Click here for our May Family Newsletter, happy Spring!

As we head into Spring Break we wanted to take a moment to share some information you might find useful. Here are links to some of the upcoming events/information, as well as our April school calendar. Thanks for all you do for your children and in support of our program!

• Kindergarten Transition information
• Early Kindergarten Transition programs-enrollment open now!
• Summer Activity Ideas

Dear families,

What a month it has been! We know that many families have been impacted by the recent ice storm, and we are no different. Our Creston Annex location had a broken pipe in the parking lot that caused a one day closure; children are now back in the building as of today. Our Kelly Center school has significant water damage and is currently closed for repairs.  Over the past several days, our Head Start team has been working closely with district leadership and principals from nearby schools to find classroom space for our students and teachers. We are thrilled to say that Kelly, Whitman, and Woodmere elementary schools have the space available to accommodate our community while Kelly Center undergoes necessary repairs. 

Additional information:

• Students will be moving with their class and teachers to one of the three above-named sites beginning Tuesday, January 30.

• We will be following a modified schedule for these specific classrooms during this time. Drop-off will be at 8:30 a.m. and pick-up will be at 12:30 p.m. Both breakfast and lunch will be provided each day.

• On Monday, January 29 from 4-5 p.m., we will hold a virtual information session to answer any questions impacted families might have. We will also record this meeting.

• As of Friday all families have received information about their student’s assigned school.

• Kelly Center is scheduled to reopen to students and staff as early as mid-February. We will share a transition plan for re-entry at a later date.

Staff continue to prepare for children and families to return next Tuesday. We are grateful to the Kelly, Whitman, and Woodmere communities for opening their doors to us, and we appreciate your grace and patience more than we can say. We will be in touch again soon.

Warmly,

Dana Stiles, Director of Head Start 

Mary Pearson, Kelly Center Building Supervisor

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.