5601 N. Yale St.•Portland, OR 97203•Ph 503-916-6244•Fx 503-916-2605
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Hello Astor Families,
Classroom/homeroom teacher notifications have been released for all 1st through 8th graders. If you did not receive this information or you have multiple children in the same grade level, then please reach out to the office starting at 503-916-6244. The office hours are from 8am to 4pm daily. Kindergarten families will receive a phone call regarding your child's teacher, school start date, and parent-teacher meeting time/day.
All families can find our welcome back letter for the 24-25 school year here. We have so many exciting events coming up this month! You can find information on them in the last Astor Connection.
Have a wonderful rest of the summer and we hope to see you at our Warm Welcome on August 26th from 2:30 to 3:30pm!
Warmly,
Blake Robertson
Principal @ Astor
Hello Astor Families!
There are a couple of great events coming up prior to the start of the 23-24 school year that we want you to know about.
Connect to Kindergarten
August 17th from 5:30 to 6:30 - Link with information is here
Join Astor Staff and other Astor Kindergarten students and families as we visit together prior to the start of the school year. You'll be able to see the kinder classrooms and our Astor PTSO will be there with Portland Goat Parties! Hope to see you there!
Project Community Care Day
August 19th from 9am to 12pm - Link with information is here
Please join us for Project Community Care Day, an annual tradition and a wonderful opportunity to help beautify our school grounds to be held on Saturday, August 19th, from 9am to 12pm. We encourage you to bring your gardening gloves and tools and refillable water bottle. Students are welcome to join you and we’ll just ask that you supervise. We look forward to seeing you Saturday, August 19th, 9 am to 12 pm!
Astor’s 3rd Annual Warm Welcome!
August 28th from 4:30pm to 5:30pm - Link with information is here
This event on campus will allow for our students and families to meet, see the entrance that they should come to at the start of each day, and pick up their back to school packets and Middle School schedules and supply lists. Additionally, many of our teachers will be at this event and it's a great time to connect with them prior to the start of the school year. Families may arrive at the school at a time that works for them between 4:30pm and 5:30pm on August 29th.
Our community partner, the Coalition of Black Men, invites boys in grades 6-8 to join their DREAM BIGGER Mentoring Program.
What: This program provides academic support, mentoring, cultural enrichment and personal development to our young men!
When: Begins September 28th
Every Tuesday from 1:45 - 2:30 pm
Where: Room 63 (portable 3)
How do I join?: Scan the QR code on the flyer below or visit https://forms.gle/F3RA3/1Q8ePn2aGV97
Questions?: Contact mentoring@cobmportland.org
Dear Astor Families and University Park Community,
I'm excited to join you all for a fifth year at Astor. I’m a school leader focused on racial equity, and I’m committed to creating welcoming spaces for students and families. You'll find this emphasis in our school goals and in our day-to-day operations at Astor. Whether it's a focus on eliminating the racial achievement and opportunity gap or culturally specific events, I'm constantly pushing our community towards our school and district vision. I strongly believe that all children deserve an exceptional education that is personalized to their individual needs while preparing them to graduate from college. For many of our students, Astor is the first step in this journey of realizing their potential.
I have worked for the last 17 years in Portland Public Schools, first as a paraeducator, then as a teacher, and now as a school leader for the past 8 years. I’ve taught throughout the district, including at SEI, Beverly Cleary, Astor, and Ockley Green. For the last four years, I was the Assistant Principal at Jason Lee. Prior to moving to Portland, I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Fiji Islands with my spouse, Miranda. I’m also an Astor parent and have one daughter who attends our school and another at Roosevelt High School. They have found joy in their experiences as PPS students, and I'm confident all our children at Astor will, too.
Finally, I have an open-door policy; please bring concerns and feedback to me at any time. I know that I will approach every situation striving to do what is best for students and putting them first.
Warmly,
Principal Robertson
brobertson@pps.net
If you’re ever lucky enough to tag along with Tom Myers and his bird club at Skyline School, you’ll most likely notice a few things: that Skyline in the early morning can be a breathtakingly beautiful place, and that if you have a question about birds – or the natural world in general – the man his students call “Teacher Tom” can almost certainly answer it.
PPS is hosting a series of events that focus on Belonging, Equity & Inclusive Practices where we will screen powerful, award-winning documentaries aimed at starting a productive conversation about what is possible in the systems we create for our children with disabilities.
As part of this series, we are excited to welcome you to a live virtual event, Including Samuel, on Monday, October 28 at 5:30 PM at OMSI Empirical Theater. The event will include a screening of Dan Habib’s film, “Including Samuel,” and a conversation with him and his son, Samuel.
The Dr. Matthew Prophet Education Center, the rather staid home to Portland Public Schools administrative staff, had a very different look on Monday evening when it hosted the world premiere of “The Return of Emergetron.”
The red carpet event was in celebration of a new film starring students – and for students – about the many emergency scenarios they might encounter in a typical school year.
Portland Public Schools’ Comprehensive School Psychology program was recently named the recipient of a prestigious $5.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education for its proven track record of improving student well-being and academic performance.
The renewable, school-based mental health grant will be used to provide comprehensive school psychology services to 18 Title I schools across the district for the 2024-25 school year. This is up from 11 schools served in the previous year. Through the duration of the grant, 25 schools designated as Title I at the time of the grant award will receive comprehensive school psychology services.
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM School Board - Policy Committee
8:50 AM - 9:20 AM Principals Coffee Chat
Astor students will learn to be compassionate critical thinkers, able to collaborate and solve problems, and be prepared to lead a more socially just world.
The Mission of Astor K-8 School is to disrupt the predictability of outcomes based on race, specifically for our Black and Native students. We seek to achieve this by educating, inspiring, challenging and empowering our students to reach their highest potential. In partnership with our families and community members, we are committed to daily excellence in a kind, inclusive, and supportive environment that values equity, individuality, collaboration, and creativity. As a neighborhood model school, we strive to support all students regardless of their needs.
We all belong at Astor. We honor diversity, celebrate differences, and seek to understand all perspectives. We strive to be an inclusive, safe, and respectful school community.
We all belong at Astor, and together we are stronger.