These are challenging times for our communities in many ways, and they have shined a light on the continuous systemic inequities that exist in the United States. I am announcing that Madison High School will be starting the process to rename our school along with Wilson High School. The Portland Public School Board has created a district wide policy that provides a detailed outline for naming and renaming district properties.  

At Madison, our values are Community, Respect, Education, Equity, and Diversity. Our school’s namesake, President James Madison was racist and was someone whose beliefs and actions stand in direct conflict with our school’s and our district’s commitment to racial equity. Therefore, I am in support of the PPS plan to change our school name and mascot. In the United States, school names and symbols that memorialize racist leaders have a traumatizing impact on students, families, teachers and staff of all backgrounds. When our public schools are named after individuals who advanced slavery and systemic racism, and we allow those names to remain on school property, we tacitly endorse their values as our own. 

There are more than 4000 individuals who have signed the petition advocating to change the name of our school. In 2019, the Madison Peace and Justice Club conducted a poll where more than 80% of students supported the name change. Several of our students have given testimonies asking our Board of Education for their support to change the name. They advocated for the name to be changed to one that is not “disheartening” and instead, empowers students and values racial justice. 

Now is the time to change the various ways we’ve memorialized racist and painful histories of our past, and move forward with a school name that reflects the inclusive, diverse, and welcoming school community every Madison student deserves. This is our civic duty to foster. I look forward to working with each of you to create this change. 

• Here you will find the application for students to join this committee
• Here is the community version of the application. 

Applications are due on October 9th.

Please if you have any questions let me know. 

Respectfully,

Principal Adam Skyles

Communities across Oregon have been impacted by wildfires this year. The OSAA (Oregon School Activities Association) Foundation has established the Emergency Response Fund, which aims to assist schools to restore equipment, replace destroyed valuables and support students, teachers, administrators, and staff who might have lost valuables during an emergency.

In collaboration with your support, OnPoint Community Credit Union will donate $2 for every $1 donated, up to $10,000.

All funds donated to the OSAA Foundation Emergency Response Fund will be distributed directly to high schools impacted by these disastrous events.  From physical rebuilding to supporting families in need, the schools will have the discretion to support their community in ways they see the most necessary.

If you wish to earmark your donation to a specific school (i.e. Santiam, McKenzie or Phoenix) you may do so in the comments after checkout.

To donate, use this GoFundMe link (https://www.gofundme.com/f/m2nnv-emergency-relief-fund).

 Let’s come together and support these communities in their time of need.  Your kindness and generosity can play a significant role as schools and individuals turn the page from these negative events.

Madison families,

• Rescheduled textbook and material pick up schedule
• Distance learning class schedule
• Video explaining asynchronous learning or afternoon class times that are not live sessions
• Links to join Q and A sessions in English and Spanish tomorrow

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E8mn7tbMfXka23wJ5h-ilQVK8KM75t18/view

Thank you!
Madison High School Team

Madison families, please click the link below for the latest message (August 22, 2020) from Principal Skyles.

ENGLISH

Dear PPS Families,

We want to update you on our progress on the Enrollment and Program Balancing project we have undertaken. As we have previously announced, our initial work is focused on schools in Southeast Portland in advance of the reopening of Kellogg Middle School.

Dear PPS Middle School Families,

We apologize for the confusion many students and families are feeling with regard to middle school schedules and expectations for distance learning instruction. We have worked with educators and administrators throughout this week to come to a more clear understanding related to middle school learning experience, and want to make sure you know what to expect as well.

Dear PPS Parents and Guardians,

As we welcome students back to the new school year, an important step for teachers is to understand your student’s most essential learning needs. To collect this valuable information, students will take Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments. The MAP assessment is a low stakes test – this means that the results are not used for grading students or for school accountability purposes.