January 2, 2019

Dear Hayhurst Community,

Happy New Year! Welcome back to  school!  I hope you all had a wonderful winter break with family and friends. It is hard to believe how fast the year is flying by, and that we have already completed four months of the school year.

I want to THANK everyone who participated in the Giving Snowman!!! Your generous giving of gifts and gift cards allowed us to share the holidays with 38 families from our school community. Parents came in the last few days before break to pick up their bag of goodies….we had lots of tears, hugs, and thank you’s! I love that our Hayhurst family can take care of our families who are in need and bring a bit more joy to everyone. THANK YOU!!

Last year I received a grant that I had designated for a school improvement project that would be used by all students. Over the year, I have been working with district staff and Coach Winkler to pick out our new addition to Hayhurst. It amazes me how many steps one has to go through to add new items to a school. However, on Friday December 14^th my vision became a reality, as we unveiled our new rock climbing wall in the gym. It was a perfect holiday gift for the school.  We held a morning assembly in the gym so that everyone could be part of our ribbon cutting. Coach Winkler has already begun to teach our students how to use the wall appropriately, and he is super excited to have this as part of our gym equipment.  I invite you to stop by the gym and check out the wall…it is very exciting for everyone!

As the weather gets colder, please be sure to send your child to school with winter jackets (labeled with their name), as we still go outside for recess, even in the cold. If we get snow or ice, be sure to check the PPS district webpage or listen to the news or radio for school closures or delays. This is a good time of year to check into bus snow routes, so that you know where the bus will pick up and drop off, as several of our school bus stops change for bad weather.

This summer our school house will be closed for seismic upgrades.  Currently, the architects and engineers have been looking at walls. Work has been done in the evenings and weekends, but you may begin to see some patched holes around the building….do not worry they will be replaced with the upgrades. I am not sure of the exact closure  date or completion of the work, as I get more details I will share them with you.

Hayhurst is a great school community, with such wonderful support for each other and the things that happen in our school.  I wish everyone a wonderful New Year with lots of good cheer!

Thanks!
Deanne Froehlich
Principal
Hayhurst/Odyssey

In this week's Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary celebrates its diverse cultures; meet the poodle who helps students read aloud

The PPS Visioning initiative reached some major milestones in January and we are ready to get back out to the community in the next few weeks!

Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary has one of the most diverse student bodies in Portland Public Schools, and on Friday it held a dual event that reflected that diversity. The Global Celebration included elements tied into Black History Month and the Lunar New Year as well as other cultures in the school community. 

Raquel Laiz has a new job with Portland Public Schools this school year, but she has been honored for her work at her previous position in the district. Laiz was one of nine counselors around the country to win a Counselors That Change Lives Award.