This week, we announced to our families and staff that all schools in Portland Public Schools will be closed on Wednesday, May 8. To recover the lost instructional hours, we have decided to use our last designated makeup day as the final day of school, on Wednesday, June 12.

In this week's PPS Pulse: Alliance at Meek students create book on mushrooms; James John, West Sylvan teams win state titles in Battle of the Books

April is National Arab American Heritage Month, and Portland Public Schools has joined the recognition of the important contributions by Arab Americans.

Two teams from Portland Public Schools won state championships at the Oregon Battle of the Books at Chemeketa Community College in Salem on April 6. James John Elementary School’s team won the title for grades 3-5, and West Sylvan Middle School’s squad prevailed in the 6-8 division.

The question at the heart of the book created and published by students at Alliance High School at Meek is simply: “Can I eat it?” The book, “Field Guide to the Fungi of Opal Creek,” was a collaborative effort between the school’s science and media wings.

The accolades keep coming for the Benson High School girls basketball team, which last month won the first state championship in program history. Last week, the Techsters’ top player and coach won awards on the Class 6A All-State teams.

In this week's PPS Pulse: Candidates are set for Board of Education election; Jefferson High stages its first full play in nine years.

PPS Pulse took a two-week hiatus for spring break, but activities in our district kept right on churning before and after the break. Some of the things that happened since our last issue:

Portland Public Schools will celebrate the accomplishments of its student artists and performers at the HeART of Portland event April 16-27 at the Portland Art Museum. The event is PPS’s annual showcase of the art education made possible by the Portland Arts Tax.

The Portland Public Schools Board of Education will have at least three new members starting in the 2019-20 school year. Four seats will be up for grabs during the Tuesday, May 21, special election.