You have probably been noticing the slow but sure improvement of our field over the school year.  This is the result of efforts throughout the school year, a collaboration between PPS and a local landscape company.  Bald spots are beginning to fill in with patches of healthy grass.  We've also noticed more students playing on the field and a greater number of parents have been sitting on the field enjoying some conversation while watching the kids play.  To keep the field moving in this direction we met with Principal Raddy Lurie and Gary Hunter from PPS Grounds Maintenance.  What follows is the plan for continuation of the Field Improvement Project throughout the summer.

By now most of you have likely seen the great work that was done this past weekend, on Earth Day, at the Spring Alameda Grounds Clean Up.  Read more about this in a letter from parent organizer Dana M. Peterson.

In case you missed it in your inbox, we are providing a copy of the letter principal Lurie sent to our community today.

Our new online Alameda School Family Directory makes finding your student(s) a play date easy and convenient, and saves trees and ink. Join the PTA and you can access the directory using any device with an Internet connection, including any smartphone with the MySchoolAnywhere app installed.

All students who were receiving free or reduced-price meal benefits at the end of last year must complete a NEW meal application for the 2017-18 school year. Students who have not submitted a new application will be required to pay full price starting Thursday, October 12th.

Applications are available at your school office, cafeteria and online at www.pps.net/nutrition.

If your child attends a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school, you do NOT need to submit a free or reduced-price meal application. All students at CEP schools do not pay for school meals. The CEP schools are: Alliance @ Meek, Boise Eliot/Humboldt, Cesar Chavez, George MS, Harrison Park, King, Lent, Pioneer @ Youngson, Rigler, Rosa Parks, Scott, Sitton and Woodmere.

The Portland School Board on Friday unanimously voted to hire Guadalupe Guerrero to lead Portland Public Schools as its next superintendent.

Guerrero, now a deputy superintendent in San Francisco Unified School District, has dedicated himself to ensuring that all students – especially those traditionally underserved – have access to a well-rounded education that sparks learning and success in school.

Welcome to our weekly newsletter PPS Pulse. The current issue has great information on how PPS is preparing for back to school, introductions to our new board members and exciting news about our next superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero.

Three new members joined the PPS Board after the May 16 election, bringing a wealth of experience, activism and passion to the job. Julia Brim-Edwards, Scott Bailey and Rita Moore were inaugurated last month and will serve the PPS community for at least the next four years. Brim-Edwards was elected chair. Moore was elected co-vice chair along with Julie Esparza Brown.