Hello Dr MLK Jr Families,

IMPORTANT: School will be released at 12:30 due to extreme heat conditions. Please see the message from the district here. 

What a great week it has been welcoming our students back into school. And to our kindergarten students and families - you have arrived and were so ready for your first day of elementary school. I can already tell this is going to be a great year. Every other Friday or so, I will send out a whole-school community message. If you know of someone who is not receiving these messages, please have them check in with Nancy at the front office to make sure their email is updated in our student information system. She can be reached at nrios1@pps.net, or by calling our school at 503-916-6456. 

Warm Weather: Some families and students have shared that it is too warm in the building and I agree, it can get very very warm in the classrooms. Some of the steps we are taking to help with the warm temperatures include opening up classroom windows in the evening and first thing in the morning. Every classroom has at least one fan and we have ordered additional fans for classrooms if they want multiple fans running at once. Classes are encouraged to take multiple breaks throughout the day, and there is a space in the lower level should teachers decide to move their classroom downstairs. Students have access to cold water from the drinking fountains as well. I encourage families to send students with a water bottle filled with ice so students can access that throughout the day. Hopefully next week will be the last week of this school year of very hot weather. The district has shared their processaround extreme heat mitigation. 

School Events Calendar: Here is the family quarter 1 calendarstudents should be receiving in red folders soon. 

Morning arrival and afternoon dismissal: Students are expected to enter the building at 7:45, on their own, for breakfast. This means saying goodbye to families and adults outside and heading into the building independently! School begins promptly at 8:00am, and as a safety precaution, students arriving after 8:00 am must be checked into the front office by an adult. 

In the afternoon, students in grades PK-3 will be escorted outside by their teacher to be picked up by a guardian. In grades 4 and 5, students are dismissed from their classrooms. 

Snacks: We do not offer an afternoon snack. If you are able to bring in snacks to be shared, we greatly appreciate it. Please only store-bought snacks.

Counseling News: Our school wide social/emotional learning (SEL) program at Dr. MLK Jr is Wayfinder. Social/Emotional Learning is important to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. Wayfinder identifies 6 major core skills: Self Awareness, Collaboration, Empathy, Adaptability, Agency, and Purpose. Dr. MLK Jr staff  will be working with students throughout the year to grow these skills.  In addition, the school counselor will present lessons in the first quarter for preK, K, 1st and 2nd graders on personal safety skills.  In 3rd, and 4th grade classrooms, we will be working on Emotional Management, and in 5th grade we will cover healthy relationships.  

Red Folders: Keep an eye out for weekly red communication folders every Wednesday. This is a great way to keep in touch with your students’ teacher. This week, please sign and return the Teacher-Family-Student school compact.

Library News:  

OBOB: It is that time of year again for 3rd-5th grade families to sign up for Oregon Battle of the Books.  Please complete this form if your child is interested.  

Wondering what OBOB is? The Oregon Battle of the Books, OBOB, is a statewide voluntary reading motivation and comprehension program. Students in 3rd-5th grade, regardless of ability, are exposed to quality literature representing a variety of literary styles and viewpoints. We will be holding a school wide competition in February 2026 after which one team from MLK Jr. School will attend the regional competition in March. I will be assisting the students throughout the process, however parent support is needed to serve as coaches. The list of books for the 2025-2026 school year  can be found here.  Scroll to the bottom for the 3-5 list. You can learn more about OBOB at this website: https://www.oregonbattleofthebooks.org/ 

Thank you for supporting our library program.** 

**If you have additional questions please contact Beth Schlegel at bschlegel@pps.net

Mandarin Program Family Group: Jin Ren is a parent-led non profit supporting the Albina Mandarin Immersion Program in N & NE Portland. Parent-led means YOU! We welcome all families who are affiliated with the program to participate (this includes grandparents and other caregivers). We are always looking for more board members to support our work building community and closing the opportunity gap for all families. Join our email list so you get our announcements and stay up to date. Contact secretary@jinren.org to be subscribed or if you’re interested in attending our board meetings. You can also join our community on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/JinRen. The first meeting of the year will be virtual, on September 8th at 6:30pm. Login here.

Donate to our school: Many of our teachers welcome donations for special projects. See this website if you would like to donate to some of these projects! 

Lockdown drill: I would like to give you advance notice that we will be practicing our lockdown drill on Friday, September 26 at 8:15am. A lockdown is activated when there is a threat inside the school building. We will practice this twice a year. Every PPS school is mandated to practice a number of drills, from fire drills, earthquake drills (ORS 336.071). Details on all of our emergency drills can be found athttps://www.pps.net/Page/208. I know that emergency drills, and lockdown drills in particular, can be scary for children. Our teachers will prep the students before the drill and we will focus on safe behavior and adults we can go to if we need help. After the drill teachers and students will debrief and answer any questions or concerns that arise from students. We encourage families to do the same once students arrive home. Thank you for partnering with us to keep your kids safe.

Building Inclusive Classrooms Through Books

At our school, we believe every child should feel seen and valued. One of the ways we support this is through our classroom libraries, which are always growing with new books that reflect the diversity of our students, families, and broader community. While books are not part of the official curriculum, they play a powerful role in supporting learning, sparking curiosity, and helping students make connections to the world around them. We intentionally select stories that celebrate many kinds of families, cultures, and experiences, so that every child can both see themselves and learn about others.

Standardized test results: ParentVue Test History (also available in StudentVue) will be the primary method for parents to access assessment results. In prior years, state test scores for students in grades 3-5 were automatically mailed to families by the district. Families will now need to log into ParentVue to see those scores, along with a comprehensive assessment history for their student. 

The 2025-26 Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook is live on the PPS and MTSS (Student Conduct & Discipline) website.  

It has been truly delightful seeing the kids back in school, and welcoming our newest learners. I hope everyone has a great three day weekend.

Warmly,

Teresa

Important Dates & Reminders: 2025–2026

• 9/01 - Labor Day (No School)

• 9/02 - First Day of Kindergarten (All Students)

• 9/02 -  Kindergarten Family Coffee Chat (8:00–8:45AM)

• 9/04 - First Day of PreK

• 9/08 - First Jin Ren Meeting (Virtual 6:30-7:30PM)

• 9/11 - 9/12 - Picture Day

• 9/16 - Back-to-School Night ( 5:00-6:30 PM)

• 9/17 – First Early Release Day (Dismissal 11:50AM)

• 9/30 – First PTA Meeting (Cafeteria 6:00-7:00PM)

• 10/06 – First Day of SUN School Fall Term