Dear Franklin Families and Students: 

This is a special week in schools across the nation as we celebrate National Teachers Appreciation Week.  Each week our teaching staff continues to do the unthinkable as they adjust to the complexities associated with teaching and learning amid a pandemic.  This year alone our staff have navigated through the elements with adjusting schedules due to fires and even an ice storm. They showed support as they  made welcome videos for Back to School Night, conducted virtual Parent, Teacher, and Student conferences, and created informational course videos for forecasting and Discover Franklin. Through creativity and innovation they reinvented themselves and learned new technology platforms including Canvas, Nearpod, Jamboard, Flipgrid and many others as a means to engage students in a virtual model. 

Lastly they’ve demonstrated their resilience as they adapted to various teaching models throughout the year and created lessons for synchronous, asynchronous, Limited In Person Instruction (LIPI), and Hybrid instruction, while honoring and recognizing the amazing Franklin students entrusted to their care. We are so thankful and fortunate to have such an amazing assembly of professional educators.  Thank you Franklin staff!! We appreciate you!!! 

Thank you video created by our PTSA

A VidDay video for Franklin High School Teachers and Staff

*Please Note: Unmasked pictures were taken pre-COVID & pre- school closure

Updates/Reminders/Highlights

COVID Vaccinations - Students 16 and older - NEW

Students 16 and older at Portland school districts, including PPS, are being offered a new opportunity for free-of-charge COVID-19 vaccinations, starting next week at the Oregon Convention Center. If your 16+ student has not yet been vaccinated, you can take advantage of this opportunity, which is also available to family members.: https://bit.ly/3b2GLBk"

Families and kids can also go to the convention center without an appointment or sign up on their own online (https://all4oregon.org/)  They are closed this weekend. 

QR Code to sign up:

Please see the Student Vaccination Slides for additional information.

SENIOR CORNER NEWS - NEW

GRADUATION DAY INFORMATION ~ Franklin High School’s Graduation Ceremony will be held at Providence Park on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, at 7:30pm. More information and details will be forthcoming. We encourage you to frequently visit Franklin’s website at https://www.pps.net/franklin or the SENIOR CORNER for the latest communication. We look forward to celebrating and honoring the Graduates of 2021 in a fashion that is fitting of such a special class. We will continue our tradition and wish to encourage every eligible student to participate. Please help us make the 2021 senior ceremonies a memorable experience for all of our graduates and families.

Franklin celebrates Asian-American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Franklin celebrates Asian-American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month.  This is a school-wide celebration as we recognize and honor the contributions of Asian American & Pacific Islanders to our country and our communities.

SNAP BENEFITS UPDATE FOR FAMILIES - NEW

Recently, the Food and Nutrition Service (the agency that manages the SNAP program at the federal level) changed the way they are issuing emergency extra SNAP benefits that have been available throughout the pandemic. This means moving forward, Oregon Department of Human Services will now start issuing extra emergency SNAP benefits to:

• SNAP participants who did not receive them in the past - those that were already at the maximum benefit amount for their household size. These participants will start receiving an additional $95 in benefits. And

• Those who, in the past, only received a small amount (less than $95) of the emergency benefits - these households will get up to $95 (the difference between what they were receiving before and $95). Along with

• Continuing to issue extra benefits for all SNAP participants to get to the maximum amount for their household size, as has been the case since early on in the pandemic. Households that currently receive more than $95 in these emergency benefits won’t see a change in the amount they receive.

The first issuance of additional benefits for these new groups will be April 30th. This will happen automatically with these benefits being added directly to participants EBT cards.

Help spread the word. We want to make sure our community feels comfortable using these extra benefits for food and that they do not worry that they received an overpayment or were issued benefits by mistake.

Resources:

• Details can be found on the DHS website

• ODHS transmittal shares good examples for individual households of how this change works

PANDEMIC EBT BENEFITS - NEW

While meals are served at no cost to children ages 1-18 at several Portland Public School sites this year, there are several benefits for eligible families to submit a meal application this school year.

• Families approved for free and reduced-price meals may be eligible to receive future potential government assistance such as Pandemic EBT benefits (*please note that Oregon has not been approved yet for expanded Pandemic EBT benefits; we will alert families when we learn more and if it is approved). 

• Families may be eligible for other benefits such as school related fee reduction or waivers, low cost internet and health coverage.

Families do not need to submit a meal application if any of the following apply:

• All students in the household attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school (list located online: https://www.pps.net/Page/2088) where students eat meals at no cost.

• A meal application has already been submitted and approved for the 2020-21 school year.

• The household received a 2020-21 Direct Certification Approval letter.

• The household does not meet the 2020-21 Federal Income Guidelines

Eligible families who would like to submit a meal application have the following options:

1. Online at www.schoolcafe.com/pps.

2. Print, complete and mail back a paper meal application (https://www.pps.net/Page/2464) to PPS Nutrition Services, 501 N. Dixon St., Portland, OR 97227.

3. Request a paper meal application be mailed home from mealbenefits@pps.net or call 503.916.3402.

For meal benefits related questions, please email mealbenefits@pps.net or call 503.916.3402.

Southeast Guiding Coalition Update- A Message from PPS 

The scope and timeline of Phase 2 of the Enrollment and Program Balancing process will be discussed during the PPS Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, May 11. In February, the Board approved Resolution 6236, which completed Phase 1 of the process. 

PPS staff is proposing a narrowed scope for Phase 2 that focuses on three areas:

·       Converting Harrison Park (currently a K-8) into a 6-8 middle school

·       Re-locating Harrison Park K-5 students 

·       Increasing enrollment at Lane Middle School

The proposed timeline includes a few meetings between May and August for the Southeast Guiding Coalition to orient new members, review new data and learn about school programs and services. The proposed timeline also offers meeting time between September and November to test scenarios and listen to stakeholder feedback at open houses and other events.  

The Southeast Guiding Coalition’s recommendation is due to the Deputy Superintendent by the end of December, with Board consideration beginning in January 2022. Implementation of Board-approved changes will begin in Fall 2022. 

For more information about the Enrollment and Balancing process, please visit https://www.pps.net/enrollmentbalancing. To access the board materials about the Phase 2 proposed scope of work and a list of included schools, visit https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Organization/915. If you would like to watch the Board Meeting on May 11 at 6 p.m., please go to www.youtube.com/user/ppscomms/live.

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Additional Opportunities for students:

• Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace Flier

• Cognizart 360 Arts Camp 2021 (ages 6-12) - July 5-9 & July 12-16

• PSU Portland Summer Percussion Academy (ages 12-18) - July 19-21

• OSU Precollege Programs Summer Reading Skills Programs (ages 4 through 11th grade)

In Person Instruction/Hybrid Information 

PPS Protocols for Potential COVID Related Exposure - REMINDER

Daily Self Screening - REMINDER

Please screen students before they come to school.  

Self-Screening Checklist

Students who answer yes to any of the questions in the “Daily Illness Self-Screening Checklist” above should stay home, consult their healthcare provider, and contact the school at (503) 916-5140 or email Franklin Attendance at franklinattend@pps.net