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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.

Dear Rieke rocket community,

I hope everyone is healthy and at least finding some ways to enjoy the beautiful weather. As an educator in my 29^th year I can honestly, and obviously, say I have never faced such a challenge. I continue to try and stay calm and adapt and I hope somehow you all can too. I want everyone to know that the entire staff, Team Rieke, misses your children and deeply cares for their well-being and success. I am planning to continue the video news soon with updates and some musical interludes at www.pps.net/rieke.

For the time being Rieke will be used for childcare for OHSU first responders and their family needs. The custodial staff is busy deep cleaning and the teachers have come and cleaned up their rooms. Thank you in advance for supporting this endeavor.

We are waiting for a district level plan regarding any plan for instruction and curriculum resources. As details emerge I expect PPS to notify families and then we will message how that plan may look like from Rieke. But at this point, we ask for your patience. There are curriculum materials available at the PPS meal sites. On the west side this is at Markham Elementary.

Please continue to follow PPS communications and stay safe. Please follow the Oregon governor’s guidelines around exposure and personal/community safety. We are all in this together even if we are doing it from a distance.

 

Warmly,

Jon Jeans-Principal

March 6, 2020

Dear Rieke Rocket community,

Thank you very much to everyone for all the great donations last week! The staff now has a new working microwave, the prize box is restocked at no cost to the school, and we now have a changing pad and table in the bathroom in the café/gym. If you have such a need with very little ones visiting with you, we hope the new changing area will be helpful.

Please join us March 14^th for the Rieke auction, The Rieke Galaxy Gala. The classroom art projects are being brought in and they look amazing! We hope to have some on display to preview in the main hallway soon. There are only a very limited number of tickets left for the event at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center from 6-10 PM. This is a wonderful event and time to connect with our friends and neighbors while supporting staffing efforts at Rieke. The money raised by Foundation allows us to fill in staffing holes and provide better student supports throughout their day. To buy tickets https://www.riekepta.org/news/2020/2/25/auction-update-feb-25

On March 11^th we will have 2 assembly performances of our Peruvian dance artist in residence program. At 9:30 we will get to see the k-2 students perform, then at 10:30 grades 3 and 4 will perform. All families are welcome to watch in the gym/café.

Parents, our great volunteers are getting the yearbook together and they need your candid on campus or field trip pictures. If you have a great picture from Science Fair, OBOB, recess or anything school related please send to riekeyearbook@gmail.com. Thank Bobbi Jo Rust and Jordann Kearns for organizing the yearbook this year.

Watch the Rieke Way video news show on our website each week. Share the link on the front page at https://www.pps.net/rieke. with friends and family.

As the information regarding the PPS plan and response to concerns about the coronavirus continues to evolve daily, please follow the PPS website and email announcements as needed. Our staff is doing all we can to provide opportunities for kids and adults to wash hands with warm soapy water, use hand sanitizer, and keep surfaces as clean as possible. The latest district flyer is attached.

https://www.pps.net/cms/lib/OR01913224/Centricity/Domain/4/Coronavirus_Update-03.04.20.pdf

 

Thank you for the continued support and appreciation for the great work Team Rieke is doing. It is really a joy to be here every day, cheers!

 

Jon Jeans-Principal

Dear Rieke Rocket Community,

I hope everyone can find time to rest and reflect this weekend and on Monday as we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. May his message of hope and call for social justice inspire all of us to help make our world a better and more equitable place for all.

There is also no school Monday the 27^th as teachers work on report cards and planning for the second half of the year. We will be sending home report cards at the beginning of the week of February 3rd.

Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm as we all work together to raise and educate these fine children. Our volunteer numbers continue to grow and we are grateful. December was our best month yet with 112 volunteers giving 394 hours of their time. That was about 25% higher than November. Can we again grow by at least 10%? What a fun challenge!

Here are some upcoming volunteer opportunities: The Science Fair will be held here on February 20^th. We have Entry Forms in the office that help us know how many tables and volunteers we may need. The Oregon Battle of the Books is starting soon, the organizers are looking for volunteer moderators. We have four rooms of competition and need a moderator for each room. The first dates are Tuesday, February 4, and February 11, from 5-8pm.

Our web site continues to slowly grow as a resource and source of useful information. Please check out Site Council notes and equity resources we have shared. Did you know you can watch the Rieke Way video news show on our website each week? Check it out on the front page at https://www.pps.net/rieke. We are happy it includes our first segment of Kindergarten Corner! We are having fun with the show and welcome ideas and feedback!

On Friday January 24^th at 9:00 we will host our next Rieke Way assembly to celebrate students demonstrating the trait of determination. We know school is great but it is also challenging and it is important to acknowledge how students rise above these challenges. Families of students being honored should get classroom invitations but all families are welcome to join us! Then stay to volunteer if you have time too!

In February we will be hosting a Peruvian dance artist in residence. She will work with each class for four sessions over the month and then all students will have a performance. More details will come soon!

With new state money entering PPS next year we are looking to best position ourselves to bring more families and students in so we can grow and lower class sizes next year. On this front there are some important events and dates upcoming. The PPS Enrollment and Transfer petition process opens February 5^th and is open until March 6^th. This is for families not living in our attendance area, those wanting to return to us as their neighborhood school, or to help with other hardships. If you know families looking to possibly transfer to Rieke we can certainly help with the process. On Wednesday, February 19^th we are hosting a Connect to Kindergarten, the Rieke Way, an informational night here at the school. The event is intended for adults and runs from 6:30-7:30. We are asking for your help in getting the word out about this event (open to any possible incoming families) and the positive community spirit here at Rieke.

Information from the nurse about immunizations:

Exclusion day for state required vaccinations is Wednesday, February 19, 2020.  Letters will be mailed to parents whose children are not up to date or whose records are incomplete.  Should you receive a letter, please provide updated information to the school as soon as possible.  Children who are not current for vaccinations by February 19^th will not be able to attend school until records are complete.  If you need assistance in locating a health care provider or clinic site, please contact your school nurse.

The following is a message from Filip Hristic, Principal of Wilson High School:

It is very important that Wilson High School is added to the November 2020 Bond. Please encourage your PTAs and parents to contact our school board with the following message: “The time has come to modernize Wilson, Jefferson, and Cleveland.” And of course you can add modernizing and improvements to the Rieke community. Cheers!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Jon Jeans-Principal

Hello everyone, I hope that you are all staying positive and in good health.

I wanted to send a quick message to our students, families, and to our entire dedicated PPS team, to give you an update on what we’ve been up to since Governor Kate Brown announced schools would be closed across the state of Oregon.

Dear PPS families,

Any PPS high school student that is in need of a device can now go to any of the nine distribution sites this Thursday or Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. to receive a chromebook. Even if you did not already fill out a device loan survey, you may still pick up a device at:

Dear PPS Families and Staff,

Monday night, the Oregon Department of Education released significant new guidance, expanding “supplemental learning” to encompass “distance learning for all.” 

Dear Families of PPS High School Seniors,

This is an unprecedented time in our community, with the COVID-19 public health situation causing us all to significantly alter our day-to-day lives. We know that these changes and the disruption to our school schedule has caused confusion, stress and anxiety for students and families across the school district. For high school seniors, who should be enjoying the final weeks of their PPS careers, this is a time of particular uncertainty.