Dear Rieke Rocket community,

It is hard to believe but yes, we might have some rain tomorrow. Due to our continued limited access to our covered play area, please send students with an extra layer in case. And remind them that, yes indeed, Oregonians play outside in light rain. Our latest Rieke Student Video News show actually aired on Monday this week to kick off the week, check it out on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/RiekeStudentNews. We are working on this week’s fun filled episode currently. It will air this Friday.

NEW!  Parent Office Hours with the PPS TAG Department

Ask questions and receive information related to TAG identification, services, processes, etc.

We will meet on Zoom, 6:00-7:00 PM on 9/28/22, 10/26/22, 11/30/22, 1/25/23, 2/22/23, 3/22/23, 4/26/23, and 5/31/23. 

Our first meeting will be Wednesday, September 28 6:00-7:00 PM

Zoom link for Parent Office Hours with the TAG Department

We look forward to seeing you!

This week we have some safety reminders and messages to share. On Monday ,all students got on a school bus and learned about bus safety systems. While only some of our students regularly ride buses, we do hope to have the return of field trips this year so it is important that all students know the safety procedures on school buses. Tomorrow, we are having a lockdown drill. A lockdown is an emergency procedure that we practice in case we ever are faced with an in the building safety emergency. Students and staff shelter and remain quiet in classrooms until the situation is deemed safe. Of course, even these drills can be scary for children and I recommend speaking to your children about the fact that we at Rieke will do everything in our power to ensure their safety. Practicing these drills is one of the ways we prepare. Finally, I have again attached the COVID home screening checklist. COVID cases are again on the rise in the nation and area. By screening at home and keeping sick students home, we can continue to keep our case numbers low at Rieke. Thank you.

On Friday we are having two short school wide assemblies in our gym to celebrate our first month of success in following The Rieke Way. The Rieke Way is being safe and responsible, respectful and kind. Our theme for the month of September has been listening. Some students in each class will be specially recognized at this assembly with certificates and recognition for their leadership in class. Families are welcome, and some will be invited to be there for their child, but we do ask that you check in at the office. For our K-2 students the assembly will be from 9:00-9:15 (soon after school starts) and for our grade 3-5 students it will be from 10:20-10:35. Perhaps this would be a great day to volunteer if you are curious as to how fun it can be.

And our Rieke Rockets have earned a Friday school wide reward of a pajama day party by receiving over 1000 rocket fuel tokens. This will be a blast! In addition to school wide rewards, our students can earn prizes from our prize box during our weekly drawings. We are always looking for fun prizes for kids and accept all kinds of new and lightly used donations in the Rieke office.

The PTA and Foundation are partnering this month on building Rieke Spirit. On October 27th we will be having our annual Run for Rieke fundraiser at the Ida B Wells track during the afternoon. Last year we raised over $27K. Can we somehow best that this year? This is a great fundraiser for outreach to family and neighbors. Foundation funds like this are used to hire extra support staff/teachers at Rieke. The link to details is at Rieke Run In addition, the PTA is launching a new line of Rieke Spirit Wear. They are offering pre-sales now through October 14th at Rieke Spirit Wear . And of course, joining the Rieke PTA is an easy way to help support our students.

Cheers!

Jon Jeans-Principal

Recently, we have received several questions from staff, families, and a media outlet, asking us to detail our efforts at maintaining optimal air quality in our schools. We understand the concern and the need for reassurance from our students and employees – that as a school system, we are taking prudent measures to promote a safe and healthy learning environment.

On September 20, 2022, the Portland Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education unanimously approved a historic agreement that centers Black students, and embarks on the development of a community plan for their future by making the voter-approved Center for Black Student Excellence (CBSE) a reality.

We are currently seeking membership applications for the district’s inaugural PPS Racial Equity and Social Justice Community Advisory Committee (RESJ CAC). This committee will advise both the Superintendent and School Board about about the racial equity and education impacts of policy decisions and work collaboratively to increase understanding and progress towards the PPS Racial Educational Equity Policy and the PPS RESJ Plan and Framework, PPS reImagined, and the PPS Strategic Plan.

Dear PPS Community,

This morning, the Oregon Department of Education publicly released this past spring’s summative assessment data. I’m pleased to share that PPS avoided significant setbacks, but the data nonetheless shows the negative impact of the pandemic.