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Sellwood Principal's Newsletter - September 12, 2025
Greetings Sellwood Community,
It was lovely seeing many of you at the Ice Cream Social on Wednesday evening. Thank you to the PTA for hosting the event. I enjoy starting the year with a low key getting to know you event that is less structured than Back-to-School Night and Parent/Teacher Conferences.
Next Wednesday evening, Sellwood will host our annual Back-to-School Night, from 6:00 to 7:40 PM. Read below for more information about Back-to-School Night and the schedule for the evening. Immediately following Back-to-School Night we will hold the PTA meeting, from 7:45 to 8:45 PM.
As you know, PPS Middle Schools have shifted our grading practices to Standards-Based Grading. If you would like to know more, I have shared some information about Proficiency-Based Grading below along with two very short but informative videos below.
Enjoy the weekend!
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
Sellwood Principal's Newsletter - September 5, 2025
Greetings Sellwood Community,
The rain and cool breezes were quite welcome today. We look forward to some relief from the heat next week.
Just a reminder that next Tuesday school starts 15 minutes later than normal, at 9:30 AM.
Next Wednesday evening, from 5:30 to 7:00 PM, Sellwood’s PTA will host our Ice Cream Social, and this year there will also be a food truck! See below for more details.
Enjoy the weekend!
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
Sellwood Principal's Newsletter - August 29, 2025
Greetings Sellwood Community,
It has been a great first week of school (aside from the sweltering heat) Our new 6th-graders are now able to navigate our three-story building, and most of them are now experts at opening their lockers!
Next week is predicted to also be very hot. Our PTA Ice Cream Social was scheduled for Thursday evening, September 4th. Unfortunately, that day is predicted to be 95 degrees in the afternoon. We have made a joint decision to change the date of the Ice Cream Social to Wednesday, September 10th. I know you have already marked your calendars and I apologize for the change. However, moving the date to more comfortable weather appears prudent at this time.
Enjoy the long weekend and try to stay cool.
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
Greetings Sellwood Community,
Welcome to the 2025/26 school year! I hope that everyone enjoyed some wonderful R&R this summer. At Sellwood, teachers and staff have been working hard to get everything prepared for students.
We are so excited to meet our new Sellwood 6th-graders on Tuesday, August 26th, and see our returning 7th and 8th graders again on Wednesday, August 27th.
This newsletter is quite long, but there is a lot of important information so I encourage you to review it carefully. At the end of the newsletter I have also pasted the updates I previously sent during the summer, so that newly registered families can also get the same information. If you have already read all of the information previously sent, please be aware that the list of important upcoming dates is at the very bottom.
We have lots of news. Please welcome the following new staff members:
Spencer Crum - Assistant Principal
Kirstin Bill - School Secretary
Emma Goehler - 6th-grade Language Arts and Creative Writing
Cedar Golden - Art
Tiffany Halsey - 7th & 8th grade science
As you know, Sellwood has had a "no cell phone" policy for many years. Students must keep their phones and personal electronic devices off and away all day, even during lunch and recess. If a staff member observes a student using a cell phone, they will confiscate the phone, and turn it in to the office. The first time a cell phone or personal electronic device is confiscated, the parent will be called and the student may pick up the device at the end of the day. The second time, the parent must pick up the phone.
New this year, PPS has a district-wide cell phone policy. We have adjusted our policy to align with the PPS district-wide policy on personal electronic devices. Smart watches with cellular capability will no longer be allowed. Smart watches without cellular capability or on “school mode” will be allowed. If a student uses their Smart watch to send/receive texts, make calls, watch videos, or use the watch in any phone-like manner, the Smart watch will be considered a violation of the cell phone policy.
Students (like last year) will not be allowed to use wireless/Bluetooth earbuds at school during the school day. Here is a link to the PPS cell phone policy.
Students needing to use headphones in class (with Chromebook and teacher permission) must use wired headphones such as the ones described on our Back-to-School shopping list.
We are looking forward to the new year, collaborating with returning and new staff, parents, and students to ensure Sellwood is a school that lives up to our mission statement below.
Sellwood creates a safe and inclusive learning environment where students build their confidence, practice positive social interaction, challenge racial inequities, and explore their academic interests.
I can't wait to greet and welcome students and family members to Sellwood next week. 2025-26 is going to be an amazing year!
Sincerely,
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
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Congratulations to Lincoln High School students Richard Deng and Coral Platt! Both were awarded National Merit Scholarships of $2,500 toward their college studies.
They were chosen from more than 15,000 finalists nationwide. Richard plans to pursue a career in politics and Coral is looking at a future in the legal sector.
Two exceptional PPS educators, Ricardo Barber and Hang Jones, were recently named OnPoint Educators of the Year for 2025.
As part of this prestigious honor, both teachers will have their rent or mortgage paid for an entire year, and their schools also receive a $2,500 donation.
Ricardo Barber teaches third grade at Faubion, and Hang Jones serves as a social worker at Marysville Elementary.
The OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education celebrates educators who embrace innovative teaching techniques that ignite enthusiasm in their students.
Congratulations to Ricardo Barber and Hang Jones! And thank you both for everything you do to make a difference in the lives our students.
The assignment their teacher gave them was simple – make a short film that begins with a phone call and ends with someone hanging up. Benson first-year students Dylan Martinez-Torres and Dariel Soriano Zamora ran it all the way to a small city populated by two very big and rather iconic monsters – Godzilla and Hedora.
The result, Sorry, Wrong Number, is one of the more than 90 films entered into the annual Best of PPS Film Festival. The festival is a celebration of exceptional student filmmaking that includes a showcase at the historic Hollywood Theatre.
The fourth annual installment of the festival took place on May 21 and included a screening of 13 standout films. The films came from all over PPS and ran the gamut from Dylan and Dariel’s monster short to documentaries, film noir, and broadcast journalism.
If you are a passionate student or community member that wants to make a difference at PPS, apply to join the Climate Crisis Response Committee! This is a committee that reports to the PPS Board of Education.
On the committee you will learn about how PPS is making progress towards our climate justice and sustainability policies, provide input and recommendations to the PPS Board on how to better support PPS staff as we advance these policy goals, and connect with other passionate members of our PPS community from diverse backgrounds, knowledge areas, and lived experiences.
No previous professional experience in climate change or sustainability required! Students can apply via this form. Community members can apply here.
Deadline to apply: June 6.
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Back to School Night
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM School Board - Teaching, Learning, and Enrollment Committee
9:15 AM - 3:30 PM Student picture day - Lifetouch
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM School Board - Policy Committee
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM School Board - Special Meeting or Work Session
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM School Board - Teaching, Learning, and Enrollment Committee