SMS Weekly Newsletter
-
Sellwood Middle School Newsletter (sent weekly via email)
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Principal's Newsletter 3.8.2024
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – March 8, 2024
Greetings Sellwood Community,
Happy Friday! The sun is shining briefly this afternoon, and I plan to get out and enjoy it before the rain returns.
This evening, the Sellwood Foundation will be holding a fundraiser, Drag Queen Bingo. Please read on for details. I hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
SELLWOOD FOUNDATION
DRAG QUEEN BINGO
TONIGHT! MARCH 8 FROM 7-9PM
ATTN: Adults 21+ only No parking at the Manor!
https://donorbox.org/events/
557573 Join us for an unforgettable evening of Drag Queen Bingo, March 8, at Westmoreland’s Union Manor! Get ready for a night of fun and fabulous prizes, including a weekend getaway on the OREGON COAST, a SUNRIVER condo stay, and a brand new E-SCOOTER (raffle $5/ticket)! Not a grand prize winner? No worries. Each prize bundle is valued over $200 and includes gift cards to local wineries, restaurants, event spaces, salons and so much more.
Tickets for bingo are $25 for the first card, $5 for additional cards - and you can even snag a card for a teacher! SMS teachers and administrators get their first card free, and $5 for each additional card.
Our dazzling host and Portland drag sensation, Coco Jem Holiday, will be calling numbers and keeping the laughter rolling!
Indulge in wine, beer, N/A drinks and freshly popped popcorn for sale as you bingo your way to victory! Speaking of wine- anyone who donates a bottle of wine will get a free ticket to the Sunriver raffle!! One bottle = One raffle ticket. Donate generously! Bring a bottle or two with you tonight to get in on the Sunriver fun!
Don’t miss out - grab your tickets now at https://donorbox.org/
events/557573 or get them at the door!! Let’s bingo and win like never before!! Follow the SMS Foundation on Instagram @sellwoodmiddlefoundation to learn more! This event is 21&up.P.E.A.K. AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM – SPRING REGISTRATION
The PEAK Program is a series of in-person after school classes open to all Sellwood students. The PEAK program is totally independent of Sellwood Middle School and is under the jurisdiction of PTA. Scholarships are available as the PEAK goal is to include every SMS student.
Register for classes at https://tinyurl.com/
sellwoodpeakprogram If you are a first time user you will need to create an account for your student.
**If you are already taking a class in the Winter you DO need to register again for Spring Session**
Scholarship request form is here: https://tinyurl.com/
PEAKScholarship Please email sellwoodpeakprogram@
gmail.com with any questions.Classes open for registration:
- Marimba
- PEAK marimba is a once a week class (Thursdays from 4-5PM) that teaches students the basics of playing in a marimba ensemble. No experience is necessary. Instruments are provided. Students will learn to play music in a group setting.
- Choir
- This is a student-led choir class provided by the Cleveland Choir Department, and the Cleveland Youth Choir (CYC) team. With the support of the Cleveland Choir director, Cleveland Choir students will lead a class filled with fun singing activities, practicing musicality skills, and learning about other cultures and stories through song! It is not only an educational opportunity, but a performance opportunity. Students who participate will have an opportunity to perform with the Cleveland Choir at one of our events.
- Speech and Debate
- The Cleveland High Speech and Debate team is one the largest and most successful programs at the school. Find out why these students love it so much, and build your own debate skills. You will practice speaking and debating skills in preparation for local middle school competitions The Sellwood team will be coached by team captains from Cleveland.
- Chess Club (FULL)
- Red Cross Babysitting Class (FULL)
Opening for registration soon- Coding with Kids
- Rogue Pack Theatre Collective Class
PTA NEWS
Spring See’s Candy Sale
Two weeks left for See’s candy orders! Order spring treats now through 3/15 and support the Sellwood Middle School PTA. Chocolatey goodness delivered straight to your door:
https://www.yumraising.com/
secure/sellwoodmsp_sellwood_ middle_school_spring_fun91/ MegPer6757/candy Sellwood Garden Tour 2024; Looking for Gardens!
We are happy to announce that we are working to host the Sellwood Garden Tour again this year. This event raises funds for Sellwood as well as provides a wonderful community event.
We are looking for gardens to showcase this year. Please let us know if you have any leads on beautiful outdoor spaces!
If you would like to help on the Garden Tour committee or if you know of a local business who may want to sponsor the event please reach out!
We need our school community's support to make this year's event a success again. Thank you!
Sellwood Dines Out
Thank you to Reverend’s BBQ for supporting our middle school and hosting Sellwood Dines Out on 2/28! We are grateful for your support.
Funds from Sellwood Dines Out support educational programs, student scholarships, and teacher/staff classroom projects at SMS.
Important links:
- PTA email: sellwoodpta@gmail.com
- Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta - Join Konstella: https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 - Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/
FROM SCHOOL CLIMATE SPECIALIST, MATTHEW MORTENSEN
Staying hydrated is essential for student well-being and academic success. Here are some strategies we’ve implemented at Sellwood to encourage healthy habits:
1. Water Bottle-Friendly Classrooms: We actively encourage students to bring their water bottles to class. Having water readily available helps students stay hydrated throughout the day and stay in class for instruction.
2. Water Fountains and Hydration Stations: Our school is equipped with clean and well-maintained hydration stations with water fountains and dispensers. These stations are conveniently placed throughout the school, ensuring that students can refill their bottles easily during breaks or during class.
3. Say No to Sugary Drinks: We’re committed to reducing the consumption of sugary beverages. Students are encouraged to choose water over sodas and energy drinks loaded with added sugars.
4. Caffeine Awareness: While some students may enjoy caffeinated drinks, we emphasize moderation. High caffeine intake can disrupt sleep patterns and affect concentration. We encourage students to limit their consumption of energy drinks and coffee during school hours.
SELLWOOD’S SCHOOL PLAY – FROM DRAMA TEACHER MS. CRABTREE
SPRING PLAY AUDITIONS: “Roshambo”- General Auditions and Callbacks will be held the week of April 1-5.
- Auditioning students and students who wish to work as crew, along with their parents/guardians must download and read the script of the play (25 pages). You can find the script here: ROSHAMBOrehearsalAuditio
nPerusalCopy ⇚ This copy of the play is for reading only and you may not copy or perform the play without paying for licensing from theaterfolk.com - The “Roshambo: Audition Information Packet” document will be available here hopefully by Thursday.
- Parents/guardians, potential crew and actors: please read the “Roshambo: Audition Information Packet” document, sign it and turn it in to Ms. Crabtree's INBOX by March 22nd.
- Rehearsals will last 5 weeks, from April 8-May-8 The play performances will be May 9 & 10 and there will also be a school wide assembly performance during the afternoon (during school day-time TBA) of May 10.
ABOUT:
What the play is about
(this is the promotional description from the publisher)
“Some people take Rock-Paper-Scissors (aka Roshambo) seriously. Very seriously. So seriously they organize championship matches with national rankings.
Lindsay is number two in the country and she’s not happy losing her top ranking. She’s not above throwing an illegal “scipper”. What will she do to Taylor, the number one player? Maybe Taylor’s not that keen on playing anyway. Rock-Paper-Scissors isn’t as fun as it used to be.”
Casting Opportunities
Roshambo has 16 roles. There are numerous roles for those who identify as females, males, and non-binary actors.
The Production Roshambo will have 3 performances, the evenings of Thursday and Friday, May 9 & 10, There will also be a school wide assembly performance during the afternoon (during school day-time TBA) of May 10. All performances will be held on the stage in the large gym of SMS.
OUTDOOR SCHOOL FOR 6TH GRADERS
6th grade students will be attending Outdoor School (ODS) Sunday, March 17th - Friday, March 22nd. 6th grade students' 4th period teachers should have already communicated details via email to parents. Click here to learn more about Outdoor School.
MESD Outdoor School Gear Library is open if you need gear for the camp (sleeping bag, rain jackets, coats, hats, fleeces, warm clothing, rain boots, toiletries); located at 12027 NE Sumner St.
GIRLS INC PNW
I'm Emily Ehlers, the STEAM program coordinator for Girls Inc. PNW. I'm reaching out because Girls Inc. PNW is currently recruiting for our Summer STEAM program, Eureka! We are reaching out to educators and families across the Portland Metro area to make sure they know about our programs and the empowering opportunities we offer our youth.
Program Overview:
- Open to current in 7th, 8th or 10th grade youth
- Free for youth and families
- 4-week long STEAM Summer camp with daily guest speakers, weekly field trips, and engaging STEAM activities at local college sites Portland State University, and Mount Hood Community College
- Paid internship opportunities
- College and career readiness support
More information about Eureka! and Girls Inc. of the PNW:
- Girls Inc PNW: https://girlsincpnw.org/
- Eureka! Overview: https://girlsincpnw.
org/what-we-do/programs/ eureka/ - Eureka Application: https://
girlsincpnw.org/apply-for- eureka/
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- March 12: 5th-grade Parent Info Night
- March 17-22: Outdoor School for 6th-graders
- March 25 to March 29: Spring Break
- April 5: No School for Students – Teacher Planning Day
- April 8: Make-up Day (Previously not a school day for students)
- May 9 & 10: Sellwood School Play “Roshambo”
- May 15: All 8th grade Field Trip to the University of Portland
- May 22: Band Concert & Art Show
- May 27: Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL
- June 6: Showcase Night
- June 10: OAKS Park – 8th Grade
- June 11: OAKS Park – 6th and 7th Grades
- June 12-14: Make-up Days
- June 14: 8th Grade Promotion
- June 14: Last Day of School – Half Day
- Marimba
-
Principal's Newsletter 3.1.2024
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – March 4, 2024
Greetings Sellwood Community,
My apologies for not sending the newsletter on Friday; I was out sick.
This Friday, the Sellwood Foundation will be holding their fundraiser, Drag Queen Bingo, at Westmoreland’s Union Manor. I attended last year with my husband, and it was a fun time with great entertainment. The prizes are also top-notch. The details are outlined below. We hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
Spring See’s Candy Sale
Two weeks left for See’s candy orders! Order spring treats now through 3/15 and support the Sellwood Middle School PTA. Chocolatey goodness delivered straight to your door:
https://www.yumraising.com/
secure/sellwoodmsp_sellwood_ middle_school_spring_fun91/ MegPer6757/candy Sellwood Garden Tour 2024; Looking for Gardens!
We are happy to announce that we are working to host the Sellwood Garden Tour again this year. This event raises funds for Sellwood as well as provides a wonderful community event.
We are looking for gardens to showcase this year. Please let us know if you have any leads on beautiful outdoor spaces!
If you would like to help on the Garden Tour committee or if you know of a local business who may want to sponsor the event please reach out!
We need our school community's support to make this year's event a success again. Thank you!
Sellwood Dines Out
Thank you to Reverend’s BBQ for supporting our middle school and hosting Sellwood Dines Out on 2/28! We are grateful for your support.
Funds from Sellwood Dines Out support educational programs, student scholarships, and teacher/staff classroom projects at SMS.
Important links:
- PTA email: sellwoodpta@gmail.com
- Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta - Join Konstella: https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 - Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/
SELLWOOD FOUNDATION
DRAG QUEEN BINGO
MARCH 8 FROM 7-9PM
https://donorbox.org/events/
557573
Join us for an unforgettable evening of Drag Queen Bingo on March 8 at Westmoreland’s Union Manor! Get ready for a night of fun and fabulous prizes, including a weekend getaway on the OREGON COAST, a SUNRIVER condo stay, and a brand new E-SCOOTER (raffle $5/ticket)! Not a grand prize winner? No worries. Each prize bundle is valued over $200 and includes gift cards to local wineries, restaurants, event spaces, salons and so much more.
Tickets for bingo are $25 for the first card, $5 for additional cards - and you can even snag a card for a teacher! SMS teachers and administrators get their first card free, and $5 for each additional card.
Our dazzling host and Portland drag sensation, Coco Jem Holiday, will be calling numbers and keeping the laughter rolling!
Indulge in wine, beer, N/A drinks and freshly popped popcorn for sale as you bingo your way to victory! Speaking of wine- anyone who donates a bottle of wine will get a free ticket to the Sunriver raffle!! One bottle = One raffle ticket, so donate generously! Please drop wine donations with your name on the bottle to one of the addresses listed below.
Don’t miss out - grab your tickets now at https://donorbox.org/events/
557573 and let’s bingo and win like never before!! Follow the SMS Foundation on Instagram @sellwoodmiddlefoundation to learn more! This event is 21&up.Donation locations:
7408 SE 46th Ave.
3704 SE Ogden St.
7125 SE 21st Ave.
SELLWOOD’S SCHOOL PLAY – FROM DRAMA TEACHER MS. CRABTREE
ROSHAMBO
Auditions will be the week of April 1-5.
Rehearsals will be 5 weeks, from April 8 through May-8
The play performances will be May 9 & 10 and there will also be a school wide assembly performance during the afternoon (during school day-time TBA) of May 10.
ABOUT:
What the play is about (this is the promotional description from the publisher)
“Some people take Rock-Paper-Scissors (aka Roshambo) seriously. Very seriously. So seriously they organize championship matches with national rankings.
Lindsay is number two in the country and she’s not happy losing her top ranking. She’s not above throwing an illegal “scipper”. What will she do to Taylor, the number one player? Maybe Taylor’s not that keen on playing anyway. Rock-Paper-Scissors isn’t as fun as it used to be.”
Casting Opportunities
Roshambo has 16 roles. There are numerous roles for those who identify as females, males, and non-binary actors.
The Production Roshambo will have 3 performances, the evenings of Thursday and Friday, May 9 & 10, There will also be a school wide assembly performance during the afternoon (during school day-time TBA) of May 10. All performances will be held on the stage in the large gym of SMS.
OUTDOOR SCHOOL FOR 6TH GRADERS
6th grade students will be attending Outdoor School (ODS) Sunday, March 17th - Friday, March 22nd. 6th grade students' 4th period teachers should have already communicated details via email to parents. Be on the lookout for those emails as they have important information for you about this. Click here to learn more about Outdoor School.
MESD Outdoor School Gear Library is open if you need gear for the camp (sleeping bag, rain jackets, coats, hats, fleeces, warm clothing, rain boots, toiletries); located at 12027 NE Sumner St.
LEWIS SCIENCE CAMP FUNDRAISER – “LEWIS ROCKS”
On Saturday, March 2nd, from 4-7PM, Lewis Elementary School will host a benefit concert raising funds for their 5th Grade Science Camp. Please see the flyer for more details.
GIRLS INC PNW
I'm Emily Ehlers, the STEAM program coordinator for Girls Inc. PNW. I'm reaching out because Girls Inc. PNW is currently recruiting for our Summer STEAM program, Eureka! We are reaching out to educators and families across the Portland Metro area to make sure they know about our programs and the empowering opportunities we offer our youth.
Program Overview:
- Open to current in 7th, 8th or 10th grade youth
- Free for youth and families
- 4-week long STEAM Summer camp with daily guest speakers, weekly field trips, and engaging STEAM activities at local college sites Portland State University, and Mount Hood Community College
- Paid internship opportunities
- College and career readiness support
More information about Eureka! and Girls Inc. of the PNW:
- Girls Inc PNW: https://girlsincpnw.org/
- Eureka! Overview: https://girlsincpnw.
org/what-we-do/programs/ eureka/ - Eureka Application: https://
girlsincpnw.org/apply-for- eureka/
PROGRAMS, EVENTS & RESOURCES
Camps, Classes, & After School Programs:
- VIBE of Portland Music & Digital Art Classes for Kids
- Cognizart 360 Arts Camp (July 8-12, 15-19, & 22-26)
- OSU Summer Reading Program
- VIBE of Portland Art Camps & Classes
- AFS-USA Student Exchange Programs (Flier 1) (Flier 2)
Preschool Programs:
- Portland Parks Preschool 2024-25
“Portland Parks & Recreation is holding a registration lottery for our Educational Preschool program for the 2024-25 school year. Interested families can apply now through February 21 to be included in the lottery.” - Multnomah Early Childhood Program Free Preschool Classes
(Spanish) (Vietnamese)
Community Events & Information:
- Oregon State University Summer Dog-training Research Program for Children with Developmental Differences
- City of Portland 311 Non-Emergency Hotline
(Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali)
Vaccinations, Health & Wellness:
- Multnomah County Free Community Vaccination Clinic (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays)
(English) (Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali) - Multnomah County Student Health Centers (fliers in English, Russian, Chinese, and Vietnamese):
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- March 12: 5th-grade Parent Info Night
- March 17-22: Outdoor School for 6th-graders
- March 25 to March 29: Spring Break
- April 5: No School for Students – Teacher Planning Day
- April 8: Make-up Day (Previously not a school day for students)
- May 9 & 10: Sellwood School Play “Roshambo”
- May 15: All 8th grade Field Trip to the University of Portland
- May 22: Band Concert & Art Show
- May 27: Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL
- June 6: Showcase Night
- June 10: OAKS Park – 8th Grade
- June 11: OAKS Park – 6th and 7th Grades
- June 12-14: Make-up Days
- June 14: 8th Grade Promotion
- June 14: Last Day of School – Half Day
-
Principal's Newsletter 2.23.2024
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – February 23, 2024
Greetings Sellwood Community,
It’s been a busy week. The days are getting longer and it was wonderful to see the sunshine to day when we went outside for our monthly fire drill.
I would like to give a shout out to our amazing Sellwood Stars Dance Team. At their February 17th competition in Milwaukie, and they placed 2nd in both the Middle School Jazz and Contemporary divisions. They also took home 4 drill down awards. Congratulations, Sellwood Stars!
Enjoy the weekend,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
Sellwood Dines Out; Reverend’s BBQ Wednesday 2/28
Please join us Wednesday, February 28th and enjoy some amazing BBQ. Thank you to Reverend’s for supporting our middle school! The PTA Board will be there from 6-8pm; come say hi!
Funds from Sellwood Dines Out support educational programs, student scholarships, and teacher/staff classroom projects at SMS.
Spring See’s Candy Sale
Easy way to support SMS! See’s will mail orders directly to you.
https://www.yumraising.com/
secure/sellwoodmsp_sellwood_ middle_school_spring_fun91/ MegPer6757/candy Sellwood Garden Tour 2024
We are happy to announce that we are working to host the Sellwood Garden Tour again this year. This event raises funds for Sellwood as well as provides a wonderful community event.
We are looking for gardens to showcase this year. Please let us know if you have any leads on beautiful outdoor spaces!
If you would like to help on the Garden Tour committee or if you know of a local business who may want to sponsor the event please reach out!
We need our school community's support to make this year's event a success again. Thank you!
Sellwood Dines Out; Reverend’s BBQ 2/28
Please join us Wednesday, February 28th and enjoy some amazing BBQ. Thank you to Reverend’s for supporting our middle school!
Funds from Sellwood Dines Out support educational programs, student scholarships, and teacher/staff classroom projects at SMS.
Important links:
- PTA email: sellwoodpta@gmail.com
- Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta - Join Konstella: https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 - Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/
SELLWOOD FOUNDATION
Hello SMS Families and Sellwood Staff,
DONATE WINE FOR DRAG QUEEN BINGO AND WIN TWO NIGHTS AT A SUNRIVER CONDO!!!!
Anyone who donates a bottle of wine will get a free ticket to the Sunriver raffle!! One bottle = One raffle ticket, so donate generously! Please drop wine donations with your name on the bottle to one of the addresses listed below.
Donation locations:
7408 SE 46th Ave.
6924 SE 19th Ave.
3704 SE Ogden St.
With Gratitude,
Sellwood Middle School Foundation
OUTDOOR SCHOOL FOR 6TH GRADERS
6th grade students will be attending Outdoor School (ODS) Sunday, March 17th - Friday, March 22nd. 6th grade students' 4th period teachers should have already communicated details via email to parents. Be on the lookout for those emails as they have important information for you about this. Click here to learn more about Outdoor School.
MESD Outdoor School Gear Library is open if you need gear for the camp (sleeping bag, rain jackets, coats, hats, fleeces, warm clothing, rain boots, toiletries); located at 12027 NE Sumner St.
LEWIS SCIENCE CAMP FUNDRAISER – “LEWIS ROCKS”
On Saturday, March 2nd, from 4-7PM, Lewis Elementary School will host a benefit concert raising funds for their 5th Grade Science Camp. Please see the flyer for more details.
GIRLS INC PNW
I'm Emily Ehlers, the STEAM program coordinator for Girls Inc. PNW. I'm reaching out because Girls Inc. PNW is currently recruiting for our Summer STEAM program, Eureka! We are reaching out to educators and families across the Portland Metro area to make sure they know about our programs and the empowering opportunities we offer our youth.
Program Overview:
- Open to current in 7th, 8th or 10th grade youth
- Free for youth and families
- 4-week long STEAM Summer camp with daily guest speakers, weekly field trips, and engaging STEAM activities at local college sites Portland State University, and Mount Hood Community College
- Paid internship opportunities
- College and career readiness support
More information about Eureka! and Girls Inc. of the PNW:
- Girls Inc PNW: https://girlsincpnw.org/
- Eureka! Overview: https://girlsincpnw.
org/what-we-do/programs/ eureka/ - Eureka Application: https://
girlsincpnw.org/apply-for- eureka/
PROGRAMS, EVENTS & RESOURCES
Camps, Classes, & After School Programs:
- VIBE of Portland Music & Digital Art Classes for Kids
- Cognizart 360 Arts Camp (July 8-12, 15-19, & 22-26)
- OSU Summer Reading Program
- VIBE of Portland Art Camps & Classes
- AFS-USA Student Exchange Programs (Flier 1) (Flier 2)
Preschool Programs:
- Portland Parks Preschool 2024-25
“Portland Parks & Recreation is holding a registration lottery for our Educational Preschool program for the 2024-25 school year. Interested families can apply now through February 21 to be included in the lottery.” - Multnomah Early Childhood Program Free Preschool Classes
(Spanish) (Vietnamese)
Community Events & Information:
- Oregon State University Summer Dog-training Research Program for Children with Developmental Differences
- City of Portland 311 Non-Emergency Hotline
(Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali)
Vaccinations, Health & Wellness:
- Multnomah County Free Community Vaccination Clinic (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays)
(English) (Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali) - Multnomah County Student Health Centers (fliers in English, Russian, Chinese, and Vietnamese):
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- March 12: 5th-grade Parent Info Night
- March 17-22: Outdoor School for 6th-graders
- March 25 to March 29: Spring Break
- April 5: No School for Students – Teacher Planning Day
- April 8: Make-up Day (Previously not a school day for students)
- May 9 & 10: Sellwood School Play “Roshambo”
- May 15: All 8th grade Field Trip to the University of Portland
- May 22: Band Concert & Art Show
- May 27: Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL
- June 6: Showcase Night
- June 10: OAKS Park – 8th Grade
- June 11: OAKS Park – 6th and 7th Grades
- June 12-14: Make-up Days
- June 14: 8th Grade Promotion
- June 14: Last Day of School – Half Day
-
Principal's Newsletter 2.16.2024
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – February 16, 2024
Greetings Sellwood Community,
This week, all school principals received their staffing allocations for the upcoming school year. You may have read about the predicted staffing cuts, reduction in services, and cost-saving measures. Unfortunately, Sellwood will not be immune to these cuts. Although there is always the possibility of future changes, we will most certainly be impacted.
Right now, I am still working through the staffing process, but I will be able to share more specifics about any changes in a few weeks. Sorry the news is not better.
Also, don't forget that Monday, which is also Presidents' Day, is a make-up school day.
Enjoy the weekend,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
OUTDOOR SCHOOL FOR 6TH GRADERS
6th grade students will be attending Outdoor School (ODS) Sunday, March 17th - Friday, March 22nd. 6th grade students' 4th period teachers should have already communicated details via email to parents. Be on the lookout for those emails as they have important information for you about this. Click here to learn more about Outdoor School.
MESD Outdoor School Gear Library is open if you need gear for the camp (sleeping bag, rain jackets, coats, hats, fleeces, warm clothing, rain boots, toiletries); located at 12027 NE Sumner St.
PTA NEWS
Sellwood Garden Tour 2024
We are happy to announce that we are working to host the Sellwood Garden Tour again this year. This event raises funds for Sellwood as well as provides a wonderful community event.
We are looking for gardens to showcase this year. Please let us know if you have any leads on beautiful outdoor spaces!
If you would like to help on the Garden Tour committee or if you know of a local business who may want to sponsor the event please reach out!
We need our school community's support to make this year's event a success again. Thank you!
Sellwood Dines Out; Reverend’s BBQ 2/28
Please join us Wednesday, February 28th and enjoy some amazing BBQ. Thank you to Reverend’s for supporting our middle school!
Funds from Sellwood Dines Out support educational programs, student scholarships, and teacher/staff classroom projects at SMS.
Important links:
- PTA email: sellwoodpta@gmail.com
- Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta - Join Konstella: https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 - Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/
SELLWOOD FOUNDATION
DRAG QUEEN BINGO
MARCH 8 FROM 7-9PM
https://donorbox.org/events/
557573 Join us for an unforgettable evening of Drag Queen Bingo on March 8 at Westmoreland’s Union Manor! Get ready for a night of fun and fabulous prizes, including a weekend getaway on the OREGON COAST, a SUNRIVER condo stay, and a brand new E-SCOOTER (raffle $5/ticket)! Not a grand prize winner? No worries. Each prize bundle is valued over $200 and includes gift cards to local wineries, restaurants, event spaces, salons and so much more.
Tickets for bingo are $25 for the first card, $5 for additional cards - and you can even snag a card for a teacher! SMS teachers and administrators get their first card free, and $5 for each additional card.
Our dazzling host and Portland drag sensation, Coco Jem Holiday, will be calling numbers and keeping the laughter rolling!
Indulge in wine, beer, N/A drinks and freshly popped popcorn for sale as you bingo your way to victory! Speaking of wine- anyone who donates a bottle of wine will get a free ticket to the Sunriver raffle!! One bottle = One raffle ticket, so donate generously! Please drop wine donations with your name on the bottle to one of the addresses listed below.
Don’t miss out - grab your tickets now at https://donorbox.org/events/
557573 and let’s bingo and win like never before!! Follow the SMS Foundation on Instagram @sellwoodmiddlefoundation to learn more!Donation locations:
7408 SE 46th Ave.
6924 SE 19th Ave.
3704 SE Ogden St.
EXCLUSION DAY, IMMUNIZATIONS BY WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21
PPS is required to ensure that all students are up to date on all school-required immunizations, or have a signed medical exemption letter signed by a licensed physician or a non-medical exemption, by Wednesday, February 21, 2024 (“Exclusion Day”). Immunizations are required by state law for children and students in attendance at public and private schools, preschools, childcare facilities and Head Start programs in Oregon.
On February 7th, the Multnomah County Health Department (MCHD) will mail a notification letter to all students who are due to receive one or more required vaccinations or who do not have a record of immunization. Students who do not have all their school-required vaccines or a qualifying exemption by Exclusion Day will not be allowed to attend school until their immunizations are up-to-date.
What to do if you get a letter
- Call your school if you have already provided your child’s immunization record to the school and verify whether the school has a copy on file.
- If your student needs updated vaccinations, get your child immunized right away. You can schedule an appointment with your child’s regular health care provider, or with:
- One of the MCHD Student Health Centers. Benson High School students can call the Benson Wellness Center (OHSU).
- The MCHD Immunization Clinic at 619 NW 6th Avenue, Room 150, Portland, OR. This Clinic occurs every Tuesday and Thursday 9am - 4pm, and Friday 10am - 5pm. Call 503-988-4724 for an appointment.
- Bring to your child’s appointment the Certificate of Immunization Status Form that was included with the letter you received from MCHD. This Form will let the provider know what vaccinations your student still needs. If you misplace the CIS Form you received in the mail, you can request another copy from your child’s school).
- Once your student has received their required vaccines, sign the completed immunization form and turn it in to your child’s school.
Thank you for keeping your student and their classmates safe, in school, and ready to learn!
LEWIS SCIENCE CAMP FUNDRAISER – “LEWIS ROCKS”
On Saturday, March 2nd, from 4-7PM, Lewis Elementary School will host a benefit concert raising funds for their 5th Grade Science Camp. Please see the flyer for more details.
SELLWOOD COMMUNITY HOUSE TALENT SHOW
Sellwood Community House is hosting a Talent Showcase this Friday, 7-9pm at Slow Pour Coffee + Bar. Performers are all 6th-8th graders and kids, parents, neighbors and community members are invited to come and watch! (This is not a school sponsored event)
Proceeds from this event, including food, beer and wine sales, support the rebuilding efforts at SCH and our teen/tween programs. I'd love it if this could be shared in your Friday newsletter.
The link to purchase tickets online (they're also available at the door) is here: https://www.zeffy.com/
en-US/ticketing/993d40c3-5b90- 4c67-b389-678ba862a8a1 Check out the flyer for more information.
PROGRAMS, EVENTS & RESOURCES
Camps, Classes, & After School Programs:
- VIBE of Portland Music & Digital Art Classes for Kids
- Cognizart 360 Arts Camp (July 8-12, 15-19, & 22-26)
- OSU Summer Reading Program
- VIBE of Portland Art Camps & Classes
- AFS-USA Student Exchange Programs (Flier 1) (Flier 2)
Preschool Programs:
- Portland Parks Preschool 2024-25
“Portland Parks & Recreation is holding a registration lottery for our Educational Preschool program for the 2024-25 school year. Interested families can apply now through February 21 to be included in the lottery.” - Multnomah Early Childhood Program Free Preschool Classes
(Spanish) (Vietnamese)
Community Events & Information:
- Oregon State University Summer Dog-training Research Program for Children with Developmental Differences
- City of Portland 311 Non-Emergency Hotline
(Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali)
Vaccinations, Health & Wellness:
- Multnomah County Free Community Vaccination Clinic (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays)
(English) (Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali) - Multnomah County Student Health Centers (fliers in English, Russian, Chinese, and Vietnamese):
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- February 19: Make-up day (President’s Day – previously not a school day)
- February 21: Exclusion Day – Get your vaccines!
- March 12: 5th-grade Parent Info Night
- March 17-22: Outdoor School for 6th-graders
- March 25 to March 29: Spring Break
- April 5: No School for Students – Teacher Planning Day
- April 8: Make-up Day (Previously not a school day for students)
- May 9 & 10: Sellwood School Play “Roshambo”
- May 15: All 8th grade Field Trip to the University of Portland
- May 22: Band Concert & Art Show
- May 27: Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL
- June 6: Showcase Night
- June 10: OAKS Park – 8th Grade
- June 11: OAKS Park – 6th and 7th Grades
- June 12-14: Make-up Days
- June 14: 8th Grade Promotion
- June 14: Last Day of School – Half Day
-
Principal's Newsletter 02.02.2024
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – February 2, 2024
Greetings Sellwood Community,
I hope you are enjoying the warmer weather and a little bit of sunshine. It looks like it is going to stay around for the weekend. Please read on for information about the Sellwood Foundation’s upcoming fundraiser event, Drag Queen Bingo, a reminder about Exclusion Day February 21st (immunizations required) and the rescheduled Cleveland re-design meeting happening this Saturday.
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the January 23 PTA meeting, and special thanks to CHS Principal Jo Ann Wadkins and SMS Drama teacher Colleen Crabtree for being there as our guest speakers. We appreciate your commitment and support!
Our next PTA gathering will be in April - details to come soon.
Sellwood Dines Out
Thank you to Dick’s Primal Burger for supporting Sellwood Dines Out in January, despite the snow and ice! We are grateful for your support.
Funds from Sellwood Dines Out support educational programs, student scholarships, and teacher/staff classroom projects at SMS.
Important links:
- Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta - Join Konstella: https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 - Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/
SELLWOOD FOUNDATION
SAVE THE DATE FOR DRAG QUEEN BINGO!
Friday, March 8, 2024
7-9PM
Get ready to mark your calendars because Drag Queen Bingo is back at Westmoreland's Union Manor! Join us for a fabulous evening hosted by the one and only Coco Jem Holiday on Friday, March 8th, from 7-9 PM. Stay tuned for more exciting details to come, but in the meantime, get ready to party with beer, wine, and delicious baked goods available for purchase. Win amazing prizes including a WEEKEND AT THE COAST and gift cards from local restaurants and retailers! Don't miss out on the fun! This is an adult's-only event, 21+.
EXCLUSION DAY, IMMUNIZATIONS BY WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21
PPS is required to ensure that all students are up to date on all school-required immunizations, or have a signed medical exemption letter signed by a licensed physician or a non-medical exemption, by Wednesday, February 21, 2024 (“Exclusion Day”). Immunizations are required by state law for children and students in attendance at public and private schools, preschools, childcare facilities and Head Start programs in Oregon.
On February 7th, the Multnomah County Health Department (MCHD) will mail a notification letter to all students who are due to receive one or more required vaccinations or who do not have a record of immunization. Students who do not have all their school-required vaccines or a qualifying exemption by Exclusion Day will not be allowed to attend school until their immunizations are up-to-date.
What to do if you get a letter
- Call your school if you have already provided your child’s immunization record to the school and verify whether the school has a copy on file.
- If your student needs updated vaccinations, get your child immunized right away. You can schedule an appointment with your child’s regular health care provider, or with:
- One of the MCHD Student Health Centers. Benson High School students can call the Benson Wellness Center (OHSU).
- The MCHD Immunization Clinic at 619 NW 6th Avenue, Room 150, Portland, OR. This Clinic occurs every Tuesday and Thursday 9am - 4pm, and Friday 10am - 5pm. Call 503-988-4724 for an appointment.
- Bring to your child’s appointment the Certificate of Immunization Status Form that was included with the letter you received from MCHD. This Form will let the provider know what vaccinations your student still needs. If you misplace the CIS Form you received in the mail, you can request another copy from your child’s school).
- Once your student has received their required vaccines, sign the completed immunization form and turn it in to your child’s school.
Thank you for keeping your student and their classmates safe, in school, and ready to learn!
CLEVELAND DESIGN WORKSHOP RESCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, FEB 3
Rescheduled Cleveland Modernization Public Design Workshop
this Saturday, Feb. 3rd at 9:30 a.m.Español |Tiếng Việt | Русский | Soomaali |中文
Dear Cleveland High School & Cleveland Cluster Families,
This is to remind you of the upcoming Cleveland Design Workshop on Saturday Feb 3rd from 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. in the CHS cafeteria. Come early at 9:00 a.m. for a light breakfast. Childcare will be provided. Your participation at this time is very important.Project Update
Comprehensive Planning for Cleveland began in late September with the selection of the Comprehensive Planning Committee (CPC). This 40+ person committee is made up of parents, school staff, students, alumni and community members. The CPC has had several meetings with the design team working in a community-centered process to produce a high-level plan for the future of Cleveland High School. The plan will address how to improve student safety in and around the campus, provide direction on where building and program elements will be located and most critically, determine whether to renovate the historic building or completely rebuild the school.The Public Design workshop taking place on Saturday, Feb. 3rd at 9:30a.m. is the next opportunity for community members to provide their feedback on the design options for Cleveland High School’s modernization. Important decisions about the future design of Cleveland High School are being made by PPS.Community attendance and feedback shared with the Design Team is vital to this process.
Provide Feedback on Cleveland Design Options
The modernized CHS will need to add about 50,000 square feet of space to accommodate modern learning needs. To fit a larger building on the site, several options are being considered:- Whether to keep some of the existing building or to completely rebuild
- Adding a new building on the current parking lot site
- Adding more athletic facilities on the current track site
Come provide your feedback on these design considerations with the Project Team.
Translation services are available upon request
PPS recognizes the many diverse voices within the Cleveland community and wants to hear from them. Language translation services are available upon request at CHSBond@pps.net. Please respond by Thursday, February 1st by 5:00p.m. so we can arrange to have an interpreter to meet your needs.Visit the website regularly for more information
The Cleveland modernization website, www.pps.net/ClevelandBond will keep you updated on the latest developments, has previous meeting minutes and presentations to view and provides a list of upcoming engagement opportunities. You can also join the Cleveland Modernization project mailing list by emailing CHSBond@pps.net.Thank you for helping us create a modernized Cleveland High School.
PROGRAMS, EVENTS & RESOURCES
Camps, Classes, & After School Programs:
- VIBE of Portland Music & Digital Art Classes for Kids
- Cognizart 360 Arts Camp (July 8-12, 15-19, & 22-26)
- Rec Tennis Maplewood Tennis Afterschool Zone (Jan. 16 - Mar. 5)
- OSU Summer Reading Program
- VIBE of Portland Art Camps & Classes
- AFS-USA Student Exchange Programs (Flier 1) (Flier 2)
Preschool Programs:
- Portland Parks Preschool 2024-25
“Portland Parks & Recreation is holding a registration lottery for our Educational Preschool program for the 2024-25 school year. Interested families can apply now through February 21 to be included in the lottery.” - Multnomah Early Childhood Program Free Preschool Classes
(Spanish) (Vietnamese)
Community Events & Information:
- Oregon State University Summer Dog-training Research Program for Children with Developmental Differences
- City of Portland 311 Non-Emergency Hotline
(Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali)
Vaccinations, Health & Wellness:
- Multnomah County Free Community Vaccination Clinic (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays)
(English) (Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali) - Multnomah County Student Health Centers (fliers in English, Russian, Chinese, and Vietnamese):
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent helpphone number is 833-731-2600.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- February 19: Make-up day (President’s Day – previously not a school day)
- February 21: Exclusion Day – Get your vaccines
- March 12: 5th-grade Parent Info Night
- March 25 to March 29: Spring Break
- April 5: No School for Students – Teacher Planning Day
- April 8: Make-up Day (Previously not a school day for students)
- May 9 & 10: Sellwood School Play “Roshambo”
- May 22: Band Concert & Art Show
- May 27: Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL
- June 6: Showcase Night
- June 10: OAKS Park – 8th Grade
- June 11: OAKS Park – 6th and 7th Grades
- June 12-14: Make-up Days
- June 14: 8th Grade Promotion 10:30 AM
- June 14: Last Day of School – Half Day
- Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
-
Principal's Newsletter 1.26.2024
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – January 26, 2024
Greetings Sellwood Community,
It was great to see many of you at Sellwood last night for in-person Parent/Teacher Conferences. See below regarding the virtual conferences that were re-scheduled due to the snow & ice storms.
Congratulations to Mr. Patterson and family who welcomed baby Wesley last night!
Today is the last day of 1st semester. There is no school for students on Monday, January 29, as it is a planning day for teachers.
Have a good weekend, and we look forward to seeing students on Tuesday.
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
As you know, due to snow and ice storms, we must reschedule the cancelled 1/16 and 1/17 Parent/Teacher Conferences. The new dates for virtual conferences are January 29 & 30th, from 5-8PM. There are a few teachers that need to hold conferences on a different date due to time conflicts, but those teachers should have already reached out to the parents of their students.
Please see the linked conference sign-up Google Doc, which contains all you will need to sign up for conferences. There are written instructions, as well as a video Screencast tutorial, and links to all Sellwood teachers and counselors appointment calendar.
Please keep in mind that you will need to use desk or laptop computer to sign up, as the Google appointment calendar does not seem to work properly with cell phone or iPads.
As a reminder, these are the dates and times for re-scheduled conferences.
- January 29: 5:00-8:00 PM - Virtual
- January 30: 5:00-8:00 PM - Virtual
Here is the link to the conference sign-up document. If you have trouble with that link, copy and paste the following url into your browser.
https://docs.google.com/
document/d/ 1b63sY1FP4iL0bagD8xM1GDKeS9T4Q iikRO2v_Xh4Qus/edit?usp= sharing CLEVELAND DESIGN WORKSHOP RESCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, FEB 3
Due to the recent winter storm we had to reschedule this workshop. The CHS Modernization project is at an important stage in the comprehensive planning process and we need your input! Please join your friends and neighbors at the upcoming Cleveland Design Workshop on Saturday Feb 3rd from 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. in the cafeteria. Come early at 9:00 a.m. for a light breakfast. Your participation at this time is very important and thank you for being flexible.Project Update
Comprehensive Planning for Cleveland began in late September with the selection of the Comprehensive Planning Committee (CPC). This 40+ person committee is made up of parents, school staff, students, alumni and community members. The CPC has had several meetings with the design team working in a community-centered process to produce a high-level plan for the future of Cleveland High School. The plan will address how to improve student safety in and around the campus, provide direction on where building and program elements will be located and most critically, determine whether to renovate the historic building or completely rebuild the school.The Public Design workshop taking place on Saturday, Feb. 3rd at 9:30a.m. is the next opportunity for community members to provide their feedback on the design options for Cleveland High School’s modernization. Important decisions about the future design of Cleveland High School are being made by PPS. Community attendance and feedback shared with the Design Team is vital to this process.
Provide Feedback on Cleveland Design Options
The modernized CHS will need to add about 50,000 square feet of space to accommodate modern learning needs. To fit a larger building on the site, several options are being considered:- Whether to keep some of the existing building or to completely rebuild
- Adding a new building on the current parking lot site
- Adding more athletic facilities on the current track site
Come provide your feedback on these design considerations with the Project Team.
Translation services are available upon request
PPS recognizes the many diverse voices within the Cleveland community and wants to hear from them. Language translation services are available upon request at CHSBond@pps.net Please respond by Tuesday, January 30th so we can arrange to have an interpreter to meet your needs.Visit the website regularly for more information
The Cleveland modernization website, www.pps.net/ClevelandBond will keep you updated on the latest developments, has previous meeting minutes and presentations to view and provides a list of upcoming engagement opportunities. You can also join the Cleveland Modernization project mailing list by emailing CHSBond@pps.net.Thank you for helping us create a modernized Cleveland High School.
PROGRAMS, EVENTS & RESOURCES
Camps, Classes, & After School Programs:
- VIBE of Portland Music & Digital Art Classes for Kids
- Cognizart 360 Arts Camp (July 8-12, 15-19, & 22-26)
- Rec Tennis Maplewood Tennis Afterschool Zone (Jan. 16 - Mar. 5)
- OSU Summer Reading Program
- VIBE of Portland Art Camps & Classes
- AFS-USA Student Exchange Programs (Flier 1) (Flier 2)
Preschool Programs:
- Portland Parks Preschool 2024-25
“Portland Parks & Recreation is holding a registration lottery for our Educational Preschool program for the 2024-25 school year. Interested families can apply now through February 21 to be included in the lottery.” - Multnomah Early Childhood Program Free Preschool Classes
(Spanish) (Vietnamese)
Community Events & Information:
- Oregon State University Summer Dog-training Research Program for Children with Developmental Differences
- City of Portland 311 Non-Emergency Hotline
(Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali)
Vaccinations, Health & Wellness:
- Multnomah County Free Community Vaccination Clinic (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays)
(English) (Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali) - Multnomah County Student Health Centers (fliers in English, Russian, Chinese, and Vietnamese):
8TH-GRADERS – CLEVELAND FORECASTING INFORMATION
Below are the links and information you will need to help your student forecast for their high school classes. We ask that all students forecast for Cleveland High School even if they are planning on attending a different school. If your student is planning on attending a PPS school other than Cleveland please reach out to the high school counseling office for next steps in forecasting.
Forecasting Support:
- Review the CHS Interactive Course Guide
- 8th Grade Planner use this as a guide to plan out your Freshman year (Your student received a green paper copy of this in science class on either 1/9 or 1/10)
- World Languages flow chart
- Online course request tutorial VIDEO & PDF Help Guide
- CHS Forecasting & GPA Lesson Presentation SLIDES
--
Katie Francis, Licensed School Counselor
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent helpphone number is 833-731-2600.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- January 29: No School for Students – Teacher Planning Day
- January 29: Parent/Teacher Conferences – Virtual 5:00-8:00PM
- January 29: Parent/Teacher Conferences – Virtual 5:00-8:00PM
- February 19: Make-up day (President’s Day – previously not a school day)
- March 12: 5th-grade Parent Info Night
- March 25 to March 29: Spring Break
- April 5: No School for Students – Teacher Planning Day
- April 8: Make-up Day (Previously not a school day for students)
- May 27: Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL
- June 6: Showcase Night
- June 12-14: Make-up Days
- June 14: Last Day of School
-
Principal's Newsletter 1.19.2024
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – January 19, 2024
Greetings Sellwood Community,
I hope that you and your families have stayed safe and warm during this prolonged winter weather event. I know some families experienced power loss, downed trees, or suffered property damage. The four-day school closure was unexpected and very unfortunate, especially on top of the lengthy closure during the strike.
I am not sure yet how the instructional time will be made up, but I do know that it will need to be negotiated between the district and its various labor partners. I will share information about any make-up days, but you will likely hear the announcement from the PPS central office first.
We also had to cancel parent-teacher conferences. These will be rescheduled, and I will communicate new dates and times early next week. In-person conferences will take place as planned on the evening of January 25th. There are still a few in-person appointments available on the 25th, so you may consider grabbing those if you are able.
We look forward to seeing students on Monday.
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
(Two new evening dates will be announced soon)
If you plan to sign-up for parent/teacher conferences and have not yet done so, please see the linked conference sign-up Google Doc, which contains all you need to sign up. Please note that there are fewer hours available for conferences this year. Conferences are not required but encouraged, especially when students and families need support or would like additional communication with the teacher. There are written instructions, as well as a video Screencast tutorial, and links to all Sellwood teachers and counselors’ appointment calendar.
Please keep in mind that you will need to use desk or laptop computer to sign up, as the Google appointment calendar does not seem to work properly with cell phone or iPads.
As a reminder, these are three remaining dates and times for conferences.
- January 16: 5:00-8:00 PM – Virtual only (cancelled to be rescheduled)
- January 17: 5:30-8:30 PM – Virtual only (cancelled to be rescheduled)
- January 25: 5:00-8:00 PM - In-person only
Here is the link to the conference sign-up document. If you have trouble with that link, copy and paste the following url into your browser.
https://docs.google.com/
document/d/ 1b63sY1FP4iL0bagD8xM1GDKeS9T4Q iikRO2v_Xh4Qus/edit?usp= sharing PTA NEWS
January 23rd PTA meeting - Cleveland High School Principal will attend
Join us January 23rd at 7:00 pm in the SMS Library for our next PTA meeting. CHS Principal Jo Ann Wadkins will be joining us to talk about CHS and answer questions from parents.
SMS Drama teacher Colleen Crabtree will also be joining us to talk about the Sellwood school play, which is returning for the first time in many years!
We will also discuss our spring fundraisers and upcoming volunteer opportunities. We look forward to seeing you there.
SMS Spirit Wear
The PTA is pleased to present Sellwood Middle School Gear! On sale through 1/31 at the following website:
https://design.swagnw.com/
sellwood_middle_school_spirit/ shop/home T-shirts! Hoodies! Zip Hoodies! Sweatpants!
This is a spirit raiser, not a fundraiser, with prices set close to production costs. We look forward to seeing this gear out in the community! Items will be available for pick-up 3 weeks after the shop closes, on Wednesday 2/21. Details to come closer to that time.
Questions? Send a message to SMSGearShop@gmail.com and we will get back to you ASAP.
Important links:
- Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta - Join Konstella: https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 - Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/
SELLWOOD PEAK AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
Sellwood PEAK Winter Registration - some classes still need a few more students!
The PEAK Program is a series of in-person after school classes open to all Sellwood students. The PEAK program is totally independent of Sellwood Middle School and is under the jurisdiction of PTA. Scholarships are available as the PEAK goal is to include every SMS student.
Register for classes at https://tinyurl.com/
sellwoodpeakprogram If you are a first time user you will need to create an account for your student. **If you are already taking a class in the fall you DO need to register again for Winter Session**Scholarship request form is here: https://tinyurl.com/
PEAKScholarship Please email sellwoodpeakprogram@
gmail.com with any questions.Classes open for registration:
- Marimba
- PEAK marimba is a once a week class (Thursdays from 4-5PM) that teaches students the basics of playing in a marimba ensemble. No experience is necessary. Instruments are provided. Students will learn to play music in a group setting.
- Playwriting & Performance - Rogue Theater Collective
- This class will teach all the skills necessary for writing a notebook’s worth of monologues and one-act plays! You will learn the fundamentals of playwriting from characters and dialogue, to dramatic structure and stage directions. You will also learn about basic stagecraft: from set design and props to directing. We’ll explore writing exercises and discuss plays by genre, from tragedy to comedy to contemporary realism. In this fun and encouraging environment, you will learn tools and tips on how to construct a short play. Each playwright will select one piece for a dramatic reading, followed by a critique and performance. *BONUS: everyone will get a free Moleskin Notebook to write in and keep!
- Web Dev: My First Website
- Designed for beginners, this course introduces students to the basics of web technologies (HTML, CSS, and Javascript). Students learn concepts, such as HTML tags, CSS properties, and Javascript Functions and Event listeners. They build simple but beautiful static websites and fun browser games, such as the Meme Spinner and Cookie Clicker. By the end of the course, students know how to design a web page, write codes to display and style web content, and add Javascript codes to add interactivity to the website.
- Choir
- This is a student-led choir class provided by the Cleveland Choir Department, and the Cleveland Youth Choir (CYC) team. With the support of the Cleveland Choir director, Cleveland Choir students will lead a class filled with fun singing activities, practicing musicality skills, and learning about other cultures and stories through song! It is not only an educational opportunity, but a performance opportunity. Students who participate will have an opportunity to perform with the Cleveland Choir at one of our events.
- Speech and Debate
- The Cleveland High Speech and Debate team is one the largest and most successful programs at the school. Find out why these students love it so much, and build your own debate skills. You will practice speaking and debating skills in preparation for local middle school competitions The Sellwood team will be coached by team captains from Cleveland.
- Chess Club (FULL)
- Red Cross Babysitting Class (FULL)
CLEVELAND DESIGN WORKSHOP (POSTPONED)
Unfortunately due to the continued icy conditions and school closures, the Cleveland Public Design Workshop that had been scheduled for January 20th has been postponed. We will have an update next week on when it will be rescheduled.Read on about an important Design Workshop as PPS creates the plans for a future Cleveland High School. It will impact the future Cleveland students now attending Sellwood.
The Design Workshop previously scheduled for Saturday, Jan 20th from 10am-Noon in the Cleveland cafeteria has been postponed. The new date will be communicated soon.
This will be an important workshop as the team will begin making critical decisions on the design of the new school based on what we learn at this meeting.
Please see the attached for more information.
8TH-GRADERS – CLEVELAND FORECASTING INFORMATION
Hello 8th grade families,
Ms. Katie pushed into 8th grade science classes this week to present on high school forecasting. Below are the links and information you will need to help your student forecast for their high school classes. We ask that all students forecast for Cleveland High School even if they are planning on attending a different school. If your student is planning on attending a PPS school other than Cleveland please reach out to the high school counseling office for next steps in forecasting.
Forecasting Support:
- Review the CHS Interactive Course Guide
- 8th Grade Planner use this as a guide to plan out your Freshman year (Your student received a green paper copy of this in science class on either 1/9 or 1/10)
- World Languages flow chart
- Online course request tutorial VIDEO & PDF Help Guide
- CHS Forecasting & GPA Lesson Presentation SLIDES
--
Katie Francis, Licensed School Counselor
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent helpphone number is 833-731-2600.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- January 23: PTA Meeting
- January 25: 2 Hour Late Start
- January 25: Parent Teacher Conferences – in-person – 5-8PM
- January 26: Make-up Day (previously not a school day for students)
- January 29: No School for Students – Teacher Planning Day
- February 19: Make-up day (President’s Day – previously not a school day)
- March 12: 5th-grade Parent Info Night
- March 25 to March 29: Spring Break
- April 5: No School for Students – Teacher Planning Day
- April 8: Make-up Day (Previously not a school day for students)
- May 27: Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL
- June 6: Showcase Night
- June 12-14: Make-up Days
- June 14: Last Day of School
-
Principal's Newsletter 1/12/2024
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – January 12, 2024
Greetings Sellwood Community,
Yesterday, I sent a community email about our upcoming late start for all students. As a reminder, we recently adopted some new advisory curriculum. In order to best prepare our staff for Advisory Programs, PPS has identified the following date as a 2-hour late opening for all middle and K-8 schools.
*Winter 2-hour Late Opening:
- The winter 2-hour late opening will be on Jan. 25th.
As a middle school, our 6-8 staff will be focused on the implementation of the new curriculum for advisory. All students will have a two-hour late start on January 25th.
With the winter storm approaching, I hope you all stay safe, warm, and dry this weekend.
Enjoy the snow, and we will see you on Tuesday.
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
If you plan to sign-up for parent/teacher conferences and have not yet done so, please see the linked conference sign-up Google Doc, which contains all you need to sign up. Please note that there are fewer hours available for conferences this year. Conferences are not required but encouraged, especially when students and families need support or would like additional communication with the teacher. There are written instructions, as well as a video Screencast tutorial, and links to all Sellwood teachers and counselors’ appointment calendar.
Please keep in mind that you will need to use desk or laptop computer to sign up, as the Google appointment calendar does not seem to work properly with cell phone or iPads.
As a reminder, these are three remaining dates and times for conferences.
- January 16: 5:00-8:00 PM – Virtual only
- January 17: 5:30-8:30 PM – Virtual only
- January 25: 5:00-8:00 PM - In-person only
Here is the link to the conference sign-up document. If you have trouble with that link, copy and paste the following url into your browser.
https://docs.google.com/
document/d/ 1b63sY1FP4iL0bagD8xM1GDKeS9T4Q iikRO2v_Xh4Qus/edit?usp= sharing 8TH-GRADERS – CLEVELAND FORECASTING INFORMATION
Hello 8th grade families,
Ms. Katie pushed into 8th grade science classes this week to present on high school forecasting. Below are the links and information you will need to help your student forecast for their high school classes. We ask that all students forecast for Cleveland High School even if they are planning on attending a different school. If your student is planning on attending a PPS school other than Cleveland please reach out to the high school counseling office for next steps in forecasting.
Forecasting Support:
- Review the CHS Interactive Course Guide
- 8th Grade Planner use this as a guide to plan out your Freshman year (Your student received a green paper copy of this in science class on either 1/9 or 1/10)
- World Languages flow chart
- Online course request tutorial VIDEO & PDF Help Guide
- CHS Forecasting & GPA Lesson Presentation SLIDES
Katie Francis, Licensed School Counselor
PTA NEWS
January 23rd PTA meeting - Cleveland High School Principal will attend
Join us January 23rd at 7:00 pm in the SMS Library for our next PTA meeting. CHS Principal Jo Ann Wadkins will be joining us to talk about CHS and answer questions from parents.
SMS Drama teacher Colleen Crabtree will also be joining us to talk about the Sellwood school play, which is returning for the first time in many years!
We will also discuss our spring fundraisers and upcoming volunteer opportunities. We look forward to seeing you there.
SMS Spirit Wear
The PTA is pleased to present Sellwood Middle School Gear! On sale through 1/31 at the following website:
https://design.swagnw.com/
sellwood_middle_school_spirit/ shop/home T-shirts! Hoodies! Zip Hoodies! Sweatpants!
This is a spirit raiser, not a fundraiser, with prices set close to production costs. We look forward to seeing this gear out in the community! Items will be available for pick-up 3 weeks after the shop closes, on Wednesday 2/21. Details to come closer to that time.
Questions? Send a message to SMSGearShop@gmail.com and we will get back to you ASAP.
Sellwood Dines Out @ Dick’s Primal Burger in Woodstock
Monday 1/15 & Tuesday 1/16
Dick’s Primal Burger has generously offered to donate 10% of sales on 1/15 and 1/16 to the Sellwood PTA. Ditch the dishes and grab a fantastic meal while supporting our school!Funds from Sellwood Dines Out support educational programs, student scholarships, and teacher/staff classroom projects at SMS.
Important links:
- Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta - Join Konstella: https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 - Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/
SELLWOOD PEAK AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
PEAK Winter Registration - some classes still need a few more students!
The PEAK Program is a series of in-person after school classes open to all Sellwood students. The PEAK program is totally independent of Sellwood Middle School and is under the jurisdiction of PTA. Scholarships are available as the PEAK goal is to include every SMS student.
Register for classes at https://tinyurl.com/
sellwoodpeakprogram If you are a first time user you will need to create an account for your student. **If you are already taking a class in the fall you DO need to register again for Winter Session**Scholarship request form is here: https://tinyurl.com/
PEAKScholarship Please email sellwoodpeakprogram@
gmail.com with any questions.Classes open for registration:
- Marimba
- PEAK marimba is a once a week class (Thursdays from 4-5PM) that teaches students the basics of playing in a marimba ensemble. No experience is necessary. Instruments are provided. Students will learn to play music in a group setting.
- Playwriting & Performance - Rogue Theater Collective
- This class will teach all the skills necessary for writing a notebook’s worth of monologues and one-act plays! You will learn the fundamentals of playwriting from characters and dialogue, to dramatic structure and stage directions. You will also learn about basic stagecraft: from set design and props to directing. We’ll explore writing exercises and discuss plays by genre, from tragedy to comedy to contemporary realism. In this fun and encouraging environment, you will learn tools and tips on how to construct a short play. Each playwright will select one piece for a dramatic reading, followed by a critique and performance. *BONUS: everyone will get a free Moleskin Notebook to write in and keep!
- Web Dev: My First Website
- Designed for beginners, this course introduces students to the basics of web technologies (HTML, CSS, and Javascript). Students learn concepts, such as HTML tags, CSS properties, and Javascript Functions and Event listeners. They build simple but beautiful static websites and fun browser games, such as the Meme Spinner and Cookie Clicker. By the end of the course, students know how to design a web page, write codes to display and style web content, and add Javascript codes to add interactivity to the website.
- Choir
- This is a student-led choir class provided by the Cleveland Choir Department, and the Cleveland Youth Choir (CYC) team. With the support of the Cleveland Choir director, Cleveland Choir students will lead a class filled with fun singing activities, practicing musicality skills, and learning about other cultures and stories through song! It is not only an educational opportunity, but a performance opportunity. Students who participate will have an opportunity to perform with the Cleveland Choir at one of our events.
- Speech and Debate
- The Cleveland High Speech and Debate team is one the largest and most successful programs at the school. Find out why these students love it so much, and build your own debate skills. You will practice speaking and debating skills in preparation for local middle school competitions The Sellwood team will be coached by team captains from Cleveland.
- Chess Club (FULL)
- Red Cross Babysitting Class (FULL)
CLEVELAND DESIGN WORKSHOP SATURDAY, JANUARY 20TH
Read on about an important Design Workshop as PPS creates the plans for a future Cleveland High School. It will impact the future Cleveland students now attending Sellwood.
The next Design Workshop is on Saturday, Jan 20th from 10am-Noon in the Cleveland cafeteria. Folks can come early at 9:30 for a light breakfast.
This is an important workshop as the team will begin making critical decisions on the design of the new school based on what we learn at this meeting.
Please see the attached for more information.
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent helpphone number is 833-731-2600.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- January 15: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – NO SCHOOL
- January 16: Parent Teacher Conferences – Virtual – 5-8PM
- January 17: Parent Teacher Conferences – Virtual – 5:30-8:30PM
- January 25: 2 Hour Late Start
- January 25: Parent Teacher Conferences – in-person – 5-8PM
- January 26: Make-up Day (previously not a school day for students)
- January 29: No School for Students – Teacher Planning Day
- February 19: Make-up day (President’s Day – previously not a school day)
- March 12: 5th-grade Parent Info Night
- March 25 to March 29: Spring Break
- April 5: No School for Students – Teacher Planning Day
- April 8: Make-up Day (Previously not a school day for students)
- May 27: Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL
- June 6: Showcase Night
- June 12-14: Make-up Days
- June 14: Last Day of School
-
Principal's Newsletter January 5, 2024
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – January 5, 2024
Greetings Sellwood Community,
Welcome back! I hope you all had a fun and restful Winter Break. My husband and I were able to take a quick trip to Hawaii for some sun and sea, and the break was much needed :-)
Please don’t forget to sign up for parent-teacher conferences which will start next week. There are still appointment slots available and the instructions can be found below.
Also, next Friday we will have Coffee with the Principal from 9:30 to 10:30 AM. I hope to see you there.
Have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
If you plan to sign-up for parent/teacher conferences and have not yet done so, please see the linked conference sign-up Google Doc, which contains all you need to sign up. Please note that there are fewer hours available for conferences this year. Conferences are not required but encouraged, especially when students and families need support or would like additional communication with the teacher. There are written instructions, as well as a video Screencast tutorial, and links to all Sellwood teachers and counselors’ appointment calendar.
Please keep in mind that you will need to use desk or laptop computer to sign up, as the Google appointment calendar does not seem to work properly with cell phone or iPads.
As a reminder, these are the dates and times for conferences.
- January 11: 5:00-8:00 PM – Virtual only
- January 16: 5:00-8:00 PM – Virtual only
- January 17: 5:30-8:30 PM – Virtual only
- January 25: 5:00-8:00 PM - In-person only
Here is the link to the conference sign-up document. If you have trouble with that link, copy and paste the following url into your browser.
https://docs.google.com/
document/d/ 1b63sY1FP4iL0bagD8xM1GDKeS9T4Q iikRO2v_Xh4Qus/edit?usp= sharing 8TH-GRADERS – CLEVELAND FORECASTING INFORMATION
Cleveland Forecasting & GPA Lesson in Science on 1/9 and 1/10
Ms. Katie will be in science classes next week on Tuesday 1/9 (Ms. Thomas) and Wednesday 1/10 (Mr. Larson) to present on high school forecasting. Students will submit their course selections through StudentVue by January 22. Cleveland counselors will come to Sellwood on Friday 1/26 to review and finalize course selections with students. We ask ALL 8th grade students to forecast for Cleveland even if they plan on attending a different high school. The forecasting presentation will be sent out to families next week on Wednesday and in the Friday newsletter.
If your student is planning on attending a different PPS school please reach out to their school counselor for forecasting support.
PTA NEWS
January 23rd PTA meeting; Cleveland High School Principal will attend
Join us January 23rd at 7:00 pm for our next PTA meeting. CHS Principal Jo Ann Wadkins will be joining us to talk about CHS and answer questions from parents.
Important links:
- Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta - Join Konstella: https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 - Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/
PEAK AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
We need a few more students in some classes to have enough - Marimba, Playwriting and Performance, Web Dev: My first website.
The PEAK Program is a series of in-person after school classes open to all Sellwood students. The PEAK program is totally independent of Sellwood Middle School and is under the jurisdiction of PTA. Scholarships are available as the PEAK goal is to include every SMS student.
Register for classes at https://tinyurl.com/
sellwoodpeakprogram If you are a first-time user you will need to create an account for your student. **If you are already taking a class in the fall you DO need to register again for Winter Session**Scholarship request form is here: https://tinyurl.com/
PEAKScholarship Please email sellwoodpeakprogram@
gmail.com with any questions.Classes open for registration:
- Red Cross Babysitter Training - One Day Course
- One-day training offered on 1/15/24, 4/5/24 9am-4:30pm (no school days)
- Designed for young people to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to safely and responsibly give care to infants and children in a residential setting.
- Participants receive a certificate of completion for Babysitter’s Training
- Marimba
- PEAK marimba is a once a week class (Thursdays from 4-5PM) that teaches students the basics of playing in a marimba ensemble. No experience is necessary. Instruments are provided. Students will learn to play music in a group setting.
- Playwriting & Performance - Rogue Theater Collective
- This class will teach all the skills necessary for writing a notebook’s worth of monologues and one-act plays! You will learn the fundamentals of playwriting from characters and dialogue, to dramatic structure and stage directions. You will also learn about basic stagecraft: from set design and props to directing. We’ll explore writing exercises and discuss plays by genre, from tragedy to comedy to contemporary realism. In this fun and encouraging environment, you will learn tools and tips on how to construct a short play. Each playwright will select one piece for a dramatic reading, followed by a critique and performance. *BONUS: everyone will get a free Moleskin Notebook to write in and keep!
- Web Dev: My First Website
- Designed for beginners, this course introduces students to the basics of web technologies (HTML, CSS, and Javascript). Students learn concepts, such as HTML tags, CSS properties, and Javascript Functions and Event listeners. They build simple but beautiful static websites and fun browser games, such as the Meme Spinner and Cookie Clicker. By the end of the course, students know how to design a web page, write codes to display and style web content, and add Javascript codes to add interactivity to the website.
- Choir
- This is a student-led choir class provided by the Cleveland Choir Department, and the Cleveland Youth Choir (CYC) team. With the support of the Cleveland Choir director, Cleveland Choir students will lead a class filled with fun singing activities, practicing musicality skills, and learning about other cultures and stories through song! It is not only an educational opportunity, but a performance opportunity. Students who participate will have an opportunity to perform with the Cleveland Choir at one of our events.
- Speech and Debate
- The Cleveland High Speech and Debate team is one the largest and most successful programs at the school. Find out why these students love it so much, and build your own debate skills. You will practice speaking and debating skills in preparation for local middle school competitions The Sellwood team will be coached by team captains from Cleveland.
- Chess Club (FULL)
OREGON BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
Oregon Battle of the Books is coming back to Sellwood Middle School and will be organized by parent volunteers for the 2023/24 school year. Now is the time to start organizing a team. Once you have a team, you can register them here. If your student would like help finding a team or an additional team member, fill out this form. If you have questions, email OBOBatSellwood@gmail.com
OBOB is a program where teams of students read an amazing selection of books and then compete with other teams in Battles to recall details from the stories. Battles will be organized at the school level in February 2024. Teams are usually made up of two to four members, with one optional alternate, for a total of no more than five members.
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent helpphone number is 833-731-2600.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- January 11: Parent Teacher Conferences – Virtual – 5-8PM
- January 12: Coffee with the Principal – 9:30 AM in the Faculty Lounge
- January 15: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – NO SCHOOL
- January 16: Parent Teacher Conferences – Virtual – 5-8PM
- January 17: Parent Teacher Conferences – Virtual – 5:30-8:30PM
- January 25: 2 Hour Late Start
- January 25: Parent Teacher Conferences – in-person – 5-8PM
- January 26: Make-up Day (previously not a school day for students)
- January 29: No School for Students – Teacher Planning Day
- February 19: Make-up day (President’s Day – previously not a school day)
- March 12: 5th-grade Parent Info Night
- March 25 to March 29: Spring Break
- April 5: No School for Students – Teacher Planning Day
- April 8: Make-up Day (Previously not a school day for students)
- May 27: Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL
- June 6: Showcase Night
- June 12-14: Make-up Days
- June 14: Last Day of School
-
Principal's Newsletter 12.22.2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – December 22, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
It’s been a quiet week at Sellwood, with a nice mix of learning, community, and a bit of fun thrown in.
I would like to invite caregivers to a Coffee with the Principal event on January 12th at 9:30 am. It will be a good time to chat about any issues that are of interest to parents. We will be holding a “Coffee with the Principal” each month, varying the days of the week and time of day to make the events more accessible to parents. I hope to see you there :-)
We wish all of you a restful and enjoyable winter break!
See you in 2024 :-)
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
If you plan to sign-up for parent/teacher conferences and have not yet done so, please see the linked conference sign-up Google Doc, which contains all you need to sign up. Please note that there are fewer hours available for conferences this year. Conferences are not required but encouraged, especially when students and families need support or would like additional communication with the teacher. There are written instructions, as well as a video Screencast tutorial, and links to all Sellwood teachers and counselors’ appointment calendar.
Please keep in mind that you will need to use desk or laptop computer to sign up, as the Google appointment calendar does not seem to work properly with cell phone or iPads.
As a reminder, these are the dates and times for conferences.
- January 11: 5:00-8:00 PM – Virtual only
- January 16: 5:00-8:00 PM – Virtual only
- January 17: 5:30-8:30 PM – Virtual only
- January 25: 5:00-8:00 PM - In-person only
Here is the link to the conference sign-up document. If you have trouble with that link, copy and paste the following url into your browser.
https://docs.google.com/
document/d/ 1b63sY1FP4iL0bagD8xM1GDKeS9T4Q iikRO2v_Xh4Qus/edit?usp= sharing PTA NEWS & PEAK AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
Sellwood PEAK Winter Session Registration open!
The PEAK Program is a series of in-person after school classes open to all Sellwood students. The PEAK program is totally independent of Sellwood Middle School and is under the jurisdiction of PTA. Scholarships are available as the PEAK goal is to include every SMS student.
Register for classes at https://tinyurl.com/
sellwoodpeakprogram If you are a first time user you will need to create an account for your student. **If you are already taking a class in the fall you DO need to register again for Winter Session**Scholarship request form is here: https://tinyurl.com/
PEAKScholarship Please email sellwoodpeakprogram@
gmail.com with any questions.Classes open for registration:
- Playwriting & Performance - Rogue Theater Collective
- This class will teach all the skills necessary for writing a notebook’s worth of monologues and one-act plays! You will learn the fundamentals of playwriting from characters and dialogue, to dramatic structure and stage directions. You will also learn about basic stagecraft: from set design and props to directing. We’ll explore writing exercises and discuss plays by genre, from tragedy to comedy to contemporary realism. In this fun and encouraging environment, you will learn tools and tips on how to construct a short play. Each playwright will select one piece for a dramatic reading, followed by a critique and performance. *BONUS: everyone will get a free Moleskin Notebook to write in and keep!
- Web Dev: My First Website
- Designed for beginners, this course introduces students to the basics of web technologies (HTML, CSS, and Javascript). Students learn concepts, such as HTML tags, CSS properties, and Javascript Functions and Event listeners. They build simple but beautiful static websites and fun browser games, such as the Meme Spinner and Cookie Clicker. By the end of the course, students know how to design a web page, write codes to display and style web content, and add Javascript codes to add interactivity to the website.
- Chess Club
- We play chess after school on Mondays! We improve our chess skills by playing as much as possible, solving puzzles, and learning basic strategies. Our after-school program focuses on basics but we hope to develop a more competitive program. We meet on Mondays that school is in session. Note that this is a year-long club.
- Choir
- This is a student-led choir class provided by the Cleveland Choir Department, and the Cleveland Youth Choir (CYC) team. With the support of the Cleveland Choir director, Cleveland Choir students will lead a class filled with fun singing activities, practicing musicality skills, and learning about other cultures and stories through song! It is not only an educational opportunity, but a performance opportunity. Students who participate will have an opportunity to perform with the Cleveland Choir at one of our events.
- Speech and Debate
- The Cleveland High Speech and Debate team is one the largest and most successful programs at the school. Find out why these students love it so much, and build your own debate skills. You will practice speaking and debating skills in preparation for local middle school competitions The Sellwood team will be coached by team captains from Cleveland.
SELLWOOD MS FOUNDATION
Join the Spark! Ignite Opportunities at Sellwood Middle School
Your chance to make a difference is here! The Sellwood Middle School Foundation's Annual Giving Campaign is in full swing, and we need your support to achieve our goal of $50,000.
Why Give?
Your generous donations directly fuel essential aspects of our student’s education, including:
- Two Dedicated Teacher's Aides
- French Class
- Culinary Class
- Technology Class
Benefit from Tax Deductions and Matching Gifts!
All donations are tax-deductible, amplifying the impact of your support. Plus, every dollar you give will be matched, doubling the power of your contribution.
Our Goal: $50,000
Help us maintain current courses, support our incredible staff, and introduce exciting new opportunities to our middle school students.
How to Donate:
Visit www.sellwoodmiddlefoundation.
org and be part of the movement that lights up possibilities for Sellwood Middle School. Your support transforms dreams into reality.Let's make this year the most vibrant and enriching one yet!
With gratitude,
Sellwood Middle School Foundation Board
OREGON BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
Oregon Battle of the Books is coming back to Sellwood Middle School and will be organized by parent volunteers for the 2023/24 school year. Now is the time to start organizing a team. Once you have a team, you can register them here. If your student would like help finding a team or an additional team member, fill out this form. If you have questions, email OBOBatSellwood@gmail.com
OBOB is a program where teams of students read an amazing selection of books and then compete with other teams in Battles to recall details from the stories. Battles will be organized at the school level in February 2024. Teams are usually made up of two to four members, with one optional alternate, for a total of no more than five members.
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent helpphone number is 833-731-2600.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- December 25-January 1: Winter Break
- January 11: Parent Teacher Conferences – Virtual – 5-8PM
- January 12: Coffee with the Principal – 9:30 AM in the Faculty Lounge
- January 15: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – NO SCHOOL
- January 16: Parent Teacher Conferences – Virtual – 5-8PM
- January 17: Parent Teacher Conferences – Virtual – 5:30-8:30PM
- January 25: Parent Teacher Conferences – in-person – 5-8PM
- January 26: Make-up Day (previously not a school day for students)
- January 29: No School for Students – Teacher Planning Day
- February 19: Make-up day (President’s Day – previously not a school day)
- March 25 to March 29: Spring Break
- April 5: No School for Students – Teacher Planning Day
- April 8: Make-up Day (Previously not a school day for students)
- May 27: Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL
- June 12-14: Make-up Days
- June 14: Last Day of School
-
Principal's Newsletter 12.15.2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – December 15, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
In a typical year, today I would be wishing you a wonderful winter break. Since this year has been anything but typical, I will instead say, “Hope to see you next week!”
Thank you to everyone who responded to our survey about next week’s expected attendance and your date, time, and format preferences for parent teacher conferences. We had 375 responses, which is pretty robust for a school of 570 students. Based on the responses here are our predictions for student attendance next week.
- Monday: 87%
- Tuesday: 87%
- Wednesday: 83%
- Thursday: 80%
- Friday: 73%
Thank you for also sharing your feedback about your hopes and concerns regarding school next week. There were a wide range of thoughts and feelings revealed in your comments. I shared a sampling of the comments (anonymously of course) with the staff, and we had a good discussion about next week. Teachers will be doing their best to provide engaging instruction throughout the week. Most of the work will be building upon and deepening content knowledge, and where there is new content teachers have a plan in place so that students who are not attending will not be left behind. It is a challenge to balance the wide range of needs next week, but we will do our best.
As for teacher attendance, we have only two teachers who will be out all week, and 5 teachers who will be out between 1-3 days. At this time, all of those absences have substitutes assigned. Of course, there may always be unexpected absences or substitutes who cancel at the last minute, but at this point we seem to be in pretty good shape.
Based on your preferences for times, dates, and format for parent/teacher conferences, we have decided on the following dates and times for conferences.
- January 11: 5:00-8:00 PM – Virtual
- January 16: 5:00-8:00 PM – Virtual
- January 17: 5:30-8:30 PM – Virtual
- January 25: 5:00-8:00 PM – In-person
On Monday, I will be sharing the conference sign-up document with links to all of the teachers’ conference calendars. We wanted to give teachers a few days this week to have advanced sign-up for any students who have priority based on academic need. Also, keep in mind that we have fewer total hours available for conferences this year. While teachers would like to meet with all families, conferences are not a requirement.
Finally, a shout out to the Southeast Soccer Club’s 12U Boys Champions, the Whitecaps. All but 1 are 6th graders at Sellwood! Go Whitecaps!
Have a great weekend and we hope to see you next week :-) If you are starting your winter break, I hope it is enjoyable.
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS & PEAK AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
Sellwood PEAK Winter Session Registration opens Tuesday 12/19 9am!
The PEAK Program is a series of in-person after school classes open to all Sellwood students. The PEAK program is totally independent of Sellwood Middle School and is under the jurisdiction of PTA. Scholarships are available as the PEAK goal is to include every SMS student.
Register for classes at https://tinyurl.com/
sellwoodpeakprogram If you are a first time user you will need to create an account for your student. **If you are already taking a class in the fall you DO need to register again for Winter Session** Scholarship request form is here: https://tinyurl.com/
PEAKScholarship **The scholarship request deadline is Sunday, December 17th at 5pm.** Please email sellwoodpeakprogram@
gmail.com with any questions. Classes open for registration at 9am 12/19:
- Playwriting & Performance - Rogue Theater Collective
- This class will teach all the skills necessary for writing a notebook’s worth of monologues and one-act plays! You will learn the fundamentals of playwriting from characters and dialogue, to dramatic structure and stage directions. You will also learn about basic stagecraft: from set design and props to directing. We’ll explore writing exercises and discuss plays by genre, from tragedy to comedy to contemporary realism. In this fun and encouraging environment, you will learn tools and tips on how to construct a short play. Each playwright will select one piece for a dramatic reading, followed by a critique and performance. *BONUS: everyone will get a free Moleskin Notebook to write in and keep!
- Web Dev: My First Website
- Designed for beginners, this course introduces students to the basics of web technologies (HTML, CSS, and Javascript). Students learn concepts, such as HTML tags, CSS properties, and Javascript Functions and Event listeners. They build simple but beautiful static websites and fun browser games, such as the Meme Spinner and Cookie Clicker. By the end of the course, students know how to design a web page, write codes to display and style web content, and add Javascript codes to add interactivity to the website.
- Chess Club
- We play chess after school on Mondays! We improve our chess skills by playing as much as possible, solving puzzles, and learning basic strategies. Our after-school program focuses on basics but we hope to develop a more competitive program. We meet on Mondays that school is in session. Note that this is a year-long club.
- Choir
- This is a student-led choir class provided by the Cleveland Choir Department, and the Cleveland Youth Choir (CYC) team. With the support of the Cleveland Choir director, Cleveland Choir students will lead a class filled with fun singing activities, practicing musicality skills, and learning about other cultures and stories through song! It is not only an educational opportunity, but a performance opportunity. Students who participate will have an opportunity to perform with the Cleveland Choir at one of our events.
- Speech and Debate
- The Cleveland High Speech and Debate team is one the largest and most successful programs at the school. Find out why these students love it so much, and build your own debate skills. You will practice speaking and debating skills in preparation for local middle school competitions The Sellwood team will be coached by team captains from Cleveland.
SELLWOOD MS FOUNDATION
Join the Spark! Ignite Opportunities at Sellwood Middle School
Your chance to make a difference is here! The Sellwood Middle School Foundation's Annual Giving Campaign is in full swing, and we need your support to achieve our goal of $50,000.
Why Give?
Your generous donations directly fuel essential aspects of our student’s education, including:
- Two Dedicated Teacher's Aides
- French Class
- Culinary Class
- Technology Class
Benefit from Tax Deductions and Matching Gifts!
All donations are tax-deductible, amplifying the impact of your support. Plus, every dollar you give will be matched, doubling the power of your contribution.
Our Goal: $50,000
Help us maintain current courses, support our incredible staff, and introduce exciting new opportunities to our middle school students.
How to Donate:
Visit www.sellwoodmiddlefoundation.
org and be part of the movement that lights up possibilities for Sellwood Middle School. Your support transforms dreams into reality. Let's make this year the most vibrant and enriching one yet!
With gratitude,
Sellwood Middle School Foundation Board
READ THE WORLD INFO FROM LIBRARIAN TINI MAIER
Please follow the link to read about Sellwood’s Read the World Passport Program 2023/24.
Read the World PASSPORT program 2023-2024OREGON BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
Oregon Battle of the Books is coming back to Sellwood Middle School and will be organized by parent volunteers for the 2023/24 school year. Now is the time to start organizing a team. Once you have a team, you can register them here. If your student would like help finding a team or an additional team member, fill out this form. If you have questions, email OBOBatSellwood@gmail.com
OBOB is a program where teams of students read an amazing selection of books and then compete with other teams in Battles to recall details from the stories. Battles will be organized at the school level in February 2024. Teams are usually made up of two to four members, with one optional alternate, for a total of no more than five members.
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent helpphone number is 833-731-2600.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- December 18-22: Make up days (previously week 1 of winter break)
- December 25-January 1: Winter Break
- January 11: Parent Teacher Conferences – Virtual – 5-8PM
- January 15: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – NO SCHOOL
- January 16: Parent Teacher Conferences – Virtual – 5-8PM
- January 17: Parent Teacher Conferences – Virtual – 5:30-8:30PM
- January 25: Parent Teacher Conferences – in-person – 5-8PM
- January 26: Make-up Day (previously not a school day for students)
- February 19: Make-up day (President’s Day – previously not a school day)
- Spring Break: March 25 to March 29
- April 8: Make-up Day (Previously not a school day for students)
- May 27: Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL
- June 12-14: Make-up Days
- June 14: Last Day of School
-
Principal's Newsletter 12.8.2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – December 8, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
It’s been a great week at school and we are getting back into the swing of things. Thank you for your responses to our survey regarding preferences for parent/teacher conference dates and students’ planned attendance for the week of December 18th to the 22nd.
We are still discussing the final dates and times for conferences and will send you that information early next week.
Have a great weekend,
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
Many Thanks to Fire Eats!
Thank you to Fire Eats! owners, Lynn and Erik, who generously donated 20% of sales earlier this week! We are grateful for your support!
January 23rd PTA meeting; Cleveland High School Principal will attend
Join us January 23rd at 7:00 pm for our next PTA meeting. CHS Principal Jo Ann Wadkins will be joining us to talk about CHS and answer questions from parents.
Important links:
- Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta - Join Konstella: https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 - Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/
SELLWOOD MS FOUNDATION
Dear Sellwood Families,
Community support in past year's Annual Giving Campaigns made an incredible impact on Sellwood Middle School. Your contributions have made a real difference, enabling us to provide:
1. Smaller Classes: Your support allowed us to create smaller class sizes, providing better learning environments for our students.
2. Expanded Courses: Exciting new courses, including Culinary, Technology, and French, have been introduced, giving our students more options to explore their interests.
3. Teacher Support: We've funded two teacher's aides, crucial in enhancing the learning experience for our students.
Please consider contributing to our 2023 Annual Giving Campaign to help us maintain and build upon the progress we've made. Your support is an investment in the success and growth of Sellwood Middle School.
To donate or learn more, visit https://www.
sellwoodmiddlefoundation.org/ donate. Every contribution, regardless of size, brings us closer to our goals. Your donation will be matched- doubling your impact! Thank you for being a vital part of Sellwood Middle School. Together, we can shape an even brighter future.
Gratefully,
The Sellwood Middle School Foundation Board
READ THE WORLD INFO FROM LIBRARIAN TINI MAIER
Please follow the link to read about Sellwood’s Read the World Passport Program 2023/24.
Read the World PASSPORT program 2023-2024NAMI MULTNOMAH COUNTY (CLASS FOR PARENTS)
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Multnomah County is excited to share about our upcoming NAMI Basics class beginning in January.
Class space is limited, so those who are interested are encouraged to register soon to hold their spot. Here are the details:
NAMI Basics
A free, peer-led educational course for parents and caregivers of youth up to age 21 experiencing mental health barriers and/or behavioral challenges. This class meets weekly for six weeks.
Dates: January 9th-February 13th, 2024
Schedule: Tuesdays, 5:00-7:30 PMFormat: Online via Zoom
See a flyer here. Register online here.
Parents and caregivers may also be interested in our drop-in Parent Support Group:
Parent Support Group
For parents and caregivers of children/adolescents experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition and/or behavioral challenges.
Schedule: First & third Wednesdays of every month
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:15 PM
Format: Online via ZoomJoin our notification list here to receive group reminders and meeting links.
CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL INFO NIGHT FOR 8TH GRADERS
Cleveland High School Open House “Bridging the Gap” event, will be in-person the evening of THURSDAY, DEC. 14 at 6:30 p.m.
2024-25 High School Lottery window is open from November 15, 2023 - December 15, 2023.
Students from across Portland Public Schools can apply to lottery slots at our three focus options high schools:
- Benson Polytechnic High School
- Jefferson High School-Middle College for Advanced Studies
- Metropolitan Learning Center
OREGON BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
Oregon Battle of the Books is coming back to Sellwood Middle School and will be organized by parent volunteers for the 2023/24 school year. Now is the time to start organizing a team. Once you have a team, you can register them here. If your student would like help finding a team or an additional team member, fill out this form. If you have questions, email OBOBatSellwood@gmail.com
OBOB is a program where teams of students read an amazing selection of books and then compete with other teams in Battles to recall details from the stories. Battles will be organized at the school level in February 2024. Teams are usually made up of two to four members, with one optional alternate, for a total of no more than five members.
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent helpphone number is 833-731-2600.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- December 12: Art Show & Band Winter Concert
- December 18-22: Make up days (previously week 1 of winter break)
- December 25-January 1: Winter Break
- January 15: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – NO SCHOOL
- January 26: Make-up Day (previously not a school day for students)
- February 19: Make-up day (President’s Day – previously not a school day)
- Spring Break: March 25 to March 29
- April 8: Make-up Day (Previously not a school day for students)
- May 27: Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL
- June 12-14: Make-up Days
- June 14: Last Day of School
- Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
-
Principal's Newsletter 12.1.2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – December 1, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
I cannot overstate how happy we are to have students here in school and getting back to their learning.
As you know, the school calendar has changed a bit in order for make up for days missed during the recent strike. Please note that the calendar changes were negotiated at the end of the strike and are district-wide; I cannot diverge from the changes. One of the more controversial changes was converting five days that had been previously part of winter break to school days. We realize that there are families and staff members who have previously made plans that cannot be changed. We also recognize that there are many families who have altered their plans in order for their children to attend school from December 18th to the 22nd to make up for missed instruction. We appreciate that changing plans at the last minute is a sacrifice, and we will do our best to honor your efforts by providing quality instruction on those make-up days. This will be a bit of a challenge because we expect to have high numbers of student absences; students who will be missing instruction through no fault of their own. Rather than providing instruction on new topics that 25-33% of students will miss, we will use the opportunity to go deeper in content learning and provide opportunities for practice and enrichment. Through Canvas, we will do our best to make the learning accessible for those who are not able to be here. Although teachers will provide some fun and engagement on the winter break make-up days, students will not be watching movies and having parties all week.
In order to plan for these make-up days, we are polling families and students to gather information about expected attendance. I sent the Google Form to families earlier today, but in case you missed it I will include the link below.
In addition, we need to reschedule evening parent/teacher conferences, so I have included some questions about whether you are able to do virtual conferences or if you need to attend in-person. Conferences will be offered on four separate evenings for three-hour blocks. One of the dates will be January 11th, so we will be selecting three additional dates.
Thank you for taking the time to provide this feedback, as it will be very helpful to us. Please complete one survey for each of your children.
https://forms.gle/
AVbocppzMGdFjqoC9 Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
Sellwood Dines Out: Sunday 12/3 - Monday 12/4
Our Sellwood Dines Out event for December is at Fire Eats!, a pizza, rotini, and Italian ice pop-up owned by Lynn and Erik, who have two kids attending SMS. A perfect spot for lunch or dinner with family and friends!
Fire Eats! is located in the Relish Gastropub space at 6637 SE Milwaukie Ave. They are open from 10:00-7:30ish on Sunday and 11:30-7:30ish on Monday.
https://sites.google.com/view/
pdxfireeats/home Important links:
- Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/
link/sellwoodpta - Join Konstella: https://www.
konstella.com/cd/AXC2Z9 - Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/
SELLWOOD MS FOUNDATION
Dear Sellwood Families,
Community support in past year's Annual Giving Campaigns made an incredible impact on Sellwood Middle School. Your contributions have made a real difference, enabling us to provide:
1. Smaller Classes: Your support allowed us to create smaller class sizes, providing better learning environments for our students.
2. Expanded Courses: Exciting new courses, including Culinary, Technology, and French, have been introduced, giving our students more options to explore their interests.
3. Teacher Support: We've funded two teacher's aides, crucial in enhancing the learning experience for our students.
Please consider contributing to our 2023 Annual Giving Campaign to help us maintain and build upon the progress we've made. Your support is an investment in the success and growth of Sellwood Middle School.
To donate or learn more, visit https://www.
sellwoodmiddlefoundation.org/ donate. Every contribution, regardless of size, brings us closer to our goals. Your donation will be matched- doubling your impact! Thank you for being a vital part of Sellwood Middle School. Together, we can shape an even brighter future.
Gratefully,
The Sellwood Middle School Foundation Board
CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL INFO NIGHT FOR 8TH GRADERS
Cleveland High School Open House “Bridging the Gap” event, will be in-person the evening of THURSDAY, DEC. 14 at 6:30 p.m.
2024-25 High School Lottery window is open from November 15, 2023 - December 15, 2023.
Students from across Portland Public Schools can apply to lottery slots at our three focus options high schools:
- Benson Polytechnic High School
- Jefferson High School-Middle College for Advanced Studies
- Metropolitan Learning Center
PICTURE RETAKES – RESCHEDULED FOR WEDS, DECEMBER 6TH
Hello families,
We were able to reschedule picture retakes! Retake day is Wednesday, December 6th. Below you will find a digital flyer. Hopefully, you have received a paper copy. If not please see the digital flyer attached. As a reminder, the event code to preorder deactivates on picture day and parents will need to wait for their order sheet with the access code to arrive. If you have any issues or concerns that arise please contact customer service. Here is their phone number if you have packet questions: (866) 955-8342. There is a text option over the phone and a chat feature on the website. MyLifeTouch
OREGON BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
Oregon Battle of the Books is coming back to Sellwood Middle School and will be organized by parent volunteers for the 2023/24 school year. Now is the time to start organizing a team. Once you have a team, you can register them here. If your student would like help finding a team or an additional team member, fill out this form. If you have questions, email OBOBatSellwood@gmail.com
OBOB is a program where teams of students read an amazing selection of books and then compete with other teams in Battles to recall details from the stories. Battles will be organized at the school level in February 2024. Teams are usually made up of two to four members, with one optional alternate, for a total of no more than five members.
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent helpphone number is 833-731-2600.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- December 6: Picture Retakes
- December 12: Art Show & Band Winter Concert
- December 18-22: Make up days (previously week 1 of winter break)
- December 25-January 1: Winter Break
- January 15: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – NO SCHOOL
- January 26: Make-up Day (previously not a school day for students)
- February 19: Make-up day (President’s Day – previously not a school day)
- Spring Break: March 25 to March 29
- April 8: Make-up Day (Previously not a school day for students)
- May 27: Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL
- June 12-14: Make-up Days
- June 14: Last Day of School
- Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/
-
Principal's Newsletter 11.5.2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – November 5, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
I apologize for not sending the newsletter till today. I was hoping for some news to share, but as of right now we still do not know with certainty whether school will be in session tomorrow or not. PPS Communications has promised to send out an email and text tonight at 7 PM. That being said, I would be prepared for the strong possibility that school will not be in session. Principals do not have advance notice, so I will be getting my news at the same time as you.
Last week was quite strange and lonely at the school, with Ms. Collins, me, Ms. Melissa, Ms. Claire and our custodians by ourselves in a very quiet building. We very much miss our students and teachers. Please know that at Sellwood we love, cherish, and value our students and our teachers, and we look forward to everyone’s return.
Here is the link again to the PPS strike resource page.
https://www.pps.net/
strikeresources . We hope to see you again soon!
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PHOTO RETAKES (date subject to change)
Hello families. Hopefully you have received your student's school photos. If you have any issues or questions, please contact LifeTouch studio directly as the office has no information with regard to photos. Their contact information is below:
Their website is mylifetouch.com or call them directly at 1.800.736.4753
Also, a reminder that photo retakes are Nov. 8th.
CLEVELAND YOUTH GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY TAKES 3RD IN STATE
Please help us congratulate them!
ATTENTION 8Th-GRADERS BENSON INFO NIGHT CHANGED TO NOV 28
If your 8th grader is interested in Career & Technical programs like:
- Health sciences
- Automotive
- Manufacturing/Engineering
- Digital media
Benson might be the perfect fit! Come to the 8th grade information night to learn more.
November 28th, 6:00-7:30,
Benson @ Marshall Campus in the Gym
3905 SE 91st Ave
Portland, OR 97266
2024-25 High School Lottery window is open from November 15, 2023 - December 15, 2023.
Students from across Portland Public Schools can apply to lottery slots at our three focus options high schools:
- Benson Polytechnic High School
- Jefferson High School-Middle College for Advanced Studies
- Metropolitan Learning Center
OREGON BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
Oregon Battle of the Books is coming back to Sellwood Middle School and will be organized by parent volunteers for the 2023/24 school year. Now is the time to start organizing a team. Once you have a team, you can register them here. If your student would like help finding a team or an additional team member, fill out this form. If you have questions, email OBOBatSellwood@gmail.com
OBOB is a program where teams of students read an amazing selection of books and then compete with other teams in Battles to recall details from the stories. Battles will be organized at the school level in February 2024. Teams are usually made up of two to four members, with one optional alternate, for a total of no more than five members.
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent helpphone number is 833-731-2600.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- November 8: Picture Retakes
- November 10: No School – Veteran’s Day
- November 20-21: Parent Teacher Conferences
- November 22-24: Fall Break
- December 12: Band Winter Concert
- December 18-22: Winter Break
-
Principal's Newsletter 10.27.2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – October 27, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
Next Tuesday is Halloween, and while we love seeing students in their costumes, we want to make sure that all costumes are safe and appropriate.
Guidance regarding Halloween Costumes.
- No masks or costumes that cover the face, including full face paint.
- No props/toys/accessories - especially no fake weapons.
- No large, bulky, or inflatable costumes.
- No costumes that perpetuate a stereotype of someone's culture, gender, heritage, or religion.
- No wheels
- Please, leave candy at home.
As you know, the Portland Association of Teachers has notified the district of its intent to strike starting Nov. 1. We have no way to know how long a strike would last. While we all sincerely hope this is averted, a strike would mean Sellwood’s building is closed. PPS will continue to support limited services, and has provided some remote learning materials: https://www.pps.net/
strikeresources . The district has also provided some guidance for discussing a strike with your children. Whether you do so or not, I would encourage you to familiarize yourself with the issues and process. The district has provided resources on its bargaining website, which link to content developed by both the district and the union. We will be conducting a locker clean-out just before dismissal on October 31st. Students should remove any food items and any clothing or other supplies they might need in the near future. In the case of a teacher strike and school closure, they will not be able to retrieve any items from the school for the duration of the closure. If there is no strike, student lockers will be that much cleaner.
Finally, Parent/Teacher conferences will be happening in less than a month. The conference formats available are both virtual and in person. Next week, we will be sharing the schedule and all of the details for sign-ups, so keep an eye out for that communication.
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
- Many thanks to all who supported the PTA in October!
- Thank you to Dr. Craigan Usher who gave a great, engaging talk at our PTA meeting about teens and technology.
- Thank you to Portland Bottle Shop for donating a portion of sales to Sellwood on Sellwood Dines Out!
- Thank you to Amy Columbo for organizing another great fruit sale. She has organized this fundraiser for years and we are so thankful.
- Thank you to Allison Eshel for organizing a very appreciated staff crock pot lunch!
- Sellwood Spirit Wear Sale to start in November
- Help with community pride! Grab a holiday gift! We will be selling SMS gear soon. T-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants and more. Stay tuned!
- Important links
- Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta - Join Konstella: https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 - Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/
SELLWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL FOUNDATION UPDATES
Dear SMS Families,
The Annual Giving Campaign has been instrumental in our journey to enhance the learning environment and your contributions have helped us in the following ways:
1. Smaller Classrooms: Research consistently shows that smaller classes lead to better student outcomes and individualized attention.
2. Expanded Courses: Our contribution allowed us to introduce exciting new courses: Culinary Arts, Technology, and French.
3. Support for Teachers: We've been funding two dedicated teacher's aides.
We invite you to donate generously and be part of improving the educational experience for all our students.
To make your contribution or to learn more, please visit: https://www.
sellwoodmiddlefoundation.org/ donate Every contribution, big or small, counts and brings us one step closer to our goals. Every donation will be matched up to $50,000, doubling your impact.
With gratitude and determination,
The Sellwood Middle School Foundation Board
SCHOOL PHOTOS
Hello families. Hopefully by today you have received your student's school photos. If you have any issues or questions, please contact LifeTouch studio directly as the office has no information with regard to photos. Their contact information is below:
Their website is mylifetouch.com or call them directly at 1.800.736.4753
Also, a reminder that photo retakes are Nov. 8th.
ATTENTION 8TH GRADERS – BENSON INFO NIGHT COMING SOON
If your 8th grader is interested in Career & Technical programs like:
- Health sciences
- Automotive
- Manufacturing/Engineering
- Digital media
Benson might be the perfect fit! Come to the 8th grade information night to learn more.
November 7th, 6:00-7:30,
Benson @ Marshall Campus in the Gym
3905 SE 91st Ave
Portland, OR 97266
2024-25 High School Lottery window is open from November 15, 2023 - December 15, 2023.
Students from across Portland Public Schools can apply to lottery slots at our three focus options high schools:
- Benson Polytechnic High School
- Jefferson High School-Middle College for Advanced Studies
- Metropolitan Learning Center
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent helpphone number is 833-731-2600.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- November 2: End of Quarter 2
- November 3: No School for Students
- November 8: Picture Retakes
- November 10: No School – Veteran’s Day
- November 20-21: Parent Teacher Conferences
- November 22-24: Fall Break
- December 12: Band Winter Concert
- December 18-22: Winter Break
-
Principal's Newsletter 10.20.2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – October 20, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
As you may heard from PPS Communications and/or read in the news today, the Portland Association of Teachers has voted to authorize a strike, potentially starting November 1st. I expect families have many questions about how a teacher strike would impact you and your children. PPS has put together the following resource to help answer some of your questions. Family Resources During a Strike. The document contains information regarding: Resources to Support Learning, Full or Partial Closures, Student Supports, and Discussing Closures with Your Children. There is also an FAQ with answers to general questions, and a link where you can submit your own questions.
Please know that I understand and appreciate that there will be challenges for families going forward in the event of school closures. I will do my best to make sure that you have the most up-to-date information as November 1st approaches.
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
- PTA meeting: Tuesday, 10/24, 7pm, SMS library
We are excited to welcome a guest speaker at our October meeting.
DISTRACTIONS, DESIRES, DIRECTIONS
DISPATCHES FROM PHILOSOPHY & NEUROSCIENCE ON BEING A TEEN
Dr. Craigan Usher
Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, OHSU
This will be an interactive session for parents to give practical advice on managing screen time, tech dilemmas, social media, phone distraction etc.
Principal Carbone will also be at the meeting for school updates and address parent questions.
- Pre PTA meeting parent get together; 10/24 5-6:30pm
Smitty’s Taphouse, 7718 SE 13th
Come join us for a casual parent meet up prior to our PTA meeting!
- PTA Fruit Pick Up; 10/25
Fruit pick-up will be on Wednesday 10/25 from 2:30 to 5:00 pm at the Sellwood Middle School parking lot (located at the intersection of SE 15th and SE Harney).
- Important links
Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta Join Konstella: https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/ PEAK AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM
Sellwood PEAK New Classes! Babysitter Training, First Aid, Chess Club
The PEAK Program is a series of in-person after school classes open to all Sellwood students. The PEAK program is totally independent of Sellwood Middle School and is under the jurisdiction of PTA. Scholarships are available as the PEAK goal is to include every SMS student.
Register for classes at https://tinyurl.com/
sellwoodpeakprogram If you are a first time user you will need to create an account for your student. Scholarship request form is here: https://tinyurl.com/
PEAKScholarship The scholarship request deadline for Red Cross classes was Wednesday, October 18th. Please feel free to submit for other classes. Please email sellwoodpeakprogram@
gmail.com with any questions. Classes open for registration
- Chess Club (NEW)
- We play chess after school on Mondays! We improve our chess skills by playing as much as possible, solving puzzles, and learning basic strategies. Our after-school program focuses on basics but we hope to develop a more competitive program. We meet on Mondays that school is in session. Note that this is a year-long club.
- Red Cross Babysitter Training - One Day Course (NEW)
- One-day training offered on 11/3/23, 4/5/24 and 4/8/24, 9am-4:30pm (no school days)
- Registration will open Sat, 10/21/23 at 9am
- The scholarship request deadline for Red Cross classes was Wednesday, October 18th.
- Designed for young people to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to safely and responsibly give care to infants and children in a residential setting.
- Participants receive a certificate of completion for Babysitter’s Training
- Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED Red Cross - One Day Course (NEW)
- One-day training offered on 1/26/24, 9am-2pm (no school day)
- Registration will open Sat, 10/21/23 at 9am
- The scholarship request deadline for Red Cross classes was Wednesday, October 18th.
- The Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED course equips students with the knowledge necessary to recognize and care for a variety of first aid, breathing, and cardiac emergencies involving children and babies.
- Students will receive a Red Cross Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED Certificate.
- Choir
- This is a student-led choir class provided by the Cleveland Choir Department, and the Cleveland Youth Choir (CYC) team. With the support of the Cleveland Choir director, Cleveland Choir students will lead a class filled with fun singing activities, practicing musicality skills, and learning about other cultures and stories through song! It is not only an educational opportunity, but a performance opportunity. Students who participate will have an opportunity to perform with the Cleveland Choir at one of our events.
- FULL - Speech and Debate
- FULL - Python Coding
SELLWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL FOUNDATION UPDATES
Last year, our Blue Bag program generated an astonishing $6,000 for our school, all thanks to your incredible support. With your help, we hope to beat that number this year!
What's Blue Bags? Blue Bags is an easy and impactful way to contribute to our school's success. Simply fill the bags with cans, bottles, or any deposit-marked containers. These versatile bags can be used at home, in the office, at sports events, or any gathering where beverages are served.
Effortless Drop-Offs Forget about waiting in long lines for payment slips. Drop off your filled Blue Bags hassle-free at numerous local BottleDrop locations, including convenient spots like New Seasons, Trader Joe's, and QFC.
Grab Your Blue Bag You can pick up your Blue Bags at the Main Office or from select neighborhood locations.
Let's make this year's Blue Bags program an even bigger success! Your continued support means the world to us and enables us to provide enriching experiences for our students.
ATTENTION 8TH GRADERS – BENSON INFO NIGHT COMING SOON
If your 8th grader is interested in Career & Technical programs like:
- Health sciences
- Automotive
- Manufacturing/Engineering
- Digital media
Benson might be the perfect fit! Come to the 8th grade information night to learn more.
November 7th, 6:00-7:30,
Benson @ Marshall Campus in the Gym
3905 SE 91st Ave
Portland, OR 97266
2024-25 High School Lottery window is open from November 15, 2023 - December 15, 2023.
Students from across Portland Public Schools can apply to lottery slots at our three focus options high schools:
- Benson Polytechnic High School
- Jefferson High School-Middle College for Advanced Studies
- Metropolitan Learning Center
SELLWOOD WRESTLING TEAM
Now is time to think about joining Sellwood's wrestling team. This team is open to all students who attend Sellwood. All experience levels and sizes are welcome. Anybody can wrestle because you practice and compete with wrestlers your size. We will have a student interest meeting on November 1st after school in the gymnasium. Practice will begin on November 7. Get signed up on family ID as soon as you can and we will see you at the student meeting on Wednesday November 1st in the gymnasium.
THE FIRST CLEVELAND MODERNIZATION PUBLIC WORKSHOP
Saturday, November 4th, from 10 am to 12 pm in the CHS Library.
The design committee is especially interested in input from families with prospective Cleveland students.
Current design concepts can be found here: https://shorturl.at/
uyFQR For more details, visit the official Cleveland Modernization website: https://www.pps.net/
Page/20964 SOCK-TOBER
We have collected 57 pairs of socks to donate to those in need. Our goal is 150 pairs by the end of October! The Leadership class knows that students will need help to reach this goal, so thank you, parents and caregivers. We're increasing the number of drop-off locations, and still rocking our FUN SOCK FRIDAY!
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent help phone number is 833-731-2600.COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- October 25: Cleveland Arts Assembly, 10:00 AM
- November 2: End of Quarter 2
- November 3: No School for Students
- November 8: Picture Retakes
- November 10: No School – Veteran’s Day
- November 20-21: Parent Teacher Conferences
- November 22-24: Fall Break
- December 12: Band Winter Concert
- December 18-22: Winter Break
-
Principal's Newsletter 10.12.2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – October 12, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
By now, all or almost all students should have their IDs and a lanyard which they can display. It looks like most students are wearing them! If your child does not have an ID or lanyard, they should check with their science teacher or come to the main office for assistance. Please read on for information about wearing student IDs while at school.
WEARING STUDENT IDs WHILE AT SCHOOL
Wearing student IDs is a new thing for students and they will need to develop this as a habit. We are currently reminding students to wear their IDs displayed and also appreciating them for wearing the IDs where they can be seen.
While we have provided students with lanyards, these particular lanyards are not mandatory. If students want to get their own special lanyards to personalize or be more blingy, that is fine. Some students have swapped their lanyards for carabiners or key chains to hang from their belt loops. All of these options are just fine; the point is to get students accustomed to displaying their identification while at school, just as staff already do, and just as students will continue to do in high school.
Students can wear their IDs in a variety of ways, as long as the ID itself is visible.
However, wearing the ID inside the pocket with just the lanyard hanging out is not the right way.
Finally, students must not swap lanyards with a different grade level. If they are wearing one of the school supplied lanyards, it must be their grade level. The ID lanyards are color coded
- 6th grade yellow
- 7th grade light blue
- 8th grade dark blue
Please support our efforts at enhancing school safety and improving efficiency (lunch lines and library check-out) by encouraging your child to wear their IDs in one of the visible, allowable ways.
Enjoy the three-day weekend.
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
Mark your October calendar!
- PTA Fruit Fundraiser
Calling Apple and Pear lovers!
Please order freshly picked, healthy, and amazing tasting boxes of fruit from Kiyokawa Family Orchards. This local orchard from Parkdale, Oregon is known for its excellent quality fruit and reputation for supporting local nonprofits, like the Sellwood PTA. Last year we raised more than $4,500. Fruit pick-up will be on Wednesday 10/25 from 2:30 to 5:00 pm at the Sellwood parking lot (located at the intersection of SE 15th and SE Harney). Orders need to be placed by Wednesday 10/18. Don’t delay, get your order in today at: https://www.schoolpay.com/
link/sellwoodfruit - Sellwood Dines Out: Tuesday, October 17th
Our first Sellwood Dines Out will be with Portland Bottle Shop! Great day for lunch or dinner, grab a gift, or stock up for the holidays!
- Thank You Thursday for Teachers and Staff: October 19th
Treat our teachers and staff to a delicious lunch to show our appreciation for all they do. Sign up at this link on Konstella for October 19...seeking soups, salads, bread and desserts. Thank you for helping to make Thank You Thursdays a success!
- Next PTA meeting: Tuesday, October 24th, 7:00 pm
We are excited to welcome a guest speaker at our October meeting.
‘Navigating social media for the middle school parent’
Dr. Craigan Usher
Professor of Child Psychiatry, OHSU
This will be an interactive session for parents to give practical advice to support your child to a safe and supportive use of social media.
- Important links
Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta Join Konstella: https://www.
konstella.com/cd/AXC2Z9 Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/ SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/ PEAK AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM
Sellwood PEAK New Classes! Babysitter Training, First Aid, Chess Club
The PEAK Program is a series of in-person after school classes open to all Sellwood students. The PEAK program is totally independent of Sellwood Middle School and is under the jurisdiction of PTA. Scholarships are available as the PEAK goal is to include every SMS student.
Register for classes at https://tinyurl.com/
sellwoodpeakprogram If you are a first time user you will need to create an account for your student. Scholarship request form is here: https://tinyurl.com/
PEAKScholarship **Please submit scholarship request by 10pm on Wednesday, October 18th.** Please email sellwoodpeakprogram@
gmail.com with any questions. Classes open for registration
- Chess Club (NEW)
- We play chess after school on Mondays! We improve our chess skills by playing as much as possible, solving puzzles, and learning basic strategies. Our after-school program focuses on basics but we hope to develop a more competitive program. We meet on Mondays that school is in session. Note that this is a year-long club.
- Red Cross Babysitter Training - One Day Course (NEW)
- One-day training offered on 11/3/23, 4/5/24 and 4/5/24, 9am-4:30pm (no school days)
- Registration will open Sat, 10/21/23 at 9am
- If you are interested in a scholarship, please fill out request form by 10pm on Wednesday, October 18th.
- Designed for young people to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to safely and responsibly give care to infants and children in a residential setting.
- Participants receive a certificate of completion for Babysitter’s Training
- Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED Red Cross - One Day Course (NEW)
- One-day training offered on 1/26/24, 9am-2pm (no school day)
- Registration will open Sat, 10/21/23 at 9am
- If you are interested in a scholarship, please fill out request form by 10pm on Wednesday, October 18th.
- The Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED course equips students with the knowledge necessary to recognize and care for a variety of first aid, breathing, and cardiac emergencies involving children and babies.
- Students will receive a Red Cross Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED Certificate.
- Choir
- This is a student-led choir class provided by the Cleveland Choir Department, and the Cleveland Youth Choir (CYC) team. With the support of the Cleveland Choir director, Cleveland Choir students will lead a class filled with fun singing activities, practicing musicality skills, and learning about other cultures and stories through song! It is not only an educational opportunity, but a performance opportunity. Students who participate will have an opportunity to perform with the Cleveland Choir at one of our events.
- FULL - Speech and Debate
- FULL - Python Coding
SOCK-TOBER
We have collected 57 pairs of socks to donate to those in need. Our goal is 150 pairs by the end of October! The Leadership class knows that students will need help to reach this goal, so thank you, parents and caregivers. We're increasing the number of drop-off locations, and still rocking our FUN SOCK FRIDAY!
SELLWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL FOUNDATION UPDATES
Last year, our Blue Bag program generated an astonishing $6,000 for our school, all thanks to your incredible support. With your help, we hope to beat that number this year!
What's Blue Bags? Blue Bags is an easy and impactful way to contribute to our school's success. Simply fill the bags with cans, bottles, or any deposit-marked containers. These versatile bags can be used at home, in the office, at sports events, or any gathering where beverages are served.
Effortless Drop-Offs Forget about waiting in long lines for payment slips. Drop off your filled Blue Bags hassle-free at numerous local BottleDrop locations, including convenient spots like New Seasons, Trader Joe's, and QFC.
Grab Your Blue Bag You can pick up your Blue Bags at the Main Office or from select neighborhood locations.
Let's make this year's Blue Bags program an even bigger success! Your continued support means the world to us and enables us to provide enriching experiences for our students.
CLEVELAND YOUTH BASKETBALL CLINICS
Please see the linked flyer for information about Cleveland Youth Basketball Clinics.
MAIN OFFICE NEWS
Parents/Guardians: It's that time of year again to update your child's emergency contact information in ParentVue. This is very important and helpful for your child. This provides us with up-to-date information in case of an emergency. Please use ParentVue for updating. The deadline for parents to submit Yearly Verification before being locked out of ParentVue is October 31st.
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
THE MASKED VILLAIN OF SELLWOOD
Writer/director/actor Randy Sean Schulman (Grimm, Wild) in Portland, OR -- wrote and directed a silent movie for the nonprofit Rogue Pack, which serves at-risk youth throughout Oregon.
The short silent film THE MASKED VILLAIN OF SELLWOOD is inspired by poems and stories told from teens in Oregon Youth Authority custody. The film was shot entirely in Sellwood.
The world premiere sold out at the Moreland Theater. And because of its initial success there will be another screening at Moreland Theater on Sunday, October 15 @ 12PM.
Here's the trailer: https://www.facebook.
com/randy.schulman.1/videos/ 1382310152320655 Info. on next screening: https://www.
facebook.com/1148101200/posts/ pfbid02TvPP4ZzGCA6UUbHMDmTGrhz tGcS87gacRVPHTnX1cxs4gyeYEwE5B xdjc7SoNe1Kl/?app=fbl Rogue Pack: https://www.roguepack.
org SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent helpphone number is 833-731-2600.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-H: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names L-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- October 13: No School – State In-service Day
- October 25: Cleveland Arts Assembly
- November 2: End of Quarter 2
- November 3: No School for Students
- November 8: Picture Retakes
- November 10: No School – Veteran’s Day
- November 20-21: Parent Teacher Conferences
- November 22-24: Fall Break
- December 12: Band Winter Concert
- December 18-22: Winter Break
-
Principal's Newsletter 10.6.2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – October 6, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
On Monday of next week, in science classes, Sellwood will be handing out student IDs and lanyards. As part of the district’s efforts to increase safety across our schools’ campuses, all PPS middle and high school students will be required to display their school IDs while at school, in the same way that all staff members do. In addition to improved safety, students wearing IDs will provide additional benefits such as quick scanning in the hot lunch line, which will speed up the line and allow more time for lunch/recess, as well as faster checking out of library books.
The lanyards are color coded by grade.
- 6th grade – yellow
- 7th grade – light blue
- 8th grade – dark blue
We understand that wearing student IDs on lanyards is new for students, and it will take time and patience to make this new requirement a habit and incorporate the practice into our routine. We are planning some fun incentives and class competitions to encourage students to wear their IDs!
I hope you all enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend,
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
Mark your October calendar!
- PTA Fruit Fundraiser
Calling all Sellwood PTA supporters and apple and pear fans! We are hosting a fruit fundraiser and selling freshly picked and amazing tasting boxes of apples and pears from Kiyokawa Family Orchards. This local orchard from Parkdale, Oregon is known for its excellent quality fruit and a reputation for supporting local nonprofits, like the PTA. Last year the PTA raised more than $4,500 and we ask for your support. Order now at: https://www.schoolpay.com/
link/sellwoodfruit. - Sellwood Dines Outs; October 17th.
Our first Sellwood Dines Out will be with Portland Bottle Shop! Great day for lunch or dinner, grab a gift, or stock up for the holidays!
- Thank You Thursday for Teachers and Staff; October 19th.
Treat our teachers and staff to a delicious lunch to show our appreciation for all they do. Sign up at this link on Konstella for October 19...seeking soups, salads, bread and desserts. Thank you for helping to make Thank You Thursdays a success!
- Next PTA meeting; October 24th; 7pm.
We are excited to welcome a guest speaker at our October meeting.
‘Navigating social media for the middle school parent’
Dr. Craigan Usher
Professor of Child Psychiatry, OHSU
This will be an interactive session for parents to give practical advice to support your child to a safe and supportive use of social media.
- Important links
Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta Join Konstella: https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/ PEAK AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM
SELLWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL FOUNDATION UPDATES
Last year, our Blue Bag program generated an astonishing $6,000 for our school, all thanks to your incredible support. With your help, we hope to beat that number this year!
What's Blue Bags? Blue Bags is an easy and impactful way to contribute to our school's success. Simply fill the bags with cans, bottles, or any deposit-marked containers. These versatile bags can be used at home, in the office, at sports events, or any gathering where beverages are served.
Effortless Drop-Offs Forget about waiting in long lines for payment slips. Drop off your filled Blue Bags hassle-free at numerous local BottleDrop locations, including convenient spots like New Seasons, Trader Joe's, and QFC.
Grab Your Blue Bag You can pick up your Blue Bags at the Main Office or from select neighborhood locations.
Let's make this year's Blue Bags program an even bigger success! Your continued support means the world to us and enables us to provide enriching experiences for our students.
SOCK-TOBER!!
Leadership, taught by Ms. Souther, is collecting sock donations for Blanchet House, which is a non-profit organization that distributes meals and clothes to the un-housed. October 1-27, please donate new (in the packaging) adult socks, one of the most requested items on their website. Warm, plain socks are great!
Donate near the office or in the cafeteria. Wear fun socks on Fridays through October!
We’ll also incorporate Fun Sock Fridays! Each Friday (and one Thursday) in October, students will be challenged to wear their most FUN socks.CLEVELAND YOUTH BASKETBALL CLINICS
Please see the linked flyer for information about Cleveland Youth Basketball Clinics.
MAIN OFFICE NEWS
Parents/Guardians: It's that time of year again to update your child's emergency contact information in ParentVue. This is very important and helpful for your child. This provides us with up-to-date information in case of an emergency. Please use ParentVue for updating. The deadline for parents to submit Yearly Verification before being locked out of ParentVue is October 31st.
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
LEWIS ELEMENTARY PIE SALE IS BACK!
Lewis is partnering with Willamette Valley Pie Company to sell their delicious pies. Proceeds go towards sending Lewis fifth graders to overnight science camp. Prepare for the holidays (or anytime), buy some pie, and support Lewis Elementary students. Orders due October 9th. Pick up pies at Lewis School on October 25th. Lewis Elementary Pie Fundraiser. Questions? Email Lee Pritchard at lee_pritch@yahoo.com.
THE MASKED VILLAIN OF SELLWOOD
Randy Sean Schulman, writer/director/
actor (Grimm, Wild) in Portland, OR -- wrote and directed a silent movie for the nonprofit Rogue Pack, which serves at-risk youth throughout Oregon. The short silent film THE MASKED VILLAIN OF SELLWOOD is inspired by poems and stories told from teens in Oregon Youth Authority custody. The film was shot entirely in Sellwood.
Its world premiere sold out at the Moreland Theater, and because of its initial success they're having another screening at Moreland Theater on Sunday, October 15 @ 12PM.
Here's the trailer: https://www.facebook.
com/randy.schulman.1/videos/ 1382310152320655 Info. on next screening: https://www.
facebook.com/1148101200/posts/ pfbid02TvPP4ZzGCA6UUbHMDmTGrhz tGcS87gacRVPHTnX1cxs4gyeYEwE5B xdjc7SoNe1Kl/?app=fbl Rogue Pack: https://www.roguepack.
org SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent helpphone number is 833-731-2600.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- October 13: No School – State In-service Day
- October 25: Cleveland Arts Assembly
- November 2: End of Quarter 2
- November 3: No School for Students
- November 8: Picture Retakes
- November 10: No School – Veteran’s Day
- November 20-21: Parent Teacher Conferences
- November 22-24: Fall Break
- December 12: Band Winter Concert
- December 18-22: Winter Break
-
Principal's Newsletter 9.29.2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – September 29, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
We enjoyed hosting all of you at Back-to-School night on Tuesday evening. It is such a pleasure to have families in the school building again, and seeing many new and returning faces. The PTA meeting was also well-attended and it is wonderful that so many parents are choosing to become involved.
I want to make sure that everyone knows that Wednesday, October 4th will be a two-hour late opening for all PPS middle schools. Staff will be engaging in Social Emotion Learning professional development that morning. The building entry bell will ring at 11:05 and period 1 will begin at 11:15. Buses will run on the two-hour late opening schedule.
I also would like to alert you to the TAG Parent meeting which will take place on October 3rd, from 6:30 to 7:15 PM. The meeting will be virtual on Google Meets.
I hope you all enjoy the return of sunshine and crisp fall weather this weekend :-)
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
Mark your October calendar!
- Fruit Sale starting next week!
Our annual fall fundraiser starts soon. We will be selling apples and pears from Kiyokawa Orchard. This delicious healthy fundraiser raises important funds to support our school.
- Sellwood Dines Outs; October 17th.
Our first Sellwood Dines Out will be with Portland Bottle Shop! Great day for lunch or dinner, grab a gift, or stock up for the holidays!
- Next PTA meeting; October 24th; 7pm.
We are excited to welcome a guest speaker at our October meeting.
‘Navigating social media for the middle school parent’
Dr. Craigan Usher
Professor of Child Psychiatry, OHSU
This will be an interactive session for parents to give practical advice to support your child to a safe and supportive use of social media.
- Important links
Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta Join Konstella: https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/ PEAK AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM
Sellwood PEAK Classes Start Soon! Registration Still Open
The PEAK Program is a series of in-person after school classes open to all Sellwood students. The PEAK program is totally independent of Sellwood Middle School and is under the jurisdiction of PTA. Most classes run on a 8-10 week session schedule in the fall, winter, and spring, and require a fee. Partial scholarships are available as the PEAK goal is to include every SMS student.
Register for classes at https://tinyurl.com/
sellwoodpeakprogram If you are a first-time user you will need to create an account for your student. Scholarship request form is here: https://tinyurl.com/
PEAKScholarship Please email sellwoodpeakprogram@
gmail.com with any questions. Classes open for registration now:
- Clowning and Physical Comedy
- We will explore multiple clown characters through games and physical comedy exercises. Each student will develop their own unique clown character. Together we will observe and learn current and traditional physical theater practices and stage combat skills like falls, bonks and safely slamming into walls with no physical repercussions! We will develop individual and group composition pieces to perform for an invited audience at the culmination of the class. Come play with us and discover your inner clown!
- Choir
- This is a student-led choir class provided by the Cleveland Choir Department, and the Cleveland Youth Choir (CYC) team. With the support of the Cleveland Choir director, Cleveland Choir students will lead a class filled with fun singing activities, practicing musicality skills, and learning about other cultures and stories through song! It is not only an educational opportunity, but a performance opportunity. Students who participate will have an opportunity to perform with the Cleveland Choir at one of our events.
- Speech and Debate
- The Cleveland High Speech and Debate team is one the largest and most successful programs at the school. Find out why these students love it so much, and build your own debate skills. You will practice speaking and debating skills in preparation for local middle school competitions The Sellwood team will be coached by team captains from Cleveland.
- Python Coding - FULL
- Python is versatile, easy-to-learn, and one of the world's most powerful programming languages! Widely used by software developers, scientists, and data analysts, Python can be used for everything from medical research to rocket engineering. The Python pathway teaches students core programming concepts and how to build interactive games using this popular coding language.
SELLWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL FOUNDATION UPDATES
https://www.sellwoodmiddlefoundation.org/ blue-bags We invite you to join our year-long fundraising initiative --**Blue Bag BottleDrop**! Last year, Blue Bag BottleDrop contributed over $6,000 to our school, making a significant impact on our programs.
**What's Blue Bag BottleDrop?**
Blue Bag BottleDrop is a simple and effective way to support our school. Collect cans, bottles, or any deposit-marked containers in the Blue Bags provided. These bags are convenient and versatile – use them at home, the office, sports events, or any gathering with bottled or canned beverages.
**Easy Drop-Off Locations**
No more waiting in line for payment slips! You can drop off your filled Blue Bags hassle-free at various local BottleDrop locations, including New Season's, Trader Joe's, and QFC.
**Get Your Blue Bag**
Pick up your Blue Bags at the Main Office or designated locations within the neighborhood (https://www.sellwoodmiddlefoundation.org/ blue-bags). Look out for the SMS Foundation Board at the upcoming Back to School Night – we will be distributing Blue Bags and answering any questions you might have.
Let's make this year's Blue Bag BottleDrop program an even greater success! Thank you for your continued support in enhancing our school's opportunities and experiences.
SOCK-TOBER!!
Leadership, taught by Ms. Souther, is collecting sock donations for Blanchet House, which is a non-profit organization that distributes meals and clothes to the un-housed. October 1-27, please donate new (in the packaging) adult socks, one of the most requested items on their website. Warm, plain socks are great!
Collection boxes will be available around the school every morning.
We’ll also incorporate Fun Sock Fridays! Each Friday (and one Thursday) in October, students will be challenged to wear their most FUN socks.SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent help phone number is 833-731-2600.CLEVELAND CHEER CLINIC
Youth Cheer Clinic October 2nd-5th, with a half time performance at the Homecoming Football game on the 6th. Practices will be held at the Cleveland track.Students will learn a dance and some cheers that they will perform at halftime of the homecoming game. We are also asking all the participants to cheer with us down on the track, for the first half of the game.
Grades: 4th - 8th
Fee: $50 - it includes a t-shirt and a bow.
Registration: Sign up is located on the Cleveland High School Athletic website under fall sports - cheer. Below is the google doc form.
HOW PARENTS CAN LOG IN TO CANVAS
Parents, if you would like to support your student by logging into Canvas, here is a link and a step-by-step guide.
PARENTS/Guardians
- You will need to create a Canvas account using a student pairing code.
- Accounts can be created by going to https://lms.pps.net/
- Review this guide to learn more.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- September 26: TAG Parent Meeting 6:30 - 7PM (Virtual)
- October 3: Picture Day
- October 4: Two-hour late opening. Entry bell rings at 11:05 AM
- October 13: No School – State In-service Day
- October 25: Cleveland Arts Assembly
- November 2: End of Quarter 2
- November 3: No School for Students
- November 8: Picture Retakes
- November 10: No School – Veteran’s Day
- November 20-21: Parent Teacher Conferences
- November 22-24: Fall Break
- December 12: Band Winter Concert
- December 18-22: Winter Break
-
Principal's Newsletter 9/22/2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – September 22, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
The school year is well underway and going very smoothly. Checking in with students and staff, I have noted a lot of smiles and positive responses. I have been made aware of one bus that is consistently late in the mornings. My apologies about the bus. I have reached out to Transportation for an explanation, but it seems the issue has not yet been resolved. Over the past two weeks we have also experienced the challenges of an aging school building. Sellwood Middle School was built in 1914, and while it is a beautiful old building, this week it has been showing its age. On Tuesday, deep in the rooms under our building, one of our older building fans burned out. While there was no fire, smoke, or actual danger, the fan pushed a burning odor into the school’s main areas, alarming students and staff and prompting an evacuation. The fan is being replaced. It took a bit of time to uncover the source of the odor, but I wanted to share its origin, as I had heard rumors being passed around about a gas leak (not true at all). In addition to the old fan burning out, the water station nearest the main office has a clogged drain. While we have closed the water station (as well as the station above it) until it is repaired, I want to reassure everyone that there is not a problem with the water quality, which is highly filtered and has been tested. The water station can’t be used because the water has no place to go, due to the drain blockage. It should be fixed in the next few days, but I ask for your patience. I am very much looking forward to the day when Sellwood has its turn for school modernization.
Speaking of school modernization, I am sure you know that Cleveland High School is in line for redesign. PPS is currently putting together the Cleveland Comprehensive Planning Committee (CPC). Most Sellwood students will attend Cleveland as their neighborhood high school, and the work of the CPC will have great impact on current Sellwood students and families. Below, under Help Us Create A Modernized Cleveland High School there is a description of the CPC’s work and an invitation to apply and a link to the CPC application. They are interested in current Sellwood families and students. I encourage you to get involved in this exciting work!
Finally, a reminder that next Tuesday evening Sellwood will host Back-to-School Night from 5:30 to 7PM, followed by the first PTA Meeting in the library from 7:00 to 8:30. The schedule and details are outlined below. We hope to see you there!
Enjoy the weekend :-)
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
- First PTA Meeting Tuesday, 9/26 7pm at Back to School Night
Please join us for our first PTA meeting of the year. We will meet from 7-8:30pm in the SMS library after Back to School Night events. We would love to see you! Principal Carbone will be sharing information about the new roles at Sellwood such as the Restorative Justice Coordinator and School Climate Specialist. She will also be discussing the changes in the Advisory curriculum this year.
- Don’t forget to sign up for the PTA!
We have had 23 people join the PTA so far. Our goal is 50. Please join the PTA and help make this a great school year for our kids and SMS community. Here is the link to join! www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta - Are you on Konstella?
The PTA uses the Konstella app to keep the parent community up to date with scheduled events, the school calendar, volunteer sign ups and PTA announcements. Here is the link to join! Already on Konstella? Please update your student’s grade.
https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9
- Find us on social media!
Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/ SELLWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL FOUNDATION UPDATES
https://www.
sellwoodmiddlefoundation.org/ blue-bags We invite you to join our year-long fundraising initiative --**Blue Bag BottleDrop**! Last year, Blue Bag BottleDrop contributed over $6,000 to our school, making a significant impact on our programs.
**What's Blue Bag BottleDrop?**
Blue Bag BottleDrop is a simple and effective way to support our school. Collect cans, bottles, or any deposit-marked containers in the Blue Bags provided. These bags are convenient and versatile – use them at home, the office, sports events, or any gathering with bottled or canned beverages.
**Easy Drop-Off Locations**
No more waiting in line for payment slips! You can drop off your filled Blue Bags hassle-free at various local BottleDrop locations, including New Season's, Trader Joe's, and QFC.
**Get Your Blue Bag**
Pick up your Blue Bags at the Main Office or designated locations within the neighborhood (https://www.sellwoodmiddlefoundation.org/ blue-bags). Look out for the SMS Foundation Board at the upcoming Back to School Night – we will be distributing Blue Bags and answering any questions you might have.
Let's make this year's Blue Bag BottleDrop program an even greater success! Thank you for your continued support in enhancing our school's opportunities and experiences.
See you at Back to School Night!BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT
On Tuesday, September 26th, we will welcome families to our annual Back-to-School Night. We will start at 5:30 PM with a brief presentation in the gym, followed by a shortened bell schedule where parents will follow their children’s schedules and get to meet their teachers and hear about their classes. We will not be handing out paper copies of students’ schedules, so please make sure you can access your child’s schedule through ParentVue on a mobile device. Student leaders will be posted in hallways to help direct families. Here is the schedule for the evening.
- 5:30-5:50 – Parent Presentation in Gym
- 5:55-6:02 - Period 1
- 6:06-6:13 - Period 2
- 6:17-6:24 - Period 3 or 4
- 6:28-6:35 - Period 5
- 6:39-6:46 - Period 6
- 6:50-6:57 - Period 7
We hope to see you there!
HELP US CREATE A MODERNIZED CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL
Dear Cleveland High School & Cleveland Cluster Families,
The comprehensive planning process for the modernization of historic Cleveland High School is getting underway. PPS is seeking a diverse range of engaged citizens who can positively contribute to the process of creating a next generation high school through the Cleveland Comprehensive Planning Committee (CPC). View the Cleveland CPC flyer here |Español |Tiếng Việt | Русский | Soomaali | 中文
Cleveland Comprehensive Planning Committee Mission
The goal of the Cleveland CPC is to develop an equitable and integrated comprehensive plan for a modernized Cleveland High School through authentic community engagement. It will include students, parents, teachers, alumni, administrators, PPS staff, partners, community representatives and a school board member.The CPC collects and synthesizes community-wide input and collaborates around the evolving project details with other members in the Cleveland community. While CPC members are not tasked with making final decisions, their input is crucial in creating a comprehensive plan that the entire community can be proud of.
Apply to the Cleveland Comprehensive Planning Committee (CPC)
To apply please visit the Cleveland Modernization website at https://www.pps.net/ClevelandBond Applications are available in all PPS supported languages. Paper applications will also be available at Cleveland High School and upon request. Interested candidates should plan on meeting about once a month in the evenings for about 5 to 6 months. The CPC application process will remain open until the 28th of September, but please get them in as soon as you can. The first meeting will take place in early October. Other Engagement Opportunities
If you are unable to join the CPC, you will still have opportunities to make your voice heard at upcoming Design Workshops and Open Houses. Dates will be announced on the website.Cleveland Modernization Schedule
Planning and Design is set to begin in early fall of 2023 with the development of a Cleveland Comprehensive Plan. The Planning and Design phase will continue over the next two years. Funding for the construction of a modernized Cleveland would need to come from a future bond measure.Get involved and stay informed
The Cleveland modernization website will keep you updated on the latest developments and provide a list of upcoming engagement opportunities. You can also join the Cleveland Modernization project mailing list at CHSBond@pps.net. Thank you for helping us create a modernized Cleveland High School for the 21st century.SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent helpphone number is 833-731-2600.
CLEVELAND CHEER CLINIC
Youth Cheer Clinic October 2nd-5th, with a half time performance at the Homecoming Football game on the 6th. Practices will be held at the Cleveland track.Students will learn a dance and some cheers that they will perform at halftime of the homecoming game. We are also asking all the participants to cheer with us down on the track, for the first half of the game.
Grades: 4th - 8th
Fee: $50 - it includes a t-shirt and a bow.
Registration: Sign up is located on the Cleveland High School Athletic website under fall sports - cheer. Below is the google doc form.
HOW PARENTS CAN LOG IN TO CANVAS
Parents, if you would like to support your student by logging into Canvas, here is a link and a step-by-step guide.
PARENTS/Guardians
- You will need to create a Canvas account using a student pairing code.
- Accounts can be created by going to https://lms.pps.net/
- Review this guide to learn more.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- September 26: Back to School Night 5:30-7:00 PM
- September 26: PTA Meeting 7PM
- September 27: Picture Day
- October 4: Two-hour late opening. Entry bell rings at 11:05 AM
- October 13: No School – State In-service Day
- October 25: Cleveland Arts Assembly
- November 2: End of Quarter 2
- November 3: No School for Students
- November 8: Picture Retakes
- November 10: No School – Veteran’s Day
- November 20-21: Parent Teacher Conferences
- November 22-24: Fall Break
- December 18-22: Winter Break
-
Principal's Newsletter 9.15.2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – September 17, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
I apologize that you did not receive my newsletter last Friday. I sent it late in the afternoon, but unfortunately I accidently sent it only to myself and just realized that today. I guess I am still getting back in the swing of things.
It was wonderful to see all of you at our Ice Cream Social Tuesday night. It was an enjoyable, relaxed opportunity to connect with fellow parents and Sellwood staff.
On Tuesday, September 26th, we will welcome families to our annual Back-to-School Night. We will start at 5:30PM in the gym, followed by a shortened bell schedule where parents will follow their children’s schedules and get to meet their teachers and hear about their classes. I will send more details later, but here is the schedule for the evening.
- 5:30-5:50 - Presentation in Gym
- 5:55-6:02 - Period 1
- 6:06-6:13 - Period 2
- 6:17-6:24 - Period 3 or 4
- 6:28-6:35 - Period 5
- 6:39-6:46 - Period 6
- 6:50-6:57 - Period 7
We hope to see you there!
Enjoy the weekend :-)
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
- Volunteers needed for PPS Clothing Closet
Thursday 9/28
We need 3 more volunteers to help on Sellwood’s assigned day at the PPS Clothing Closet. Please help us with this important cause. Sign ups are in Konstella.
- Don’t forget to sign up for the PTA!
Please join the PTA and contribute your voice to the conversation on making this a great school year for our kids and SMS community. Here is the link to join! www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta - Are you on Konstella?
The PTA uses the Konstella app to keep the parent community up to date with scheduled events, the school calendar, volunteer sign ups and PTA announcements. Here is the link to join! Already on Konstella? Please update your student’s grade.
https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 - First PTA Meeting Tuesday, 9/26 7pm
Please join us for our first PTA meeting of the year. We will meet from 7-8:30pm in the SMS library after Back to School Night events. We would love to see you! Principal Carbone will be giving school updates and talking about the new staff positions.
- Volunteers need to support PEAK program
The PTA is looking for volunteers to help coordinate our after school clubs and programs. We have parents who have supported this program for the last couple years and laid the groundwork for future volunteers to keep the program running. Please reach out if you are interested in learning more. sellwoodpta@gmail.com
- Find us on social media!
Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/ SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link: Sellwood Yearbook DonationSELLWOOD FOUNDATION
Please check out the flyer for our Bottle Drop Fundraiser.
SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL SERVICE DOG MONTH
Jaco is so excited to be back at work and in honor of September being National Service Dog Month we wanted to share more about Jaco's life before joining the Sellwood staff.
Jaco was raised by a volunteer puppy raiser for 18 months before going to "Doggie College" in Santa Rosa, CA to finish his professional training and getting matched with his handler Ms. Katie! His puppy raiser is now raising her 5th puppy for Canine Companions, Jaco's cousin, Jib to become a working dog just like Jaco! You can follow his journey on instagram @jibccpuppy you can also see Jaco in action at Sellwood @jacothecounselingdog
The human-canine bond is powerful, and Canine Companions is leading the way to provide more service dogs to children, adults and veterans with disabilities. If you are interested in learning more about the organization or are interested in volunteering to raise a future service dog like Jaco. Click here!
LINCOLN HIGH YOUTH DANCE CLINIC
The Lincoln Dance Team is hosting our annual youth clinic on October 14th and 15th with the opportunity for participating students to perform at halftime during a Lincoln football game. We are reaching out to our local middle schools in hopes that you will share our event with your parents and students. If you could help us advertise by including the Google doc I have attached below in your next newsletter, email, or announcements, etc that would be amazing! We have attached our flyer and registration link below.
Thank you for helping us spread the word,
Coach Breaunna, Lincoln High School
HOW PARENTS CAN LOG IN TO CANVAS
Parents, if you would like to support your student by logging into Canvas, here is a link and a step-by-step guide.
PARENTS/Guardians
- You will need to create a Canvas account using a student pairing code.
- Accounts can be created by going to https://lms.pps.net/
- Review this guide to learn more.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
TRAVEL OPPORTUNITY FOR CURRENT 6TH AND 7TH GRADE STUDENTS
We’re going to Ecuador in Summer 2025, and your student is invited!
My name is Ronda Hall-Ramírez and I am the Spanish teacher at Sellwood MS. I'm excited to tell you more about this trip to Ecuador during an in-person informational meeting on Tuesday, October 3 at 6:30pm in the Sellwood MS cafeteria. Please enter through the courtyard and I hope to see you there!
Please note this is a non-school sponsored trip.
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- September 4: Labor Day – No School
- September 12: Ice Cream Social 5 – 6:30 PM
- September 26: Back to School Night 5:30-7:00 PM
- September 26: PTA Meeting 7PM
-
Principal's Newsletter 9.8.2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – September 8, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
We are very much looking forward to seeing you at our first Sellwood Middle School community event next Tuesday, September 12th @5PM. Our PTA sponsors the Ice Cream Social, and it will be a fun and casual event. Come and meet other Sellwood parents and students while enjoying some tasty ice-cream. One half of the field will be reserved for families to set up picnic blankets and/or camp chairs. You can even bring a picnic dinner if you desire. The other half of the field will be reserved for students (and parents) who have the energy to run around. Soccer balls and other recess equipment will be available. The weather forecast looks to be ideal for an end of summer community event.
We hope to see you there!
Enjoy the weekend :-)
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
- Volunteers needed for PPS Clothing Closet
Thursday 9/28
We need 3 more volunteers to help on Sellwood’s assigned day at the PPS Clothing Closet. Please help us with this important cause. Sign ups are in Konstella.
- Don’t forget to sign up for the PTA!
Please join the PTA and contribute your voice to the conversation on making this a great school year for our kids and SMS community. Here is the link to join! www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta - Are you on Konstella?
The PTA uses the Konstella app to keep the parent community up to date with scheduled events, the school calendar, volunteer sign ups and PTA announcements. Here is the link to join! Already on Konstella? Please update your student’s grade.
https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 - First PTA Meeting Tuesday, 9/26 7pm
Please join us for our first PTA meeting of the year. We will meet from 7-8:30pm in the SMS library after Back to School Night events. We would love to see you!
- Volunteers need to support PEAK program
The PTA is looking for volunteers to help coordinate our after-school clubs and programs. We have parents who have supported this program for the last couple years and laid the groundwork for future volunteers to keep the program running. Please reach out if you are interested in learning more. sellwoodpta@gmail.com
- Ice Cream Social Tuesday 9/12; 5:00-6:30 pm
This is a family event for Sellwood families. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, etc. and enjoy an informal evening at Sellwood. The PTA will provide ice cream and popsicles to celebrate the start of the year!
- Find us on social media!
Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/ SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL!
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks one the last day for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families! So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book goes down. We envision the last day of school where every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for everyone. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link: Sellwood Yearbook DonationSELLWOOD FOUNDATION
Please check out the flyer for our Bottle Drop Fundraiser.
SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL SERVICE DOG MONTH
Jaco is so excited to be back at work and in honor of September being National Service Dog Month. We wanted to share more about Jaco's life before joining the Sellwood staff.
Jaco was raised by a volunteer puppy raiser for 18 months before going to "Doggie College" in Santa Rosa, CA to finish his professional training and getting matched with his handler Ms. Katie! His puppy raiser is now raising her 5th puppy for Canine Companions, Jaco's cousin, Jib to become a working dog just like Jaco! You can follow his journey on instagram @jibccpuppy. You can also see Jaco in action at Sellwood @jacothecounselingdog
The human-canine bond is powerful, and Canine Companions is leading the way to provide more service dogs to children, adults and veterans with disabilities. If you are interested in learning more about the organization or are interested in volunteering to raise a future service dog like Jaco. Click here!
HOW PARENTS CAN LOG IN TO CANVAS
Parents, if you would like to support your student by logging into Canvas, here is a link and a step-by-step guide.
PARENTS/Guardians
- You will need to create a Canvas account using a student pairing code.
- Accounts can be created by going to https://lms.pps.net/
- Review this guide to learn more.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
- Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
- Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
- Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
- To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
- To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- September 4: Labor Day – No School
- September 12: Ice Cream Social 5 – 6:30 PM
- September 26: Back to School Night 5:30-7:00 PM
- September 26: PTA Meeting 7PM
-
Principal's Newsletter 9.1.2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – September 1, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
It has been a joyous first week of school, with 6th-graders starting on Tuesday with a “Jump Start” orientation. I would like to thank all of our wonderful 8th-grade WEB leaders who made the orientation day a success. Our counseling team, Ms. Katie and Mr. KB, provided WEB leaders with training that helped them prepare for the event. 7th and 8th graders returned to school with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and I can tell it is going to be a great year. Sellwood’s PTA decorated our sidewalks and courtyard with inspirational chalk art that welcomed all students back to school. Thank you to staff, students, and families for the amazing kick-off. We are all happy to hear childrens’ voices ring in the hallways once again.
As of today, most 6th-graders are able to navigate the school and find their way to all of their classes. We have spent a lot of time providing locker support, and almost all students are able to confidently open their lockers. We will continue to help fix any remaining locker challenges next week.
I wanted to re-share two important documents. The Sellwood Student & Family Handbook 2023-24 and the PPS Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook 2023-24.
Here are a few photos of new staff members so when you see them, you will be able to say hello.
Maria Fuhrmann – 7th grade English Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher
Maia Kirkelie – ESL Teacher
Kate Canfield – Restorative Justice Coordinator
Matthew Mortensen – School Climate Specialist
Kasey Bond – Instructional Coach (you may remember Kasey as a Sellwood math teacher)
Garrett Hampton – Campus Security Associate
Don't forget, on September 12th, from 5 - 6:30 PM, we will be hosting Sellwood's Ice Cream Social (Thank you PTA!). We look forward to seeing you there in person!
Enjoy the three day weekend,
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
General Building entry
After the first day, students will use one of 4 entrances based on how they came to school: by bus, drop-off, walking, biking, or skating. Remember that during arrival and dismissal times we do not allow drop offs or pickups on 15th Avenue or in the staff parking lot due to safety concerns. The parent drop-off area is on Umatilla, 16th, or Sherrett. Please refer to the map below.
PTA NEWS
The SMS PTA Board welcomes you and your student to the new school year! We are excited to continue to support the SMS staff and our school community.
Join the PTA!
Please join the PTA and contribute your voice to the conversation on making this a great school year for our kids and SMS community. Here is the link to join! www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta Join Konstella!
The PTA uses the Konstella app to keep the parent community up to date with scheduled events, the school calendar, volunteer sign ups and PTA announcements. Here is the link to join! Already on Konstella? Please update your student’s grade. https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 First PTA Meeting Tuesday, 9/26 7pm
Please join us for our first PTA meeting of the year. We will meet from 7-8:30pm in the SMS library after Back to School Night events. We would love to see you!
Volunteers need to support PEAK program
The PTA is looking for volunteers to help coordinate our after school clubs and programs. We have parents who have supported this program for the last couple years and laid the groundwork for future volunteers to keep the program running. Please reach out if you are interested in learning more. sellwoodpta@gmail.com
Ice Cream Social Tuesday 9/12; 5:00-6:30 pm
This is a family event for Sellwood families. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, etc. and enjoy an informal evening at Sellwood.
Find us on social media!
Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/ SELLWOOD FOUNDATION
We're thrilled to kick off another exciting school year and invite you to join our year-long fundraising initiative --**Blue Bag BottleDrop**! Last year, Blue Bag BottleDrop contributed over $6,000 to our school, making a significant impact on our programs.
**What's Blue Bag BottleDrop?**
Blue Bag BottleDrop is a simple and effective way to support our school. Collect cans, bottles, or any deposit-marked containers in the Blue Bags provided. These bags are not only convenient but also versatile – use them at home, the office, sports events, or any gathering with bottled or canned beverages.
**Easy Drop-Off Locations**
No more waiting in line for payment slips! You can drop off your filled Blue Bags hassle-free at various local BottleDrop locations, including New Season's, Trader Joe's, and QFC.
**Get Your Blue Bag**
Pick up your Blue Bags at the Main Office or designated locations within the neighborhood. Look out for the SMS Foundation Board at the upcoming Ice Cream Social and Back to School Night – they'll be distributing Blue Bags and answering any questions you might have.
Let's make this year's Blue Bag BottleDrop program an even greater success! Thank you for your continued support in enhancing our school's opportunities and experiences.
See you at the Ice Cream Social and Back to School Night!FROM INSTRUCTIONAL COACH, MS. BOND
BUS ROUTES
Here is a link to Sellwood Bus Routes In order to find your bus, you will need to click on the various bus routes and find the bus stop nearest your house, along with the pick-up or drop-off time.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
- Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
- Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No early pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
- To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
- To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- September 4: Labor Day – No School
- September 12: Ice Cream Social 5 – 6:30 PM
- September 26: Back to School Night 5:30-7:00 PM
- September 26: PTA Meeting 7PM
- September 27: Picture Day
- October 4: Two Hour Late Opening
- October 13: No School - Oregon State in-service Day
- November 2: End of Quarter 1
-
Principal's Newsletter 8.25.2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – August 25, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
I hope everyone has enjoyed as lovely and restful a summer as I did. Next week we start the 2023-24 school year. At Sellwood, teachers and staff have been working hard to get everything prepared for students, and we are fired up and ready to go!
I have lots of news. We have a few new teachers and some brand-new staff members in brand-new positions. Please welcome the following new Sellwood staff.
- Maria Fuhrmann – 7th grade English Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher
- Maia Kirkelie – ESL Teacher
- Kate Canfield – Restorative Justice Coordinator
- Matthew Mortensen – School Climate Specialist
- Kasey Bond – Instructional Coach (you may remember Kasey as a Sellwood math teacher)
- Garrett Hampton – Campus Security Associate
We are thrilled and excited about our additional team members and we are confident they will have a positive impact on student well-being.
This year, Sellwood, along with other PPS middle schools, will be implementing the Wayfinder Curriculum (SEL, or Social Emotional Learning) during advisory period.
By partnering rigorous academic learning, a more robust student support staff, and a coordinated approach to social emotional learning, we will ensure Sellwood is a school that lives up to our mission statement below.
Sellwood creates a safe and inclusive learning environment where students build their confidence, practice positive social interaction, challenge racial inequities, and explore their academic interests.
Finally, please be aware that there is some sidewalk replacement work near the gym that has been temporarily halted while the project managers create an alternative plan to complete the work without harming the tree(s) in the sidewalk's path. The area will be cordoned off for student safety. Please be patient while this work continues with these environmental considerations. Thank you to family and community members expressing concern for the tree's welfare.
I can’t wait to greet and welcome students and family members to Sellwood next week. 2023-24 is going to be an amazing year!
Enjoy the weekend,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET TO SCHOOL
Drop offs
Please drop students off on SE Umatilla, SE 16th Avenue, or SE Sherrett (green). Please do not drop students off or pick them up on SE 15th Avenue, which is reserved for buses (red). Also, please do not drop students off or pick them up by driving through the staff parking lot. This is for everyone’s safety.
General Building entry
After the first day, students will use one of 4 entrances based on how they came to school: by bus, drop-off, walking, biking, or skating. Please refer to the map below.
August 29th
6th-GRADERS FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
6th-graders will have a special “jump-start” orientation on August 29th. The “jump start” will be led by a team of friendly 8th-grade students called WEB Leaders. WEB = Where Everyone Belongs. 6th-graders will learn how to: find their way around the school, open their lockers, and follow their schedules. They will also meet their teachers, office and support staff, and learn about Sellwood’s policies, procedures, and ways of doing things. Of course, they will have a chance to see old friends from elementary school, and also make new friends!
Please do not bring backpacks with school supplies to 6th-grade jumpstart (unless it is a very small backpack where you can carry your water bottle, lunch, and other personal items). DO bring a water bottle. Also, bring lunch, or you may purchase lunch in the cafeteria. Plan to arrive between 8:55 and 9:10 AM, and head to the courtyard, where our team will be waiting to welcome you. You will get a fresh hard copy of your schedule then.
AUGUST 30th
7th-8th GRADERS FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (All students attend)
August 30th will be a regular bell schedule day, with no advisory period. Re-orientation to Sellwood will be built into each period of the day. Please head to the outdoor basketball court near the gym, where we will greet you and give you a fresh hard copy of your schedule. Welcome back!
PTA NEWS
The SMS PTA Board welcomes you and your student to the new school year! We are excited to continue to support the SMS staff and our school community.
- Join the PTA!
Please join the PTA and contribute your voice to the conversation on making this a great school year for our kids and SMS community. Here is the link to join! www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta - Join Konstella!
The PTA uses the Konstella app to keep the parent community up to date with scheduled events, the school calendar, volunteer sign ups and PTA announcements. Here is the link to join!
https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 - First PTA Meeting 7pm 9/26
Please join us for our first PTA meeting of the year. We will meet from 7-8:30pm in the SMS library after Back to School Night events. We would love to see you!
- Volunteers need to support PEAK program
The PTA is looking for volunteers to help coordinate our after-school clubs and programs. We have parents who have supported this program for the last couple years and laid the groundwork for future volunteers to keep the program running. Please reach out if you are interested in learning more. sellwoodpta@gmail.com
HOW TO CHECK YOUR SCHEDULE ON STUDENTVUE
Please review the student created presentation demonstrating how students can check their own schedules in StudentVue.
If you need assistance logging into ParentVue or StudentVue please contact Melissa Whiteside @mwhitesi@pps.net.
SCHOOL LUNCH
Below you will find prices for school meals, and instructions for using School Café to purchase meals. Here is the link to Nutrition Services school meal page. Here is the link to the Free and Reduced-Price Meal page where you can submit an online application. More information about the Free-and Reduced Price Meal Program is available here.
2023-24 Menu Prices
Grades
Breakfast
Lunch
PK-8
$1.60
$3.00
9-12
$1.60
$3.50
Adult
$3.00
$5.50
Milk
$0.50
$0.50
SCHOOLCAFÉ
- SchoolCafé is a safe, secure online payment system that can be used to fund student and adult meal accounts with a debit or credit card. You can make one-time payments, setup autopay and low balance alerts, monitor transactions and even submit/track a free and reduced meal application for students in the household.
SchoolCafé is:
- Easy: Staff can provide their employee ID# (or assigned PIN) or provide their name. Students provide their 6-digit student ID#.
NOTE: Currently, SchoolCafé does not accept American Express. - Convenient: Once the account is established, you can check balances and add funds from your computer or mobile app.
NOTE: SchoolCafé charges a 5% fee per online transaction with a $15 minimum payment
NOTE: If you have issues with the mobile app on the iPhone, try uninstalling it and reinstalling it the following day. If that doesn't work, download Google Chrome. For additional support questions, please contact SchoolCafé at 1.855.PAY-2EAT (1.855.729.2328) or email customercare@schoolcafe.
com. Hours: M-F, 6AM-6PM CST. BUS ROUTES
Here is a link to Sellwood Bus Routes In order to find your bus, you will need to click on the various bus routes and find the bus stop nearest your house, along with the pick-up or drop-off time.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE:
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
- The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
- When prompted, press 4 for Melissa (“Records/Registration”) or press 3 for Claire (Principal’s Secretary)
- When prompted, press 2 for any “Attendance” matters. It’s a designated line just for attendance.
- You can also press 0 for the front counter where often students help us answer the phone and direct communication. This is not a private line and confidential messages should not be left in this voice box.
Secured Building
- Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
- Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
- Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up, a student arriving late, or any other matter that may require meeting a parent/guardian at the front door or getting a message to a student. Advance notice is strongly recommended since the office is very busy throughout the day.
Guides to Help you:
- For questions about your student’s absence: Log into ParentVue.
- make changes to your student's registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Attendance: If you need to excuse your child's attendance.
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials.
- Registration, Enrollment.
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay.
- Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principals.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- August 29: First day of the 2023-24 school year for 6th-graders
- August 30: First day of the 2023-24 school year for 7th & 8th graders
- September 4: Labor Day – No School
- September 12: Ice Cream Social 5 – 6:30 PM (typo in date/time last newsletter)
- September 26: Back to School Night 5:30-7:00 PM
- September 26: PTA Meeting 7PM, Sellwood Library
-
Principal's Newsletter 8.23.2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – August 22, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
The 2023-24 school year is fast approaching and I would like to welcome all of you Sellwood Middle School! We are excited about the upcoming school year for many reasons, but for me the most exciting part is more opportunities for in-person events, face-to-face interactions, and community celebrations! I would love the opportunity to meet each and every one of you, in real life.
I plan to send out my first official newsletter on Friday, but I wanted to make sure to get some preliminary information out today.
Please read on to find the answer to your most urgent questions.
- What school supplies does my child need?
- When is the first day of school for my child?
- How do I check my schedule if it has changed or I lost it?
- What is the daily schedule?
- What is Sellwood’s cell phone policy, and how can I support it?
- How do I buy school lunch?
Also, I wanted to share Sellwood’s 2023-24 Family & Student Handbook.
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
August 29th
6th-GRADERS FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
6th-graders will have a special “Jump-Start” orientation on August 29th. The “jump start” will be led by a team of friendly 8th-grade students called Web Leaders. WEB = Where Everyone Belongs. 6th-graders will learn how to: find their way around the school, open their lockers, and follow their schedules. They will also meet their teachers, office and support staff, and learn about Sellwood’s policies, procedures, and ways of doing things. Of course, they will have a chance to see old friends from elementary school, and also make new friends!
AUGUST 30th
7th-8th GRADERS FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
August 30th is a regular bell schedule day. Re-orientation to Sellwood will be built into each period of the day. Welcome back!
HOW TO CHECK YOUR SCHEDULE ON STUDENTVUE
Please review the student created presentation demonstrating how students can check their own schedules in StudentVue.
If you are having trouble logging into StudentVue or ParentVue, please email Melissa Whiteside at mwhitesi@pps.net.
SCHOOL LUNCH
Below you will find prices for school meals, and instructions for using School Café to purchase meals. Here is the link to Nutrition Services school meal page. Here is the link to the Free and Reduced-Price Meal page where you can submit an online application. More information about the Free-and Reduced Price Meal Program is available here.
2023-24 Menu Prices
Grades
Breakfast
Lunch
PK-8
$1.60
$3.00
9-12
$1.60
$3.50
Adult
$3.00
$5.50
Milk
$0.50
$0.50
SCHOOLCAFÉ
- SchoolCafé is a safe, secure online payment system that can be used to fund student and adult meal accounts with a debit or credit card. You can make one-time payments, setup autopay and low balance alerts, monitor transactions and even submit/track a free and reduced meal application for students in the household.
SchoolCafé is:
- Easy: Staff can provide their employee ID# (or assigned PIN) or provide their name. Students provide their 6-digit student ID#.
NOTE: Currently, SchoolCafé does not accept American Express. - Convenient: Once the account is established, you can check balances and add funds from your computer or mobile app.
NOTE: SchoolCafé charges a 5% fee per online transaction with a $15 minimum payment. - Able to go where you go. The mobile app can be downloaded in:
NOTE: If you have issues with the mobile app on the iPhone, try uninstalling it and reinstalling it the following day. If that doesn't work, download Google Chrome. For additional support questions, please contact SchoolCafé at 1.855.PAY-2EAT (1.855.729.2328) or email customercare@schoolcafe.
com. Hours: M-F, 6AM-6PM CST. To enroll, go to www.schoolcafe.com/pps or download the SchoolCafé mobile app.
All PPS Middle Schools start at 9:15 and end at 3:45. Please follow the link to access Sellwood’s bell schedule for 2023-24.
CELL PHONE POLICY & FAMILY/STUDENT SUPPORT
Sellwood Middle School has an "Away all day" policy for cell phones. This means, all cell phones and personal electronic devices are to be away from 9:05 to 3:45. They are not to be used or visible at any time, including lunch. All Sellwood staff will clarify and reinforce this policy. If a student is found with their cell phone out, a Sellwood staff member will take it away and store it in the school office. The first time it is taken away, the caregiver will be called and the student can pick it up in the office at the end of the school day. If a cell phone is confiscated a second time or more, the student’s caregiver must pick it up from the office.
Student/caregiver communication during school hours can be done through the main office. Please refrain texting or calling your student’s cell phone during school hours.Earbuds
Sellwood Middle School Earbud policy is that students can only use them in the classroom with educator permission. Otherwise, earbuds need to be out of ears and away-- this includes lunch time and hallway passing time.
Thank you in advance for supporting our students in making healthy and safe choices at school.
To this end, we request that families and students show their support and understanding by completing and submitting the SMS Cell Phone Agreement.
CROSS COUNTRY
Love to run?
Or
Does your soccer/Lacrosse/football coach say you need more conditioning?
Or
Do you want to be active and social without the weird, competitive team dynamics?
Or
Do you just want to be prepared for the zombie apocalypse?
Cross country may be for you!*
Come check out our supportive environment and get started in a sport that can last a lifetime!
Practices are Mondays and Wednesdays beginning August 22 from 4pm to 5:30pm at Sellwood MS and you can still register here: https://www.familyid.
com/organizations/cleveland- youth-sports Meets begin mid-September, most are held on Thursdays and are 2k or 3k distances. There is transportation to and from the meets if needed
Parent volunteers/guest runners are encouraged to join us as often as you like! It’s great to have more adults as not all kids run at the same pace. We accept run/walk folks and cyclists as well so don’t worry about being a professional runner!
Hope to see you there and Contact Ronda Hall-Ramirez (rhall@pps.net) if you have any questions.
*A note to all: Cross country is ONLY running long distance (2-3 miles average) over uneven terrain; if you want to do sprints, run on a track, high jump, long jump, javelin, shot put, etc. that would be track and it begins in the Spring.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE:
- Open Monday to Friday, School Hours 8:30AM-4:30PM
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary.
The Office Phone Number
- The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
- When prompted, press 4 for Melissa or “Attendance”; press 3 for Claire.
- You can also press 0 for the front counter where often students help us answer the phone and direct communication.
Secured Building
- Sellwood is now a locked and secure building.
- Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
- Arrangements can be made with the office staff for student pick up, a student arriving late, or any other matter that may require meeting a parent/guardian at the front door. If you know of such needs in advance, please email either Melissa or Claire. Please do not request an early pick-up during the last 15 minutes of the school day.
Guides to Help you:
- For questions about your student’s absence: Log into ParentVue.
- To make changes to your student's registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Attendance: If you need to excuse your child's attendance.
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials.
- Registration, Enrollment.
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay.
- Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principals.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- August 29: First day of the 2022-23 school year for 6th-graders
- August 30: First day of the 2022-23 school year for 7th & 8th graders
- September 4: Labor Day – No School
- September 11: Ice Cream Social 4 – 5:30 PM
- September 26: Back to School Night 5:30-7:00PM
-
Principal's Newsletter 6/16/2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – June 16, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
On the last week of this school year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the journey we've been on together. It has been a year filled with challenges, growth, and most importantly, a strong sense of community.
First and foremost, I would like to thank our wonderful Sellwood families for their partnership throughout the year. Your dedication to our school community has been remarkable, and we are truly fortunate to have you as our valued partners.
I also want to express my gratitude to our amazing students. Your resilience, adaptability, and commitment to learning have been truly inspiring. Despite the obstacles that came our way, you continued to show up, ready to engage, and eager to make the most of every opportunity. Your enthusiasm and dedication have made this school year great.
Next, I want to extend my appreciation to our exceptional teachers. You have gone above and beyond, navigating uncharted waters and finding innovative ways to keep our students engaged and connected. Your tireless efforts have made a significant impact on our students' academic and personal growth.
I would also like to give a special shout-out to our incredible PTA. Your dedication and support have been instrumental in creating a positive and enriching environment for our students. Your efforts in organizing events, fundraising, and advocating for our school community have not gone unnoticed. We are grateful for your commitment to enhancing our students' educational experience.
Additionally, I want to express our sincere gratitude to the Foundation for their invaluable support. Through their generous funding, we have been able to provide a wide range of elective classes, such as French, technology, and cooking. These opportunities have allowed our students to explore their passions and interests, fostering a love for lifelong learning. The Foundation's contribution has truly enriched our school community, and we are immensely grateful for their partnership.
Looking ahead, please be on the lookout for individual student schedules, which will be mailed to you in mid-July.
Bidding farewell to our 8th graders, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes as they embark on their high school journey. They have grown into remarkable individuals, and we have no doubt that they will continue to thrive and achieve great things. We will miss them dearly and are grateful for the lasting impact they have made on our school community.
To our 6th and 7th graders, we eagerly await your return on August 30th. The new school year will bring fresh opportunities, new friendships, and a chance for further growth and exploration.
Finally, as we enter the summer break, I wish each and every one of you a safe, relaxing, and joy-filled summer. May this time be an opportunity for rest, rejuvenation, and creating cherished memories with your loved ones. Thank you for your continued partnership, support, and trust in our school. It is truly an honor to serve as your principal, and I look forward to the great things we will accomplish together in the future.
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
THE SELLWOOD FOUNDATION
As we head into summer I just wanted to take a moment to thank the Sellwood Middle School Community for your generous support of the Foundation. This year we held two in person events and ran the Annual Giving Campaign. After two years of not gathering, it was so fun to be able to socialize as a community while simultaneously raising money at the Petanque tournament and Drag Queen Bingo. Together we raised over $95,000 that Principal Carbone will be able to use to hire additional teaching staff for the 2023-2024 school year. We could not have done this without you and your support, so thank you very much! I also want to extend a big heartfelt thank you to the Foundation Board. Without their work and volunteer hours, none of these events would have taken place. Thank you to Trisha Highland, Trina Fowler, Molly Terpack, Janan Anderson, Britt Dawkins, Ashley Schmidt, and Katka Howland. You are an inspiring group, and it has been my absolute pleasure to have worked with you all this year!
I wish everyone a restful, restorative, fun and safe summer break!
Amy Bourne
CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMP
June 20-22, 10am – 1 pm, Grades 6-8, FREE
Contact rmarchello@pps.net, aroddis@pps.net, kiera95gabaldon@gmail.com
CLEVELAND SUMMER BASKETBALL CAMP FOR BOYS
Last Chance to register!
CHS Basketball Camp for Incoming 7th-9th Grade Boys
June 19-22
10:30-1:00pm
Cleveland High School
A unique opportunity for RISING 7th-9th grade boys to be mentored by the CHS JV & VARSITY players themselves, under the direction of Head Varsity Coach, Sam Glasgow. Space is limited!
Complete details and registration on the Cleveland Boys Basketball Website.
GO WARRIORS!!
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL DAY CAMP OPPORTUNITIES THIS SUMMER
Warrior Camp @ CHS, rising 5-8 grade, June 19-22, 1:30-4:30pm
https://sites.google.com/
apps4pps.net/www-clevelandwbb- com/campstrainingclinics? authuser=0 Nike camp @ UP, ages 8-13, July 17-20 and 24-27
https://www.ussportscamps.com/
basketball/nike/nike-girls- basketball-camp-university-of- portland COGNIZART 360 SUMMER ARTS CAMP
Check out the flyer for more information.
MAIN OFFICE: WILL BE CLOSED FROM JUNE 23 THROUGH AUGUST 11
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- August 29 – 1st day of School 2023/24 (6th-graders)
- August 30 – 1st day of School 2023/24 (7th/8th-graders)
-
Principal's Newsletter 6/9/2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – June 9, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
It was wonderful to see some of you last Sunday at the fabulous PTA Garden Tour, which was a huge success. You can read more about the Garden Tour in the PTA section below. It was very well organized, enjoyable, and full of inspirational ideas for our own garden. I'm already looking forward to next year's tour.
I also had the opportunity to talk with many during Wednesday's Showcase Night. What a fun event with so much to see and hear! A good time was had by all, and I have to say that after the COVID restrictions of the past years, it is a joy to be able to host evening community events! Thank you to Sellwood teachers for working hard to display student work and plan performances, and a special thanks to 8th-grade teacher Lisa Souther for her extra efforts to organize the program and secure the food trucks!
It is hard to believe, but today is the last Friday of the 2022/23 school year. A short re-cap of the events planned for next week:
Monday will be our whole-school field trip to OAKS Park. We will be taking attendance in first period, and students will walk to Oaks Park with their first period classes. At about 2PM, staff and students will begin walking back to school. After arriving at the school, at about 2:45 everyone will enjoy a staff vs. 8th graders volleyball match, outdoors on the field.
Tuesday will be a normal schedule for 6th and 7th graders. For 8th graders, after lunch/recess they will practice for their promotion ceremony. At 2:15 we will hold the ceremony on the field, followed by cake and photos in cafeteria and courtyard.
Wednesday will be a normal school day schedule.
If your child will be absent any of those days, for example, missing Oaks Park on Monday, or an 8th-grader staying home on Wednesday, please enter the absence on ParentVue or contact the main office.
Next Friday, I will be sending my final newsletter for this school year, although you will receive individual student schedules and other information in July.
Have a great weekend,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
SELLWOOD GARDEN TOUR SUCCESS!
We had almost 500 people buy tickets and come through the gardens. We couldn't have done it without the help of the garden tour committee and volunteers. The garden tour raised $17,000 for our school! From this success we plan to create a curriculum enrichment grant for the school to fund more “extras” such as assemblies, field trips, theater, music and arts support as well as continue to fund electives, teacher support and classroom supplies. Not only did we raise money for our middle school kids; but we also gave the community a great experience. Many thanks to the garden tour committee; Phoebe Maloney, Tasha Bartley, Gina Benzien, Sarah Lewis, Allison Joy, Brian Kerr, Karen Hansen.
PTA SHOUT OUTS!
I am very grateful for the team of parents who have kept the PTA going this year. Middle school is a time of change for our students and supporting them and the staff of SMS is important. Our Board and committee leads have worked all year long to help support our school and raise money for gaps in school funding. I appreciate them finding time in our busy lives to make a difference.
Many thanks to this year’s PTA Board; Mindy Parker, Erin Black-Mitchell, Melisa Pierson, Liz Super, Katka Howland, Megan Perkins, Micah Chu, Tasha Bartley, Phoebe Maloney, Karen Hansen
Also a special thank you for our committee leads;
- Staff Appreciation: Rachel McDonald, Alison Eshel, Cathy Ma
- PEAK after school program: Seth English-Young, Sharon Jueneman, Shannon Bishop, Grace Phillips
- Sellwood Dines Outs: Micah Chu
- Fall Fruit Sale: Amy O’Conner
- Clothing Closet: Rachel McDonald
- JEDI: Bridget Geraghty
- Konstella: Megan Perkins
- 8th Grade Promotion: Liz Super, Trisha Highland
Congratulations to all the 8th grade students and parents! I hope everyone has a great summer and I look forward to continuing to connect with our school community in the fall.
With gratitude, Karen Hansen, SMS PTA President
FROM SELLWOOD’S LIBRARY
Please Bring Back the Books!
All library books are due on Friday, June 2, 2023. We always welcome late books. If you think a book is lost, please talk to us before paying. And, please, do not purchase replacements. Thanks in advance, Sellwood families!
OAKS PARK FIELD TRIP, MONDAY JUNE 12TH
Here are the details of the field trip.
- When: Monday, June 12th, 2022, 9:30am – 2:00pm
- Transportation: We will be walking both to and from the park. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes! All students will return to Sellwood for school dismissal; no exceptions.
- Cost: $17.00 will include Adrenalin Peak Roller Coaster, Go-Karts, Atmosphere (new ride).
- Preferred payment on-line with School Pay.
- If this presents a financial hardship, scholarships are available.
- Lunch: Students may: 1. Bring a sack lunch, 2. Request a Sellwood sack lunch, or 3. purchase lunch at OAKS Park. We have reserved a Picnic Area (students can leave their lunch here during the day).
- Other Costs: Students can bring extra money for snacks, games. etc.
- Due Date for Permission Slips: Friday, June 1st.
- Expectations: In order to make sure this experience is safe and enjoyable for everyone, students attending Oaks Park are expected to be on their best behavior and must be responsive to adult direction. We are also expecting that as we come closer to the end of the year, that students will continue to meet behavior expectations while at school.
- If a student were to receive a serious stage 2-3 referral that would merit suspension, between now and the end of the year, that student may be suspended from attending Oaks Park with their class. Examples of incidents that may merit suspension: fighting, serious disruptive conduct, bullying and harassment, physical attack/harm, property damage/graffiti, etc.
THE SELLWOOD FOUNDATION
Turn Your Summer Refreshments into Support for Sellwood Middle School!
Transform your summer beverages into a valuable contribution to our school! Visit the office at any time until the end of the year to pick up blue bags for BottleDrop.
In case you happen to exhaust your supply of blue bags during your backyard parties this summer, there's no need to worry! Our generous SMS community members have a stash on their porch. Keep this newsletter bookmarked to easily locate blue bag access points near you:
- 6924 SE 19th Ave. (close to SE Bybee & 19th)
- 7929 SE 34th Ave. (close to SE Crystal Spring Blvd & SE 34th)
- 4032 SE Henderson St. (close to SE Cesar E. Chavez Blvd & SE Henderson)
- 7408 SE 46th Ave. (close to SE Flavel Drive & SE 46th)
Return your bags to the nearest BottleDrop location. Exciting news! You can now conveniently drop off your bags at Trader Joe's, located at 4715 SE Cesar E. Chavez Blvd.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Ashley Schmidt at ashleyrschmidt@yahoo.com or call 503-267-0146.
We sincerely appreciate your support for the Sellwood Middle School Foundation!
CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMP
June 20-22, 10am – 1 pm, Grades 6-8, FREE
Contact rmarchello@pps.net, aroddis@pps.net, kiera95gabaldon@gmail.com
8TH-GRADE PROMOTION, JUNE 13TH
We invite all 8th-grade families to help honor and celebrate the culmination of 8th-graders middle school years at Sellwood, giving them a joyous send off to high school.
Here are the basic details for promotion:
Date: Tuesday, June 13th
Time: 2:15 PM
Place: On the Sellwood Field. Bring low chairs or blankets for sitting. (in case of bad weather - the event will move to Sellwood's gym)
Sellwood's Jazz Band will perform and the ceremony will be followed by cake and photos.
CLEVELAND SUMMER BASKETBALL CAMP FOR BOYS
Last Chance to register!
CHS Basketball Camp for Incoming 7th-9th Grade Boys
June 19-22
10:30-1:00pm
Cleveland High School
A unique opportunity for RISING 7th-9th grade boys to be mentored by the CHS JV & VARSITY players themselves, under the direction of Head Varsity Coach, Sam Glasgow. Space is limited!
Complete details and registration on the Cleveland Boys Basketball Website.
GO WARRIORS!!
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL DAY CAMP OPPORTUNITIES THIS SUMMER
Warrior Camp @ CHS, rising 5-8 grade, June 19-22, 1:30-4:30pm
https://sites.google.com/
apps4pps.net/www-clevelandwbb- com/campstrainingclinics? authuser=0 Nike camp @ UP, ages 8-13, July 17-20 and 24-27
https://www.ussportscamps.com/
basketball/nike/nike-girls- basketball-camp-university-of- portland COGNIZART 360 SUMMER ARTS CAMP
Check out the flyer for more information.
RACIAL EQUITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS DEVELOPMENT:
WATCH: Don't Erase Me: The Modern Arab American. An illuminating TED Talk by Jeremiah Stinnett who speaks out against the erasure of Arab-American identity.
READ: The Other Americans by Moroccan American Laila Lalami
Timely, riveting, and unforgettable, The Other Americans is at once a family saga, a murder mystery, and a love story informed by the treacherous fault lines of American culture.
MAIN OFFICE:
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
- The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
- When prompted, press 4 for Melissa (“Records/Registration”) or press 3 for Claire (Principal’s Secretary)
- When prompted, press 2 for any “Attendance” matters. It’s a designated line just for attendance.
- You can also press 0 for the front counter where often students help us answer the phone and direct communication. This is not a private line and confidential messages should not be left in this voice box.
Secured Building
- Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
- Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
- Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up, a student arriving late, or any other matter that may require meeting a parent/guardian at the front door or getting a message to a student. Advance notice is strongly recommended since the office is very busy throughout the day.
Guides to Help you:
- For questions about your student’s absence: Log into ParentVue.
- make changes to your student's registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Attendance: If you need to excuse your child's attendance.
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials.
- Registration, Enrollment.
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay.
- Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principals.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- June 12: Oaks Park – All Grades, followed by volleyball on the field at 2:45 pm.
- June 13 - 8th-grade Promotion – 2:15 PM – On the Sellwood Field.
- June 14 – Last day of school
- August 29 – 1st day of School 2023/24 (6th-graders)
- August 30 – 1st day of School 2023/24 (7th/8th-graders)
-
Principal's Newsletter 6/2/2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – June 2, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
The end of the school year is fast approaching! We have some fun events scheduled and we want to get as many members our community involved as possible.
This Sunday, we have the wonderful PTA Garden Tour. It is a drop-in event form 11AM to 4PM. Last year it was a very well attended and enjoyable event. My husband and I got a lot of great ideas for our own garden and plan to take many pictures this year for potential "borrowing". See below for more details.
Showcase Night happens next week on Wednesday evening, June 7th, between 5:30 and 7:30. It is a fun-filled drop-in event for all, with an art show, student work and science displays, along with some rotating performances from Sellwood’s band and drama skits, an Egg Drop activity with the “dropping of the eggs” at 6:45, food trucks for refreshments, and more. We hope to see you there!
Monday, June 12th, will be our whole-school field trip to Oaks Park. All teachers and students in all grades will be attending, so we will not be holding classes. Please make sure to turn in the OAKS Park permission form. The details of the trip are listed below and the cost is $17, however, we do not want the entry fee to be a barrier for any student, so just let us know and we will happy to arrange a scholarship.
Finally, on June 13th, Sellwood will host our 8th-graders and their families for our 8th-grade promotion ceremony, congratulating them and wishing them well as they head off to high school.
Enjoy the weekend, and I hope to see you at the PTA Garden Tour.
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
Please Bring Back the Books!
All library books are due on Friday, June 2, 2023. We always welcome late books. If you think a book is lost, please talk to us before paying. And, please, do not purchase replacements. Thanks in advance, Sellwood families!
OAKS PARK FIELD TRIP, MONDAY JUNE 12TH
Here are the details of the field trip.
- When: Monday, June 12th, 2022, 9:30am – 2:00pm
- Transportation: We will be walking both to and from the park. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes! All students will return to Sellwood for school dismissal; no exceptions.
- Cost: $17.00 will include Adrenalin Peak Roller Coaster, Go-Karts, Atmosphere (new ride).
- Preferred payment on-line with School Pay.
- If this presents a financial hardship, scholarships are available.
- Lunch: Students may: 1. Bring a sack lunch, 2. Request a Sellwood sack lunch, or 3. purchase lunch at OAKS Park. We have reserved a Picnic Area (students can leave their lunch here during the day).
- Other Costs: Students can bring extra money for snacks, games. etc.
- Due Date for Permission Slips: Friday, June 1st.
- Expectations: In order to make sure this experience is safe and enjoyable for everyone, students attending Oaks Park are expected to be on their best behavior and must be responsive to adult direction. We are also expecting that as we come closer to the end of the year, that students will continue to meet behavior expectations while at school.
- If a student were to receive a serious stage 2-3 referral that would merit suspension, between now and the end of the year, that student may be suspended from attending Oaks Park with their class. Examples of incidents that may merit suspension: fighting, serious disruptive conduct, bullying and harassment, physical attack/harm, property damage/graffiti, etc.
PTA NEWS
SELLWOOD GARDEN TOUR THIS SUNDAY 11AM to 4PM!
The Sellwood Garden Tour is the biggest fundraiser for the PTA. Funds from this tour support gaps in funding for SMS electives, classrooms, teacher support and many extras the school needs. This is also a great community event.
How can you help?
- Buy tickets and come see 7 stunning neighborhood gardens.
https://www.schoolpay.com/
parent/mip/Me3D - Volunteer for a shift to help the tour run smoothly
https://www.konstella.com/app/
school/ 5bfd8b99e4b0dcc4a18cb003/ signups/ 6467acee47fcebc536fc3c32 - Gone this weekend?
- Tell your friends, neighbors and co-workers about the tour
- Buy tickets for a family member or friend
- Give tickets to a teacher as a thank you
- www.sellwoodgardentour.com
- See 7 unique landscapes at the Sellwood Garden Tour fundraiser - oregonlive.com
JOIN THE SELLWOOD FOUNDATION BOARD!
Looking for an easy way to make a big difference in your child's education? Join the Sellwood Middle School Foundation board! We're a small group of volunteers organizing fundraising events for SMS. We need a couple of generous community members to help plan fundraiser parties for the 2023-2024 school year. We meet once a month for an hour to prioritize events.
Past fundraisers like Bingo, Petanque, and a 5K run/walk raised enough money to fund French and Cooking electives, and to employ additional staff. Being a board member lets you meet new people, improve classrooms, and flex your party-planning skills! Interested? Contact Mollymarie@comcast.net or find us on Instagram/Facebook. If you know someone who might be interested, feel free to share the information with them! Increasing the number of dedicated volunteers can help the Foundation Board accomplish even more for the school.
GLOBAL READERS FIELD TRIP FROM TINI MAIER, SELLWOOD LIBRARIAN
On June 1, the wonderful WALLACE BOOKS welcomed our 6th grade “global readers,” students sporting travel leis and flashing filled passports. Staff gave us a tour of the store and let us eat snacks on their porch. Thank you to the Sellwood PTA for the snacks! And thanks to the kind WALLACE BOOKS staff, who were all so welcoming and helpful. What a great store! Our students had such a good time exploring the books, I needed to remind them about snacks. :-D When asked, students also showed me some good books to consider for our library next year. See the linked document for some great photos.
8TH-GRADE PROMOTION, JUNE 13TH
We invite all 8th-grade families to help honor and celebrate the culmination of 8th-graders middle school years at Sellwood, giving them a joyous send off to high school.
Here are the basic details for promotion:
Date: Tuesday, June 13th
Time: 2:15 PM
Place: On the Sellwood Field. Bring low chairs or blankets for sitting. (in case of bad weather - the event will move to Sellwood's gym)
Sellwood's Jazz Band will perform and the ceremony will be followed by cake and photos.
SELLWOOD SPRING SHOWCASE NIGHT, JUNE 7th
Save the date for Sellwood’s Annual Student Showcase on June 7th. The Showcase is a fun, drop-in event with displays of student work throughout the school, plus music and drama performances. We will have an art show, science displays, math & games, language arts and social studies projects, and food carts. Please see the attached postcard for more details.
CLEVELAND SUMMER BASKETBALL CAMP FOR BOYS
Last Chance to register!
CHS Basketball Camp for Incoming 7th-9th Grade Boys
June 19-22
10:30-1:00pm
Cleveland High School
A unique opportunity for RISING 7th-9th grade boys to be mentored by the CHS JV & VARSITY players themselves, under the direction of Head Varsity Coach, Sam Glasgow. Space is limited!
Complete details and registration on the Cleveland Boys Basketball Website.
GO WARRIORS!!
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL DAY CAMP OPPORTUNITIES THIS SUMMER
Warrior Camp @ CHS, rising 5-8 grade, June 19-22, 1:30-4:30pm
https://sites.google.com/
apps4pps.net/www-clevelandwbb- com/campstrainingclinics? authuser=0 Nike camp @ UP, ages 8-13, July 17-20 and 24-27
https://www.ussportscamps.com/
basketball/nike/nike-girls- basketball-camp-university-of- portland COGNIZART 360 SUMMER ARTS CAMP
Check out the flyer for more information.
RACIAL EQUITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS DEVELOPMENT:
WATCH: Don't Erase Me: The Modern Arab American. An illuminating TED Talk by Jeremiah Stinnett who speaks out against the erasure of Arab-American identity.
READ: The Other Americans by Moroccan American Laila Lalami
Timely, riveting, and unforgettable, The Other Americans is at once a family saga, a murder mystery, and a love story informed by the treacherous fault lines of American culture.
MAIN OFFICE:
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
- The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
- When prompted, press 4 for Melissa (“Records/Registration”) or press 3 for Claire (Principal’s Secretary)
- When prompted, press 2 for any “Attendance” matters. It’s a designated line just for attendance.
- You can also press 0 for the front counter where often students help us answer the phone and direct communication. This is not a private line and confidential messages should not be left in this voice box.
Secured Building
- Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
- Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
- Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up, a student arriving late, or any other matter that may require meeting a parent/guardian at the front door or getting a message to a student. Advance notice is strongly recommended since the office is very busy throughout the day.
Guides to Help you:
- For questions about your student’s absence: Log into ParentVue.
- make changes to your student's registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Attendance: If you need to excuse your child's attendance.
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials.
- Registration, Enrollment.
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay.
- Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principals.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- June 7: Showcase Night – 5:30 – 7:30 PM
- June 12: Oaks Park – All Grades
- June 13 - 8th-grade Promotion – 2:15 PM – On the Sellwood Field
- June 14 – Last day of school
-
Principal's Newsletter 5/26/2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – May 26, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
Happy Friday to all! The weather is shaping up for a lovely, moderately warm weekend! I know all of us could use some well-deserved rest and relaxation!
Enjoy the three-day weekend,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
Sellwood Garden Tour
The Sellwood Garden Tour is the biggest fundraiser for the PTA. Money from this tour supports gaps in funding for electives and classrooms. This is also a great community event. We are below ticket sales from last year and need your support.
How can you help?
- Buy tickets and come see 7 stunning neighborhood gardens
- Volunteer for a shift to help the tour run smoothly
- Gone that weekend?
- Tell your friends, neighbors and co-workers about the tour
- Buy tickets for a family member or friend
- Give tickets to a teacher as a thank you
- Lots of ways to support our school.
- www.sellwoodgardentour.com
- See 7 unique landscapes at the Sellwood Garden Tour fundraiser - oregonlive.com
PARTY WITH THE SELLWOOD FOUNDATION BOARD!
Looking for an easy way to make a big difference in your child's education? Join the Sellwood Middle School Foundation board! We're a small group of volunteers organizing fundraising events for SMS. We need a couple of generous community members to help plan fundraiser parties for the 2023-2024 school year. We meet once a month for an hour to prioritize events.
Past fundraisers like Bingo, Petanque, and a 5K run/walk raised enough money to fund French and Cooking electives, and to employ additional staff. Being a board member lets you meet new people, improve classrooms, and flex your party-planning skills! Interested? Contact Mollymarie@comcast.net or find us on Instagram/Facebook. If you know someone who might be interested, feel free to share the information with them! Increasing the number of dedicated volunteers can help the Foundation Board accomplish even more for the school.
FROM SELLWOOD’S LIBRARIAN, TINI MAIER
Sellwood Library Walking Field Trip
On May 18, 2023, nine Sellwood 7th and 8th graders could be spotted wearing travel leis, and jaunting off campus with Ms. Tini from the library for some fun! These students are “global readers“ who completed a travel itinerary to read ALL around the world. They were celebrating their achievement with a field trip and party at the Sellwood branch public library!
This involved a scavenger hunt, snacks, and 3 free books each from the wonderful Multcolib Youth Librarian, Amy Fellows. When our students whipped through the scavenger hunt in no time, she indulged them in an interactive story time, after requests and chanting on their part!
All had fun, and some are considering taking part in the public library’s “tween council”.
Beyond these nine and at least another five students from the 6th grade, MANY more Sellwood students traveled through reading to experience various regions of the world.
All students still at Sellwood next year will again have the chance to fill their Read the World travel itinerary, achieve “global reader“ status, and join in the celebratory fun in the Spring.
Some of our “global reader“ world travelers will be available to show off their passports, answer questions, and show you around the library during the Sellwood Showcase from 5:30 to 7:30 PM on June 7.
We are looking forward to it! Thank you to ALL our world traveling readers!!
Please see the link for some fun photos of Sellwood students on the trip.
PLEASE TURN IN PERMISSION SLIPS OAKS PARK & SUMMER CHROMEBOOKS
6th & 7th grade students should have brought home a permission form to keep their Chromebook at home. Please sign and return this to your student's Advisory class. (all 8th-graders will be turning Chromebooks in at the end of the year, but 6th & 7th graders should keep them over summer).
All students should have brought home a permission slip for our end of year Oaks Park trip.
There is a correction to the price of the trip; it is $17.
Here are the details of the field trip.
- When: Monday, June 12th, 2022, 9:30am – 2:00pm
- Transportation: We will be walking both to and from the park. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes! All students will return to Sellwood for school dismissal; no exceptions.
- Cost: $17.00 will include Adrenalin Peak Roller Coaster, Go-Karts, Atmosphere (new ride).
- Preferred payment on-line with School Pay.
- If this presents a financial hardship, scholarships are available.
- Lunch: Students may: 1. Bring a sack lunch, 2. Request a Sellwood sack lunch, or 3. purchase lunch at OAKS Park. We have reserved a Picnic Area (students can leave their lunch here during the day).
- Other Costs: Students can bring extra money for snacks, games. etc.
- Due Date for Permission Slips: Friday, June 1st.
- Expectations: In order to make sure this experience is safe and enjoyable for everyone, students attending Oaks Park are expected to be on their best behavior and must be responsive to adult direction. We are also expecting that as we come closer to the end of the year, that students will continue to meet behavior expectations while at school.
- If a student were to receive a serious stage 2-3 referral that would merit suspension, between now and the end of the year, that student may be suspended from attending Oaks Park with their class. Examples of incidents that may merit suspension: fighting, serious disruptive conduct, bullying and harassment, physical attack/harm, property damage (intentional), etc.
8TH-GRADE PROMOTION
We invite all 8th-grade families to help honor and celebrate the culmination of 8th-graders middle school years at Sellwood, giving them a joyous send off to high school.
Here are the basic details for promotion:
Date: Tuesday, June 13th
Time: 2:15 PM
Place: On the Sellwood Field. Bring low chairs or blankets for sitting. (in case of bad weather - the event will move to Sellwood's gym)
Sellwood's Jazz Band will perform and the ceremony will be followed by cake and photos.
YOUTH ADVOCACY SUMMIT
The Youth Advocacy Summit, YAS!, is happening on Saturday, June 10th from 8:45am to 3:30pm. It is FREE to attend. Registration is required. Register here: Students must use their PPS account to register. This day is about being in joyful community for LGBTQ2SIA+ identified students across Portland Public Schools. YAS will have 3 workshop blocks (self-expression, community time, and skill building), breakfast, lunch, snacks, and entertainment. We are partnering with community-based organizations like: SMYRC, Bridge 13, Multnomah County Library, PSU's Queer Resource center, PFLAG, and House of Ada to name a few. We will send a follow up to all registered participants with workshop choices and location information the week of the event.
SELLWOOD SPRING SHOWCASE NIGHT, JUNE 7th
Save the date for Sellwood’s Annual Student Showcase on June 7th. The Showcase is a fun, drop-in event with displays of student work throughout the school, plus music and drama performances. We will have an art show, science displays, math & games, language arts and social studies projects, and food carts. Please see the attached postcard for more details.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL DAY CAMP OPPORTUNITIES THIS SUMMER
Warrior Camp @ CHS, rising 5-8 grade, June 19-22, 1:30-4:30pm
https://sites.google.com/
apps4pps.net/www-clevelandwbb- com/campstrainingclinics? authuser=0 Nike camp @ UP, ages 8-13, July 17-20 and 24-27
https://www.ussportscamps.com/
basketball/nike/nike-girls- basketball-camp-university-of- portland RACIAL EQUITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS DEVELOPMENT:
WATCH: Don't Erase Me: The Modern Arab American. An illuminating TED Talk by Jeremiah Stinnett who speaks out against the erasure of Arab-American identity.
READ: The Other Americans by Moroccan American Laila Lalami
Timely, riveting, and unforgettable, The Other Americans is at once a family saga, a murder mystery, and a love story informed by the treacherous fault lines of American culture.
MAIN OFFICE:
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
- The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
- When prompted, press 4 for Melissa (“Records/Registration”) or press 3 for Claire (Principal’s Secretary)
- When prompted, press 2 for any “Attendance” matters. It’s a designated line just for attendance.
- You can also press 0 for the front counter where often students help us answer the phone and direct communication. This is not a private line and confidential messages should not be left in this voice box.
Secured Building
- Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
- Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
- Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up, a student arriving late, or any other matter that may require meeting a parent/guardian at the front door or getting a message to a student. Advance notice is strongly recommended since the office is very busy throughout the day.
Guides to Help you:
- For questions about your student’s absence: Log into ParentVue.
- make changes to your student's registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Attendance: If you need to excuse your child's attendance.
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials.
- Registration, Enrollment.
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay.
- Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principals.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- May 29: No school – Memorial Day
- June 7: Showcase Night – 5:30 – 7:30 PM
- June 12: Oaks Park – All Grades
- June 13 - 8th-grade Promotion – 2:15 PM – On the Sellwood Field
- June 14 – Last day of school
-
Principal's Newsletter 5/19/2023
Jeandre Carbone
3:20 PM (5 minutes ago)Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – May 19, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
As we approach the last weeks of the school year, I would like to thank two parent organizations that have a huge, positive impact on successful outcomes at Sellwood Middle School.
The Sellwood PTA has shown consistent, amazing support to staff and students this year. They have supported all teachers and other support staff with grants that help them purchase items that enrich their classes for all students. The PTA elective grant has helped Sellwood provide elective enrichment across the board. A few of the items purchased: science kits, batteries, art supplies, Legos, PlayDoh, putty, art supplies, headphones, microphones, baskets, yoga balls for student seats, calculators, posters, lots of books, and sports equipment. The PTA JEDI grant will allow us to continue our partnership with No Place for Hate, providing student training, staff PD, and a future parent information night. The PTA has also provided coordination, volunteers, and supplies for many events such as the Ice Cream Social at the beginning of the year, and the 8th-grade commencement ceremony coming up in June. The PTA has organized parent volunteers who have been very helpful hallway monitors, lending additional adult presence near student bathrooms, and also hallway monitoring on state testing days. The PTA staff appreciation program has been truly amazing, with regular snack Wednesdays, crockpot Wednesdays, plus breakfast and lunches during educator appreciation week. A big thank you to all of the parents who signed up to bring in snacks, delicious crockpot stews, and who volunteered for the various events. Please support the PTA by purchasing tickets to the Garden Tour on June 4th or consider volunteering for the event! See below for the link to purchase tickets. My husband and I went last year and really enjoyed it. I just bought our tickets for this year. Sellwood Middle sends a lot of love and gratitude to our wonderful PTA.
The Sellwood Foundation fundraises tirelessly and has a lot of fun while doing it. Their fundraising events have not only successfully raised much needed funds for Sellwood staffing, but also have been great opportunities for much needed socializing. The Petanque party and Drag Queen Bingo this year were very fun events. If not for the Sellwood Foundation, we would not have had French, cooking, or technology electives, and we would not have had additional support staff who help teachers and students in myriad ways every day. Sellwood Middle also sends love and appreciation to the Sellwood Foundation, as well as all of the families who have donated to the Foundation and attended their fundraisers. Another way to support the Foundation is by joining them! See below for details.
I hope you enjoy the weekend,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
OREGON STATE MATH ASSESSMENT NEXT WEEK
Oregon State Assessment continues next Tuesday, May 23rd for math! Please make sure your student gets a good night's rest the night before, a hearty breakfast the morning of, and comes to school with a fully charged Chromebook. Thank you:)
PERMISSION SLIPS FOR OAKS PARK & SUMMER CHROMEBOOKS
6th & 7th grade students should have brought home a permission form to keep their Chromebook at home. Please sign and return this to your student's Advisory class. (all 8th-graders will be turning Chromebooks in at the end of the year, but 6th & 7th graders should keep them over summer).
All students should have brought home a permission slip for our end of year Oaks Park trip.
There is a correction to the price of the trip; it is $17.
Here are the details of the field trip.
- When: Monday, June 12th, 2022, 9:30am – 2:00pm
- Transportation: We will be walking both to and from the park. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes! All students will return to Sellwood for school dismissal; no exceptions.
- Cost: $17.00 will include Adrenalin Peak Roller Coaster, Go-Karts, Atmosphere (new ride).
- Preferred payment on-line with School Pay.
- If this presents a financial hardship, scholarships are available.
- Lunch: Students may: 1. Bring a sack lunch, 2. Request a Sellwood sack lunch, or 3. purchase lunch at OAKS Park. We have reserved a Picnic Area (students can leave their lunch here during the day).
- Other Costs: Students can bring extra money for snacks, games. etc.
- Due Date for Permission Slips: Friday, June 1st.
- Expectations: In order to make sure this experience is safe and enjoyable for everyone, students attending Oaks Park are expected to be on their best behavior and must be responsive to adult direction. We are also expecting that as we come closer to the end of the year, that students will continue to meet behavior expectations while at school.
- If a student were to receive a serious stage 2-3 referral that would merit suspension, between now and the end of the year, that student may be suspended from attending Oaks Park with their class. Examples of incidents that may merit suspension: fighting, serious disruptive conduct, bullying and harassment, physical attack/harm, property damage (intentional), etc.
PTA NEWS
- Garden Tour; June 4th Volunteers Needed
We need your help making the Garden Tour a success. Volunteers will be at one of the 7 gardens, helping guide tour participants and answer questions. See Konstella for sign-ups. Tickets can be purchased at www.sellwoodgardentour.com
- Staff Appreciation - THANK YOU!
Many thanks to the amazing Rachel McDonald and all parent volunteers for helping our staff feel appreciated!
- Volunteers Needed During State Testing; 5/23
Thank you to all who helped this week with state testing. There is one more day of testing next week. Parents will be helping make sure the hallways stay quiet and students are supported when needed. Sign ups are in Konstella.
PARTY WITH THE SELLWOOD FOUNDATION
Looking for an easy way to make a big difference in your child's education? Join the Sellwood Middle School Foundation board! We're a small group of volunteers organizing fundraising events for SMS. We need a couple of generous community members to help plan fundraiser parties for the 2023-2024 school year. We meet once a month for an hour to prioritize events.
Past fundraisers like Bingo, Petanque, and a 5K run/walk raised enough money to fund French and Cooking electives, and to employ additional staff. Being a board member lets you meet new people, improve classrooms, and flex your party-planning skills! Interested? Contact Mollymarie@comcast.net or find us on Instagram/Facebook. If you know someone who might be interested, feel free to share the information with them! Increasing the number of dedicated volunteers can help the Foundation Board accomplish even more for the school.
8TH-GRADE PROMOTION
We invite all 8th-grade families to help honor and celebrate the culmination of 8th-graders middle school years at Sellwood, giving them a joyous send off to high school.
Here are the basic details for promotion:
Date: Tuesday, June 13th
Time: 2:15 PM
Place: On the Sellwood Field. Bring low chairs or blankets for sitting. (in case of bad weather - the event will move to Sellwood's gym)
Sellwood's Jazz Band will perform and the ceremony will be followed by cake and photos.
YOUTH ADVOCACY SUMMIT
The Youth Advocacy Summit, YAS!, is happening on Saturday, May 20th from 8:45am to 3:30pm. It is FREE to attend. Registration is required. Register here: https://forms.gle/
nBmuMM12Zx8JbF4m6. Students must use their PPS account to register. This day is about being in joyful community for LGBTQ2SIA+ identified students across Portland Public Schools. YAS will have 3 workshop blocks (self-expression, community time, and skill building), breakfast, lunch, snacks, and entertainment. We are partnering with community-based organizations like: SMYRC, Bridge 13, Multnomah County Library, PSU's Queer Resource center, PFLAG, and House of Ada to name a few. We will send a follow up to all registered participants with workshop choices and location information the week of the event. SELLWOOD SPRING SHOWCASE NIGHT, JUNE 7th
Save the date for Sellwood’s Annual Student Showcase on June 7th. The Showcase is a fun, drop-in event with displays of student work throughout the school, plus music and drama performances. We will have an art show, science displays, math & games, language arts and social studies projects, and food carts. Please see the attached postcard for more details.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL DAY CAMP OPPORTUNITIES THIS SUMMER
Warrior Camp @ CHS, rising 5-8 grade, June 19-22, 1:30-4:30pm
https://sites.google.com/
apps4pps.net/www-clevelandwbb- com/campstrainingclinics? authuser=0 Nike camp @ UP, ages 8-13, July 17-20 and 24-27
https://www.ussportscamps.com/
basketball/nike/nike-girls- basketball-camp-university-of- portland RACIAL EQUITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS DEVELOPMENT:
WATCH: Don't Erase Me: The Modern Arab American. An illuminating TED Talk by Jeremiah Stinnett who speaks out against the erasure of Arab-American identity.
READ: The Other Americans by Moroccan American Laila Lalami
Timely, riveting, and unforgettable, The Other Americans is at once a family saga, a murder mystery, and a love story informed by the treacherous fault lines of American culture.
MAIN OFFICE:
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
- The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
- When prompted, press 4 for Melissa (“Records/Registration”) or press 3 for Claire (Principal’s Secretary)
- When prompted, press 2 for any “Attendance” matters. It’s a designated line just for attendance.
- You can also press 0 for the front counter where often students help us answer the phone and direct communication. This is not a private line and confidential messages should not be left in this voice box.
Secured Building
- Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
- Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
- Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up, a student arriving late, or any other matter that may require meeting a parent/guardian at the front door or getting a message to a student. Advance notice is strongly recommended since the office is very busy throughout the day.
Guides to Help you:
- For questions about your student’s absence: Log into ParentVue.
- make changes to your student's registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Attendance: If you need to excuse your child's attendance.
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials.
- Registration, Enrollment.
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay.
- Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principals.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- May 29: No school – Memorial Day
- June 7: Showcase Night – 5:30 – 7:30 PM
- June 12: Oaks Park – All Grades
- June 13 - 8th-grade Promotion – 2:15 PM – On the Sellwood Field
- June 14 – Last day of school
-
Principal's Newsletter 5/12/2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – May 12, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
We are coming up on the last month of school! Please read below about several end-of-year events, such as state testing, Showcase Night, the Oaks Park field trip, Chromebook collection, and 8th-grade Promotion.
I hope you stay cool on a warm weekend.
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
OREGON STATE ASSESSMENT BEGINS NEXT WEEK
Oregon State Assessments starts next week! Scheduled dates are: May 16th and 17th for Language Arts and May 23rd for Math. Please make sure your student gets a good night's rest the night before, a hearty breakfast the morning of, and comes to school with a fully charged Chromebook. Thank you:)
PERMISSION SLIPS COMING FOR OAKS PARK & SUMMER CHROMEBOOKS
On May 17th, during Advisory, 6th & 7th grade students will receive a permission form to keep their Chromebook at home. Please sign and return this to your student's Advisory class. (all 8th-graders will be turning Chromebooks in at the end of the year, but 6th & 7th graders should keep them over summer).
There is a correction to the price of the trip; it is $17.
On May 17th, during Advisory, all students will be receiving the Oaks Park permission form to sign. Here are the details of the field trip.
- When: Monday, June 12th, 2022, 9:30am – 2:00pm
- Transportation: We will be walking both to and from the park. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes! All students will return to Sellwood for school dismissal; no exceptions.
- Cost: $17.00 will include Adrenalin Peak Roller Coaster, Go-Karts, Atmosphere (new ride).
- Preferred payment on-line with School Pay.
- If this presents a financial hardship, scholarships are available.
- Lunch: Students may: 1. Bring a sack lunch, 2. Request a Sellwood sack lunch, or 3. purchase lunch at OAKS Park. We have reserved a Picnic Area (students can leave their lunch here during the day).
- Other Costs: Students can bring extra money for snacks, games. etc.
- Due Date for Permission Slips: Friday, June 1st.
- Expectations: In order to make sure this experience is safe and enjoyable for everyone, students attending Oaks Park are expected to be on their best behavior and must be responsive to adult direction. We are also expecting that as we come closer to the end of the year, that students will continue to meet behavior expectations while at school.
- If a student were to receive a serious stage 2-3 referral that would merit suspension, between now and the end of the year, that student may be suspended from attending Oaks Park with their class. Examples of incidents that may merit suspension: fighting, serious disruptive conduct, bullying and harassment, physical attack/harm, property damage (intentional), etc.
PTA NEWS
- 2023/2024 PTA Board Slate Elections
The following slate of parents are running for PTA board positions next year. Elections will be at our 5/17 meeting. Anyone can run for these positions so please let us know if you would like to be included. Nominations can also be made at the May meeting.
Co Presidents: Emily Quast, Karen Hansen; Vice president: Katka Howland
Secretary: Melisa Pierson; Treasurer: Bayra Garfield
Members at Large: Megan Perkins, Micah Chu, Liz Super, Tasha Bartley, Mindy Parker, Allie Koleno, Betsy Roberts, Carrie Spiteri
- Last PTA Meeting of the Year; 5/17 Virtual
Please join us to vote on next year's board and budget as well as hear end of year school updates. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
6088364064 - SMS Dines Out; Tuesday 5/16 PDX Sliders
Mark your calendars! Many thanks to PDX Sliders for supporting SMS!
- 8th Grade Graduation Yard Signs
Yard signs to celebrate your 8th grade graduate will be available to purchase soon!
- Staff Appreciation - THANK YOU!
Many thanks to the amazing Rachel McDonald and all parent volunteers for helping our staff feel appreciated!
- Sellwood Garden Tour Tickets- Great Mother’s Day gift!
Check out our website to buy tickets. Please help us spread the word! www.sellwoodgardentour.com
- Volunteers Needed During State Testing; 5/16, 5/17, 5/23
Teachers are asking for parent support during these 3 days of OSAS state testing. Parents will be helping make sure the hallways stay quiet and students are supported when needed. Sign-ups are in Konstella.
8TH-GRADE PROMOTION
We invite all 8th-grade families to help honor and celebrate the culmination of 8th-graders middle school years at Sellwood, giving them a joyous send off to high school.
Here are the basic details for promotion:
Date: Tuesday, June 13th
Time: 2:15 PM
Place: On the Sellwood Field. Bring low chairs or blankets for sitting. (in case of bad weather - the event will move to Sellwood's gym)
Sellwood's Jazz Band will perform and the ceremony will be followed by cake and photos.
YOUTH ADVOCACY SUMMIT
The Youth Advocacy Summit, YAS!, is happening on Saturday, May 20th from 8:45am to 3:30pm. It is FREE to attend. Registration is required. Register here: https://forms.gle/
nBmuMM12Zx8JbF4m6. Students must use their PPS account to register. This day is about being in joyful community for LGBTQ2SIA+ identified students across Portland Public Schools. YAS will have 3 workshop blocks (self-expression, community time, and skill building), breakfast, lunch, snacks, and entertainment. We are partnering with community-based organizations like: SMYRC, Bridge 13, Multnomah County Library, PSU's Queer Resource center, PFLAG, and House of Ada to name a few. We will send a follow up to all registered participants with workshop choices and location information the week of the event. SELLWOOD SPRING SHOWCASE NIGHT, JUNE 7th
Save the date for Sellwood’s Annual Student Showcase on June 7th. The Showcase is a fun, drop-in event with displays of student work throughout the school, plus music and drama performances. We will have an art show, science displays, math & games, language arts and social studies projects, and food carts. Please see the attached postcard for more details.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL DAY CAMP OPPORTUNITIES THIS SUMMER
Warrior Camp @ CHS, rising 5-8 grade, June 19-22, 1:30-4:30pm
https://sites.google.com/
apps4pps.net/www-clevelandwbb- com/campstrainingclinics? authuser=0 Nike camp @ UP, ages 8-13, July 17-20 and 24-27
https://www.ussportscamps.com/
basketball/nike/nike-girls- basketball-camp-university-of- portland RACIAL EQUITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS DEVELOPMENT:
WATCH: Don't Erase Me: The Modern Arab American. An illuminating TED Talk by Jeremiah Stinnett who speaks out against the erasure of Arab-American identity.
READ: The Other Americans by Moroccan American Laila Lalami
Timely, riveting, and unforgettable, The Other Americans is at once a family saga, a murder mystery, and a love story informed by the treacherous fault lines of American culture.
MAIN OFFICE:
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
- The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
- When prompted, press 4 for Melissa (“Records/Registration”) or press 3 for Claire (Principal’s Secretary)
- When prompted, press 2 for any “Attendance” matters. It’s a designated line just for attendance.
- You can also press 0 for the front counter where often students help us answer the phone and direct communication. This is not a private line and confidential messages should not be left in this voice box.
Secured Building
- Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
- Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
- Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up, a student arriving late, or any other matter that may require meeting a parent/guardian at the front door or getting a message to a student. Advance notice is strongly recommended since the office is very busy throughout the day.
Guides to Help you:
- For questions about your student’s absence: Log into ParentVue.
- make changes to your student's registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Attendance: If you need to excuse your child's attendance.
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials.
- Registration, Enrollment.
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay.
- Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principals.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- May 16: Spring Band Concert 7:00 PM
- May 29: No school – Memorial Day
- June 7: Showcase Night – 5:30 – 7:30 PM
- June 12: Oaks Park – All Grades
- June 13 - 8th-grade Promotion – 2:15 PM – On the Sellwood Field
- June 14 – Last day of school
-
Principal's Newsletter 5/5/2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – May 5, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
Thank you to all the parents who continually step up to support and honor Sellwood’s hardworking staff. Next week is staff appreciation week, which has been extended to a second week to make sure we include our wonderful 6th grade team. Next week, they will be heading off to Outdoor School with our 6th-graders, and we did not want them to miss out on the fun. With our wonderful PTA coordinating (I am looking at you, Rachel) and many parent volunteers, Sellwood teachers and staff will enjoy breakfast, a crockpot lunch, and then a pizza party. We are happy we can enjoy these events together and in-person, after a few years when we were not able to hold in-person meetings or eat together as a staff.
Speaking of Outdoor School, we are so excited that the overnight camping experience is back this year. Families of 6th-grade students should have received lots of information to get prepared, but as a reminder, students will be gathering at Sellwood at 2:30 PM this Sunday. Bon Voyage!
I hope everyone has a great weekend,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PERMISSION SLIPS COMING FOR OAKS PARK & SUMMER CHROMEBOOKS
On May 17th, during Advisory, 6th & 7th grade students will receive a permission form to keep their Chromebook at home. Please sign and return this to your student's Advisory class. (all 8th-graders will be turning Chromebooks in at the end of the year, but 6th & 7th graders should keep them over summer)
On May 17th, during Advisory, all students will be receiving the Oaks Park permission form to sign. Here are the details of the field trip.
- When: Monday, June 12th, 2022, 9:30am – 2:00pm
- Transportation: We will be walking both to and from the park. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes! All students will return to Sellwood for school dismissal; no exceptions.
- Cost: $15.00 will include Adrenalin Peak Roller Coaster, Go-Karts, Atmosphere (new ride).
- Preferred payment on-line with School Pay.
- Option 2: Checks payable to Sellwood Middle School.
- Option 3: Cash in the exact amount (no change provided).
- If this presents a financial hardship, scholarships are available.
- Lunch: Students may: 1. Bring a sack lunch, 2. Request a Sellwood sack lunch, or 3. purchase lunch at OAKS Park. We have reserved a Picnic Area (students can leave their lunch here during the day).
- Other Costs: Students can bring extra money for snacks, games. etc.
- Due Date for Permission Slips: Friday, June 1st.
- Expectations: In order to make sure this experience is safe and enjoyable for everyone, students attending Oaks Park are expected to be on their best behavior and must be responsive to adult direction. We are also expecting that as we come closer to the end of the year, that students will continue to meet behavior expectations while at school.
- If a student were to receive a serious stage 2-3 referral that would merit suspension, between now and the end of the year, that student may be suspended from attending Oaks Park with their class. Examples of incidents that may merit suspension: fighting, serious disruptive conduct, bullying and harassment, physical attack/harm, property damage (intentional), etc.
PTA NEWS
- 2023/2024 PTA Board Slate Elections
The following slate of parents are running for PTA board positions next year. Elections will be at our 5/17 meeting. Anyone can run for these positions so please let us know if you would like to be included. Nominations can also be made at the May meeting.
Co Presidents: Emily Quast, Karen Hansen; Vice president: Katka Howland
Secretary: Melisa Pierson; Treasurer: Bayra Garfield
Members at Large: Megan Perkins, Micah Chu, Liz Super, Tasha Bartley, Mindy Parker, Allie Koleno, Betsy Roberts, Carrie Spiteri
- Last PTA Meeting of the Year; 5/17 Virtual
Please join us to vote on next year's board and budget as well as hear end of year school updates.
- SMS Dines Out; Tuesday 5/16 PDX Sliders
Mark your calendars! Many thanks to PDX Sliders for supporting SMS!
- 8th Grade Graduation Yard Signs
Yard signs to celebrate your 8th grade graduate will be available to purchase soon!
- Staff Appreciation Crock Pot Lunch Date Moved
As some teachers and staff are at Outdoor School next week we are moving the staff appreciation crock pot lunch to 5/17.
- Sellwood Garden Tour Tickets
Check out our website to buy tickets. Please help us spread the word! www.sellwoodgardentour.com
- Volunteers Needed During State Testing; 5/16, 5/17, 5/23
Teachers are asking for parent support during these 3 days of OSAS state testing. Parents will be helping make sure the hallways stay quiet and students are supported when needed. Sign ups are in Konstella.
SELLWOOD SPRING SHOWCASE NIGHT, JUNE 7th
Save the date for Sellwood’s Annual Student Showcase on June 7th. The Showcase is a fun, drop-in event with displays of student work throughout the school, plus music and drama performances. We will have an art show, science displays, math & games, language arts and social studies projects, and food carts. Please see the attached postcard for more details.
8TH-GRADERS - INTERESTED IN THE CLEVELAND DANCE TEAM
The Cleveland High School Dance Team tryouts are coming up on May 8th and 10th for all incoming Freshman to Cleveland! Tryout packets and info sheets available in the school office, at CHS, or via email at clevelandtenacitydance@
gmail.com. All dancers and skill levels are welcome! RACIAL EQUITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS DEVELOPMENT:
WATCH: Don't Erase Me: The Modern Arab American. An illuminating TED Talk by Jeremiah Stinnett who speaks out against the erasure of Arab-American identity.
READ: The Other Americans by Moroccan American Laila Lalami
Timely, riveting, and unforgettable, The Other Americans is at once a family saga, a murder mystery, and a love story informed by the treacherous fault lines of American culture.
MAIN OFFICE:
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
- The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
- When prompted, press 4 for Melissa (“Records/Registration”) or press 3 for Claire (Principal’s Secretary)
- When prompted, press 2 for any “Attendance” matters. It’s a designated line just for attendance.
- You can also press 0 for the front counter where often students help us answer the phone and direct communication. This is not a private line and confidential messages should not be left in this voice box.
Secured Building
- Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
- Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
- Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up, a student arriving late, or any other matter that may require meeting a parent/guardian at the front door or getting a message to a student. Advance notice is strongly recommended since the office is very busy throughout the day.
Guides to Help you:
- For questions about your student’s absence: Log into ParentVue.
- make changes to your student's registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Attendance: If you need to excuse your child's attendance.
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials.
- Registration, Enrollment.
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay.
- Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principals.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- March 27 – 31: Spring Break
- April 7: End of 3rd Quarter
- April 10: No school for students – Teacher planning day
- May 7 – 12: Outdoor School 6th-graders
- May 16: Spring Band Concert 7:00 PM
- May 29: No school – Memorial Day
- June 7: Showcase Night – 5:30 – 7:30 PM
- June 12: Oaks Park – All Grades
- June 14 - 8th-grade Promotion – 2PM – On the Sellwood Field
- June 14 – Last day of school
-
Principal's Newsletter 4/28/2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – April 28, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
It feels like we have gone directly from March to June, skipping over April and May entirely.
Next week, we will be communicating the details about Sellwood’s end-of-the-year events. Look for information about our Showcase Night on June 7th, permission slips and logistics for our trip to Oaks Park on June 12th, and details about 8th-grade promotion on June 14th.
8th-grader families, please make sure you have completed the field trip form (below) for our upcoming visit to Cleveland High School. Even if your child plans to attend a different high school, they are welcome on the trip and it may still be a worthwhile and memorable event for them.
For now, let’s all enjoy the warm summer-like weather while it lasts!
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
Volunteers Needed!!
There are many current volunteer needs at Sellwood. Please see Konstella for dates, times and to sign up. You can also email the PTA and we can help you with more information. Thank you for supporting our amazing school!
1. Staff appreciation week 5/8Help us show our appreciation for the middle school staff during staff appreciation week!
2. Support during upcoming state testing:
1 hour shifts 5/16, 5/17, 5/23
Provide students and teachers support during school wide testing.
3. Hall monitors: 1 hour shifts
Provide additional adult presence in halls and outside bathrooms.
4. 8th grade promotion 6/14
Day of event help
CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL VISIT - 8th-GRADE, MAY 5th
Hello 8th grade families!
Sellwood students will have the opportunity to visit Cleveland High School on Friday May 5th. Please fill out this permission form by May 1st so we have an accurate count to ensure we have a solid student to chaperone ratio.
CHS 8th Grade Visit 5/5- Permission Form
NW CYBER CAMP – SUMMER OPPORTUNITY FOR 8th-GRADE
Announcing NW Cyber Camp 2023, the premier cybersecurity summer camp in Oregon! This year's camp (July 24-28) includes co-ed and girls-focused classes, scenario-based hands-on learning, and expert guest speakers from the cybersecurity industry. Join us at Portland Community College- Sylvania, Mt. Hood Community College, or OSU, for an exciting week of exploring cybersecurity concepts and building real-world skills that can propel your academic and career goals. Thanks to our cybersecurity industry sponsors, the camp is FREE for all students this year. Learn more and register today at www.nwcyber.camp.
Video
The camp also just released a short video, with testimonials from several of the founding students, and a brief overview. The camp created this at the request of teachers/counselors at PPS who wanted something they could show in class. You can watch it here. https://youtu.be/
i8Jp7dVLzvA. 8TH-GRADERS - INTERESTED IN THE CLEVELAND DANCE TEAM
The Cleveland High School Dance Team tryouts are coming up on May 8th and 10th for all incoming Freshman to Cleveland! Tryout packets and info sheets available in the school office, at CHS, or via email at clevelandtenacitydance@
gmail.com. All dancers and skill levels are welcome! RACIAL EQUITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS DEVELOPMENT:
WATCH: Don't Erase Me: The Modern Arab American. An illuminating TED Talk by Jeremiah Stinnett who speaks out against the erasure of Arab-American identity.
READ: The Other Americans by Moroccan American Laila Lalami
Timely, riveting, and unforgettable, The Other Americans is at once a family saga, a murder mystery, and a love story informed by the treacherous fault lines of American culture.
MAIN OFFICE:
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
- The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
- When prompted, press 4 for Melissa (“Records/Registration”) or press 3 for Claire (Principal’s Secretary)
- When prompted, press 2 for any “Attendance” matters. It’s a designated line just for attendance.
- You can also press 0 for the front counter where often students help us answer the phone and direct communication. This is not a private line and confidential messages should not be left in this voice box.
Secured Building
- Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
- Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
- Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up, a student arriving late, or any other matter that may require meeting a parent/guardian at the front door or getting a message to a student. Advance notice is strongly recommended since the office is very busy throughout the day.
Guides to Help you:
- For questions about your student’s absence: Log into ParentVue.
- make changes to your student's registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Attendance: If you need to excuse your child's attendance.
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials.
- Registration, Enrollment.
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay.
- Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principals.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- March 27 – 31: Spring Break
- April 7: End of 3rd Quarter
- April 10: No school for students – Teacher planning day
- May 7 – 12: Outdoor School 6th-graders
- May 16: Spring Band Concert 7:00 PM
- May 29: No school – Memorial Day
- June 7: Showcase Night – 5:30 – 7:30 PM
- June 12: Oaks Park – All Grades
- June 14 - 8th-grade Promotion – 2PM – On the Sellwood Field
- June 14 – Last day of school
-
Principal's Newsletter 4/21/2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – April 21, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
Believe it or not, spring is eventually coming to Portland. Due to the relentlessly wet, windy, chilly weather and a muddy field, up till now, we have been allowing some students to remain in the cafeteria for indoor recess. However, the days of drier, 60ish degree weather will be here before we know it. We believe it is healthy for students to spend time outside, especially after such a long string of bad weather when students have been cooped up indoors. We plan to end indoor recess in the cafeteria soon and have all students go outside for recess when they have finished eating. Looking at the weather report, outdoor recess for all will likely start next Tuesday, April 25th. Students will still be permitted to go to the library, and of course if we experience rainy, cold weather, we will hold indoor recess.
I would like to express my gratitude again to the parents who have been volunteering as monitors outside our bathrooms in the afternoon. We have seen a cooresponding drop in vandalism and graffiti incidents, and an increase in responsible bathroom behavior. We appreciate you!
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
Volunteers Needed
There are many current volunteer needs at Sellwood. Please see Konstella for dates, times and to sign up. You can also email the PTA and we can help you with more information. Thank you for supporting our amazing school! sellwoodpta@gmail.com
1. Hall monitors: 1-hour shifts
Provide additional adult presence in halls and outside bathrooms.
2. 8th grade promotion
Day of event help
3. Support during upcoming state testing: 1 hour shifts
Provide students and teachers support during school wide testing
4. Staff appreciation snacks
Send snacks in with your student for the staff lounge on Wednesdays
CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL VISIT - 8th-GRADE, MAY 5th
Hello 8th grade families!
Sellwood students will have the opportunity to visit Cleveland High School on Friday May 5th. Please fill out this permission form by May 1st so we have an accurate count to ensure we have a solid student to chaperone ratio.
CHS 8th Grade Visit 5/5- Permission Form
NW CYBER CAMP – SUMMER OPPORTUNITY FOR 8th-GRADE
Announcing NW Cyber Camp 2023, the premier cybersecurity summer camp in Oregon! This year's camp (July 24-28) includes co-ed and girls-focused classes, scenario-based hands-on learning, and expert guest speakers from the cybersecurity industry. Join us at Portland Community College- Sylvania, Mt. Hood Community College, or OSU, for an exciting week of exploring cybersecurity concepts and building real-world skills that can propel your academic and career goals. Thanks to our cybersecurity industry sponsors, the camp is FREE for all students this year. Learn more and register today at www.nwcyber.camp.
Video
The camp also just released a short video, with testimonials from several of the founding students, and a brief overview. The camp created this at the request of teachers/counselors at PPS who wanted something they could show in class. You can watch it here. https://youtu.be/
i8Jp7dVLzvA. 8th-GRADERS - INTERESTED IN THE CLEVELAND DANCE TEAM
The Cleveland High School Dance Team tryouts are coming up on May 8th and 10th for all incoming Freshman to Cleveland! Tryout packets and info sheets available in the school office, at CHS, or via email at clevelandtenacitydance@
gmail.com. All dancers and skill levels are welcome! HEALTHY CHOICES BULLETIN APRIL 2023
The Healthy Choices Bulletin is a monthly summary of substance use prevention resources for families. Healthy Choices Bulletin April 2023
STUDENT HEALTH CENTER APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE
Please check out this article about Student Health Center services that help students stay healthy, in school, and ready to learn.
RACIAL EQUITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS DEVELOPMENT:
WATCH: Don't Erase Me: The Modern Arab American. An illuminating TED Talk by Jeremiah Stinnett who speaks out against the erasure of Arab-American identity.
READ: The Other Americans by Moroccan American Laila Lalami
Timely, riveting, and unforgettable, The Other Americans is at once a family saga, a murder mystery, and a love story informed by the treacherous fault lines of American culture.
MAIN OFFICE:
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
- The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
- When prompted, press 4 for Melissa (“Records/Registration”) or press 3 for Claire (Principal’s Secretary)
- When prompted, press 2 for any “Attendance” matters. It’s a designated line just for attendance.
- You can also press 0 for the front counter where often students help us answer the phone and direct communication. This is not a private line and confidential messages should not be left in this voice box.
Secured Building
- Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
- Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
- Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up, a student arriving late, or any other matter that may require meeting a parent/guardian at the front door or getting a message to a student. Advance notice is strongly recommended since the office is very busy throughout the day.
Guides to Help you:
- For questions about your student’s absence: Log into ParentVue.
- make changes to your student's registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Attendance: If you need to excuse your child's attendance.
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials.
- Registration, Enrollment.
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay.
- Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principals.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- March 27 – 31: Spring Break
- April 7: End of 3rd Quarter
- April 10: No school for students – Teacher planning day
- May 7 – 12: Outdoor School 6th-graders
- May 16: Spring Band Concert 7:00 PM
- May 29: No school – Memorial Day
- June 12: Oaks Park – All Grades
- June 14 - 8th-grade Promotion – 2PM – On the Sellwood Field
- June 14 – Last day of school
-
Principal's Newsletter 4/14/2023
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – April 14, 2023
Greetings Sellwood Community,
A quick shout out to the Sellwood Stars Dance Team!
The Sellwood Stars spent the weekend in Pendleton OR competing in the Oregon Junior Dance Team Championships. They competed in the Junior High Jazz division and won 1st place. Their advanced pom routine placed 2nd in the Open division. The Stars almost had a clean sweep in drill taking home 9 of the 10 spots. Drill down winners were, Allyssa, Ivy, Willa, Harper, Maya, Saoirse, Ava, Phoebe and Sylvie.
Enjoy the sunshine this weekend,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
Looking to help improve school safety now?
SMS is looking for parents to volunteer as hall monitors to help prevent bullying, unrest, and disruption. Positive adult presence is welcome! We’d love to see you in the hallways supporting the best environment conducive to learning. Sign up for an hour shift as a hall monitor. Parents will be stationed in the cafeteria and in hallways. You can work or play, while you stay. Go to Konstella to sign up, and make sure your PPS volunteer clearance is up to date through pps.net.
Sellwood Garden Tour Sponsors and Ticket Sales
Do you know of a local business who would be interested in sponsoring the garden tour? The garden tour is a major fundraiser for the school. Sponsors are printed on all tour advertising and signage. All sponsorship money is a donation to the school. Please reach out with any leads.
And check out our new website to buy a ticket!
Next Year PTA Board
Our middle school needs your support. Please reach out if you are interested in joining the 2023/2024 board. Positions of President, Vice President and Treasurer are open; as well as members at large. This is a great opportunity to make a difference. sellwoodpta@gmail.com
Staff Appreciation Wednesday Snacks
Thank you to all who have sent in snacks. The teachers and staff are so grateful. Some tell us it’s the only chance they get for a quick bite during the school day. Please continue to help!
SQUAD – CLEVELAND PEP RALLY FUNDRAISER
Squad! Join Our Warrior Team! We would like to invite the communities of our middle schools to join the fun. It is a free pep rally-themed fundraiser event that we hope parents and students will come on Friday, April 28 from 5:30-7pm at the CHS gym. Here is the link to the event info:
8TH-GRADERS - INTERESTED IN THE CLEVELAND DANCE TEAM
The Cleveland High School Dance Team tryouts are coming up on May 8th and 10th for all incoming Freshman to Cleveland! Tryout packets and info sheets available in the school office, at CHS, or via email at clevelandtenacitydance@
gmail.com. All dancers and skill levels are welcome! BENSON HS TECH SHOW APRIL 20 & 21
Benson's Tech Show is coming .... April 20th and 21st, from 6-9 pm at the Marshall Campus. We are trying something new this year and having a special information session just for 7th grade families at 7:00 pm.
Attached is the postcard sent to all PPS 7th grade families encouraging them to come and learn more about Benson. Please help us spread the word. If you have any questions, let us know.
Amy Henry (she/her)
Counselor
Benson Polytechnic High School at Marshall Campus
STEM CAMP FOR PDX MIDDLE SCHOOLS
PSU’s Center for Entrepreneurship is offering a free summer camp for Portland area Middle School students. They are partners with the Verizon Innovative Learning STEM Achievers program and offer a free 3-week STEM focused summer program. Students will learn design thinking, 3D printing, augmented reality, and social entrepreneurship.
They provide supplies, lunch, and transportation. See the flyer for more information.
RACIAL EQUITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS DEVELOPMENT:
WATCH: Don't Erase Me: The Modern Arab American. An illuminating TED Talk by Jeremiah Stinnett who speaks out against the erasure of Arab-American identity.
READ: The Other Americans by Moroccan American Laila Lalami
Timely, riveting, and unforgettable, The Other Americans is at once a family saga, a murder mystery, and a love story informed by the treacherous fault lines of American culture.
MAIN OFFICE:
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
- The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
- When prompted, press 4 for Melissa (“Records/Registration”) or press 3 for Claire (Principal’s Secretary)
- When prompted, press 2 for any “Attendance” matters. It’s a designated line just for attendance.
- You can also press 0 for the front counter where often students help us answer the phone and direct communication. This is not a private line and confidential messages should not be left in this voice box.
Secured Building
- Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
- Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
- Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up, a student arriving late, or any other matter that may require meeting a parent/guardian at the front door or getting a message to a student. Advance notice is strongly recommended since the office is very busy throughout the day.
Guides to Help you:
- For questions about your student’s absence: Log into ParentVue.
- make changes to your student's registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Attendance: If you need to excuse your child's attendance.
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials.
- Registration, Enrollment.
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay.
- Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principals.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- March 27 – 31: Spring Break
- April 7: End of 3rd Quarter
- April 10: No school for students – Teacher planning day
- May 7 – 12: Outdoor School 6th-graders
- May 16: Spring Band Concert 7:00 PM
- May 29: No school – Memorial Day
- June 12: Oaks Park – All Grades
- June 14 - 8th-grade Promotion
- June 14 – Last day of school