Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – May 7, 2021

Greetings Sellwood Community,

I hope you are all well and enjoying the longer days.  Our hybrid program is up and running, and distance learning continues to hum along.  As I am writing this newsletter, I hear the wonderful notes of Marimba coming up through my office floorboards!  Period 5 Marimba students, you sound great! 

Multnomah County has moved from extreme COVID risk level to high risk level, and we continue to follow safety protocols in order to keep Sellwood students and staff safe.  So far, we have not had any COVID exposure incidents on school grounds and have had no need to require and cohorts to quarantine.  My hope is that as vaccine rates go up, new cases will go down, and we will finish the year without incident.  Thank you all for your vigilance regarding student health protocols. 

If you have not been vaccinated yet, please note that the Oregon Convention Center is now accepting walk-ins at their mass vaccination site, as are many pharmacies.  In other exciting news, the FDA will soon be authorizing the Pfizer vaccine for 12-15 age group.  The sooner we all get vaccinated, the sooner we will get back to full-time in-person school!

I, for one, cannot wait for that day!

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – April 30, 2021

Greetings Sellwood Community,

It is hard to believe that there are just 6 more weeks to the school year! This year has been like four years rolled into one. 

We are starting to plan the end of year events for all students and for our 8^th-graders.  While we have some ideas about how to mark and celebrate the end of the school year, what we are able to do will largely depend on county health metrics, which are very fluid at this time.  We plan to gather parent input and work closely with the PTA to provide best sendoff we can under the circumstances.

Please check out the information below for Successful You, a virtual college and career readiness event for middle school students this upcoming Wednesday, May 4^th, from 10AM-11:30AM.  The district sent out the information last week, but I wanted to make sure to highlight it here in case any interested families missed it.

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – April 23, 2021

Greetings Sellwood Community,

We are now into the 4^th quarter of the 20/21 school year, and it has been a year like no other.  We started in-person school this week, and overall it went more smoothly than imagined.  I credit this to our cooperative students, dedicated staff, supportive families, and lots of planning.  We will continue to work hard to keep students and staff safe while providing the best learning environment we can during these difficult times.  It was truly a joy to see students and hear their voices in the building!  Six graders are still finding their way around, but they should not worry about getting lost or being late, as there will always be someone available to help them.

Today, Governor Brown discussed a new COVID-19 surge, and the New York Times reports that for the past two weeks cases in Oregon have been accelerating faster than in any other state in the country, with a 58% increase over 14 days.  I urge everyone to remain vigilant in following COVID-19 protocols and get vaccinated as soon as possible.  Also, if your child is sick or has had close contact with anyone with COVID-19, please do not send them to school.  Also, remember that you must immediately notify the school if your child or family members have or are suspected to have COVID-19.  We will maintain confidentiality but we must follow strict contact tracing and quarantine protocols to keep all students safe.

I look forward to next week with our regular bell schedule.  Enjoy the weekend.

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – April 16, 2021

Greetings Sellwood Community,

I am very much looking forward to beginning hybrid instruction next week, with cohort A coming in for in-person learning on Monday/Tuesday from 1:30 to 4:00PM and cohort B on Thursday/Friday.  Thanks to all of you who came to the PTA meeting on Wednesday night to hear about our hybrid plan.  For those of you were not able to make it, here is a link to the hybrid presentation.  There is lots of information, as well as embedded links to videos and other documents.

Here is a link the special bell schedules for week 1, March 19^th (orientation) of hybrid instruction, and a link to the regular hybrid bell schedules starting April 26^th.  All of the various schedules are included, for cohort A, cohort B, and distance learning, as well as the advanced band zero period schedules.  I am happy that these schedules require very few changes to our distance learning schedule and also that students will continue with their same teachers.

Here are some important things to remember. 

Student drop off:  Do not drop students off on 15^th Avenue in front of the school or in the staff parking lot.  Trying to drop students off in front of the school where the buses are will simply add to congestion, and students being dropped off will not be allowed to enter through the main doors on 15^th Avenue.  They must enter through the courtyard door or the entrance on Umatilla for a health screening.  Please drop students, when safe to do so, on Umatilla Street, 16^th Avenue, or Sherrett Street.  You could even drop students a block away and have them walk, if you have time.

Also, do not send your child to school if they are sick.  Please complete the self-screening check list to make sure that your student is ok to come to school.  Also, make sure that someone is available to pick them up in case they become ill during the afternoon.

Chromebooks/laptops.  There is no need to bring Chromebooks or laptops the first day of in-person learning, as students will be getting oriented to the school.  On the first day, students will have an opportunity to let their third period teacher know if they do not have a laptop or Chromebook, and one will be assigned to them on the second day.

If your family decides that you would like your child to remain in distance learning after all, please email me at jcarbone@pps.net.

Here are some updates about transportation.

Finally, here are some general updates from the district.

I hope you enjoy the lovely weather this weekend.

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

Dear Colleagues, 

As Teacher and School Administrator Appreciation Week comes to a close here at Portland Public Schools, I want to share an additional personal note of gratitude to all our hard-working and dedicated professional educators and school leaders. While your commitment to our students is always evident, this past year with all of its challenges was truly unlike any other in our careers. The impact of this pandemic, economic crisis, and racial uprising, has required incredible flexibility, adaptation, and perseverance on your part. 

Dear High School Students and Families,

Students 16 and older at Portland school districts, including PPS, are being offered a new opportunity for free-of-charge COVID-19 vaccinations, starting this week at the Oregon Convention Center. If your 16+ student has not yet been vaccinated, we hope you will take advantage of this opportunity.

Dear High School Students and Families,

Students 16 and older at Portland school districts, including PPS, are being offered a new opportunity for free-of-charge COVID-19 vaccinations, starting next week at the Oregon Convention Center. If your 16+ student has not yet been vaccinated, we hope you will take advantage of this opportunity, which is also available to family members.

Dear PPS Community,

Portland Public Schools is in the process of developing and finalizing our 2021-22 budget for approval by the Board of Education, and we want to hear from you. Please join us for a virtual session: