Lockdown Drill Today

Each month schools are required to practice one type of emergency drill. This afternoon we had our required Lockdown Drill for the month of March. The procedures were reviewed with students during Monday's advisory period and they did an outstanding job. 

Spring Break/Spirit Week

School will be closed during Spring Break from March 25th through March 29th. Upon our return we will starting our second Spirit Week of the year and finishing off the week with Activity Day on the afternoon of April 5th. Here are the themes for each day:

Monday, 4/1- Slop or Comfy Day

Tuesday, 4/2- Twin Day

Wednesday, 4/3- Rainbow Day

Thursday, 4/4- Senator (Madison) Pride Day

Friday, 4/5- Pajama Day

Spring Break is only two weeks away, but we have a number of meetings before then so please join us!

Monday, March 11th- PTA meeting cancelled

WE are cancelling the the PTA meeting for this evening, but Scott PTA meeting is this coming Monday the 11th, so perhaps you could join us! We’re having a community member bring her food cart at 5:30 to feed people, then at 6 there is a youth violin performance, and following that there is a community theater performance and workshop on ways schools can engage in practices that prevent harm and restore relationships. It’s at Scott. You’re welcome to come!

Tuesday, March 12th- Parents Interested in Equity (PIE)

6:30-8 p.m., Library

Friday, March 15th- A.M. Principal's Coffee

9-10 a.m., Room 109

Topic: Staffing for the 2019-20 school year- Schools recently received their staffing for the next year. RHMS is one of the few schools that will be growing, so please feel free to join us and get an overview of staffing and programming for next year.

Monday, March 18th- P.M. Principal's Coffee

6:30-7:30 p.m., RHMS Library

Topic: Staffing for the 2019-20 school year- Schools recently received their staffing for the next year. RHMS is one of the few schools that will be growing, so please feel free to join us and get an overview of staffing and programming for next year.

Wednesday, March 20th- Parent Meeting at Salon Comunal

6856 NE Killingsworth St (small building next to Hacienda offices), 5-6:30 p.m.

Friday, March 22nd- Zumba/Bellydance Community Event

6856 NE Killingsworth St (small building next to Hacienda offices), 7-8:30 p.m.

Principal Ellwood will be joining the zumba class and teaching bellydance basics. This is an event that is fun for all ages and an opportunity to meet members of our community!

March 23rd-27th: SPRING BREAK 

Upcoming Meetings

Wednesday, March 6th- White Ally Cohort, 6-9 p.m., RHMS Library

Monday, March 11th- PTA Meeting, 6:30-8 p.m., RHMS Library

Friday, March 15th- AM Principal's Coffee, 9-10 a.m., Room 109

Topic: Overview of staffing for the 2019-20 school year

Monday, March 18th- School Climate Committee, 4-5:30 p.m., RHMS Library

Monday, March 18th- PM Principal's Coffee, 6:30-7:30 p.m., RHMS Library

Topic: Overview of staffing for the 2019-20 school year

Madison High School Forecasting

On February 21, all 8^th grade students who are attending Madison High School next year, filled out forecasting forms. The students picked elective, World Language and PE classes that they would like to take in 9^th grade. These forms were sent home with students that day to obtain parent or guardian signature. If you haven’t gotten this form from your student, please ask them for it. If a student lost their original form, our 8^th grade counselor has a copy. If you have additional questions about your student transitioning to high school, there is information on our webpage or contact Jennifer Coomes the 8^th grade counselor.

Vaping/Drug/Alcohol Resources

     Last month the district emailed a letter to every family sharing the new practice in response to vaping or e-cigarette use on school grounds and at school events.
     I want to follow up and make sure that all Roseway Heights Middle School families know moving forward that all vaping or e-cigarette use on school grounds or at school events will be treated as a drug/alcohol violation because there is no easy way to determine what substance is being vaped. That means that students can be suspended, required to attend the district’s Insight class or required to complete an alcohol and drug assessment and follow the recommendations. This is an important change and I want to encourage all families to discuss it at home with their children. We place a high priority on proactively sharing this information with our students because our ultimate goal is prevention and wellness, rather than discipline.

     Please know that our school has taken additional steps to make sure Roseway Heights students understand the danger associated with vaping, as well as the serious consequences should a student be involved in such activities. This information was shared this morning during advisory class.
     If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Ellwood

kellwood@pps.net

PPS Administrative Directive: 4.30.022-AD Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Tobacco

Surgeon General’s Website: Know The Risks E-Cigarettes & Young People

Resources

Vaping/E-cigarette/Nicotine:

Know The Risks E-Cigarettes & Young People

Vaping Among Young People

https://med.stanford.edu/tobaccopreventiontoolkit/about.html

Articles:

Youth Who Use Vaping Products Are More Likely to Smoke Cigarettes, Increase Use of Both Over Time

5 Tips for Talking to your Kids about Drugs and Alcohol

Can You Get Addicted to Pot?

Cannabis: It matters how young you start

Can Mindfulness Stop Internet Addiction in Teens?

Five Tips for Teaching Mindfulness to At-Risk Teens

9 Ways to Delay Teen Drinking

Videos:

Tall Cop Says Stop

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week:  

https://teens.drugabuse.gov/national-drug-alcohol-facts-week

Drug and Alcohol IQ Challenge

Successful Schools Survey

The district is collecting data to see what students, parents and staff think about their school. All 7th grade students have been surveyed, but we'd like to get as much parent input as possible. If you have not yet had an opportunity to complete the survey, please use this link: surveys.panoramaed.com/portlandor/ppsfamily as your input is valued. Thank you!

Theatre Program- Volunteers Needed

The Roseway Heights Middle School theatre program is looking for a few volunteers who would be willing to help out with fundraising for the program and/or helping out with our spring production of "Alice."   We would also appreciate anyone who could take on some occasional laundering and small sewing repairs.   Please contact Karen Gwaltney, email kgwaltney@pps.net, or drop by room 129. 

Honor Roll

Thank you to the parents who volunteered to help out at the Honor Roll breakfast last Friday. It was a great event and 215 students received Honor Roll certificates for the first semester. Congratulations! We are looking forward to having even more students qualify for the second semester.

Events this Week

Monday, 2/25- School Climate Committee, 4-5:30 p.m., RHMS Library

Tuesday, 2/26- Reunion del Consejo Asesor de Padres Migrantes/Migrant Parent Advisory Council, Rigler Elementary School, 6-8 p.m.

Thursday, 2/28- Black Brilliance Night, Lee Elementary School, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The Portland Public Schools Board of Education approved a significant revision to the district policy on student field trips and out-of-town travel, and passed a resolution to offer comment on proposed construction work on Interstate 5 that would affect Harriet Tubman Middle School.

Dear PPS Families,

With hopes that inclement winter weather is done for this school year, we wanted to touch base with you regarding making up snow days. We thought it was important to share an update with you before Spring Break. 

In this week's PPS Pulse: 6 possible mascot names identified for Franklin High School; pilot water project set to launch

Lincoln High School senior Sagarika Ramachandran has been selected as the winner of the Oregon Student Journalist of the Year Award. Sagarika, who serves as editor-in-chief of Lincoln's student newspaper, the Cardinal Times, became the first journalist from a PPS school to win the award, which started in 2005.