Dear Families,

Welcome to the 2021-22 school year. As a staff, we eagerly look forward to reconnecting with our community and building new relationships. It is our hope that through these turbulent times, you were able to both strengthen your ties with loved ones and work to heal the inequities that exist in our society. 

As has been true for the past eighteen months, there is uncertainty about exactly what the months ahead will look like. We are still planning to re-open school in-person, full days, five days a week. You can find information about the district safety plans at https://www.mkt-box.com/pps/backtoschool2021. As we get closer to the first day of school, you will receive more specific information about our building plans, including entry and exit procedures. 

The first day of school for grades 2-5 is Wednesday, September 1st. School doors will open at 8:37, and school will begin at 8:45, dismissing at 3:00 pm. Kindergarten and first grade are on a staggered start and will be notified by mail regarding their start date.

Many people are curious about staffing. We have one new teacher joining us this year. Ms. Jinnet Powel is our new 5th grade humanities teacher. This year, both 4th and 5th grades will be departmentalizing, with one teacher focusing on the math, science and health portions of the content and the other teacher focusing on reading, writing and social studies. This change allows teachers to strengthen their expertise by narrowing the content bands they are required to teach. It will also allow students diversity in their teachers and begin preparing them for middle school.  

We have had a few shifts in positions; staffing for the 2020-21 school year is as follows:

Kindergarten:  Ms. Cooper, Ms. Larsen, Ms. Pearson

1st Grade:  Ms. Peake, Ms. Pinder

2nd Grade:  Mr. Brown, Ms. Ferguson

3rd Grade:  Ms. Michels, Mr. Wolfe

4th Grade:  Ms. Shutt, Mr. Ibrahim

5th Grade:  Ms. Brislin, Ms. Powel

PE: Ms. Nguyen

Music: Ms. Schrepping 

Media: Ms. Hall (½ time)

Art: Ms. Castillo-Harding

Counselor: Ms. Spiers

Social Worker: TBD

School Climate Coach: Ms. Whitaker

Learning Center: Ms. Lopez (½ time)

Speech Pathologist: Ms. LeMeune

ELL: Ms. Routtenberg

Reading Intervention: Ms. Bush, Ms. Lopez (½ time)

Math Intervention: Ms. Hall (½ time)

Paraeducator: Ms. DeRuiter

Educational Assistant: Ms. Newton, TBD

Library Assistant: Ms. Woodward

School Secretary: Ms. Holm

Principal’s Secretary: Ms. Pettit

Custodian: Ms. DeWeese, Mr. Moore

School Supplies

The supply lists for in person learning are available on our website here. If you need support in getting supplies, please contact Ms. Spiers at espiers@pps.net.

Free and Reduced Lunch

For the 2021-22 school year, all students are eligible for breakfast and lunch at school, at no charge. However, by applying for meal benefits, families may become eligible for additional benefits, such as reduced fee waivers for school related fees, child care discount and low cost internet. You can apply at:  https://www.pps.net/Page/2464. If you’re having difficulty with the process don’t hesitate to call nutrition services at (503) 916-3399, or call us.

I am extremely excited for the upcoming year and look forward to continuing to build community, advance social justice issues and improve learning.

Sincerely,
Amber Gerber
Principal, Chief Joseph Elementary School
agerber@pps.net
971.284.7108