Greetings Hosford Families,

I hope you all are well, safe, and have what you need. Please let us know if you are in need of resources.

This week, PPS announced our new distance learning model, PPS HD. The State of Oregon also released new guidance called, Distance Learning for All. Together with these two directives, Hosford has released a tentative learning plan for next week and the time to come. 

Your child’s learning will be done over Google Classroom. They will have some learning that is done with the teacher over video conference with classes or through video office hours and email. They will also have some learning that is done independently, using online resources and tools provided by their teacher in Google Classroom. 

The schedule is as follows:

On the designated days and times, new content will be posted for your child in the Google Classroom for that teacher. There will also be scheduled meetings and office hours for your student to take part in. If your child misses the opportunity for a lesson or class meeting, these can be recorded and later shared.  Additionally, teachers should be messaging all parents once per week to provide information on what students are working on in their virtual classroom. If you want to see more, you are also welcome to use your student’s login to access their Google Classroom.

All links can be found on the page, Hosford Distance Learning for All. This page will go live and be messaged to families on Sunday.

Overall, we need to be flexible with both students and teachers during these first few weeks.  We do not have the expectation that everything will be perfect and we are fully expecting that there will be hiccups as people adjust to this new way of doing business.  We need to help you all get comfortable with the technology platforms and I want to emphasize to you that we will ease into instruction and spend time next week checking on students' well-being.  Academics are important, but we all know that we first need to check in with families and each other before we can focus on instruction.

Information about grades:

There will be no official report out of quarter 3 grades from the school, but we will be collecting student learning data and assessing work as we move forward this month. At this point, we know we need teachers to provide instruction to students and monitor student progress in terms of mastery of standards.  That does not mean we will require teachers to assign traditional letter grades for student work, but instead will use our proficiency model. We have been told that the district will provide a much clearer direction regarding what progress monitoring means in the next week, but again, for now, we are easing into a completely new form of instruction and waiting on grading requirements.  We will first focus on getting kids back into a routine during the coming week.

Devices:

Many of you have requested and picked up chromebooks from PPS this week. If you would like to request a device, please see the form linked on the PPS homepage:  https://www.pps.net/coronavirus

Food Services:

Anyone can pick up food from PPS. Sites are here. Please connect with us if you have trouble accessing what you need.

Technical Support:

• You can reset your google login information by emailing msayler@pps.net or aslaught@pps.net

• You can reset your Synergy password by emailing kcarlso1@pps.net 

Things we don’t yet have answers for:

• The length of the school year or when we will return to school. These are state and district level decisions and we are also anxious to hear what the future holds. 

• Yearbooks, end of year events and many, many other school specific, time bound details. We will tell you as soon as we know more.

Ways to keep up with district news:

• pps.net/coronavirus posts all the new and archives all of the old district communications to families about changing services and mandates

• PPS HD FAQ

• Portland Public Schools@PPSConnect (the district’s Twitter feed). They post every day

Thank you for your care of each other and of our community during this time. I will keep you updated as I learn more.

Warmly,

Caitlin Klenz

Hosford Middle School Principal

Help our Hosford Teachers fund their Donor's Choose Projects!

PPS partners with Multnomah County Student Health Centers (SHCs) to keep students healthy and focused on school. There are 10 SHCs throughout Multnomah County. The SHC is like having a doctor's office in your school. The center serves K-12 students and does not have any out of pocket costs for the student or family. 

 
Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRqjPHG74ys  

Dear PPS Family,

In response to the continuing COVID-19 health crisis in our state, today Governor Brown and the Oregon Department of Education announced that our school campus doors will not open again for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. We all miss seeing our students in school buildings, but the health and safety of our students, educators, staff and the broader community, remains the highest priority. 

The District is offering a second round of Chromebook device pickup. Even if you did not already fill out a device loan survey, you may still pick up a device. We will begin distribution to high school students on Wednesday, April 8 and then to all students on Thursday, April 9. Please visit www.pps.net/devices for more times and locations.

Dear PPS Parents and Guardians,

We know this is a time of transition as we move from school buildings to home-based distance learning for the duration of this closure. In order to continue to work in similar ways with our students as we did in our buildings, principals, teachers and counselors will need to be able to communicate with you and your students while maintaining safety and privacy for all. Because of this situation, we are partnering with Remind to provide a simple platform for all of us to engage together. 

The disruption to daily life during the coronavirus crisis has hit all corners of society. For students, it has meant not being able to attend school. Staff in the PPS Student Success and Health department have gathered tips to help you help your student cope: