Richmond Elementary School

I am so excited to meet you all tomorrow at the Back to School Night event. Here is some great news! We will have a staff addition starting next week starting October 6, 2022. Please welcome our new full time counselor, Madelyn Spain who will join Candor in supporting our students.  

Madelyn (Matty) Spain comes to Richmond with nearly two decades of experience working with youth and families as a counselor and educator. She has spent the last 4 years serving high school students at Pioneer School and is excited to return to where she began her journey in elementary education. During her free time, Matty loves to hike, play music, travel and spend time with family and friends. Matty and her husband have two daughters, ages 7 and 9, who attend Mandarin Immersion in Portland Public Schools. She also has a grumpy 12-year-old kitty and an energetic 4-month-old puppy. She is looking forward to meeting everyone and excited to join the Richmond Community. Welcome Madelyn!

Continuing with promoting our support staff, it is my pleasure to write about Dan Alexander, who has been our awesome Richmond head custodian for the last 15 years. Dan has kept our school clean and safe during the most difficult times such as during the COVID pandemic. I am trying to write about Dan but I believe his own words are much more powerful: “During my time at Richmond I have turned down so many promotions. I never wanted to leave our school. We have always had a great staff, and I love the fact that parents are really involved in school functions. What I love the most are the kids. I get to watch them grow and I love helping them any way I can from tying shoes to getting the ball off the roof, or opening a tough container at lunch time. I have had past students who are now in middle and high schools, even college students come up to me and call me by my name and ask me how I have been. Just to know that they remember my name makes me feel like maybe I made some kind of impression on them while they were at Richmond.” Thank you Dan!

See you tomorrow at Back to School Night!

Dr. Truong
Interim Principal

RICHMOND CALENDAR - PPS CALENDAR
Richmond Items of Note - see below areas for any event meeting links/detail
✩ 9/29 Thurs. TAG Information Session 5:30-6 PM
✩ 9/29 Thurs. Back to School Night 6-8 PM
✩ 9/29 Thurs. OHSU Test Kit Collection Day
✩ 10/1-10/14 PTA Apple & Pear Sale
✩ 10/5 Wed. PTA Equity Group Mtg 6:30-8:30 PM
✩ 10/12 Wed. International Walk + Roll Day
✩ 10/30 Sun. PTA Harvest Festival 1-4 PM

Back to School Night Thursday 9/29 6:00-8:00 PM
We are happy to be back in person for this year’s event. The evening will officially start for all Richmond families at 6:00 PM, with main doors open at 5:55. Our Richmond students (and any siblings) are welcome and encouraged to attend with you. We ask that you please stay together as a family and accompany your student throughout the evening while they are in the building.

Grade Level Presentations
The program will include a twenty minute grade level presentation in which grade teaching teams will share information about the curriculum and their teaching practices. These presentations will include all families within each grade level and will rotate through the grades starting with the youngest grades and finishing the evening with the older grades. 

Kindergarten families met earlier in the school year to learn this same information from teachers, so while they won’t have a grade level presentation, they are highly encouraged to attend, meet the teachers, visit the classrooms and learn more about the school. Each presentation is in the cafeteria and lasts 20 minutes.

6:00 pm 1st Grade 

6:25 pm 2nd Grade 

6:50 pm 3rd Grade 

7:15 pm 4th Grade 

7:40 pm 5th Grade 

Bulldog Scavenger Hunt
When families are not at their grade level presentation, they will have an opportunity to travel throughout the school completing our Bulldog Scavenger Hunt from 6-8 PM. Pick up the activity sheet when you come in the front door next to the main office. Our School Administrative Assistant, Karen, will be at the Office Table handing them out. Participation in the scavenger hunt will allow you to see all parts of our wonderful school, meet our fantastic specialist teachers, and learn more about our three Richmond family organizations (PTA, Foundation, and Oya No Kai). This will also be a time to stop by your student’s classrooms (English & Japanese) for a brief and informal greeting with teachers and so your student can show you around the space and highlight for you what they’ve been learning so far. Our teachers may have some additional information for you to take and volunteer opportunities for which you can sign up. The goal is for students to share and show-off their school experience with their families.

We do hope that this Back to School Night format supports the busy and complex lives of our families while offering a clear picture of the total student experience at Richmond!

TAG Talk Richmond's Family TAG Night will be held at 5:30 pm this Thursday, September 29th before Back to School Night starts at 6 pm (main doors will open at 5:25 PM for attendees). All families are welcome to join this general informational session from the PPS Talented and Gifted Department.

Additionally, this year the PPS TAG Department is available live online to families on the following dates: NEW!  Parent/Guardian Office Hours with the TAG Department
Ask questions and receive information related to TAG identification, services, processes, etc.
We will meet on Zoom, 6:00-7:00 PM on 9/28/22, 10/26/22, 11/30/22, 1/25/23, 2/22/23, 3/22/23, 4/26/23, and 5/31/23. 
Our first meeting will be Wednesday, September 28 6:00-7:00 PM
Zoom link for Parent/Guardian Office Hours with the TAG Department
We look forward to seeing you!

PK-12 OHSU SCREENING PROGRAM UPDATE - COLLECTION AT RICHMOND STARTS THURSDAY, 9/29 (NEXT WEEK)
PPS is partnering with OHSU again this year to offer free weekly COVID-19 testing for students. Participation in this program is completely optional, but encouraged, and is offered regardless of vaccination status. Participating students will drop off spit samples in pre-labeled tubes at school on their designated day each week, whether they have symptoms or not. Schools will begin collecting spit samples starting September 27th-29th.

What’s new?

• Registration: Beginning today Parents/Guardians can start enrolling their students through OHSU’s NEW Online Portal. If you are unable to enroll for any reason, please call OHSU support at (503) 418-8500.​
• Test Tubes: New, pre-labeled test tubes with a scannable barcode will be mailed directly to your mailing address and should arrive within a week of enrollment. Test kits from last year cannot be used, so please throw them away.
• Spit Samples: Spit tests can be collected either the night before or the morning of their school’s testing day. Please use this spreadsheet to know what day to drop off your student’s spit sample.
• Test Results: When the test results are available, you will receive an email telling you to log into the online portal www.labfinder.com/ohsu to view the results.
• Additional drop-off locations: If you miss your weekly testing day, OHSU has added 3 drop-off sites around the Portland metro area.
• Doernbecher Child Development Rehabilitation Center - 707 S Gaines Street, Portland, OR 97239
• Primary Care Clinic at Gabriel Park - 4411 S Vermont Street, Portland, OR 97219
• Richmond Family Health Center - 3930 SE Division Street, Portland, OR 97202

For more information about OHSU's K-12 Screening Program, visit their website at http://www.ohsu.edu/k12testing or contact the OHSU support team at k12covidtesting@ohsu.edu​ or (503) 418-8500​.

REPEAT! ATTENDANCE  ParentVue - new this year! Using your device, you can now report your student’s absence through your ParentVue account. Directions are outlined on this linked document.   

This is one of 3 ways you can submit attendance.  The other two are:

1. Call the attendance line at 503-916-6220, X66148
2. Email Kirstin at kbill@pps.net

REPEAT! AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES After school activities are back!  Please make sure your student's dismissal plan is updated with accurate information.  Please see the PTA section below for a linked list of on site activities and off site programs that are currently being offered.  

REPEAT! IMPORTANT REMINDER- YEARLY VERIFICATIONS!  1G-5G Families -
THANK YOU to those families who have submitted their student’s yearly verification in ParentVue.  We are still missing many and will send an email reminder to families who have not completed it yet.  This is an annual ask so that you can review the information Richmond has on file for your family and student and update information as needed.  FOR EXAMPLE, if you moved over the summer, you will want to update your address.  

HELPFUL LINKS
Want to Volunteer?
School Webpage HERE
Helpful Qwik Links Doc! Something not working or needs clarification, please let our office team know! 
School Supplies SchoolPay link ($30/student suggested donation - we shop for you : )
Online Student Verification/Registration through ParentVue
DISMISSAL Plan Changes
School Cafe (Online payment for school meals)
Free and Reduced Price Meals
Self-Screen at Home Every Day - Families pls notify school of Student Positive Case asap
https://getvaccinated.oregon.gov/
PPS Covid Dashboard

Foundation　ファウンデーション

Volunteers for Run 4 Richmond Needed!
Ready your runners, the Run 4 Richmond Fall Fundraiser is on Friday October 21st! Foundation is putting out the call for volunteers to help make this event seamless and exciting for all. We’ll need: help with communications before the event (social media copy / posters / light computer work), and PPS approved volunteers for the day of the event. Please reach out to us at rsf.pdx@gmail.com to get involved and join our team! Get ahead of the fundraising curve by setting up recurring donations HERE any time & check out our website for more Foundation information https://www.richmondschoolfoundation.org/.

Thank you for your support - Together we can do it! Issho Ni Ganbarrou!

PTA

Bulldog Gear Sale
It’s time for our Fall Bulldog Gear sale - a great opportunity for you and your family to show your school spirit! We have both youth and adult sizes in a variety of styles of shirts, hoodies, and bags for sale here starting October 1st! You can place your orders until Friday, October 14th for pickup at the Harvest Festival on October 30th.

Apple & Pear Sale starts soon! 
Sat. 10/1 - Friday 10/14
Please consider buying seasonal  apples and pears to support our Richmond PTA and Kiyokawa Family Orchards - a local third-generation Japanese farming family.  Online ordering begins this Sat. Oct. 1st at our PTA store, and pick-up will be on Friday, Oct. 28th at Richmond once again!  Descriptions of varieties here.  Please share this opportunity with family and friends, and email  cielle.swatland@gmail.com with any questions. 

Save The Date for the Harvest Festival + Help Make It Phenomenal
The Richmond PTA is thrilled to invite your family to our annual Harvest Festival happening on Sunday, October 30 at 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the Richmond School Grounds. We are looking for at least 25 families/groups to contribute and organize festive stations that kids can visit for treats and/or games and crafts. We strongly encourage teaming up with other families and friends for more hands, lighter work and time to actually spend with your kids! To participate, please sign up here! 

International Walk + Roll to School Day : Wednesday, October 12th
Walk, bike, or scoot to school! Or just park your car a couple of blocks further away from school than normal and get the extra steps. Everyone can participate to support active transportation in our community. 

Rich Coffee
Monday, Wednesday & Fridays 8:00 - 8:30am grab a cup of coffee after drop off.
Find Rich Coffee outside in the West Breezeway - just south of the Cafeteria in front of the school. $2 - 2.50 per cup for coffee/tea/cocoa.

We are looking for more volunteers to brew and sip with us.

Oya No Kai　おやのかい

Interns available for Japanese tutoring 
If your student needs help in Japanese, you can request one-on-one tutoring with one of our 18 interns. Tutoring is $10 for 30 minutes for elementary students and $20 for an hour for older students. Please email the interns directly to request tutoring.

If the interns for your student’s grade level don’t have any openings, you can ask interns from other grade levels. For instance, Manao Takamatsu (8th grade intern, mtakamatsu@pps.net) doesn’t have any tutoring students yet, and she is eager to perform that role. 

Kirine Nishiya sensei (kindergarten), knishiya@pps.net
Airi Uemoto sensei (kindergarten), auemoto@pps.net
Nonoka Kuroda sensei (1st grade), nkuroda@pps.net
Akiho Maeda sensei (1st grade), amaeda@pps.net
Taeka Abe sensei (2nd grade), tabe@pps.net
Ayano Abe sensei (2nd grade), aabe@pps.net
Arisa Matsuki sensei (3rd grade), amatsuki@pps.net
Mirei Nakano sensei (3rd grade), mnakano@pps.net
Mai Noda sensei (4th grade), manoda@pps.net
Kaori Oura sensei (4th grade), koura@pps.net
Takeru Matsumura sensei (5th grade), tmatsumura@pps.net
Mai Watanabe (5th grade), mawatanabe@pps.net
Nene Miyamoto sensei (6th grade), nmiyamoto@pps.net
Ron / Ryunosuke Kobayashi (7th + 8th grade), rkobayashi@pps.net
Ryotaro Miyazaki sensei (7th + 8th grade), rmiyazaki@pps.net
Manao Takamatsu sensei (8th grade), mtakamatsu@pps.net
Aya Goya sensei (Grant) agoya@pps.net
Kyoka Usami sensei (Grant) kusami@pps.net

Time is running short! Enter the Oya No Kai Art Search! 
Oya No Kai invites you to submit your artwork to our first ever Art Search! The winning design will be showcased on all of Oya No Kai's 2023 apparel, juice glasses, totes and stickers.
Winner: Receives a swag bag full of gear featuring your artwork and recognition at every opportunity. You'll build your portfolio while contributing to a good cause! 
Themes: Togetherness, metamorphosis, community, coming back stronger 
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2
Submission details: oyanokai.org/artwork  
Questions: Email artwork@oyanokai.org. We can help!

Reminder: Sign up for the Oya No Kai Directory
The best way to stay informed about Oya No Kai’s cultural exchanges and other programs is to join the directory and become a member! Because of PPS privacy policies, the directory is the only way we can communicate directly with you. It also gives you access to JDLI family contact information for grades K-12. If you have registered for the directory in the past, please log in to update your info. 

Follow Oya No Kai on Facebook and Instagram
Oya No Kai, which means “Parent Group” in Japanese, serves the children, families, and staff of the entire K-12 Japanese Dual-Language Immersion (JDLI) Program at Richmond, Mt. Tabor and Grant. You can find us at oyanokai.org, on Facebook and on Instagram. If you have any questions, please email us at info@oyanokai.org. 

Help Oya No Kai sell Scrip! 
We are looking for volunteers to help sell Oya No Kai Scrip 1-2 days a week before or after school at Richmond. The schedule is flexible depending on your availability, but typically we would like you to be there from 7:45-8:30 a.m. or 2-2:45 p.m. on the day of your choice. If you’re interested, please fill out this ONK volunteer clipboard. 

What is Scrip? It’s a super easy fundraiser. You buy gift cards from Oya No Kai for local or national merchants for your everyday purchases like groceries, coffee, books, movie tickets, and restaurants, and Oya No Kai receives 4% to 15% percent of your purchase – at no cost to you! Learn more and order online. If you have questions, please email scrip@oyanokai.org. 

Are you interested in volunteering with Oya No Kai? 
Fill out this volunteer clipboard to tell us who you are and what you’re interested in doing. Thank you!