For the 2018-19 school year, Rieke Elementary School will have a new child care provider – Champions. Champions will provide high-quality before- and after-school child care services. This is a known and well-regarded organization, providing child care in schools in the Portland area and across the country.

Enjoy the long weekend of hopefully beautiful weather! After such a strong start I believe our students (and their parents!) need a little extra rest to restore health and strength.

Our newly created student video news is on our web site. Please check out episode 1 at https://pps.net/rieke. We are filming on Monday mornings if you would like to volunteer any technical skills. Our editor, Ian, is an 8^th grader at Gray Middle School who is involved in their media production. Thank you Ian!

Here are some quick reminders. There is no school Friday, October 11^th. It is a statewide inservice day. Champions is not open that day either. One activity available is Wilson Cheer camp at Wilson High School. The Lost and Found closet is overflowing. Please check out the Lost and Found and claim your child’s missing items. Our goal is to keep the items until Parent Teacher Conferences in November but we may need help in figuring out new ways to store these belongings. Picture retake day is coming soon, October 22^nd. This is the day they will take class photos as well.

The second Rieke Service Club project of the year is coming up next week - the Annual Book Harvest. This project collects books to benefit the Children's Book Bank ( www.childrensbookbank.org ). Please look high and low on your bookshelves to help us collect gently used or new books appropriate for babies, toddlers, early elementary students through grade 3 and bring them to Rieke starting Monday, October 14th through October 25th.  There will be boxes for collection at the school entrance and in each teacher's classroom.  Please contact Jeni Meurer at jenimeurer@gmail.com for questions or more information. 

The next general PTA meeting is Tuesday October 15^th from 6:00-8:00 at Casa Colima. Childcare will be provided at Rieke in the gym during that time. Come have fun with your fellow parents and let your voice and perspective be part of the PTA.

On October 21^st in the morning, all second grade students will take the TAG screening test. These tests should only take 30 minutes for students to complete. Attendance that day is important to give each student the opportunity.

Our school Site Council will have its first meeting Tuesday October 29^th from 3:15-4:30. The purpose of this leadership group is to gather ideas from our parents, share the instructional work at Rieke, and work together to create a targeted school improvement plan that we can act upon. If you are interested please let me know via email, jjeans@pps.net. It requires some commitment to meetings at least quarterly. Thank you for the handful parents who have already expressed their interest!

Our new PPS security system Raptor has been installed and is active. This system requires all volunteers to show a valid ID the first time you volunteer. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we add this important security feature to PPS campuses.

In this week's PPS Pulse: Franklin teacher honored as Oregon Teacher of the Year; REAHL Toolkit helps students who have substance use issues

One testimonial called Mercedes Muñoz a “force of nurture.” Another said she is a “living embodiment of grace under pressure.” A third said her students are “immeasurably lucky to have her.”

The Portland Public Schools program created to support students facing substance use and mental health challenges is offering a new tool. The REAHL Online Toolkit gathers information and accredited resources to serve as a starting point for students, families and staff looking for additional strategies and supports.

A recent uptick in cases of measles and whooping cough in Portland-area children is prompting a reminder for families to keep their students up to date for vaccines.