While meals are served at no cost to children ages 1-18 at several Portland Public School sites through December, there are several benefits for eligible families to submit a meal application this school year.

• To ensure eligible students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals continue to receive meals at no cost for the entire school year (past December)
• Families approved for free and reduced-price meals may be eligible to receive future potential government assistance such as Pandemic EBT benefits
• Families may be eligible for other benefits such as school related fee reduction or waivers, low cost internet and health coverage

 Families have the following options to submit a meal application:

• Online at www.schoolcafe.com/pps
• Print, complete and mail back a paper meal application (https://www.pps.net/Page/2464) to PPS Nutrition Services, 501 N. Dixon St., Portland, OR 97227
• Request a paper meal application be mailed home from mealbenefits@pps.net or call 503-916-3402

 Families do not need to submit a meal application if any of the following apply:

• A meal application has been submitted and approved for the 2020-21 school year
• The household received a 2020-21 Direct Certification Approval letter
• All students in the household attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school (list located online at https://www.pps.net/Page/2088) where students eat meals at no cost
• The household does not meet the Oregon Expanded Income Guidelines

 For meal benefits related questions, please call 503-916-3402 or email mealbenefits@pps.net.

Getting Organized

• Sahjo Brown, sbrown3@pps.net (6th grade A-L and 8th grade)
• Elise Newhouse, enewhouse1@pps.net (6th grade M-Z and 7th grade)

Attendance will be taken each day and you will be contacted by HMS if your student misses three consecutive days of a class.

To report your student's absence please email attendance-hosford@pps.net

What is the listserv? It's a message board that allows families to connect to the community regarding school, PTSA and extracurricular events throughout the year.

Why did we move to Google? Last year, Yahoo stopped supporting their "Groups" feature. Yahoo Groups still exists but in a limited capacity, and it has disabled some key features such as photo attachments and archived messages. Google Groups provides us with a more robust message board.

How do I sign up? Request to become a member at https://groups.google.com/g/hosfordmiddleschool/. Your request will be approved within 24-48 hours and you'll receive an email with a link to information about how to read and post messages.

When is this happening? Our Google Group is live now! The Yahoo Group closed for good on Friday, September 18.

**Please note: If you are a returning family and have been a member of the Yahoo Group Listserv, you must submit a new request to join the Google Group. Follow the link above to become a member!

The PPS Technology Help Desk has extended its hours to provide more support to students and families. Hours of operation for phone lines are now Monday-Friday, 7:00 AM-9:00 PM.

• English: 503-916-3375
• Español: 503-916-3582
• 中文：503-916-3585
• Tiếng Việt: 503-916-3584
• Soomaali: 503-916-3586
• Русский: 503-916-3583

Thank you all for working with your students to transition into our Virtual Schedule. We know there have been many logistical and technical challenges over the last few weeks and we are committed to improving, learning and growing for our students. 

• Student schedules by grade level
• How to access Synergy to find your students schedule
• How to get technology support
• How to log in and how to reset your student password
• ALL class links for class meetings* 

*NOTE: Links for teacher virtual classrooms are now on your student’s Canvas. They are no longer posted on the Hosford Middle School homepage or on Padlet.

Hello Hosford Families!

tinyurl.com/hmsvirtual

Dear Hosford Community,

Thank you all for being so understanding during this complex and stressful time. Please reach out if you need resources or support. Hosford’s got you.

Warmly,

Caitlin Klenz

Hosford Middle School Principal

6th Grade Virtual Learning Schedule

7th Grade Virtual Learning Schedule

8th Grade Virtual Learning Schedule

PPS is continuing its partnership with Remind to support connection needs. Please know that the Remind sign-up email is not phishing and it's free to use the web version or mobile app. Resources for families are available on the Remind App for Students and Families page. Hosford will continue to send school wide messages via email and text, and teachers will primarily use Remind and email to contact families.

As families are learning about technology, we want you to balance your learning with patience and grace for yourself and educators. We are all doing our best to learn and grow during a pandemic. Visit https://www.pps.net/familyresources to access a full set of orientation videos and other resources, translated into PPS district-supported languages. Here are some links if you are interested in digging in.

PPS Password Portal

Create your password manager account where you can change your password, and get access to all PPS learning programs with one sign-on. 

Dear Hosford Students and Families, Current and Future -

We are excited to welcome you in a few days as we start our new ‘virtual’ school year together. Instead of a physical Back to School packet, this year we have gone digital. There is a lot of important information in this “packet” that will help ease the transition from summer to school. We have embedded links in each section to make navigating the packet as easy as possible. Please be sure to check out each section.

Remember, Rising 6th Grade Students join us for a Virtual Jump Start on Wednesday, September 2; all other students return virtually on Thursday, September 3.

Welcome to the new school year; we’re glad you’re a part of the Hosford family!

Caitlin Klenz, Principal

Please click here for more information about the Free & Reduced-Price Meal Program 

Dear PPS Families,

We want to update you on the Enrollment and Program Balancing (EPB) progress. As we’ve shared, the initial work focuses on schools in Southeast Portland in anticipation of the reopening of Kellogg Middle School. The Southeast Guiding Coalition has held six meetings aimed at creating a common understanding of the Coalition’s charge and the process for developing proposals and a final recommendation. The process is starting with a focus on grades 6-8 now, and will expand to grades PK-12 next spring.

Dear Families of PPS Secondary Students,

During Comprehensive Distance Learning, opportunities are built into the schedule for all families to be able to connect with teachers during office hours. As in a traditionally formatted year, we will also be offering Parent-Teacher Conferences (morning to evening) on November 23-24. 

Dear PPS Families,

With the announcement that Portland Public Schools is extending Comprehensive Distance Learning through at least January 28, we want to make you aware of upcoming updates to our meal service as we adjust to the coming colder weather and shorter days.

Dear PPS Families and Staff,

We are now several weeks into Comprehensive Distance Learning, and simultaneously working on the next phases of a gradual re-opening of schools. PPS remains focused on published health metrics from the county and state and our medical experts. We also continue to observe Oregon Department of Education guidelines as we contemplate introducing limited in-person opportunities. While we are anxious to have all of our students back on campus, we will proceed in a measured and prudent manner that prioritizes the health and safety of our students and employees.