cluster!
Have a great weekend!
The 345 Team
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678 Update
Dear 678 Families,
Our most unusual school year ever is coming to a close. We feel so fortunate that our students and community have been so adaptable, capable, and supportive in our distance learning journey this year. We look forward to a time in which we can all safely see each other again. Some end-of-the-year info for you:
Final Projects/Virtual Museum Visits:
678 students have been hard at work getting their virtual museums ready for their classmate visitors. For the final week of the school year, students will be invited to visit the museums of a few of the other Odyssey teams. They will then take notes on what they saw, and what they learned about different ancient civilizations during their museum visits. We are also welcoming parents to visit the museums of the 678 students. We will share links to the students’ work next week.
Odyssey Promotion:
We would like to invite the families of Odyssey’s Class of 2020 to our virtual promotion which will be held on Tuesday, June 9 from 5pm to 6pm. Please join us for farewell messages from the Odyssey faculty, speeches from students, and the presentation of 8th grade awards from the 678 teachers. Here is the invitation (via Zoom):
8th Grade Students:
The end of your time at Odyssey is here, and the community would like to send you off with a farewell gift. Please plan on stopping by Odyssey on Wednesday or Thursday 1-2pm to collect your gifts and field study bag as well as to safely say goodbye to the 678 teachers. Look for the table outside of the gym in the parking lot.
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8th Grade Spanish Update
This week in Spanish was the introduction of "The Past Tense"..one of the most important concepts to learn. It sets our first-year students up for what will be
strong practice with "preterite proficiency" in year 2.
I want to take this op to express to you parents how pleased I have been with this year's 8th grade class of Spanish. What a wonderful group of kids, always eager to learn and ready to work and practice the language. Only wish I could be their teacher for the second level. They now have a strong base and will be successful adding all the more to it during their high school years.
Sr. Rainey
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Coach Payne Update
Hey Everyone,
I want to thank everyone for their cooperation and patience through this weird time! I am happy to be a part of such a loving and strong community! On Monday of next week, I will be having a guest speaker during my office hour from 12pm-1pm. Her name is Lauren Rood (see her photo, attached!). She used to play for the U-17-20 Women's National Team and is now a 2X National Champion soccer player for Stanford University. I know how much our students love soccer, so make sure they come ready with some good questions!
Thank you! Coach Payne
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Greetings from the Library Ladies
The past couple weeks have been heartbreaking and difficult for our community and nation. We are committed to racial and social justice for all individuals and believe in the power of books and stories. The following resources are a starting place to assist families in building the understanding and empathy we all need for this important work to be successful.
· We Stories (engages White families to change the conversation about and build momentum towards racial equity in St. Louis). Includes a picture booklist.
Talking to Kids About Protesting: https://bit.ly/3051Oyr
· Education with an Apron: blog written by a Black educator. Includes links to purchase her books: The POC Families’ Guide to Discussing Racism and Teaching Your Child to be an Anti-racist: a Guide for White Families to Talk About Racism
https://educationwithanapron.com/blog/
· The Conscious Kid (The Conscious Kid is an education, research and policy organization dedicated to reducing bias and promoting positive identity development in youth). Booklist from picture books to YA celebrating Black boys: https://www.theconsciouskid.org/black-books-matter-childrens-books-celebrating-black-boys
· Brain Lair Books (Bookshop dedicated to developing empathy and building community with inclusive books). Booklist of 100 anti-racist titles for all age ranges:
https://bookshop.org/lists/this-list-is-anti-racist
· Resources compiled by a public children’s librarian in Illinois. Includes videos, podcasts, articles and websites: http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2020/06/02/antiracist-resources-and-reads-lists-for-all-ages/
· Multnomah County Libraries: they have purchased a limited term UNIVERSAL ACCESS license for Me and white supremacy in both ebook and audiobook formats. Direct links to both below:
Ebook version
Audiobook version
Link to instant library card app to Multco's digital collection
Local Connections:
· Race Talks hosts presentations on historical and current topics of ethnicity and race in Oregon. Speakers include survivors of racism and others who have knowledge of the topic, and provide an opportunity to learn our forgotten and hidden history.
· Vanport Mosaic is a memory-activism platform based in Portland. We amplify, honor, present, and preserve the silenced histories that surround us in order to understand our present, and create a future where we all belong.
· Standing Up for Racial Justice - PDX Chapter was founded in 2012 by a small group of white people who, having heard from many people of color in our lives, identified a need for consistent ongoing racial justice organizing by white folks, in contrast to short-lived issue specific campaigns.
Our hearts and thoughts are with you all, our city, and our nation.
Louise Chambers & Laura Jones
lchambers@pps.net
ljones2@pps.net
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Hats off to Odyssey Families from Counselor Stephanie!
Almost overnight you went from classroom learning to distance learning from inside the walls of your home. New schedules, new technology and so much more. I too delivered social emotional learning in different ways and some I will even take with me back to brick and mortar school. I am overjoyed to be assigned to Odyssey full-time next year and I hope that nothing stands in that path.
I am so excited for our graduating eighth grade students! My time with them was brief, but powerful. They taught me what it is to be an Odyssey student and the pride associated with that distinction. I feel in my heart that they will accomplish their goals and serve as role models for others to do the same.
Looking toward the future and in light of recent events I feel compelled to promise you that I will continue my racial equity learning. I am only in the early stages of grasping how my work as a white school counselor impacts students, staff and families. I am committed to my own personal growth in this area as I serve students of color and as we all work together to advocate for positive social change. Thank you for choosing to share with me if I can do something in a more culturally competent or relevant way for you or for your child.
(I will check my email this summer scox@pps.net)
The American School Counselor Association has a valuable new resource page.
Race Relations Resources | American School ... - ASCA
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Mr Z – Art Class Update
Hello, Odyssey students and families!
Let me first say with a resounding voice, THANK YOU! This year has been quite the wild ride and as a first-year teacher, I could think of no other community to weather the storm with than this one. The compassion, understanding, empathy, and supportiveness of our Odyssey family bring me so much joy and it comes in at the most pertinent time.
I have absolutely loved spending my days within the school with all of you. Being in the classroom with you all gives me hope for a better world we are all fighting for right now. Your ideas, openness, creativity, humor, resourcefulness, and vigor are unmatched! I have learned so much from being with you all and I am so excited to continue to teach and learn with you in the years to come.
I hope you have enjoyed our virtual art, it will stay in google classroom so if you get some free time this summer and are looking for some inspiration take a look!
Have a wonderful summer.
Be safe and have fun... In that order!
Mr. Z
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Online Enrollment for 2020-2021 Kindergarteners
Register for Kindergarten Online!
If you have a child who will be 5 years old by September 1, please register for kindergarten! To register, go to pps.net/kinderenroll. The process takes 20-30 minutes and school staff will follow up with you later in the summer. With schools closed, online registration is the easiest option, but paper options will be available soon. You don’t need to register if your child attends a PPS Head Start or Pre-Kindergarten program. Children with IEPs need to register using a paper form.
Click here to access this blurb translated into the 5 supported languages
Paper registration packets will be available in multiple languages at meal sites starting Wednesday, May 27th.
Coming soon: The Early Learner Programs team is developing a family-centered kindergarten transition plan. We know families are worried about the start to school, especially kinders. We’re planning on a slower, more family-friendly approach this year. Early registration will ensure that families stay in the loop on updated plans for the start of school.
