Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – September 16, 2022

Greetings Sellwood Community,

It was great to see many of you at our Ice Cream Social this week.  I would like to thank our wonderful PTA for helping to organize and for providing and distributing the ice cream.  Also, a special thanks to Mr. Patterson de Tarr and his wonderful student musicians for preparing and presenting a few songs when school has been in sessions for less than two weeks!  I know that was not easy to pull off, and I really look forward to seeing them again at the winter and spring concerts.

Two important things to note:

Picture day is Wednesday, September 28^th.

Parents can now enter attendance directly into ParentVue.  Please click on the link below for instructions.
Attendance Taking in ParentVue

Our next family event is Back-to-School Night on the evening of September 29^th and I have included some information about B2S night below.  I look forward to seeing you there in person!

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – September 9, 2022

Greetings Sellwood Community,

Next week, on Tuesday, September 13^th, from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM, SMS and the SMS PTA will jointly host our first community event, the Ice Cream Social.  The Ice Cream Social will take place on the Sellwood Field and in the courtyard.  The weather forecast looks perfect with a high of 77 degrees and partly cloudy skies.  The west side of the field will be reserved for picnicking and you are invited to bring blankets and/or low picnic chairs according to your preference.  The east side of the field will be available for students (and adults if you like!) to run around and play, with the potential for kickball, frisbee, or other games.  Families can also just mingle in the courtyard.  The PTA will be serving ice cream, and we will have some brief words of welcome and music.

A few words about locked doors and security.  Sellwood is a locked and secured building.  All doors are kept locked at all times, including the main entrance, with the exception of morning entry and afternoon dismissal or when the doors are being used with staff present. 

Please make sure that if you need to enter the building, you go to the main doors on 15^th and ring the buzzer.  Please don’t try to gain access to the building through another door by knocking or waving to get a staff or student’s attention.  They are not allowed to let adults or students into the building through a side door, but rather direct them to the front entrance.  Please remind your child not to open the school door for anyone, even if they recognize them as a fellow student.  Students arriving late should go to main doors and ring the buzzer.  Students should not otherwise be outside the building unless they are accompanied by a staff member.  I hope you understand that these measures are intended to keep everyone safe.

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – September 2, 2022

Greetings Sellwood Community,

Thank you for a wonderful first week.  It has been so great to see students and teachers, not just getting back to teaching and learning, but also smiling and laughing with lots of opportunities for positive social interaction.

Students have done a great job of learning their way around school and following their schedules, and most have learned to open their lockers successfully.  Sellwood is an old building with old lockers, and they are very finicky! Every year, it takes about a week or so till students are comfortable with their lockers, and we are able to fix or replace any locks that refuse to open.  Patience is key when it comes to these old lockers.

It has been very hot.  Next week will be somewhat cooler, but we strongly encourage your child to bring a water bottle to stay hydrated throughout the day.

Finally, I wanted to acknowledge that busing and transportation unfortunately got off to a very bumpy start this week.  Please know that we strive to share any communication about transportation and bus routes with families as soon as we have the information.  Unfortunately, often that means finding out after the bell rings at the end of the day, and sometimes not even then.  We will continue to press for better and more timely information, so that we can also provide accurate and timely information to you.

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – August 26, 2022

Greetings Sellwood Community,

Next week begins the first week of school and we are very much looking forward to meeting 6^th-graders and new students for the first time, and seeing 7^th and 8^th-graders once again.

Staff and teachers having been working hard to get the school and the educational program ready for students!  We are looking forward to a year of learning, celebration and joy.

Last week, I sent a communication with a lot of details about the start of school.  I have kept that information in the lower portion of this newsletter, for those who may have missed it, or who may need to refer to it.

Also, I wanted to again share our 2022-23 Family & Student Handbook.

Cheers to a wonderful school year!

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

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.

Dear PPS K-12 students and families,  

PPS is partnering with OHSU to offer free weekly COVID-19 testing for students. Participation in this program is completely optional but encouraged. PPS students may participate in the program regardless of vaccination status. Participating students will submit spit samples in pre-labeled test tubes to their school on a designated day each week, regardless as to whether they have symptoms. Schools will begin collecting spit samples starting September 27th-29th.

Dear Familias, Students and Colleagues,

One of my favorite experiences in my nearly thirty-year educational career was in my first year teaching. I was a Spanish bilingual teacher, and I was happy and proud to be “el maestro” – a role that carried esteem and respect in the predominantly-Latino neighborhood where I lived and worked.

Dear PPS students and families,

I want to share with you a very enthusiastic “Welcome Back!” I hope you enjoyed your summer break and are eager and energized for a fantastic school year.