Dear Cleveland Community,
We are so excited to welcome students to the 2023-24 school year. Our custodians have been working non-stop to make our classrooms and hallways shine. Kudos to Rob Ryan, Corey Beck and the fantastic custodial crew for all of their hard work. I am happy to be returning with most of my wonderful administrative team for another year of learning together. Alaina Langdahl is now the principal at Creston Elementary. We wish her the greatest success and thank her for her tireless support of Cleveland students, staff and families during her tenure as a Vice Principal. We look forward to building on our work to realize our vision of an inclusive school where students are empowered, inspired and honored.
Please take a few moments and review all the important details of this letter that is packed with what we hope is useful information that you may want to reference all year long.
Gear-up Days
Gear-up is your students’ opportunity to get ready for the new school year by getting their photo IDs and HOP passes, and for families to donate to programs at the school that support your student. The dates for our Gear-up days are as follows:
August 16th: 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. - Seniors
12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. - Juniors
August 17th: 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. - Freshmen
12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. - Sophomores
For more information on Gear-up, please check out our FAQ for Gear-up Days.It is important that students prioritize coming on their assigned day. We will have a photo make-up day on September 6th which is the next available date to get a Photo ID card/Trimet hop pass.
Families who can are asked to help contribute funds to classes and programs each year. Our operational budget does not cover all course supplies and costs, so we rely on contributions from families to enhance the classroom experience for students. Classes that have volunteer contributions associated with them are listed on our CHS Gear-up form accessed in SchoolPay.
Donations and payments for PE shirts, athletic fees, event tickets, uniforms, library fees, sports passes, etc. can be made through each student grade level section on SchoolPay.
First Days of School
Tuesday, August 29th - Freshman and Seniors Only
The school year starts on August 29 for freshmen and seniors only. Seniors will attend from 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. and will meet in the cafeteria for breakfast, get a preview of their senior year and celebrate with one another and staff. Seniors will rotate through two half hour sessions with Counselors and College & Career Coordinators to talk through post-secondary options, Maia learning, College Applications, and more!
Freshmen will attend from 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. where they will connect with academy teachers for community building and orientation. They will have the building to themselves all afternoon and we cannot wait to meet them all!
This is a required day of school which comprises some of the instructional minutes for the school year. We like that we are able to have designated time to build community with our freshmen and to get our seniors off to a great start for their final high school year!
Wednesday, August 30th - First full day for all grades
It will be an A Day (periods 1-4) from 8:30-3:30 p.m.
School Communication
We use a variety of communication means to help keep families, staff and students aware of what is happening at school. The school calendar is updated regularly and posted on our website. Email is one primary way we communicate, and when we email students, we use their PPS email address. Please remind your student to develop a habit of checking their PPS email on a regular basis. Other electronic tools we use to communicate include the following:
Academic Schedule
Students and parents will be able to view schedules in Student/ParentVue starting on August 16th. Counselors will be available for schedule FIXES for the following reasons:
- A student did not get a class that they need for graduation
- A student is in the wrong level of a class (i.e. scheduled for Spanish 1-2, but should be in Spanish 3-4)
- A student has a hole in their schedule
You may see changes to schedules before school starts as we also seek to balance classes. Schedules should be finalized before the school year starts.
Attendance
Class attendance with on time arrival is critical for your student to access the experiences in person to succeed academically. The first few minutes of class sets the tone as the students and teachers build community. As the school year progresses, this time is used to tap into prior learning that sets the foundation for the learning outcomes for the day’s lesson. Rich conversations with their peers and facilitation of learning by their teachers are experiences that are impossible to replicate for students. Should a student need to be absent from school, a parent or guardian needs to clear the absence within 3 days. Email is the best way to communicate with our wonderful attendance support staff: (clevelandattend@pps.net). Students are considered absent if they miss more than 25% of a class period. Families will receive an automated call whenever a student is absent without an excuse.
School Safety
The safety of our students and staff is paramount for us to be able to achieve our primary mission of teaching and learning. Students and staff will participate in monthly safety drills. The purpose of these drills is to have students and staff practice how to evacuate the building efficiently as well as keeping spaces clear for emergency response personnel.
At the beginning of the school day, our front doors are open and staff members welcome students to school. Students must show their student IDs to come into the building at our designated doors: main entrance, east wing and gate between the gym and the main building. Once the school day begins, the exterior doors are locked and everyone entering the building must use the front entrance. Students will need to show their ID cards. Upon the recommendation of the Safety and Security Task Force that was commissioned by Superintendent Guadalupe Guerro last school year, PPS is implementing a practice of having students wear their school ID cards visibly while on campus just like employees must wear their PPS badges while on campus. Last year we distributed lanyards and plastic sleeves to hold the ID cards. If your student still has it, they can use it this year. We will provide lanyards and sleeves for students for this school year as well. You and your student can expect a communication from PPS about this new practice.
Visitors to campus will need to sign in at the main office. Our Campus Safety Agents (CSAs) work with the admin team and staff to help support a safe school environment during the day and at school events.
Electronic Devices
Students will be expected to put their cell phones away during class time and teachers will have places designated for putting them away. We want each and every student engaged in class and making healthy decisions around cell phone use. Students should bring their personal or PPS issued Chromebook to school, fully charged each day.
Student Supports
We want each of our students to feel that they have a trusted adult at the school to talk to, that they know where they can access the support they need to be successful, and where they find the space to be themselves. Students can go to the Student Success Center where they can work with their counselor, our social worker, our student success advocate, administrative support staff and school psychologists. Our College and Career Center is home to our career coordinator and our college coordinator who are aided by a wonderful group of parent volunteers to help students explore options for life after graduation. Our community partners support the mental health and well being of our students and are vital in our work with students and families. In the main office, students can find our vice principals as well as our student attendance coach. Each of our vice principals supports programs at the school that directly impacts students such as student equity council, school climate and community team, and student leadership and activities.
Student Handbook
Our school climate team has been working on a document that outlines practices to support students. The document is grounded in our belief statements around student success and agency. The discipline section emphasizes that our actions are rooted in restorative practices. We are aligned with the PPS Drug and Alcohol policies that promote intervention and education. The student handbook will be linked on our website and ready for students and families to access by the first day of school.
Parent Groups
We have parent groups that play a vital role in the success of our students. These groups welcome the participation of all parents.
The CHS Parent Equity Group
The Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
The CHS Foundation
The CHS Booster Club
Cafeteria, Nutrition Services and Lunch Options
PPS Nutrition Services provides meals at school with breakfast costing $1.60 and lunch costing $3.50. There is no charge for meals for students who qualify for free and reduced meals. SchoolCafe is a safe, secure online payment system that can be used to fund student meal accounts. Meals provided by PPS nutrition services are served in our cafeteria. Students are free to bring their own meals and eat in the cafeteria. Conversely, students purchasing school meals may take their food and eat anywhere they like. Outdoor seating is limited to benches around the campus. Cleveland is an open campus at lunch and while students may leave campus, they should be cognizant that the exterior doors are locked again after lunch and getting back in time for class should be a priority. Regardless of where students choose to eat, they are responsible for cleaning up after themselves and keeping our hallways, cafeteria and campus clean and welcoming.
We hope you share in our excitement about the start of the new school year. We look forward to building community with you, working alongside you to support our students, and celebrating our students with you.
With kind regards,
Your CHS administrative team
Jo Ann Wadkins, Principal
Sean Murray, Vice Principal
Danielle Cota, Vice Principal
