PLEASE USE THE CHILD WATCH NUMBER/EMAIL TO REPORT ABSENSES: ILLNESS, APPOINTMENTS AND VACATIONS

Emailing the teacher is a great idea but the office has to know too.

The Duniway Childwatch number and/or email is the way to go because you can call or email any time before 9:15 am (the morning of the tardy or absence). Either way you report the absence, please leave the child's name, teacher, and reason for the absence (illness including symptoms, vacation, appointment, mental health day, etc).

Call: 503-916-3625 OR email: duniwayattend@pps.net (be sure to cc your student's teacher)

Any time a student is in the system as ‘unexcused’, the District auto-dialer will call your home.  We need to have a reason for the absence (appointment, illness etc).  If you are going on vacation, please be sure to let the office know as well as the classroom teacher.

We are incredibly fortunate to have Shannon Schupp, our RN, on Tuesdays!

Please remember that students must be symptom free for 24 hours prior to returning to school.  While we recognize this can cause serious challenges with work and schedules, we thank you in advance for your cooperation.

If your child is going to be absent for any reason, please call our attendance line, 24 hours/day, at 503-916-3625 OR email duniwayattend@pps.net. Leave the student's name, teacher, and reason for the absence (illness, vacation, mental health day, etc) The messages are checked by 9:30 AM every morning. 

Individuals working, attending, and volunteering in PPS will be required to self-screen daily for symptoms of illness before entering district property or using district transportation. We ask that families use this checklist at home with your students before sending them to school. Individuals with any of the following excludable symptoms must stay home:

• Fever (temperature of 100.4°F or higher)
• A persistent cough that is not yet diagnosed or cleared by a healthcare provider or any acute cough illness or a cough that interferes with participation in usual school activities. 
• Unexplained difficulty breathing or shortness of breath 
• New loss of taste or smell 
• Vomiting, at least one episode that is unexplained 
• Nasal congestion or runny nose 
• Diarrhea, sudden onset, inability to control bowels or three or more watery or loose stools in a 24 hour period

Username and Password instructions to get into PPS Chomebooks as well as Digital Learning.

Students usernames follow the pattern of first initial, last name, last four digits of their student ID, "@student.pps.net." For example Jay Raddison who's ID number is 123456 would have a username of jraddison3456@student.pps.net. Use your child’s birthdate such as March 8, the password would be 0308.

Should you need help with your students username and password:

• 1. Contact your student's teacher and/or school.

  2. Find your student's school contact for usernames support here.

Students who have already reset their password but have forgotten their password, may find the Password Manager helpful.

PPS is hosting a series of events that focus on Belonging, Equity & Inclusive Practices where we will screen powerful, award-winning documentaries aimed at starting a productive conversation about what is possible in the systems we create for our children with disabilities. 

As part of this series, we are excited to welcome you to a live virtual event, Including Samuel, on Monday, October 28 at 5:30 PM at OMSI Empirical Theater. The event will include a screening of Dan Habib’s film, “Including Samuel,” and a conversation with him and his son, Samuel.

The Dr. Matthew Prophet Education Center, the rather staid home to Portland Public Schools administrative staff, had a very different look on Monday evening when it hosted the world premiere of “The Return of Emergetron.”

The red carpet event was in celebration of a new film starring students – and for students – about the many emergency scenarios they might encounter in a typical school year.

Portland Public Schools’ Comprehensive School Psychology program was recently named the recipient of a prestigious $5.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education for its proven track record of improving student well-being and academic performance. 

The renewable, school-based mental health grant will be used to provide comprehensive school psychology services to 18 Title I schools across the district for the 2024-25 school year. This is up from 11 schools served in the previous year. Through the duration of the grant, 25 schools designated as Title I at the time of the grant award will receive comprehensive school psychology services.

When Beckham Weatherby picks up his tuba, the rest of the world falls away. 

“I don’t get that nervous and I don’t get stage fright at all,” he said. “I guess I got lucky with how my body reacts to performing in front of crowds.”

Which is something the McDaniel High School junior has done quite a bit of lately. Not only is he a member of the prestigious Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP) and the PYP conservatory orchestra, but he recently earned first prize in the tuba solo performance category at the Oregon State Solo Music Championships.