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Principal's Newsletter November 11, 2020
11/12/2020Principal’s Newsletter
November 12, 2020
Dear Maplewood Families,
I hope everyone had a nice Veteran’s Day! We had a beautiful fall day. It was a great day to be out and honor our Veteran’s. Along with honoring our veterans, November is a time to think about all for which we are grateful. This has been a long, hard year. I hope all of you can think of people, times or events for which you are grateful. Even though my boys are now young adults, we still find ways to show gratitude to others.
At school, we have been busy scheduling and preparing for conferences. If you have not signed up for a conference with your child’s teacher, please contact them for a time. Conferences will be the week of the 23rd. As usual, we will have no school that week.
As we move into colder weather I hope families are staying healthy. Take good care!
Childcare Options - Spaces and Funding Still Available
Portland Public School has partnered with providers to offer child care sites that follow best health and safety practices and can support your student with comprehensive distance learning. You may qualify for financial assistance. For help finding affordable childcare, you can call or text 211, find information about PPS providers here, or email our school social worker (Avy Harris, rharris@pps.net) to discuss options.
Wilson Renaming:
Wilson cluster schools are inviting teachers and students to complete the name change form, if interested. I've enclosed a link to the renaming website, which contains all pertinent information. We are accepting responses through 11/30; the ideal timeframe for the message would be on or before Friday November 13.
Talented and Gifted (TAG):
The process for identification is completely online now. Postcards are being mailed out to families of students who may qualify based on last Winter's MAP assessment (while we were in the building). Testing for newly nominated students will happen in the spring, and details of how the testing will be done are still in the works. For new nominations, talk with your child's current teacher now, or at conferences to ask their perspective.
If you want to proceed with nominating your child, please contact Maplewood's TAG Facilitator, Christy Caton at ccaton@pps.net. She will send you a Google form to complete. The deadline for submitting a request for testing during the 20-21 school year is December 4, 2020.
Stress Busters Group, 3rd-5th graders
Mondays 12:30-1, beginning Nov. 30
If you have a 3-5th grader who struggles managing stress or anxiety, we would love to have them join our group! This 7-week series will focus on building community and friends while also identifying stress and anxiety, and finding individualized strategies to manage it in healthy ways. Please email school social worker, Avy Harris (rharris@pps.net), to sign up or for more details.
Avy Harris (she/her/hers)
School Social Worker
Maplewood and Capitol Hill Elementary Schools
(503)-729-0634
Maplewood Elementary: Student Support Request Form
ParentVUE:
Synergy is currently experiencing technical difficulties with the ParentVUE Mobile App. Parents completing the Yearly Verification process will get an error when they click on Begin Yearly Verification using the mobile app. This has been reported to the vendor with no ETA on a fix. Current workaround is to have parents complete Yearly Verification on a desktop or laptop computer or using the web link parentvue.pps.net on their phone browser instead of the app. Contact support@pps.net for further assistance.
PTA Fundraiser:
Get a family photo, support a local mama and support our PTA! Rebecca Hicks of Rebecca Hicks Photography is donating 50% of the proceeds from all photo sessions of Maplewood families back to PTA through Dec. 23rd! Check out the attached flyer for more details and go to her website or FB page and schedule your portrait session just in the for the holidays!
www.RebeccaHicksPDXPhotography.com
Foundation Update:
Thank you to everyone that came out to Mod Pizza last week! We appreciate your support.
Upcoming Events:
Are you wondering what to do with your children during Thanksgiving break? We have some fun activities in the planning phase for Thanksgiving week - stay tuned!
Sneak peak: our very own Ms. Amy has a cooking class to share!! She has a shopping list and a video on how to prepare her school favorite side dish: roasted potatoes!
*** Details coming soon! *****
Auction Planning:
We are getting ready to begin the planning phase for the virtual auction this spring. If you have a vacation rental, skill, or item to donate - we would love your support! If you are interested in helping us plan - we would love your participation! Email us at maplewoodfoundation@gmail.com
Thank you for your support,
The Maplewood Foundation Team
Book pick-up dates:
11/18 (WEDNESDAY), 7:15-9 & 3-5:30 Families M-Z
*11/24 (TUESDAY), 7:15-9 & 3-5:30 Families Families A-L (not 11/25, building closed)
Upcoming events/dates:
Nov. 14 Diwali
Nov. 17 PTA Meeting 6:30pm
Nov. 23-24 Conferences
Nov. 25 No School
Nov. 26 Thanksgiving
Nov. 27 No School