Dear Beach Families,

 

This year has been traumatic for so many of us, and especially for our Black and Brown families. The news of Daunte Wright's death at the hands of police, in addition to the retraumatizing trial of Derek Chauvin and the uptick of visible violence against Asian communities, is at the forefront of all our minds. We know that our communities of color are continuing to face heartbreak after heartbreak. 

 

Our Beach staff is here for you, and we want to make sure that you all have access to any supports you may need. We want to share a couple of supports:

• Here is a link to a flyer about PPS' district-wide crisis support group for our Black, African, and African American students of all ages. Additionally, here is a video about the group created by the duo who run the group, Jonicia Shelton and Maurice Phillips. You can sign your student up for the group through the flyer.

• Lines for Life has a Racial Equity Support Line staffed by people with lived experiences of racism-- it can help support folks who are feeling the impacts of racial violence and microaggressions. The phone line is available weekdays from 10am-7pm-- just call (503) 575-3764. 

• For long-term support, we'd like to provide a list of African American Mental Health Practitioners, a list of Asian, Pacific Islander, and South Asian American therapists, as well as a list of Queer and Trans-specific Mental Health Providers of Color.

Also…. 

• SEI has vaccination appointments open today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday) for BIPOC folks aged 16+. For more information, or to sign up, please click the links below.
• Friday, April 16, 2021 @ SEI, 11:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.   www.signupgenius.com/go/4-16SEI
• Saturday, April 17, 2021 @ SEI, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM    www.signupgenius.com/go/4-17SEI

If you need other supports, or help navigating any of these supports, please do not hesitate to reach out to either Katrina, our counselor, or Rhys, our social worker. 

 

Our hearts are with the Beach community, and communities of color across the country. Your lives matter. 

 

With love,

Rhys, Katrina and the whole Beach team

Two messages from our staff, specifically for families of students in Hybrid Instruction:

 

1. It is great to see you all!  Please do everything you can to help your child arrive at school on time, whether they are in the 8:00 or the 12:15 cohort. The time students are scheduled to be at school is already very short, and teachers are planning intentionally for every minute. Teachers are generally waiting for all or at least most of their students to arrive so they can start their session with their class all as one group. Our goal is to maximize the valuable instructional time by beginning class as close to 8 or 12:15 as possible. We know some children take time to get up, going and ready… if this is the case for your child, please plan extra time for it in your routine.  Thank you so much for this assistance and support.

 

1. When students must miss in person instruction because of a family illness or other challenge for 3 or more days, our staff can support your student to join a CDL option at their grade level. If the absence is for 1-2 days, students are asked to complete asynchronous tasks instead; this is because hybrid and CDL are not necessarily aligned. If students do join into CDL for several days, it would be important for them to join with understanding they likely won't know exactly what is going on in the class and the teacher might not be able to clarify while teaching, depending on the situation. We are not able to provide this accommodation for other situations such as absences due to vacation, etc.

 

Incoming Kindergarten events

 

The Page on our website called “Kindergarten” is designed to help you as you register and prepare for kindergarten entry next year.  We’re planning virtual events this spring and summer for you. 

 

Incoming Kindergarten (virtual) Open House:  Thursday, April 29, 3:10-4:30

• Beach School Tours (video this year) led by current 4th and 5th grade leaders (asynchronous)
• As you enter you’ll see a looping show of photos of our current kindergartners in action (both CDL and hybrid)
• Hear and sing along to our new School Song!
• Quick small group activity with a Kindergarten Teacher or Specialist (parent and child)
• School & Program overview, and Q&A for parents
• Link and RSVP are on our website

 

Incoming Kindergarten (virtual) Craft Night:  Thursday, May 13, 6 pm 

• Families come by our school to pick up our Beach Craft Night Kit (supplies for our activity plus our Beach School BLM T-Shirt for each child) between 7:30-4 starting Monday May 10. Ring the buzzer by the front door and we’ll bring one out to you.
• Hear and sing along to our new School Song!
• Our Kindergarten Teachers, Partners and Specialists will lead our craft night activity in break out rooms (small groups of children and families will be able to interact with each other as children work on the activity)

 

Message from Ms. Macdonald 5th Grade

 

April is National Poetry month! My goal for the first few weeks of spring instruction is to be off screens as much as possible and re-establish our focus. In my 5th grade class, we are writing a poem each day. I share a type of poem and several examples from myself and former students and then my students write their own. We love poetry because we get to play with figurative language and there aren't any rules about punctuation or paragraphing.

Dear Beach Families and Caregivers,

 

Virtual Spring term is here!!! Please see below for links to registration.

 

Spring term dates-

Friends of Baseball:

Mondays & Wednesdays

April 12th- June 2nd

3:00p-4:00p

REGISTER HERE: https://friendsofbaseballrbi.leagueapps.com/camps/2217346-full-count-rbi-virtual-academy-classsei-spring-2021

 

AKA Science & Aeronautics

Begins April 21st- May 26th

REGISTER HERE: https://forms.gle/FRTfphS2be1bWMaT7

 

YOU CAN ALSO REGISTER FOR ALL SEI OFFERED CLASSES HERE:

www.selfenhancement.org/asp

 

Please Note that you MUST complete an SEI Application in order to access ALL SEI OFFERED Classes on the SEI website. Once you complete the SEI application, a password will be sent to you to access the classes on the website. If you have already completed an SEI Application for the 20/21 school year, please email at Moniquesh@selfenhancement.org and I will be happy to assist you!!

--

We have weeks 5 & 6 coming soon!!! In the meantime, keep practicing those moves and dancing with us!!! Here is the link to the class video for weeks 1, 2, 3 & 4! We will have the 5th and 6th final videos ready very soon! 

 

1: https://youtu.be/Hi9Kn_QjC7w

2: https://youtu.be/JfRJZMKW4No

3: https://youtu.be/yJM25c0j8dY

4: https://youtu.be/kseTKRzyeko

 

BSU Meeting Times: Every Tuesday @2:30p with an additional drop in lunch time meeting on Wednesdays from 12:00p-12:30p. Come join us!! Google Meet join code: BEACHBSU2020

 

BHY Fun Fact of the Week: Dubbed "Hip-Hop's First Godmother" by Billboard, singer and music producer Sylvia Robinson produced the first-ever commercially successful rap record: "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang. And along with her husband, she co-owned the first hip-hop label, Sugar Hill Records.

 

~Ms. Mo & The BBSU

 

Dear Beach Parents and Community,

 

We hope the new schedules and routines of quarter 4 are feeling safe and making sense for your child and family. Please reach out to your child’s teacher or any other staff with questions or ways we can support your child, whether your child is in Comprehensive Distance Learning or Hybrid. It’s been joyful to hear children’s voices on our Beach School grounds this week, and that includes the important voices of our students in CDL coming through devices as well as students who have returned to school for hybrid instruction. From a kindergartner arriving bright and early Monday morning, skip-run-hopping across the blacktop calling out “Guzman!  Guzman!” to our staff appreciating all the work you’ve been doing with your children… they have grown and learned so much since we’ve seen them! -- to students sharing that they are appreciating things like: writing with a pencil on paper!  Seeing ”real” people! -- there is a lot to celebrate. Here are some updates for you, starting with our weekly message from BBSU and Ms. Mo, then an introduction from our “new” (sort of) yoga instructor….

 

Health & Safety Reminder- COVID-19 Testing Consent Form

As we return to in-person instruction with hybrid, we urge families to return the “COVID-19 Testing Consent Form”  PPS sent via email before Spring Break.  If you have not yet returned this form, we will send a hard copy with children in hybrid on Monday (we don’t need the form from families in CDL). PPS is requesting consent from students’ families to test symptomatic students for COVID-19 onsite, during the school day, BUT Parent/guardian consent is optional.

 

All staff and parents/guardians of students are required to:

• Self-screen daily for symptoms of illness before leaving their homes to enter a school or getting on a PPS bus. The Daily Illness Self-Screening Checklist describes exactly what to look for.
• If a staff/student presents symptoms or has been exposed to COVID-19 within the past 14 days, they should stay home and report their symptoms to the school or appropriate supervisor, and contact their healthcare provider.
• In the instance of a confirmed or presumptive COVID-19 case, PPS will follow our Case Protocol, which you can find by clicking here.

 

A Message from Ms. Mo, SUN School and Beach's BSU~

Dear Beach Families and Caregivers,

Virtual Spring term is here!!! Registration for Friends of Baseball is now open and can be found here. A few things to note: If you have previously registered with League Apps (during Winter term) then you will already have an account, and just need to enter your user name and password, then register your child(ren) for the Spring term class. The "translate" button is on the upper right, if you would like to use the "Spanish" option. If your child was not registered last term, then you will have to first create an account, and then register your child(ren) for the class. Coach Molly and I are happy to assist with any registration questions or Coach Anna can assist with families if you would like assistance in Spanish. If your student has not completed an SEI Enrollment form, I will email you the link to complete it separately. 

Registration for other Virtual SUN classes including AKA Science and Pre-recorded Aeronautics class will be out next week so be on the lookout!

Spring term dates-

Friends of Baseball:

Mondays & Wednesdays

April 12th- June 2nd

3:00p-4:00p

AKA Science & Aeronautics

Begins April 21st- May 26th

Registration coming soon

-- We have weeks 5 & 6 coming soon!!! In the meantime, keep practicing those moves and dancing with us!!! Here is the link to the class video for weeks 1, 2, 3 & 4! We will have the 5th and 6th final videos ready very soon! 

1: https://youtu.be/Hi9Kn_QjC7w

2: https://youtu.be/JfRJZMKW4No

3: https://youtu.be/yJM25c0j8dY

4: https://youtu.be/kseTKRzyeko

The Black Student Union will begin meeting again starting every Tuesday, April 13th at 2:30p with an additional drop in lunch time meeting on Wednesdays from 12:00p-12:30p. Come join us!! Google Meet join code: BEACHBSU2020

BHY Fun Fact of the Week: In 1920, Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshall became the first Black athletes to play in the NFL. Pollard was also the league's first Black coach.

~Ms. Mo & The BBSU

We’re so excited about our Beach Black Lives Matter T-Shirts!  Each child will receive theirs next week, if they didn’t get them from their teacher already.  We’ll all wear our t-shirts on Fridays!  Thank you so much to Mondra Penn (dad of one of our fantastic 4th graders) who printed them for us, and Kelly Orehovec, Parent Support Team facilitator, who supported the funding of them and worked with a graphic designer to get the image ready.

 

If you have a 3rd, 4th or 5th grader, please watch for a letter from PPS that will contain your child’s MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) report and an explanation about how to interpret MAP scores. These are being mailed out to grade 3-5 families from PPS today. A reminder that MAP scores help teachers understand, thus plan from, students’ strengths and current learning edges. MAP scores are particularly useful over time; we want to see children meet their projected growth rate goal.  Please remember that this year it is even more important than usual to “triangulate” scores (ask ourselves how MAP scores align or don’t align with other work and data points  we’ve been able to collect, generally at least three) and even to suspend certainty about the validity of scores that aren't’ considered in the context of other scores and work.  A few other points:

• Not all students participated in testing. Parents of students who didn’t participate in either subject will not receive a report.
• Students who started the test but did not submit the test (complete it) will not receive a result for that subject.

Please watch for the letter for more information and reach out to your child’s teacher or other staff if you have any questions.

 

Teachers are completing Quarter 3 report cards for students today. Report cards will be mailed to families next Friday, April 16.  Please remember we continue to prioritize connection, social emotional learning, and effort to engage, even as we work our hardest to simultaneously provide meaningful learning experiences to help children attain end of year grade level expectations.  Inequities in the amount of learning that children have been able to access abound, and we are planning ways to support every student to learn the priority standards for their grade level, whatever their level of need. If you are concerned about your child’s learning, remember the importance of reading with and talking with your child about their reading and thinking. It’s super important to keep it joyful and meaningful; you can use the print and text you find in the environment such as signs, announcements that are about something your child cares about, etc. if your child is resisting books. Playing games that involve math concepts, working out a few spelling words or skip counting with your child when you’re waiting in lines or driving all help a lot!  Talk to your child’s teacher for ideas specific to your child’s needs, and know we’ll support your child right alongside you and do everything we can to get them where they need to be  together with you!  

 

We are pleased to begin offering "Imagination Yoga" within our PE program on Wednesdays!  We welcome Monica Montiel, who has been teaching Imagination Yoga within our SUN program or other programs in our community for years, to our Beach Staff! Monica loves teaching yoga to children of all ages and levels, and we are so lucky to have her joining us!  Here is an introduction she wrote for you:

 

Hello friends and families of Beach School,

I am so excited to begin teaching yoga on Wednesdays live on Google Meets at 10:00 and 1:00 during the asynchronous learning day. Students are welcome to attend either of the times. I will send a video of the Wednesday class content to teachers by Thursday and I will send an additional video to post Monday mornings so that students can practice yoga with me any other time during the week on their own.

A bit about me: I have been part of the Beach Community since my oldest son started Kindergarten with Senor Siam. He will be going to high school next year! My other sons are in 4th grade and Kindergarten. I began teaching Imagination Yoga for SUN School the year that Ms. Jackson started it at Beach. I have had the pleasure of teaching to many of your children throughout those years.

Before beginning my business as a children’s yoga teacher, I was an elementary classroom teacher for many years and then the assistant director of a Spanish immersion preschool. I have been a certified Imagination Yoga teacher since 2012 and I have my master’s degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education.

This past year has been a very challenging one for all of us. I am so excited and grateful to be able to share yoga and mindfulness with your children as another tool to support them now and for the rest of their lives!

Thank you,

Ms. Monica 

211INFO CHILD CARE

211info Child Care provides free, customized referrals to child care providers and strategies for finding quality child care in Oregon.

For information and resources on finding quality child care, click here.

To speak with a Parent Educator about child care resources:

CALL 211 or 1-866-698-6155 

TEXT keyword "children" or "ninos" to 898211 (TXT211)

EMAIL children@211info.org

HOURS Monday-Friday 7am-11pm; Saturday-Sunday 8am-8pm

To search for child care providers online, click here.

Materials can also be downloaded here.

Bilingual staff and interpreters are available to serve families in all languages.

 

A few other Reminders, Updates and Requests

Hybrid students, when coming to school, please be sure your student is wearing a mask that is comfortable and that they will keep up over their noses. Please send children with a full water bottle from home, and try to get them to eat a sizable lunch so they will be less likely to get hungry at school. 

 

Transportation Plans

Soon you will be receiving a form to fill-out called an After-School Transportation Plan. Please complete each section of the form, as this is for both students who ride the bus and get picked up. Provide us with any transportation details you may have. It is important to remember to let your child's teacher know of any changes to this plan as soon as possible with written communication or via email, never by word of mouth. We urge families to turn this form into teachers as soon as possible. Please feel free to email Esther (eromero@
pps.net) and I (tmyers2@pps.net) with any questions.

 

Warmly, 

Tina & Esther Office Team

 

Nutrition Services

Meal service will go from 10:15-10:30 and 2:30-2:45. Afterwards, Nutrition services staff will be at the front entrance for parents, siblings, or caregivers to pick-up meal bags for CDL students or any other child 1-18 years old. This will be available for 10 minutes after the dismissal of each cohort. If a student from the Annex changes their mind and does want a meal bag, students can tell their teacher they've changed their mind; the teacher will find a parent, older sibling or available staff  to come to the main building to get the additional meal bag.

 

Please see communications from classroom teachers for dismissal changes (pick-up location, p.m. cohort) for Mr. Combs, Sr. Siam, and Ms. Sheean, and arrival locations (p.m. cohort) for Ms. Kenyon, Ms. Hilbers, Mr. Shaw, and Ms. Sheean.  We think these changes will relieve congestion on the field or playground.  Let us know any feedback or questions.

Virtual Q&A next week for families with incoming kindergartners next year:

A few of our Beach Kindergarten and Support Staff are excited to talk about “kindergarten!” at Beach with anyone who’d like to join us this Wednesday, April 7 from 9-9:30 a.m. -- please share this with any families you know who have kindergarten age children but might not be connected to our communications yet. Here is a link to kindergarten registration materials. 

Securly 

The Office of Information Technology and Services launched a new tool called Securly on April 5. This tool helps filter the web and monitor classrooms in response to numerous requests for information from families about student use restrictions. In its first phase, the tool will offer parents control and monitoring of their students' Internet access. Parents will be able to selectively block web addresses and limit the hours of computer use so that their students do not access in a way that best suits their family's preferences and needs. For more details on this launch, visit https://pps.net/securly.

Beach School Newsletter ~ here we go Quarter 4!

 

A Message from Beach’s BSU~

 

Dear Beach Families and Caregivers,

We hope that you all had an amazing Spring Break and that those returning to Hybrid are excited and ready! 

In case you missed it, you can still view our Black History Month virtual Drawing Show celebration for Black History Year!

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kkEFCQCfAB85hnFQYySwfNPoRkqBdqQW/view?usp=sharing

 

We are sorry for the delay and hope you are still enjoying participating in Mr. Domo's Virtual Dance Class!!! Keep practicing and dancing with us!!!

Here is the link to the class video for weeks 1, 2, 3 & 4! We will have the 5th and 6th final videos ready very soon! 

 

1: https://youtu.be/Hi9Kn_QjC7w

2: https://youtu.be/JfRJZMKW4No

3: https://youtu.be/yJM25c0j8dY

4: https://youtu.be/kseTKRzyeko

 

"Make today GREAT!"

 

BHY Fun Fact of the Week: After graduating from Oberlin College in 1850 with a literary degree, Lucy Stanton became the first Black woman in America to earn a four-year college degree.

 

~The BBSU

 

Dear Families,

 

You’ve been teaching your children to smile with their eyes, amongst many other things!  It is so wonderful to have seen some of our students at school these past few days. As Mr. Ramirez described and captured in photos for us, “we welcomed our Kindergarten and 1st graders this Thursday and Friday with some clear skies, warm weather and lots of smiles. Thank you for working with us to do this as safely as possible. Have a great weekend and see you all in some fashion next week.”

 

   

 

Please be sure to reference our Beach Arrival & Dismissal Map & Procedures for Parents slides and the video clips embedded in the Beach Hybrid Procedures & Expectations slides for arrival and dismissal procedures.  We look forward to our full re-start with our students in both CDL and in person instruction next week!  Here are some important, additional reminders and messages. 

 

• Please be sure to send your child with a backpack and filled water bottle every day, and have them dress in layers… our classrooms are pretty warm this time of year.  

 

• We would love to be able to provide water bottles (the small recyclable ones that we actually try to avoid using in regular times) to students who don’t have a water bottle at school. If you can provide a pack of those to your child’s teacher or even a few classes

 

• We will have grab and go lunches to take home, but no snacks served while students are at school.  Please make sure your child has eaten breakfast (or lunch) before arriving. 
• Meal service will go from 10:15-10:30 and 2:30-2:45. Afterwards, Nutrition services staff will be at the front entrance for parents, siblings, or caregivers to pick-up meal bags for CDL students or any other child 1-18 years old. This will be available for 10 minutes after the dismissal of each cohort. If a student from the Annex changes their mind and does want a meal bag, students can tell their teacher they've changed their mind; the teacher would need to find an adult (parent, older sibling, available staff) to come to the main building to get the additional meal bag(s).

 

• At dismissal time, teachers will walk students to an assigned location (see the “Dismissal” slide in the slides linked above).  Before Dismissal each day, we’ll put out signs with teacher’s names on them so adults picking students up can know where to gather to meet their child. It will help to look at the “Dismissal” slide in the slides linked above and familiarize yourself with your children’s teachers’ assigned spots ahead of time. 

 

The front office would greatly appreciate it if you let us know if you will be more than 10 minutes late dropping off or picking up. At this time only staff and students are allowed in the main building and blacktop, so we will be responsible for ensuring that your student makes it to class safely. These are the short processes we would like for you to follow. 

 

• If your child will be late - Call ahead so that the front office is informed. Once the student arrives they will need to ring the bell at the main entrance doors. There will be a clipboard to sign in on; if they are able to, the student will fill that out their own. (Students who need help signing in will receive it.)  A staff member will be located to walk younger students to the annex. To ensure accurate attendance the student will then give a tardy slip to their teacher. If the student is in grades 2-5 they will walk to their classrooms unless they request assistance. 

 

• If you will be late picking your child up at dismissal time - Please call the front office as soon as you know you will be late. Teachers will stand outside with students only 15 minutes after dismissal time, after that they will be escorted to the front office where a staff member will need to wait for you (with your child of course!) outside the front of the school.  Please remember that only staff, students and pps contractors are permitted to come inside the school at this time. Please keep in mind that our office hours have changed, and will close at 3:30pm. It is very important that you communicate with us if there is an emergency or plans have changed.

 

• If your child will be absent - Please call the front office as soon as you know your child will be absent. It is important to remember that you will need to give us a reason such as sick, family emergency etc. 

 

• Here is a link to a form if you have questions, comments or want to otherwise provide feedback to the district: PPS Ready Schools Safe Learners process. As we move solidly into this new phase of the school-year, please reach out to your teacher, our office, any of our support staff or partners, or me if we can help you with questions or anything else.  We want to listen, share, adjust or improve where we need to. 

 

Thank you so much for all the flexibility, patience and support these past weeks as we’ve worked to provide a whole new, uncharted start to our 2020-2021 school year!   Our staff is wearing our Beach Black Lives Matter shirts today, and we can’t wait to pass them out to each and every student on Thursday next week -- then our whole staff and student community can all wear our school shirts on Fridays.  To our incredibly generous and supportive Parent Support Team, thank you for making this possible!  Our lead, Kelly, collaborated with a Black-owned business to create and fund these shirts for us. We love them!

 

Warmly,

LIsa

 

A message from our School Counselor, Ms. de Boer

 

Parents and Guardians,

 

I am so excited to see you children in person next week. We anticipate that goodbyes at drop off might be harder for both parents and children this year. Know that your child will be well cared for and that we are ready to support any feelings of sadness or worry. It might be helpful to let you child know that goodbyes will need to be quick so that we can get every student screened before entering the school grounds to meet their teachers. The fortunate part of a quick goodbye is that it actually creates less anxiety for children. For this reason, we are asking parents not to linger after drop off (especially above the playground near the staircase where children can see parents congregating). We appreciate your understanding and support with this. If your kid is having an especially challenging time separating from you, it is all the more important to make the departure quick. I promise that we will take good care of your child. 

 

Katrina

 

A message from our School Nurse

Dear Beach Families, 

 

We are excited for many of our students to return to in-person school soon.  We know that parents and students are also feeling excited and nervous about returning to school.  Please know that the district and school have been working hard to develop procedures to keep everyone safe.  

 

One new aspect of the health room is that there is a separate room called the Symptom Space where students will go to directly if they are displaying any primary symptoms of COVID-19* or if they have any other excludable symptom**.  The Symptom Space separates ill students from otherwise well students who need to use the health room for medication administration or first aid.  If a student goes to the Symptom Space, then parents/guardians will get a call from the school and will be expected to pick up their student promptly. We ask that you have a conversation with your child about only going to the nurse when it is absolutely necessary. 

 

One way that families can help keep our community safe and healthy is by using the attached checklist or flowchart to do your own illness screening at home.  Take your student’s temperature and see if they have any of the symptoms described in the chart.  Follow the directions on the checklist or flowchart and keep your student home if they have any primary symptom of COVID-19 or any other excludable symptom of illness. If you have any health-related questions you can call your healthcare provider or the school nurse. 

 

See you soon!

 

* What are the primary symptoms of COVID-19? Chills, fever (temperature of 100.4°F or higher), a new cough that has not been diagnosed by a healthcare provider, unexplained shortness of breath, new loss of taste or smell, and difficulty breathing.

 

** What are other excludable symptoms? Undiagnosed rash or sores, vomiting, and diarrhea. 

 

Dear Beach Parents and Caregivers,

 

We are pleased to share some staff-created slides and video clips with you to help you, and your child, understand our arrival, dismissal and in person procedures (if your child will be coming to Beach for hybrid instruction this spring).  If your child will remain in Comprehensive Distance Learning, please see our update below about Grab&Go Meals, and we hope our whole Beach Community will enjoy our “Beach Staff Masked and Unmasked” photos, made to help your child be able to recognize us when we have our masks on!  Otherwise, the updates pertain to in person instruction.

 

Beach Hybrid Procedures & Expectations Slideshow to Share with Families

 

• Translation in process; we will send a Spanish copy of these slides tomorrow morning!

 

 

Beach Arrival & Dismissal Map & Procedures for Parents  

 

Transportation

If you answered “no” to your child needing Bus transportation in our 4th quarter survey, but now need it please call the office at (503)916-6236 to be added to the list.

• A transportation-focused message was sent to families on March 26.  HERE
• To limit the potential for COVID exposure and minimize the number of students on PPS buses, we ask parents/guardians, when possible, to transport or walk their student(s) to and from school. To further reduce congestion at schools, we are asking parents of older students to drop off their student a couple blocks away and let the student walk safely to our school Health Screen Stations (see our slides, above) from there. 

 

Here are some additional updates and bits of information that may be helpful.

 

• Grab & Go Meals will be available at Beach M, T, Th and F to any child in our community age 18 or younger.  
• If your child will be in CDL this spring, you can come to the front entrance at either 10:30-10:45 or 2:45-3 to pick up these meals.  
• Students who are in hybrid instruction will have the option to “grab and go” with food packs for themselves, siblings or other children in your household (whether Beach students or not; the requirement remains that these meals are designated for children) as they depart on M, T, Th and F.

 

• We want to make sure all families understand that access to all PPS sites is limited to employees and students in hybrid instruction, as well as school contractors, to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.  As you will see in our Arrival & Dismissal Procedures, only students and staff are permitted inside school buildings and on the playground during school arrival and dismissal hours, which are 7:45-10:30 and 12:00-2:45. (School hours are 8-10:15 and 12:15-2:30.)

 

• Specials (Library, Art, Music, PE) will take place during the time block when students don’t have CDL (Comprehensive Distance Learning) or Hybrid.  So, during their asynchronous block.  The specific schedule will be sent by your child’s teacher in the coming days. 

 

• Sharing of school supplies (pencils, markers, books, documents, etc.) will be minimized and when it happens, good hand hygiene will be practiced following sharing.   We have requested plastic containers for individual student storage and use of school supplies. 

 

• If your child will be coming to Beach for in person this spring, please have them bring a backpack and a water bottle.   

 

• Here is a one page Ventilation Message you may find informative. 

 

• Students who are screened and appear to be symptomatic will need to be isolated from the school population and be placed in the symptom space until parent/guardian or emergency contact is able to pick them up.  Students will not be able to ride the bus; they will need to be picked up directly from school. 

 

• Frequently Asked Child Care Questions for Parents

 

• Visitor/Volunteer SOP

 

We are working hard to prepare a strong 4th quarter for all of our students, whether they will be learning in CDL or Hybrid instruction. Our goal is that children feel connected to each other whether online or in person, that they are excited about their learning, and that they learn and want to keep learning on into their futures.   Thank you for your partnership and patience as we strive to get helpful and accurate information to you as quickly as we can.  Until our next update!

 

Warmly,

Lisa

Dear Beach Families and Community, March 18, 2021

 

I want our Asian staff, students and families to know that you are in the forefront of my mind as we grapple with the violence, issues related to race, and the disregard for humanity that are fresh in our minds this week with the shooting that took place in Georgia, but that remind us of other tragic race and hate-related killings. I hope your experience is that our Beach Community stands up for you, and that all in our community unite in standing up for each other, and in concern for the safety of our Asian and Pacific Islander community.   

 

Here is current information regarding the opening of our school buildings, what this means for your child’s school schedule, and where we are in the process of assigning cohorts and teachers. Hopefully you’ll find some answers that may help you in planning your day to day schedules after Spring Break. I appreciate your patience as this process continues to unfold, and thank you for taking the time to read through this information. Please be sure to see my message at the end of the logistics section, too.

 

Why has it taken so long to be provided this information?

• The district had been planning and preparing to open schools on April 12th. The Governor announced the earlier opening. Detailed building plans and agreements with labor unions needed to be solidified.

• PPS and PAT (Portland Association of Teachers - union) worked together throughout the entire weekend to finalize a tentative agreement which was reviewed by union members Thursday night. The district has been moving forward with planning in hopes that the agreement is ratified and then approved by the school board.

 

What is the difference between a cohort and a class?

• A class is the list of students assigned to a teacher.
• A cohort is the group that meets together LIVE (in person or virtually on M, T, Th, Fri).
• LIVE represents two things - either fully in person, or like on tv, when we’re watching something “live” ie, synchronous instruction  

 

What will our NEW Beach schedule look like once we resume LIVE instruction?

• We will begin LIVE AM or LIVE PM schedules for ALL K-5 students.
• When students are NOT in LIVE sessions they are doing asynchronous lessons and applied learning the other half of the day.
• The AM schedule is 8:00 - 10:15 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.
• The PM schedule is 12:15 - 2:30 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.
• Each student is assigned a morning or afternoon “cohort” for the learning model chosen by their family (Hybrid or CDL).
• On Wednesdays the CLASS will have a 45 minute live session in the morning (details TBD).  Students will have asynchronous lessons and applied learning time the remainder of Wednesday.  

 

What about additional classes: SpEd, ESL, Reading Support, Library, Music, Art, PE?

• These classes will remain virtual at this time and opposite their cohort’s LIVE time. 
• Library, Music, Art & PE will have synchronous and/or asynchronous sessions.
• Special Education, ESL Services, & Reading Support is synchronous.

 

When will I know my child’s cohort (AM or PM) and teacher assignment?

• You will be notified if your child’s teacher changes OR stays the same.
• Families will be notified of cohort and teacher assignment by Monday, March 22nd.

 

When does live instruction with my child’s NEW COHORT/TEACHER begin?

• K/1 students with a PM assignment will meet with their new class on April 1st at 12:15 pm (for both CDL and Hybrid).
• K/1 students with an AM assignment will meet with their new class on April 2nd at 8:00 am (for both CDL and Hybrid).
• 2nd-5th grade students will have their first day with their new cohort on April 5th.

 

When does instruction with my child’s CURRENT TEACHER and COHORT stop & why?

• Students’ last day with their current class is today, Friday. 
• Teachers receive five planning days to prepare for this transition. This involves room preparation, transition of student rosters, review of students previous work, curriculum development, PD for safety protocols, building walk -throughs to learn new procedures etc.

 

What do the 5 transition days look like for my student?

• There will not be LIVE classes for students.
• Asynchronous lessons will be posted in Seesaw for students to complete.
• Students will have access to applied learning apps such as Imagine Espanol, Dreambox, Lexia, MyOn.
• We are making a video for our students who are returning in person and their families, that we hope an adult will watch with students before their first day back in person: the purpose is to show the way our school looks, how arrival and dismissal will go, where classrooms and bathrooms are located for our kindergartners and new students, and what our safety expectations are. And including of course, our motto!  I matter to Beach & Beach matters to me. ¡A mi me Importa la Escuela Beach y Yo le importo a la Escuela Beach!

 

What routines and safety expectations can we expect, and how can I help my child be ready to return to school, whether in person or CDL?

• Return to School Safely slides that we’ll be using to teach students as they return to school; please pre-teach your child the routines that are most important to you or that you think will most benefit them --  English Spanish
• We are in process making a video for you as noted above. We hope to share it with you by Monday, March 29.
• It would be really helpful if families can help students get used to doing their asynchronous work at the time of day that they will be doing it when we return to school (the half of the day when they won’t be in CDL or in person instruction). 
• We encourage you to help children wake up earlier over spring break or at least beginning several days before they return to school, since their day will begin at 8am rather than 8:45 or 9 a.m. now 
• We’re also making a slide deck for you with pictures and names of all our Beach staff, masked and unmasked. We haven’t seen each other for a year; we might look a little different to each other!  And, we have many new staff and students who have never seen each other in person. Some of our new-to-Beach staff just saw our staff in person at our staff meeting (we met on the playground) this past week!  We’ll send this out and post it to our website asap.

 

Saying goodbye to our current class communities as we know them at this point in the year is such an emotionally difficult thing we are having to do. We just learned mid-week when the last day with current classes would be, and although we knew this was coming, the reality of it happening now is a lot for everyone to take in. Teachers have planned ways to have conversations with their current students. I hope you’ll check in with your child about how they’re feeling that will change at least a little, even if they’re staying in CDL and if that turns out to be with the same teacher (things will still change with other peers), and even though the exact changes are not finalized.  Students, like staff, may need time to process this  information. About 11% of our students K-5 will have a teacher change. We’ve worked really hard to minimize that number and at the same time, the students who will have a different Beach teacher will be in good hands, and teachers will collaborate to ensure all goes well. 68% of our families have chosen Hybrid, and 32% have chosen CDL. Whichever program a family has chosen or needs, we are all one community!  Just like we’re one community whether we are in the Spanish Immersion or English Instruction program. 100% of our students will see a change to their schedules and who from their current class they will see on a regular basis. 

 

As you talk with your child, you could mention that some things are changing but much in our school community is staying the same. Our amazing staff are all still looking out for each and every child, students will still see their friends in Google Meets, attend Library, Music, Art and PE with grade level friends, and students who receive specialized instruction will still have virtual small groups with specialists, for example. We’ll continue our virtual “social interaction” recesses for 5th graders (beachrecess5; Fridays 12:10-12:30) and we’ll try to add virtual recesses for other grade levels too. And, all our students and staff are going to receive a special t-shirt!  You’ll see that come home in the first few weeks after spring break, likely on April 4th. Thank you Kelly and our amazing Beach Parent Team!  

 

I can imagine you have questions and wonderings as we move into this new transition.  I will host informational meetings for families the week after Spring Break. These will be held virtually with dates, times and links to come.   

 

We have all been asked to do many hard things over the last year and I know this is a lot of new information. I’m very grateful to be part of this community - of Bobcats (one of the traits of bobcats is flexibility!) where we are thinking deeply about how to ensure inclusion, joy, success, and strong learning outcomes for each and every child. Together we are persevering, and I look forward to the time when we can all come together again.

 

Warmly,

Lisa

 

A Message from Beach’s BSU~

 

Dear Beach Families and Caregivers,

We hope that you are ready for Spring Break! 

In case you missed it, you can still view our Black History Month virtual Drawing Show celebration for Black History Year!

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kkEFCQCfAB85hnFQYySwfNPoRkqBdqQW/view?usp=sharing

 

We are sorry for the delay and hope you are still enjoying participating in Mr. Domo's Virtual Dance Class!!! Keep practicing and dancing with us!!!

Here is the link to the class video for weeks 1, 2, 3 & 4! 

 

1: https://youtu.be/Hi9Kn_QjC7w

2: https://youtu.be/JfRJZMKW4No

3: https://youtu.be/yJM25c0j8dY

4: https://youtu.be/kseTKRzyeko

 

"Have a great Spring Break!"

 

BHY Fun Fact of the Week: Agricultural scientist George Carver was responsible for creating over 500 new products made from peanuts and sweet potatoes, including cooking oils, paint, and soap.

 

~The BBSU

I’ve asked Helen for permission -- we need to confirm before using.  It could go in Teacher Wise Words section Tina?

Happy Paddy's Day all, may the roads rise to meet you all and your path to heaven be forever green.  Go n'ardoidh an bothar leat and may the wind be forever at your back, especially with Covid may the wind forever blow the virus away.  ~ an Irish blessing from our own Helen Wall

Nutrition Services Update

When students return to the building for hybrid learning, we will be offering take-home meals as they leave the building at 10:15AM or 2:30PM. This is in lieu of our grab and go meal service from 3-4:30PM, which will end this Friday 3/19/21.  

 

Caregivers may request meals for siblings, CDL students and any other child from 1-18 year old, at pick-up. We will continue to provide 7 days worth of meals throughout the week. Take home bags will be served on in-person learning days (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday). 

 

Nutrition Services will serve students near or enroute to our exit points so that staff and teachers can focus on students and dismissal routines.

For non-enrolled community members and students continuing with comprehensive distance learning, meals will be available to pick-up everyday, Monday-Friday from 12PM-1PM at 15 sites throughout Portland. More information to come about which of our community meal sites will be closest to your school.

 

“Our Identities” As a culmination of our Black Inspirations unit, our class (2nd grade DLI) wrote acrostic poems using a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks, Narcissa, as our inspiration. Marquez Identity Poems-Updated 

 

A Message from Beach’s BSU~

 

Dear Beach Families and Caregivers,

Happy Black History Month Year and Happy Women's History Month!!!

In celebration, please join us in watching our virtual Drawing Show celebration for Black History Year!

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kkEFCQCfAB85hnFQYySwfNPoRkqBdqQW/view?usp=sharing

 

We hope you are still enjoying participating in Mr. Domo's Virtual Dance Class and are ready for more!!! Keep dancing with us!!!

Here is the link to the class video for weeks 1, 2, 3 & 4! 

 

1: https://youtu.be/Hi9Kn_QjC7w

2: https://youtu.be/JfRJZMKW4No

3: https://youtu.be/yJM25c0j8dY

4:TBA

 

"You are a part of Black History Month!"- Hortu T.

 

BHY Fun Fact of the Week: Computer scientist Lisa Gelobter assisted with the 1995 creation of Shockwave, essential technology that led to the development of web animation. (So we have her to thank for GIFs).

~The BBSU

Dear Beach Families and Community,

Here we all are trying to prepare for another fork in the road we find ourselves at, staff and families alike, faced with difficult decisions within lack of information and less than ideal choices. I know families are in a tight spot trying to figure out what will be best for your child and how to make related adjustments in your lives, and I thank you for your resilience and patience within it all. We are keeping our deep belief in your children-- as a staff member said at our staff meeting, they are more resilient than adults! and our very deep care for your children’s safety, success and happiness, front and center during this time: our goal is that at the end of the 11 weeks between March 29 and June 11 your child will feel connected to their Beach community, excited about learning, and like school is a place they can’t wait to come back to next fall.   

Thank you for filling out our “Hybrid/CDL Beach Family Confirmation Form” if you have. We will consider information submitted by next Monday, March 15 as we create a.m. and p.m. cohorts of students based on whether they want to return to in person learning for a part of the day or stay in comprehensive distance learning (CDL).  Between the PPS survey and our confirmation survey linked above, we’ve heard from all but about 50 families. As the survey introduction explains, we are creating cohorts based on transportation requirements, keeping siblings together, and needs of students with IEPs or who are emerging bilingual. We won’t have cohort information for you until next week (we are accepting your survey response through Monday). 

This is a very fluid and changing process as we are also awaiting a final agreement between our labor groups and the district. We also anticipate additional clarification from the Governor’s office on social distancing expectations. Here is as much as I have on our current thinking on the schedule with a big note that none of this is final at this point and may change. 

 

• Wednesday will be an asynchronous day district-wide.  This is necessary for transportation planning.  This means there will not be any in person or live synchronous instruction for students on Wednesdays for the remainder of this school year. 

 

• The above linked survey is the last opportunity to choose in-person instruction because of the need to create and finalize plans around school spaces we’ll utilize for teaching, student numbers, and cohorts. Families choosing in-person will be able to revert back to CDL if needed for health concerns, but may not be able to return to in-person again. While teacher teams will continue to plan together regardless of whether they are teaching in person or CDL, instruction will vary somewhat from CDL to in-person due to the different opportunities each provides, so students won’t be able to switch back and forth once we have established cohorts. 

 

• If all goes as we’re currently arranging, most in-person cohorts will be in the PM, 12:15pm-2:30pm. I am pleased we have been able to arrange this: it will provide time for students to eat breakfast and lunch at home before coming to school and reduce barriers to children being able to access in person learning for many of our families. In a few grades we will need to also run an AM 8:00-10:15 in person cohort; some teachers will be teaching only in person. (Exactly which teachers this will be is still in flux based on survey results). 

 

• Because of the number of students requesting in person instruction, there will be a few instances where immersion students will be taught by the other Beach grade level teacher (either CDL or in person). At some schools, space and staffing constraints are requiring that students be taught at a different school altogether, so we are glad to at least be confident we can serve all students with our own staff at our own school, and we are making every effort to keep students with their current teacher. Once we are able to finalize cohorts we will let you know if your student is shifting teachers.

 

• As long as it remains possible, most siblings will be in PM cohorts. 

 

• CDL including live synchronous instruction will primarily happen in the AM with asynchronous instruction for students to complete throughout the day. 

 

• Due to the additional layer of in-person instruction we will focus instruction both in CDL and in-person on social emotional learning, math and literacy. Science, health and social studies will either be integrated or be assigned asynchronously on Seesaw. 

 

• In most cases, students will experience a decrease in the amount of face time with teachers and the amount of feedback provided on Seesaw work for both CDL and in-person cohorts. 

 

• Specials (PE, Library, Music and Art) will be offered to each grade level during their asynchronous half of the day.  

 

• The YMCA will continue to provide child care and may be able to accommodate more families. Registration information right above our newsletter column on the Beach Website. We will not be able to offer before or after school care beyond what YMCA can provide. It is possible we will need to shift the location of YMCA to inside the school building in order to utilize the large portable space for one of our larger classes, but this is not yet confirmed.  More to come; for now all continues as usual.

 

• Students attending in-person will need to wear a face covering at all times. 

 

• Students with IEPs and students receiving ESL services will continue to be served either in person or in CDL based on individual needs. 

 

• If you have already submitted your survey and want to change your answer for any reason, you can submit a new one. Katrina (Ms.de Boer: kdeboer@pps.net) is willing to find and delete original submissions in this case.

 

I continue to be so grateful for and impressed with the kindness, understanding and graciousness with which everyone is approaching this complex situation. It speaks volumes to the character and spirit of collaboration that abounds at Beach!

 

With care and gratitude for all of you,

Lisa

Safety Precautions FAQ 

• What safety precautions will be put in place at Beach? Students will be visually screened upon entrance, sanitize hands and walk directly to class. There are markings on the floor to support proper flow in the hallways. No food will be consumed during school and students will use water bottles for water.
• Will families and visitors be allowed in the building? No, families will drop off students at specific locations on the exterior of the school. At this point there are no visitors or volunteers allowed in the building.
• What if someone shows symptoms of being sick? In conjunction with MESD and the health department, we have a detailed process for screening for Covid exposure and

determining next steps in terms of isolation or return. Our staff will walk families through the process in the event of illness and notify those who have been determined to have been in “close contact”.

• Will the windows open in the classroom? It won't be a requirement but I think most staff will choose to have them open.
• Is there a ventilation/filtration system? The HVAC system has been serviced, all filters replaced and they are running twice as much to circulate air. Each classroom will also have a HEPA filter running.
• What will simulcast look like for children at home? If any of our staff choose to use simulcast, we will share details about how it will work.
• Will students be sitting at their desks for the entire 2 hour session? Staff will find ways to bring movement around the room including fun dance videos that combine learning and socially distanced movement.
• Will they still be using their computers in the classroom? Potentially for small portions but only in concert with direct instruction. We hope to be able to provide computers for classroom use; students can keep their Chromebooks at home.
• Will any classroom time take place outside? Teachers will have the option to teach on the field or other spaces for portions of the day as it works into their instructional plans.
• Will children be able to have drinks of water? Yes, water bottles have been working great with our in person cohort. Please send your student with a full water bottle.
• Will there be filtration/ventilation in the bathrooms? There isn't ventilation in the bathroom but we will be monitoring the use of bathrooms and keeping the ratio low.
• Will children be able to take bathroom breaks? YES!
• Will students be allowed to eat at school? No eating will be allowed at school during this time. In specific cases a child may need to eat a snack but this will need to be arranged ahead of time. Generally, students should eat before and after coming to school for in person learning. Nutrition services will provide breakfast and lunches for students to take home. 

 

Dear Beach Families and Community,

 

A Message from Beach’s BSU~

 

Dear Beach Families and Caregivers,

Happy Black History Month Year and Happy Women's History Month!!!

We hope you are enjoying participating in Mr. Domo's Virtual Dance Class and are ready for more!!! Keep dancing with us!!!

 

"My Black is beautiful!"- Braylon D.

 

BHY Fun Fact of the Week: Stevie Wonder is not only the first Black artist to win a Grammy for Album of the Year for 1973's Innervisions, but the first and only musician to win Album Of The Year with three consecutive studio albums.

~The BBSU

 

We hope you’re having fun practicing with Mr. Domo’s dance videos!  We’re so glad Domo is feeling better and are excited to share video #3. The idea with Mr. Domo’s videos is to have fun with them and also, for children to be practicing moves so that once all 6 videos have been released, they can record themselves (a very short segment!) to be submitted and compiled into an all school dance video which we’ll highlight at the start of our Beach Connects! all school (virtual) event on Thursday evening, April 1  

Link for video # 1.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi9Kn_QjC7w   

Link for video # 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfRJZMKW4No 

Link for video # 3 https://youtu.be/yJM25c0j8dY

 

There is a lot of discussion taking place around next steps with hybrid and CDL models for 4th quarter, but not any concrete news yet, which I know is difficult especially for families who need to figure out childcare and work schedules. We’re reviewing our “4th Quarter Learning Choice” survey results, even though we know the survey didn’t provide enough concrete information about what either model will actually look like to necessarily lead to an accurate representation of what families will decide to do once we all have more details. Nevertheless, while nothing we can do in any model is ideal right now given the social distancing that is so important to maintain, the 4th quarter is only 9 weeks long. Whatever we end up doing, you can trust that our staff will do our very best to make the experiences we provide for children meaningful and worthwhile. 

 

As soon as we are able to envision what model we’ll be able to offer, I’ll draft it up and send it out to you so you can be planning for your child and family from a more informed place. Sometime soon we should be able to begin drafting student cohorts. We’ll prioritize ensuring siblings are in the same (ie, a.m. or p.m.) cohort, and across middle and high schools too (somehow). We’ll need to look at the room capacity of individual teacher’s classrooms (our room capacities range from 8 to 16 for a few rooms in our annex; it is dependent on the square footage of each room and the number of students who can fit in that room with desks six feet apart.) Where we have larger class sizes, we’ll need to figure out how many of the students in that class want to come back for hybrid and what we can do accordingly. The current challenge is we can begin to think about these things, but we can’t do anything concrete with planning yet, because we don’t have a negotiated plan in place; our union and district are currently working on that. Two things that are in place so far are that all classrooms will have HEPA filters, and simulcast (live streaming instruction for students doing CDL) will not be required. Simulcast is not a meaningful option for elementary school because teachers move around to their students, step over to utilize visual models around the room, etc. when they teach, versus sitting or standing in one spot where they could be visible (or effective) on a video stream. While teachers are doing their best to teach this way in CDL, they can’t possibly do what they are doing now during CDL, while they are simultaneously (hence, “simulcast”) teaching with students in their classrooms, spaced 6 feet apart. 

 

Whatever the model turns out to be, and whatever your family chooses, we’ll do everything we can think of to prioritize ways for students to interact with each other, have fun, learn school routines, and build or deepen relationships. And, to continue learning! Teacher teams have been analyzing assessments, whether those they’ve been doing themselves such as checking whether young students know their letter names and sounds or syllables, analyzing writing or math problems, or the interim assessment upper grades are just finishing up (ie, MAP/Measure of Academic Progress).  While implementing any assessment is extremely challenging for teachers and, as you know, families at home trying to support-- whether that’s helping a child understand what the teacher is asking them to do, or whether it’s getting connected to a test site, teachers are seeing encouraging results!  We hope these results are based on what children can do all by themselves, but, we are seeing strong learning gains in general for students who have been able to take the assessments. Thank you for your partnership with Beach’s amazing teachers in all the effort that has led to these outcomes!  

 

This week is National Classified Employees week, and last week was National Counselors week. A special shout out for our amazing school counselor, Ms. de Boer!  Katrina’s incredible website and all the learning you can find within it was highlighted by Superintendent Guererro during a recent school board meeting. The superintendent was highlighting Black History Month activities and learning happening across the district, and Katrina’s website was his visual!  This week we begin celebrating Women’s History Month; be sure to check out her content. Be brave, be bold, be fearless!

Our Beach Classified Staff are the absolute best. Each of our staff has been working in vital, important ways for our students and school despite so many challenging conditions… we absolutely couldn’t be the community we are without them. Our secretaries Tina & Esther, our nutrition services staff Monica, Laresa & Lacey (these three have been serving food in the cold three days per week, 2 hours per time, all winter!), our custodial staff Jitendra, Kevin & Dave, our Paraeducators Bill &Cieyre and our Educational Assistants Hector & Zach!  Thank you each, for all you do.

You're the best, hands down!  We’d cry all day without you!

Nutrition Services  On Friday, March 19, all grab and go, curbside services and home meal deliveries will include 7 days worth of meals.  Meal services will pause during the week of Spring Break, March 22-26 and resume Monday, March 29.  

Warmly, Lisa

Please find attached/linked, the Standard Operating Procedures for Ventilation and a Ventilation FAQ for information about what PPS is doing and has done, to ensure proper ventilations for our schools.

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Laoi-Qk9hRex31HOtEBblxTHSpUV1qeFyyw5oimykrw/edit

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CN3yWEJZANnXW_5-BJYrV5Rd2DaDzvdweTvk8vPuBrY/edit?usp=sharing

Dear Beach Families and Community,

 

We want to make you aware of some important and fun events coming up on our Beach Calendar!

 

Beach Connects!  The purpose of Beach Connects is to celebrate and connect our whole Beach community (families, students, REAP, SUN, and our school-wide teaching and support staff), to come together in a fun way(s) and connect with one another. 

• Special presentations of our Black History Month projects led by our Beach Black Student Union (our virtual Drawing and Dance Shows), presentation of our new Beach School Song, then breakout rooms for a variety of fun activities (games, poetry slam, storytelling and more), maybe even raffles for students in each room. Our Equity Team and staff are still planning the details, but please mark the date (it’s the Thursday after Spring Break). 

• Date: April 1 in the evening (likely 6-7, but TBA)

Kindergarten Registration is happening!  Please share with your neighbors or families who have children who will be 5 years old by September 1.  Please register as early as possible!  The more children who are registered early, thus who go on our roster and are in our official count, the more likely it is we’ll be able to staff our school for smaller class sizes. 

 

Beach has two vibrant kindergarten programs in our kindergarten community-- our two DLI classrooms and our English Instruction classroom. We are really hoping to grow to two English Instruction classes per grade level. Both our kindergarten programs are strong, and we’re excited about expanding opportunities to learn Spanish across both programs as shared in the newsletter a few weeks ago. 

 

The Page on our websites called “Kindergarten” is designed to help you as you register and prepare for entry. We’re planning virtual events this spring and summer for our incoming kindergarten families. A fun tradition during our Open House is that our current 4th graders take our incoming kindergartners and their families on a school tour, this year most likely a virtual tour.  Please share the dates (see below) with any families you know who have incoming kindergarten-aged children. Whether children enter our immersion or our English Instruction program, we are committed and strong, and we are working to ensure children are happy, connected, and experiencing strong learning outcomes at Beach! 

• Virtual Kindergarten Parent Q&A, April 9, 2-2:30 pm: Please join this relaxed, open meeting for incoming kindergarten families to ask questions of current teachers and staff about our kindergarten program and upcoming school year. 

 

• Virtual Incoming Kindergarten Open House: Apr. 29, 3:10-4:30 Please join us for an afternoon of activities where you will be able to connect with our front office staff, librarian, the kindergarten teachers and much more including (virtual) school tours led by current 4th graders! 

 

• Incoming Kindergarten Connect: Family Craft Night, Friday, May 14, 6 pm - each of our registered kindergartners will be invited to come pick up a special kit containing special Beach gear and supplies for our Craft night from school during the week of May 10-14, to have on hand at home for Family Craft Night. Then that night, staff will host rooms to meet and connect with students and lead a quick, fun craft activity (it involves students’ names and stickers!)

 

• Beach Spanish Immersion Lottery: Apply now through March 16th 2021- Please share with families who are interested in participating in the Immersion Program.  PPS is hosting an additional K-5 Explore Your Options evening on Monday, March 8th from 6-8pm for families who weren’t able to join the previous event, due to the virtual platform being at capacity.

A few reminders for families

• Filling out the application for Free and Reduced lunch starting July 1, 2021helps our school even if you plan to make your child’s lunch or don’t think you’ll qualify. Please fill it out just in case your family would qualify; it’s a completely confidential process (staff are not informed of who qualifies and who doesn’t), but the percentage of families in each school that do qualify leads to important funding allocations, which can translate to additional staff. 
• Two important surveys:  we ask you to please fill out both the Successful Schools Survey and the Fourth Quarter Learning Choice form (technically yesterday was the last day for that one, but you should still be able to access it; email research@pps.net if not).  
• Your response on the Successful Schools Survey is important because your voice and information are very important to us and it is important that all voices and perspectives across our community are represented in our school’s survey data. The survey is our annual district-wide school climate and feedback survey and provides students, families and staff the opportunity to provide feedback on their school’s climate and experiences at school.  Various school and larger community teams and councils analyze, reflect on and utilize the data from this survey to discuss and set school goals. Data is shared with our staff and community each year. For more information about the Successful School Survey please visit this link.  
• Your response on the Learning Choice (indicating whether you’d prefer hybrid model or continuation of CDL) Google Form is important because results will be used to determine next steps about providing Hybrid and Comprehensive Distance Learning in the 4th quarter (which begins April 13). If you haven’t received the survey in your email, search your spam folder for both “Principal Hawking” and “Fourth Quarter Learning Choice Form” and if you don’t find it that way, email research@pps.net 

 

We look forward to hearing your feedback.  Thank you for taking the time to complete these surveys.  

Goodbye from Sr. Siam

 

Dear Beach School Community, I  am sad to announce that this will be my last school year at Beach. I am retiring in June. Thank you for the trust and support that you have been offering me over these 15 years. 

 

Sincerely,

Sr. Siam

Virtual Dance Class

 

Unfortunately, Mr. Domo is sick so there will not be a third video this week. We will keep you updated when he is feeling better.

 

Young Women of Purpose is a REAP event that focuses on building community, confidence, and self-love for female youth in the PDX area. This year's theme is Sea of Change: Find Your Constant, Shape Your Story.  Embodying the idea that change is normal and every day is an opportunity to start fresh.  Much like the constant flow of the ocean and navigating through turbulent and calm waters. We want everyone to walk away feeling inspired and to remember that their story is theirs to shape. On March 5th from 11 am to 1:30 pm middle and high school students will have a chance to hear from a keynote speaker before participating in a virtual vision board breakout session. Registration closes on March 3rd. 

 

Link for registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0vcOuoqjIiG9ZsOuyW4UpObIzHP26fBXYL

 

Many thanks. 

Ms.I. 

 

LIPI Highlights

Conversation from LIPI

Teacher: what is something you want people to know about you?

Child: I do school a lot, I clean a lot and I learned to read!

Teacher: hooray!  What made learning to read happen?

Child: I read a bunch of books

Dear Beach Families and Community,

Please see a few important announcements and highlights and then following those, a quick note from me about the PPS hybrid/CDL survey that went out last week. 

 

A Message from Beach’s BSU~

Dear Beach Families and Caregivers,

We hope you enjoyed participating in week 1 of Mr. Domo's Virtual Dance Class and are ready for more!!! Keep dancing with us!!!

Here is the link to the class video for week 2! 

https://youtu.be/JfRJZMKW4No

BHM Fun Fact of the Week: In 2012, at the London Olympics, Gabby Douglas became the first Black gymnast to win the Individual All-Around title.

~The BBSU

Preview YouTube video Twofli Lesson in hiphop Grooves

 

Nutrition Services Reminder!  Meal packs are available for any/all families to pick-up in front of Beach Elementary every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Meals are free for all PPS students and any child between the ages of 1-18. Don’t miss the Friday Fun Treat included on Fridays! Thank you so much to our dedicated Beach Nutrition Services team for all your hard work preparing and distributing meal packs for our community. 

Ms. Juju & Ms. Whitt’s virtual Author’s Tea

 

Shout out to Ms. Juju’s 2nd graders who partnered up with 1st graders in Ms. Whitt’s class for a virtual author’s tea! Second graders used Google Meet to present their how-to books created in Book Creator to their first grade friends. First graders were a great audience, and gave specific compliments to their presenters. A special thank you to Ms. Juju, Ms. Whitt and our TechSmart coach Gretchen Sanders for supporting our school and capturing this important work. Way to go Beach Bobcats!

 

Important Portland Parks Preschool Information!

Portland Parks is about to launch registration for the 2021-2022 school year and is holding space for prioritized communities, which includes black and indigenous people of color, immigrants and refugees, families living in poverty and people living with disabilities. The program is shifting to a “pay what you can” model and offering up to 100% scholarship for prioritized families when fees are a barrier to participation. 

Here is a direct link to the registration application

 

Hi Beach Families,

We hope you are safe and well after the winter storm. We know you are getting a lot of messages from school right now, but we wanted to share an important and urgent message about food loss due to the storm. If your family receives SNAP benefits, and you have lost food due to power outages from the storm, ODHS may be able to replace some of those losses! You must request replacement benefits within 10 days of food loss, but all you have to do is call ODHS at 800-699-9075.

Take care, and please don't hesitate to reach out to Mr. Rhys if you have other resource needs! 

 

 

 

Two important PPS Surveys in process:  “Fourth Quarter Learning Choice Form” and “Successful Schools Survey”

Please be sure to complete both surveys, and to reach out to us if you need assistance with either one. As I shared in last week’s newsletter, it is so important that all voices and perspectives across our community are represented in our Successful Schools Survey data, and also in the Learning Choice (indicating whether you’d prefer hybrid model or continuation of CDL) Google Form. If you haven’t received the survey in your email, search your spam folder for both “Principal Hawking” and “Fourth Quarter Learning Choice Form” and if you don’t find it that way, email research@pps.net 

I want to make sure it’s understood, as you think through what will be best for your child and family, that if PPS staff begin to offer a hybrid model in April, it will necessitate a change in the current Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL) experience. The district is still working in collaboration with the teachers' union to determine the best models for CDL and Hybrid. The PPS visual of “Ayonna’s Day” is a useful reference (this is linked in the message that came from PPS last Wednesday). 

 

If you have questions about this or need help with either survey, please reach out to:

tmyers2@pps.net (Tina, Principal’s Secretary, either survey)

eromero@pps.net (Esther, School Secretary, either survey)

lhazzard@pps.net (Laurel Hazzard, Staff/Student Support Teacher, either survey)

kdeboer@pps.net (Katrina de Boer, School Counselor, Fourth Quarter Learning Choice Form)

Last night was a Dual Language Immersion Lottery Parent Information night (K-5 Explore Your Options) which was recorded; the link will be available on the district website. Click Enroll, then Explore your options, then Elementary).  It was an honor to present to families about our two way Spanish DLI program at Beach. I asked staff to share some of their favorite things about our program, 

and here are a few comments!

 

I love supporting our students who live in bilingual households becoming biliterate. Most of our Beach Latino families are already bilingual when they enter Beach. I also love the perseverance and tolerance of frustration within the academic challenge that our students experience in a 90/10 Immersion program; that tolerance will serve them in math, science and every subject area throughout their lifetimes.

 

I would say that one of the highlights of our DLI program is the strong, supportive community of families and students.  Another highlight would be the students' awareness of multiple languages.  And, that students who complete this program are bilingual, biliterate and are more culturally aware.

 

As you all know, we currently have two Spanish Immersion classrooms and one English Instruction classroom per grade level; we are really hoping to grow to two English Instruction classes per grade level. Thus, please register incoming kindergartners as early as possible, and help spread the word about our kindergarten program at Beach!  Here’s the big idea there:  Both our programs are strong, and we’re excited about expanding the opportunity to learn Spanish across our programs. Whether incoming children enter our immersion program or our English Instruction program, our staff and community are committed and strong, and we think you would be super happy at Beach Elementary! The more children who are registered early, thus who go on our roster and are in our official count, the more likely it is we’ll be able to staff our school for smaller class sizes. DLI Lottery applications are due on March 16th. Families should also please incoming students at Beach. 

 

We also encourage all our families to fill out the application for Free and Reduced lunch; this helps our school even if you plan to make your child’s lunch (hopefully!  Next year) or don’t think you’ll qualify. The Page on our website called “Kindergarten” is designed to help families who need to register a new kindergartner.  We’re planning virtual events this spring and summer for incoming kindergartners. A fun tradition during our Incoming Kindergarten Open House is that our current 4th graders take our incoming kindergartners and their families on a school tour, this year a virtual tour.  Please check our website for the dates of our incoming kindergarten events.

 

Sincerely,

Lisa

Dear Beach Families,

 

A quick update on LIPI (limited in person instruction) and hybrid models. Were it not for our exciting weather, we would have begun our “LIPI” program today, the same model I shared with you previously (just a very small number of 1st and 2nd graders with similar learning intervention needs, coming to Beach with a teacher who has volunteered to teach LIPI, for 2 hours once per week). We will begin next week instead.  Regarding hybrid models, a survey should be coming out to families today; possibly in the interim between when I’m writing this to you and when translation is complete and we’ve sent out to you. My understanding is the survey will give you a chance to say whether you’d choose hybrid or to remain in CDL. I wish I could give you concrete answers about the many related questions; I feel for how stressful it is to have possible schedule changes and childcare needs looming. If I had dates or concrete information for you, I would tell you. One thing I do know is that our staff has worked really hard this year to create systems and schedules that support individual student needs and have quite a number of small groups in place. If teachers were to begin teaching half the class at a time in a.m. and p.m. blocks, know that CDL supports as they look now would have to change. Obviously, most if not all of us want CDL to disappear and never return!  However, I think it’s important to understand that any return to school at this point in the pandemic would not begin to resemble how it looked and felt way back last March 3. We would have very strict safety and social distancing procedures in place, and it is unlikely that teachers would be able to follow the expectations of any hybrid structure (whatever it turns out to be) and simultaneously be able to continue to plan and implement CDL as they currently are.

 

And, alongside all of that, Kindergarten Registration approaches!  Hopefully, we will be back together in our beautiful brick school next year, but wherever we are, we’re going to be joyfully welcoming our new kindergartners. A lot of thinking and planning is currently happening for our current kindergarten and 1st grade children that will directly benefit next year’s incoming kindergarten students too!  With current kindergartners who haven’t actually learned in a school building yet, and current 1st graders who didn’t have a full year of kindergarten at school last year, schools are planning for an especially “soft start” next year, with intentional time to build relationships, to ensure our staff knows children’s strengths, and time to learn and practice routines.

 

As we all know, Beach School houses two programs, our English Instruction/English Scholars* program, and our Spanish Immersion program. I’d like to share some important related thoughts with you all. (Just thoughts, not proposals or anything else, although we’ll create opportunities to talk, think and share as a whole community in discussing these thoughts in the coming months.) We are so fortunate to offer Spanish Immersion; DLI is the one educational program model that closes the opportunity gap for Emerging Bilingual students (students who receive English Language Development services). And, students who participate have the opportunity to become bilingual, bi-literate and to develop the cultural competency to succeed in a global society. We are proud and fortunate that many of our staff speak Spanish. With our many bilingual (and even a few multilingual) teachers and staff, we’re thinking about ways to expand opportunities for all our students, regardless of program, so that all students are able to gain a deep understanding of and appreciation for Spanish language and the diverse cultures of the Spanish speaking world/countries. We continue to strive to ensure every child in either of our programs feels a sense of solidarity and community.  

 

As a Beach family it’s important to understand that two way immersion programs are intended to serve native Spanish speaking children, and simultaneously offer non-native Spanish speakers the opportunity to become bilingual and biliterate.  In order to meet the definition of two way Immersion, ⅓ to ⅔ of our DLI classes should be composed of native Spanish speaking children, and the other ⅓ to ⅔, native speakers of English of other languages. This is an important issue of equity that helps us ensure our program is serving the population of students for whom it was created. Back when our immersion program began, there were many Spanish-speaking families in our community.  However, gentrification has changed our community composition, and our program no longer achieves the target range for two way Immersion. This is an important conversation for us to engage in together as a Beach community, even as our lottery for next year begins as usual (it opens next Wednesday, February 17).

 

Last summer, I met with the director of Albina Head Start and we continue building a pathway for Native Spanish speaking preschoolers from Albina into our immersion program (ie, priority for native Spanish speakers into our program). I would love to hear your ideas for getting the word out about our strong kindergarten program at Beach for next year-- to native Spanish speaking families but also to all families in our Beach neighborhood. Our kindergarten program is strong and our teachers are amazing… recently Mr. Combs presented the way he is using one of our literacy resources with our Instructional Leadership Team to help us think about supporting our whole staff, and Ms. Guzman shared the thoughtful plans our Kindergarten team has created to teach students about Being an Upstander during Black History Month (and always). We are excited for the kindergarten registration process to begin, and hope families will register for kindergarten early!  Please see the “Kindergarten” page on our website for video or print detail. 

 

*Many children from our Beach neighborhood boundary enroll in our immersion program, so we move away from referring to our English Scholars program as our neighborhood program.

 

Warmly,
Lisa

Successful Schools Survey

 

This week, you should have received a school email with information about the district-wide Successful Schools Survey. The 2021 Successful Schools Survey window is open now until March 19th, but our Beach staff hopes you will fill the survey out right away. It doesn’t take long, and your voice and information are very important to us. Various school and larger community teams and councils analyze, reflect on and utilize the data from this survey to discuss and set school goals. It is important that all voices and perspectives across our community are represented in our data. This survey is our annual district-wide school climate and feedback survey. It provides students, families, staff and leaders the opportunity to provide feedback on their school’s climate and their experiences at school.  For more information about the Successful School Survey please visit this link.  We look forward to hearing your feedback.  Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey.  

February 1, 2021

 

Hello Beach Families,

 

It has been too long since my last family message. I wanted to send an update on the social and emotional learning resources available to your child. As many of you know, I have a weekly message that updates on Sundays that is accessible from my website. If it has been a while since you visited my weekly message, I encourage you to take a look again because I have made some changes to the format. Each week focuses on a different topic related to the American School Counseling social/emotional learning standards. We have covered topics related to emotional regulation, the importance of expressions of gratitude and acts of kindness, self-love and self-worth, resilience, and owning and learning from our mistakes. Some weeks you might just find a read aloud and a short message to reinforce these ideas. On other weeks you will find clickable links that take you to interactive activities, short videos, and games that help support the weekly learning targets. In addition talking pet messages and mindfulness activities continue to be embedded in many of the weekly activities. I post the messages on my website so that parents can reinforce the skills and lessons even though most kids are seeing the messages in their class’ morning meetings each week.

 

I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the challenges that families have faced with comprehensive distance learning. I have heard from a number of you since our return from winter break that the transition back to school has been especially difficult. Many parents have reported that their children have been less engaged with school and are resisting logging on to their classes. There was an article in the Washington Post this week titled “Seven ways to build a child’s resilience during the pandemic (and long after it ends)”. As a parent, I found it especially helpful in reframing my expectations of my children and how to build on their strengths to support their growth as young humans. The article was also affirming as I found that there were things that my family had already been doing. 

 

It is so easy to get stuck focusing on challenges and losses during this time. With that in mind, I want to share an unexpected surprise from my 7th grader’s comprehensive distance learning (CDL) experience. Lillian has always had an interest in baking and cooking but found neither the time nor an empty kitchen to develop this interest. Because we are home all day and her schedule is such that she has longer periods of time where she can take a break from her asynchronous assignments, she regularly bakes cakes, muffins, and bread in the morning before school starts. At this point she is by far the best baker in our house. She often makes her brother and me lunches--a rice or noodle bowl, some homemade soup, or some other lunch concoction. As a bonus, she cleans up about 75% of her mess. CDL has presented her with unexpected time to explore this interest while developing her sense of autonomy and independence. Under any other circumstance I would have more closely supervised and criticised her. Instead, she has been allowed the opportunity to experiment, make mistakes, and study how to improve her techniques on her own. It takes effort everyday to look for the small and large bonuses to being home all day with my kids, but when I approach everyday with this in mind, I see places in which both of my children have grown and matured in ways that never would have happened without the tragedy that is this pandemic.

 

If you have your own “silver-lining” story to share, I would love to hear it. As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns related to your child’s well-being of family needs.

 

Katrina’s Weekly Message

 

Warmly,

 

Katrina de Boer

Beach School Counselor

503-908-9690

 kdeboer@pps.net

 Pronouns: she/her/hers

The Successful Schools Survey begins for parents, students and staff next Monday, Feb. 8.  Your participation in this survey really matters!  The results help us improve in the ways you need us to, and help us know what is going well.  Results are utilized across district and school teams, so we want and need the voices of all in our community. 

Nutrition Services

“Meals are available for families to pick-up in front of Beach Elementary every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Each Friday, beginning 2/5/21, we will have activity books for you to pick-up along with the meals. The meals are free for all PPS students and any child between the ages of 1-18. These meals include the same great foods we serve during the school year for your family to enjoy at home. Many meals are heat at home foods that can be prepared in an oven or microwave.Students will receive seven days’ worth of meals each week; including breakfast, lunch and supper for each day."

 

This is quite a year for thinking about report cards. Nevertheless, you and teachers have been working hard to help your children engage in learning and grow in the areas that are most important for them, depending on their age and circumstances during distance learning. I continue to be so inspired by the incredible efforts of our Beach staff and the resulting learning processes and activities for children they are creating. Quarter 2 ended yesterday and today is a work day for teachers to analyze student work and assessments they’ve been working on with students all year. You’ll receive a Quarter 2 report in the mail; look for it the week of February 15. Teachers are working on reports today, but the district assessment window is open through Feb. 12; teachers will be able to incorporate all assessments they are still in process with into their reports for you by Feb. 12 then our secretaries will mail reports home. Please be sure you’ve updated any address changes with our office: email eromero@pps.net or tmyers2@pps.net or call:  503.916.6236.)

I hope when you receive your child’s report card, you’ll look for the areas you know your child has tried hardest this year, and celebrate their effort and growth with them. “What do you feel most proud of yourself for this school year?”  Smile, Fist bump or High 5, no matter whether you agree or not!  Please also think about the next most important learning goal, and have your child reflect on what they most want to focus on learning next. I hope you are making every effort possible to look for the content and processes that will work best for your child and help children apply themselves. Genuine, focused effort and belief in ourselves, around just right goals, make all the difference in growing and improving.  I remind myself about that all the time, myself.

This fall, our PPS report card has been revised by a committee of teachers and parents. One of the main goals was to help families more easily understand how your students are doing as they progress through the grades. Click here to see the new report in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Russian, Somali, and Chinese. A highlight of the new report card is that there is now only one marking system for grades (E/M/CM/N/NE) and the +,V,/,-- system is now only for characteristics of a successful learner.  Please remember the importance of those characteristics!  They are essential. Here is a guide: academic and social behaviors.  (Spanish then English follows.) Helping your child grow in these is necessary alongside any efforts to help them grow their actual academic understandings; in many cases not having these in place interferes with ability to understand academic content.  I can’t overemphasize the importance of supporting your child’s growth in academic and social behaviors, and it’s a perfect thing for parents to support, especially during distance learning.

A special note for our Dual Language Immersion Families,

As you all know, the two main goals of our Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs are academic achievement and bilingualism and biliteracy. Your child’s report card will be a reflection of your child’s progress towards these goals. The report card will provide information on how your child is doing academically in math, language arts, health, etc. whether they learned the content in English or Spanish (our “partner language”).  It will also provide information on how your child is progressing in their oral and written language skills in becoming bilingual and biliterate. 

At K-2 the Reading and Writing sections and the Partner Language section of the report card will reflect more about your child’s Partner Language oral and written skill development.  At 3-5 the reporting in Reading and Writing reflects your child’s biliteracy skill development with oral Partner Language skill development reflected in the Partner Language section.  Your child’s teacher may use the notes section to indicate successes and areas for improvement specific to each language.  If you have questions about the information provided about your child's academic performance and/or language development in either language, please contact your child’s teacher.

Whether Spanish Immersion or English Instruction, please give your own wonderful child a warm smile, hug or hello for me. Their thinking and thoughtfulness, and their smiles, waves and hellos when I see them in our various classes, are the best. 

Have a great weekend,

Lisa

Meal services will continue as scheduled at Beach and other regular sites today. For PPS families not near a meal pickup location or who need assistance accessing meals and would like to request home meal delivery, please contact nutritionservices@pps.net with:

• Family name
• Address (where meals should be delivered)
• Contact phone number
• Number of children in the household
• School(s) attended

Requests submitted by end of day Monday, will begin receiving meal deliveries on the following Monday. For cancellations, changes or updates, please contact nutritionservices@pps.net.  Please feel free to visit our website or contact us at nutritionservices@pps.net with any questions.

The Humanities Department is offering a virtual parent workshop in collaboration with the Oregon Historical Society designed to help parents understand how both racism and justice are at the heart of Oregon’s history and are crucial to our ability to build a better future. Parents received communication on this directly. We have closed registration and capped at 777 families registered! More info here. Even if parents did not get to register it will be recorded and posted to our website or available to view via comcast ch.28 or PPS YouTube channel.

 

Dear Beach Families and Caregivers,

                                                      

                                                                          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ055ilIiN4

Happy Friday, January 22!  Our staff was so inspired by Amanda Gorman reading her poem during President Biden’s inauguration this week, and hope you were or will be, as well! We are thinking about ways we can utilize her powerful, meaningful words now, in our teaching during Black History Month, and beyond. 

 

I want to provide you some information about two topics this week (two associated acronyms of course)  this week:  Measure of Academic Progress or “MAP” assessments, and “Limited In Person Instruction” (LIPI).  

 

MAP or “MAP Growth'' is a useful tool, in combination with various other assessments we utilize, for measuring student growth in the areas of reading and math, over time, in order to support teachers with instructional planning. Student results help teachers plan the best strategies for meeting individual student needs and helping them grow in their learning.  It measures what students know and what they don’t know, regardless of their grade level. It measures growth over time, allowing our school teams, families, and students, to track individual student progress throughout the school year and across multiple school years. PPS has been increasing availability of the MAP Growth assessment  over the past few years; so far at Beach our staff has utilized it with 3rd-5th graders the past one or or in some cases two, school years.  

 

MAP is an “interim”, not a “summative” assessment, which means it is given a few different times during the school year to check students' grasp on content and guide future instruction. Instead of asking all students the same questions (like the “state test” does), this assessment adjusts to each child’s performance—giving a more accurate measure of what they know. Teachers are currently studying best practices for utilizing the MAP assessment with students during distance learning… meaning how to best have students take this assessment from home. Teachers will be in touch with you about their plans in the coming weeks and will help you think about your student’s needs: it is okay and actually advisable to take this assessment over many different time blocks. This means students could do just a very few questions per sitting, or up to 10-20, depending on children’s stamina and mindset on any given day. The tests for older students have from 45-60 questions overall, and for younger students, 20-30. 

 

It is important for parents and caregivers to understand that MAP is a computer adaptive test, which means it adjusts to each student’s learning level. It provides a unique set of test questions based on the student's responses to previous questions. If a student gets a question wrong, the next question will be easier. If a student gets a question right, the next question will be harder. If the person sitting with a child taking a MAP assessment helps the child answer a question they don’t understand, and the child then gets the correct answer, the next question will be more difficult, and the assessment simultaneously becomes skewed (and no longer helpful to teachers). So, your job as caregivers will be to help the child log on, and help monitor whether they seem engaged and able to go on to the next question, or whether it’s time to stop and have a snack or movement break!

 

MAP Growth tests include multiple choice, drag-and-drop, and other types of questions. I encourage you to view a practice test to get an idea of what the questions look like.  See Student Resources in the Family Toolkit.  Also, videos are available in the Understanding the MAP Suite section of the MAP Family Toolkit.  Teachers will be showing videos to students in class, and you could also watch one with your student at home.  In time, the goal is that younger students will also take the MAP assessment (MAP for primary grades or MPG is relatively short and very interactive as you’ll see on the practice tests linked above). MAP will help our teachers get data on what students understand and what they don’t yet understand, which again, will help teachers plan for students’ individual learning needs. 

 

As we plan for our Beach students to take the MAP assessment, we’ll be striving to ensure they understand the purpose of the assessment (to find out what they know and what they are ready to learn next, regardless of what grade they are in) and to ensure our students are acquiring strong learner habits and mindsets during these types of exercises-- such as thinking through a question about what is being asked, thinking about what tools and strategies they’ve already learned and can use to figure out their best guess at an answer, and taking as much time as they need to feel good about the answer choice they decide to select). Our goal is for children to develop positive mindsets when trying something new and challenging, and never want them to “click through” challenging tasks on a computer; if you see that happen whether on an app like Lexia or on an assessment, it is time to stop for a break.  More information about MAP will come from your child’s teacher in the coming weeks, and we are planning a virtual parent information night to go over this information, show a practice test, and answer your questions. Details on that to come soon.

 

The second topic is “limited in person instruction, or “LIPI”. All PPS schools are developing a plan for limited in person instruction. While most people are very eager for an end to Comprehensive Distance Learning (even though there are ways CDL is benefiting some students) we are obviously still very much in the midst of the pandemic with new challenges and changing information every day. Safety, as well as inequities for children and families whose lives were already marginalized by poverty and oppression long before the pandemic, are very much on my mind and in my heart as I work on a plan for our school as directed by our governor and under the guidance of ODE and PPS leadership.  Please note that LIPI is different from “hybrid instruction”; the first step being taken in PPS is Limited In Person Instruction. 

 

I’m in process drafting a plan that would begin with just a very few younger grade students who have similar learning intervention needs. Schools are developing criteria around factors such as inability to engage in CDL, learning intervention already in place, and students receiving various kinds of special services. Safety is central; by planning for and starting with individualized support for just a few students, a few hours per week, we’ll be able to learn and improve any issues that arise as we look toward the day when more, and eventually all, students can return to in person learning. 

 

While just a few children and staff will begin limited in person instruction, I’m sharing information we’d ask any family to consider in regards to LIPI, put together by our (excellent!) MESD nursing staff, Rob Nicholson and Jamille Manning, in case you find it helpful.  It will be important for the limited number of families who are called to choose if you are comfortable with the risk. If you choose to not accept the offer, we will continue to work to provide intervention virtually. Our staff who would be involved with LIPI are being prioritized for vaccinations as early as next week.  Staff are volunteering as they feel comfortable;  the numbers of families and staff who feel comfortable with limited in person instruction will be connected to our program.

 

Please consider the benefits of limited in person instruction (LIPI) along with the risk of exposure to illness due to COVID-19.

 

1. What is the risk tolerance of your family?  
• How are you practicing safety measures in your daily life?
• How would your family be impacted if someone was diagnosed with COVID-19? 
• If a student has to quarantine at home, would a family member be able to care for them?
• Would you be able to take leave from work or find someone to care for your student?  
• Is there someone at home at high risk for severe illness due to COVID-19?  
• High risk individuals include older adults and people with certain underlying medical conditions.

 

1. Benefits of in person instruction.
• How has engagement and learning been for your student during CDL? 
• Academics
• Social/emotional
• Physical
• What are your expectations for learning during LIPI?
• Academics
• Social/emotional
• Physical

 

1. What are some of the safety measures that would be in place at school?
• Students are visually screened before boarding the bus, entering school, and during the time at school. 
• Students will be in cohorts of small numbers of students.
• Students will wear masks.
• Students will maintain social distancing between each other and staff.  Posted signs and instructions by staff will reinforce distancing measures.
• Students will practice hand hygiene by washing with soap and water or using hand sanitizer.
• Surfaces will be cleaned and disinfected regularly.

 

CDC states:

Factors that increase community spread and individual risk are crowded situations, close/physical contact, enclosed space, and time of exposure. Actions to reduce risk of COVID-19 are wearing a mask, social distancing (6ft goal), hand hygiene, and cleaning and disinfection. 

 

Resources for parents/guardians:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/parent-checklist.html

Checklist: Planning for In-Person Classes

Dear Beach Parents and Caregivers,

 

In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Day coming up this Monday, and in the spirit of reflecting on and appreciating the contributions of Dr. King, other well known Black heroes, and Black people in our own Beach community, here are just a few recognitions and highlights of people of color our staff have found inspiring in recent history.  

 

As we all know, Tina Myers is our Principal’s Secretary at Beach. Tina commits to support and the lengths to which she’ll go in ensuring children and families feel cared for and supported is evident in any interaction with her. Tina builds positive relationships with all and wants our Beach front office to feel welcoming; no matter what she is working on or handling, she takes the time to make it so. Tina is calm, a good listener, very good at problem-solving on many levels and layers, is always thinking about ways to make things better for students and staff, and has so much integrity. She’s also very organized, asks important questions, and is an amazing multi-tasker who can consider all angles under pressure.. You may have noticed she’s also very fun to be around and work with!  Before working at Beach Tina was a bookkeeper at Madison High School and Principal’s Secretary at Woodlawn Elementary; she also brings experience from previous roles at Hanna Anderson,  Northwest Heating & Mechanical, FujiFilm, Kmart, and Schwabe, Williamson Wyatt.  

 

Michelle DePass - I was honored to host PPS school board member Ms. Michelle DePass at our Back to School Night this year, and also that she invited me to a virtual coffee so we could get to know each other a little before-hand. This meeting was a highlight for me on so many levels; one is that it was so fun to learn that one of our current School Board members had attended Beach at one time! I am inspired by the amazing work Ms. dePass contributes to in our community in so many areas, including climate, sustainability and social justice. Check out:  Feed the Mass. Black Sovereignty Food Network. Equitable Giving Circle. She offered to come share with our students, and I’m re-inspired to re-connect with her to set such an opportunity in action.

 

Ms. Mo, Michelle Lewis, Charles Hannah and Third Eye Books Accessories and Gifts LLC.  Our staff is beginning a book study of City Schools and The American Dream 2: The Enduring Promise of Public Education. Ms. Mo was such an amazing and fun partner in our purchase of this title from the above local, Black-owned bookstore.  And, Ms. Mo is an inspiration and support to our school and community on every level... supporting individual students and families in so many meaningful ways, supporting and contributing to our staff as a school partner and member on important teams such as visioning and co-leading our student unions, and of course, leading our SUN program and partnership with SEI.

 

Betty Ferguson -  At Beach we are made up of not just teachers, staff, and students but also families and our larger community; Ms. Betty is a perfect example. She runs the Easy Spirit Day Care LLC just down the street from Beach Elementary and cares for many Beach students. She not only provides a safe and loving place for students to be so that their parents can return to work, but she builds relationships with the teachers of all the students in her care. Ms. Betty keeps the bar high and demands excellence from each and every student and teaches them self-respect and empowerment. She is a great example of a successful Black entrepreneur and wonderful caretaker here at Beach. The support she provides to Black families is especially important and she is a valuable member of our Beach community.  

 

Danaya Hall - A parent at Beach and community member has been an essential contributor  to forming the Alliance of Black Nurses Association- Oregon Chapter-  Ms. Hall brings to our community a perspective of systemic racism in black communities health and healthcare.  She is currently the president of the organization.  For more information, email:  info@abnao.org

 

Cinda Jackson- Some of you may remember Cinda as one of our previous SUN coordinators. Cinda now works as an SEI supervisor. In her current role, she still supports past Beach students at Ockley Green and at Jefferson and other high schools. I  have known Cinda’s caring and connection to students to extend to even after high school. Cinda always brings a smile to the room and always has a positive attitude. She is a gem in our community, helping families and individuals, creating safe, supportive spaces, and sharing joy.

 

Cynthia MacLeod- In the past few years, Mrs. MacLeod has had a behind the scenes role supporting our school’s equity team. Mrs. MacLeod is a retired PPS principal. Her perspectives as a Black woman have been invaluable to my own growth as an individual and as an educator. Her calm, friendly, wise demeanor and her expertise have helped bring our collective work forward.  

 

Ilza Pierre is our Beach colleague, REAP partner and serves on our school Equity Team. Our Equity Team (and our Site Council) has identified “literacy opportunity gap” as a problem we want to address. We decided to ask students “what do you need?” and “what are you passionate about?”. Ms. Ilza took those questions straight to our students in her REAP class and then shared back how incredible it was to hear the students’ perspectives. Her work is instrumental in helping us learn and center the voices of our Black, Indigenous students of color. This is Ilza’s second year devoted to developing relationships with our students to help them grow their levels of confidence and ability… it is heartwarming and inspiring to see her impact in our school community. We’re so fortunate to have her partnership! 

 

Dear Beach Parents and Caregivers,

 

Especially since Wednesday but pretty often these past months, we must all be carrying many sets of feelings at the same time. This week I’ve felt such deep appreciation for the work, capacities and efforts of our staff and students. And, I’m grappling with current events and the act of white supremacy and domestic terrorism that took place in our U.S. capitol on Wednesday. The impact on our staff and families who moved to the United States to escape acts of terrorism and injustice in their home countries are especially on my mind and in my heart.  

 

As a staff we know our students enter our virtual spaces with varying awareness, understanding and readiness to discuss and explore what our nation is experiencing; we are informing ourselves, reflecting, listening to students and individualizing responses and support. It is vital that when we talk about trauma, we do so with intention, care, and an explicit commitment to justice and equity. We are sharing resources with each other and between other schools. Some staff opened a conversation with a set of photos and questions; some used this picture book Read Aloud of The Breaking News by Sarah Lynne Reul;. This post Beyond the Spotlight is full of information and resources many of us are using. Here is a resource for parents  from Teaching Tolerance (the same organization that developed the Social Justice standards we are teaching) to help in listening to and talking with your child: When Bad Things are Happening.  Ms. de Boer, Mr. Rhys, Ms. Mo, Ms. Ilza, and all our staff are here for your child, you and your family ; please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or needs.  

 

Thanks to the generous support of many Beach families, Ms. Mo, in partnership with Ms. de Boer and Mr. Rhys has been able to support over 150 Beach families using donations and also funds in her SEI Budget. The support is provided in the form of grocery store gift cards as well as limited rental assistance.  The Beach Family Fund is in desperate need of replenishment.  

If you would like to make a contribution to the Beach Family Support Fund, you can do so with the button on Ms. de Boer’s School Counselor website (accessed directly from our school website; click “Counselor” then “Beach Family Support Fund”. You can also send a check directly to SEI at SEI-Beach Family Support Fund, 3920 N. Kerby Ave., Portland, OR 97227. Make sure to write "Beach Family Support Fund Donation" in the memo line.

 

In order to honor family privacy, information/requests for assistance that are submitted to SEI will not be shared with Beach School personnel without prior permission. You can make a request for support by completing the survey linked via the button below. Monique Shellmire, Beach's SEI/SUN School Coordinator will contact you about your request and needs. You can also contact her directly via email at moniquesh@selfenhancement.org or by phone at (503)890-0489.

Beach Family Support Fund Link

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Free Food Box Distribution!

 

Please see the flyer below on how to get a free food box.

 

Sunshine Division Food Box Flyer

 

Statewide Eviction Moratorium Information

Please see the attached document for updated information on the eviction moratorium being extended through June 30th in the state of Oregon.

 

This document includes; details of the moratorium, an FAQ on the moratorium, and the declaration document that folks will need to submit to their Landlord in order to access the protections from the moratorium.

 

Please see the attachment for more information.

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

 

Thank you for all your efforts in and ways of engaging as a school community. A beautiful event last night was our REAP students, families and leaders creating sparkle and spirit together, celebrating their processes so far and this Winter Season. Thank you for those of you taking part in our student unions and for our partners and staff who are leading them. (Consider joining in when January comes!  While Asian, Latinx, Native and Black Student Unions are for people who identify accordingly, any/all are welcome to join our Gender Sexuality Alliance and Anti Racist Workshop.) And thank you to our amazing Beach staff and partners!  I’m honored to be in service to our community’s children alongside such caring, skilled, spirited and brave educators. 

 

We hope you will enjoy each other and some computer-free time over winter break. Restore yourselves from link fatigue!  And stay healthy and safe.

 

Warmly,

Lisa

Chess for Success

Awesome!! Parents, we have 30 permission slips turned in and only five registered (accurate through Sunday). The permission slip is not the registration. If you would like to fill the permission slip, please go here English - aquí Español  After filling out it,  you will be contacted by the Chess for Success Organizer and receive the link for registration. 

 

We will be announcing the starting date for CHESS FOR SUCCESS in our first newsletter 2021.

Go Fund Me for our Beach Community Family

 

It is with deep sadness that I share that one of our first graders, Elanor Matheny, unexpectedly lost her dad, Justin Matheny, last week after battling an illness for several years. He was a wonderful father and was actively involved in his kids' lives despite health conditions that made this challenging. He loved his kids dearly. They all miss him so much.

 

If you would like to support Elanor, her 16-year-old brother, Devin, and her mom, Cyndi, a Go Fund Me has been set up by the Beach School PTA. Her family would greatly appreciate it.

 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/justin-matheny-memorial

ENDS SOON - Please see the link below, for this amazing fundraising opportunity for our school! Inside the link you will find a link for the raffle. 

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRzq4bkBnoaD402BEzkIe5a5fKPbL6Mu1_a39m1ymcyqG9JPQEJHqYofy794lqxwE1iF0EVlE-mq1c5/pub

 

"Electric Island" will feature a first-of-its-kind charging station for electric commercial vehicles. Lucky raffle winners will have the opportunity to name one of the eight vehicle 

 

The raffle closes on December 20, 2020 at midnight (12 AM PST). Winners will be chosen on Monday, December 21,2020, at noon (12 PM PST) in a live online drawing via Zoom. 

 

https://DaimlerTrucks.zoom.us/j/98640885417?pwd=RldqZmJnYW9xYUtUOE4vOUlSRUhWdz09

 

100% of donations to this raffle will support the Beach Elementary School's Family Support Fund. Beach Elementary is located in the Overlook neighborhood immediately east of DTNA. This fund is unique because it directly supports families in the Beach community rather than school needs. For example, the fund has been utilized to purchase gift cards for food, clothing, and other essentials as well as provide additional gift card assistance for families during the holiday season. It has also been utilized for rental and utility assistance, to help with emergency assistance following a house fire, to purchase foldable shopping carts to help families without cars transport groceries, and to provide food delivery to grieving families and families facing medical challenges. This has been especially critical for families that are not able to access other forms of public assistance.

…

Dear Families and Caregivers,

 

It feels like a great time to celebrate even just a few of so many wonderful things happening across our school community, not only for fun, but to share about events or efforts that relate to our priorities and values -- creating connections, building trust, deepening relationships, centering humanity and culture.  Our students, staff and families are so resilient, and we appreciate all the ways our community is working together. 

 

Something to be truly admired is the positivity that beams from our Beach staff. Every week is an uphill battle to create curriculum and keep students engaged not just in the classroom, but in their everyday lives by giving them hope and optimism for the better days that are coming. 

 

Our Student Unions are leading children and adults to take a deep breath together. Students are talking together, doing research, and interacting with materials together (for example, in the Latinx Student Union, traditional activities within families such as... pinatas!  The leaders utilized another activity. A student chose a symbol from the New Mexico flag to represent and share about their identities. Then shared personal connections with her group.  

 

As a staff we are studying ways to create conditions for Native American Tribal History to become shared history. Teachers thought deeply together this week about the Essential Understandings of Native Americans in Oregon (content created by the 9 federally recognized tribes in our area within efforts to build relationships between native people and school systems) in their grade level teams, and are planning ways to bring meaningful learning and understanding to students. I am so inspired and humbled by Beach teachers’ incredible combinations of deep levels of content knowledge, spirit for learning more, and commitment to finding and utilizing engaging instructional practices for our students. I learn so much from our staff, and our students too. A little highlight there- I was amazed listening to 5th graders discuss the news about the coronavirus vaccine with each other and their teacher this week. They were asked, what are you hearing, and how are you feeling about it?  They had heard a lot (lots of it at home!) and their depth of insight and feeling was really touching. 

 

As a staff we’re striving to listen to and learn from our students.  We are interested in what they are passionate about and what they need. Ms. Ilza, our REAP partner, is on our Equity Team and took these questions to the students in her REAP class (see previous newsletter for more about REAP). It was powerful and inspiring to hear Ilza share about listening to students’ perspectives. We’re so fortunate to have Ilza and Anderson’s partnership in our school community.  And, with that I circle back to all our community and the ways we’re all striving to support, build and deepen relationships across our community. Next week a group will meet to discuss and expand planning a schoolwide “global celebration” encompassing Black History Month, Chinese New Year, Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Hispanic Heritage Month after the new year-- a way to celebrate all we have in common within meaningful, beautiful differences.  We’d love to hear your perspectives about anything!

 

Warmly, Tina, Esther and Lisa

 

…

I wanted to share a window into my work as a Reading Specialist. So, here you are.

 

A snapshot of an independent learner in 1st Grade: Last week when working with a 1st Grader, we wrote syllables on a white board. My student was connecting the first syllable we had written to possible words that started with these syllables and drawing pictures for them. I hadn’t asked him to do this, he was just motivated to do so on his own. When I asked him if he wanted to try writing out the multisyllabic, longer complete words for his drawings, he quickly went from serious and focused to playful and excited. He asked me to wait for him and ran off to find his notebook so he could keep his newly learned words in a permanent place. It is so exciting to see a student motivated by him or herself to learn something new. I am so fortunate to be in the position I am this year that I can more easily adjust to students' interest and respond to their lead. He reminds me that I need to take the time and ask all of my students, what words are important to you to learn? What words are you excited about owning as a reader?

Ms./Maestra Megan

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Free Online Books! 

Perfect and fun activity to do over the holiday break and beyond! All K-2nd grade students and students in Spanish Immersion classes have access to this free and amazing reading program. 

Have your child log into Cleaver and search for the yellow robot icon called Learning A-Z. Here you will find hundreds of free books that can be read to your child and your child can record their voice as they read. Many even have a comprehension quiz after they read and children can earn star points to build their galaxy or robot! Check out below a parent tool kit that gives you and your child tips and tricks to practice reading.

Learning A-Z Parent Tool Kit

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Parent workshop on Early Reading Skills

What: Virtual workshop is designed to help you grow our child into a stron reader. This workshop will have ideas for making reading fun with the ultimate goal of reading by 4th grade. You will receive a parent workbook to use during and after this workshop.

 

We will be offering a session in Spanish and in English. Both sessions will be recorded. 

Translation will be available in English session for Chinese, Vietnamese, & Somali families

Who: Parents with students en grades K-3

When: Friday. December 11, (English) 4:00 - 6:00 PM

           Saturday, December 12 (Spanish) 10:00 AM - 12 M

How to Register? Go to https://bit.ly/3pcYpYw 

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Nutrition Services

DECEMBER MEAL SERVICES

The Nutrition Services department will be providing extra meals each service day to help keep our students with access to food as we head into the winter break.  Each service day through December 16, we will be providing 3 days worth of meals for each child.  On Friday, December 18, we will provide each child with a food box that will contain enough food for 7 days.  We will not be serving or delivering meals on Monday, Dec 21 through Friday, January 1.  Meal services will resume Monday, January 4. 

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Dear Beach Parents and Caregivers,

 

Thank you for your partnership during conferences the past few weeks, and for the resulting improvements for all our Beach students!  Teachers have been expressing so much appreciation for the opportunity to hear from you, and for your help knowing the best ways to support each child.  Several teachers were describing things parents thought teachers understood but teachers didn’t yet, and things they thought parents knew but parents actually didn’t yet. The result for children when teachers and parents are on the same page is always better for their learning (even though it usually means more effort required from them!)

 

Each week when teachers meet as grade level teams they share the main learning targets (what students should understand and be able to do after any lesson) for their students with our specialist team, so specialists can weave this content into their work with students, too. Here’s a snapshot for you of what’s happening across the grades in the area of literacy:

 

Kindergarten: Becoming a community as a reader; learning the “superpower” of pointing at words as you read and connecting images to words from the book

1st grade: Informational text and “how to” writing

2nd grade: Non-Fiction reading and writing, phonics assessment

3rd grade: Sharing a personal story that can turn into a personal narrative 

4th grade: character’s identity

5th grade:  Informational Texts for reading (comprehension focus) and writing (report writing); learning to take notes from videos of read alouds of informational texts

 

As a whole staff we have been reflecting about race and racism in our school community. We are working to know what we can dismantle and interrupt in our school systems as well as what we can own personally, and to grow our practices around personal reflection. We’re striving to hear and consider multiple perspectives, to speak and listen to each other about our perspectives and experiences honestly and with humility. And, to center each and every one of your beautiful children, who we love and who we can’t wait to listen to, support and hug in person.  But in the meantime, we’re listening, supporting, and sharing our care in this new digital reality… please let us know if there is something we can do better for you or yours.

 

I also wanted to share a resource that might be helpful to you: one of our district teams is creating a series of short, concise resources to support families called 'At-Home Strategies for Distance Learning'.  New tools are added regularly; by clicking the above link you’ll find tools for: Noticing My Emotions. Emotions Check-Ins, Emotion Labeling. Empowering Choice, Break Options. Visual Schedule, Alternative Seating. Calm Spaces.  Also, I hope you’re utilizing our amazing School Counselor Ms. de Boer’s website for her weekly message and mindfulness exercise, links to our student unions (children are welcome to join in with a student union at any time; simply click the relevant link) and other resources.

 

Take good care of yourselves.

Lisa

Hello Everyone!!

 

I hope you are all doing well!!! I am excited to share that Virtual Chess for Success is here!!!! It will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30p-4:30p with our awesome new coach, Honni Brown! Woohoo!!! 

 

Here is an introduction to our community from Coach Honni:

 

Hi everyone! My name is Honni and I am so excited to start chess for success at Beach. This is my second year teaching chess, my first time over the internet. I’ve only been playing chess for about a year and half. I’m proof anyone at any age can learn and love it! I fell in love with the game and how it challenges my mind. I play almost everyday. I can’t wait to become part of the Beach family. 

 

Beach rocks! Please see this flyer. The first step in signing up is the online permission slip at: Chess for Success Virtual Permission Slip or in Spanish at: Ajedrez para el Éxito Hoja de Permiso Virtual

-Honni B 

 

Missing Wooden Earring found in Beach parking lot. Please reach out to the front office if you recognize it. 

Dear Families and Caregivers,

 

A land acknowledgement is a way to recognize the people that came before you, to consider how you came to reside on that land, and to consider the historical context of where we all are now.

 

When I first started thinking about doing a Land Acknowledgement with my class, my concern was that it might not feel authentic and I didn’t want to create more misconceptions or for it to feel forced. My colleague, Mika Hilbers, showed me how important it is to just try it and then work with your class to make meaning of it together. I shared a Land Acknowledgement that I found  from the University of Portland with my 2nd grade class, and then we worked together to understand it and make it our own. Each afternoon, we say our land acknowledgement to honor Native people that came before us. 

 

I asked my students to share why they think a land acknowledgement is important and here is what they said:

 

-You have to be respectful to people and the land.

-We have to care for the land, because if we don’t, there won’t be anywhere to live.

-Native people rightfully cared for this land and without them we would have to be somewhere else instead of this wonderful city that we live in. 

- When we think of this land we feel thankful for having a house and everything but we should actually be thankful to the people who were here first, not the people who think they “DISCOVERED” this land.

-If no one cared for this land it wouldn’t be as beautiful as it is now. 

-Once you read a land acknowledgment, it’s good to realize it’s meaning and really get to know what it means so that you pay more attention to the message.

-All of us need to be thankful and keep caring for this land and honoring it- that is important. 

-We can care for the world the way tribes before us and now care for it.

 

Here is a great resource if you would like to know more:

https://nativegov.org/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment/

 

Sincerely,

Anna Davila Marquez

 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nc1Y-zGUT7XSWKzvIgyC1mI7ZVtStdExjoQ9zDBEvhw/edit#slide=id.ga99ac1be9d_0_0

 

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Happy Fall Beach Families!!!

I hope you have all been doing well and have been staying safe, healthy and sane during this time! Please know that the Beach Family Support Form is still available and will remain open for families to fill out requests for support when you need! If you foresee you and your family needing additional support over the Holidays, you can also request Holiday support through this form as well as FredMeyer gift cards to help with your families needs. Please allow 3-5 business days for your gift card to arrive via USPS. This form also has a self service portal with information on SEI's Short Term Rental Assistance with a link to schedule your own appointment directly as well as SEI's Energy Assistance Hotline number. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly at moniquesh@selfenhancement.org Have a great day!!!

You can fill out the Beach Family Support Form at: https://forms.gle/iQvx3oPpzfvYXh2t6

Best,

Ms. Mo

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Dear Beachies,

Today, November 20th, is Transgender Day of Remembrance. Today we hold in our hearts the many transgender lives that have been lost this year, and every other year.More transgender people have been murdered in the first 7 months of 2020 than were lost during the entirety of last year. And it is important for us all to remember that Black, Indigenous and Latinx transgender women face higher rates of violence than other trans people, or cisgender Black and Indigenous people. 

Today is a day of mourning, and also a day to look to justice. 

I am so grateful to be a part of the Beach community as we all work towards safer and more just communities. 

In love and solidarity,

Rhys Hills, school social worker

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

 

Beach Parents and Caregivers, we hope you will join us for Topic Talk next week on either conference day!  Several of our Beach staff and community partners would love to connect with and hear from you at either of two (virtual) Listening Sessions for  families ~ one on Monday evening and one on Tuesday afternoon. Spanish speaking staff will break out to meet with any Spanish speaking families who attend.  Ms. Mo (SUN), Ms. Ilza (REAP), Ms. de Boer (school counselor), Mr. Rhys (social worker), Ms. Tina (principal's secretary), Ms. Romero (school secretary), Ms. Megan (reading specialist) and I will be present in some combination at both meetings; we'll introduce ourselves and share a thought with you, then invite you to introduce yourselves and share any thoughts or questions.  We'll take notes as we listen, then we'll all talk and connect on those topics.

Please simply click the date below to join the Topic Talk. 

 

•  11/23 from 6-7pm (11/23 Topic Talk Link)

• 11/24 from 2-pm  (11/24 Topic Talk Link)

 

 

I hope your child’s conference will be a time for you to pause and reflect on something to celebrate, no matter how small!  There is a lot of hard work going on in your homes, and it’s a great time to pause and look at the growth that’s been made.  If things really aren’t working for your student yet, we want to know if there is a way to create something they’d want to come to.  All teacher’s links for conference sign-ups are located on our website. Parent Teacher Conference Sign up Link.

Thank you for all you do, and hope to connect with you at a Topic Talk/Listening Session next week.

Warmly,

Lisa

 

Mark your calendars for another Beach restaurant night!

 

When: Thursday, December 3rd (4PM-close)

Where: Atlas Pizza at 710 N. Killingsworth (503.232.3004)

 

Atlas Pizza on Killingsworth has generously offered to donate 20% of all sales from 4PM-close on Thursday, December 3 to the Beach Elementary community.

Call and order for delivery or take out.

 

Help spread the word~ more pizza, more money!!

 

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Free COVID tests are offered to families who believe that they were in close contact with someone who had symptoms or tested positive for COVID. We are including both Spanish and English flyers below.

 

Testing Flyer (Spanish)

Testing Flyer (English)

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Beach Families, 

This is a message from Katrina de Boer, Beach's school counselor. I want to let you all know that I am available to meet with families next week during conferences. I am happy to support concerns related to your child's health and well-being or school challenges as well as answer questions related to 504 plans, middle school choice, and other areas of concern. Feel free to call or text me at 503-908-9890.

 

Please also reach out if your family would benefit from a gift card to Fred Meyer over the extended times away from school in November and December. This includes families that would like support related to holiday giving for their children. Gift card requests can also be made from my school counseling website. If you would like to donate to the Beach Family Support Fund you can do that from my website as well.

 

Beach Family Support Fund -- https://bit.ly/2UJj34i 

Fondo de Apoyo Familiar para la Beach -- https://bit.ly/397LeCJ

 

 

Dear Families and Caregivers, 

Thank you to you and your children for all of your effort and engagement in distance learning!  It is such a joy to see children’s faces, or even their little icon when their cameras are off, as I join classes. I am so appreciative of the way our teachers are working together to design processes and content that will be meaningful and effective for children.  Please let teachers, or any of our staff, know what is working and what you wonder or need. 

Parent-teacher conferences are coming up November 23 and 24. Please check Remind or your email for an invitation to sign up through SignUpGenius that arrived this week (or in some cases, last week). Or sign up with this link through the Beach website Parent Teacher Conference Sign up Link.  During conferences, we really want to hear and learn from you!  We also have ideas and progress information to share with you. We are eager to learn strategies from you or develop them with you. We so appreciate your partnership. Please think ahead about what is going well, what your main hope or goal is for your child, and what you need from us. 

 

On that same note, our office staff and several other staff and community partners will hold two (virtual) Topic Talk/Listening Sessions for  families ~ one evening and one afternoon. We hope you will join us for either that works best for you!  Spanish speaking staff will break out to meet with any Spanish speaking families who attend. Please simply click the date below to join the Topic Talk. 

 

Monday, November. 23, 6-7 pm  

Tuesday, November. 24, 2-3 pm

Schools can find their immunization reports for Spring 2020 on the PPS Health Services page under Immunizations: Student Success and Health / 2019-20 Immunization Rates. We will update again in Spring 2021. It’s important that your school makes this information available either by sharing a link on your school webpage or sending this information with the link out to parents.

Have you heard about the Beach PenPal Program?  Ms. Mo is organizing this opportunity for any family to sign their student up to send letters back and forth with a Beach Buddy. This is such a great opportunity for students to connect with other students either within or across classes, grade levels, or programs. And, to practice communication and letter writing skills (drawing, too!) at the same time. We hope your child will join the fun!  Rules: Once you fill out this form, please wait 3-5 business days to receive your Pen Pal Supply Pack with everything your student will need to write and send letters to their Buddy! Please send at least 1 letter per month. If you have questions, email- moniquesh@selfenhancement.org

Sign your student up at: https://forms.gle/RbBokyDue31CR1ZV8

 

 Here is some information from our school librarian Ms. Hughes:

 You can provide input about the books that you receive in your bag by filling out this Google Form:

English

Español

 The Online Scholastic Book Fair has begun! It runs through 11/24. Proceeds benefit the Beach Library, there is free shipping on orders over $25, and all items ship directly to you! Check out the Book Fair Homepage for more information or Shop the Store directly.

 

 ParentVUE Online Yearly Verification Reports

update Online Yearly Verification Reports. Actualize la informacion de su Estudiante   ParentVUE Yearly Verification 

Dear Parent/Caregiver,  Each year parents and/or guardians are asked to review and update the information on file for their children (students). This information can be reviewed,   edited and submitted online via PPS ParentVUE. The Yearly Verification form is an Online process.  We have a report that shows families who already Finished the Process, Started the Process, Changes Pending,  Accepted and  Not Started. Please visit the links above to to update your student/family information.