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PPS Pulse, Feb. 21, 2018
2/21/2018In this week's PPS Pulse: Ockley Green 7th-grader designs festival poster; Jefferson wins PIL in boys hoops
PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS | FEBRUARY 21, 2018 Español | Tiếng Việt | 中文 | Русский | Soomaali How to get school info when bad weather hits
If anyone thought we were free and clear of inclement weather for the 2017-18 school year, this week served as a reminder that Mother Nature keeps her own schedule. The week’s weather, which caused PPS to dismiss students two hours early Tuesday and cancel everything Wednesday, reminds us that staying informed is vital.
We have multiple ways that families can get the information they need, including any updates for Thursday made after this edition was sent out. Please see our story from December, when this kind of weather seemed a little more plausible.
Sports update: Jefferson beats Grant to clinch another PIL boys basketball title
The game was close again, but the Jefferson boys basketball team wrapped up a Portland Interscholastic League title, this time with a 72-68 victory over Grant at a packed Jefferson High School gym on Friday.
The victory was the Democrats’ 31st in a row in PIL play and clinched their fourth consecutive PIL title since the league was reunited as a Class 6A league in 2014-15 (Jefferson shared the 2015-16 title with Franklin).
Jefferson beat Grant for the third time this season, all in close games that came down to the final moments. Friday’s saw Grant use a 10-1 fourth-quarter run to tie the game 68-68 on Ty Rankin’s 3-point shot with 1:24 remaining.
Superintendent Guerrero, PPS Alum J.T. Flowers hold wide-ranging City Club discussion
PPS Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero answered questions from moderator J.T. Flowers, a Rhodes Scholar and former Lincoln High School student, on what he’s learned in his four months on the job, how he plans to tackle longstanding issues, and his vision for what the district can become. Guerrero opened the presentation with a speech covering his trajectory from English Language Learner at schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and Central Valley to obtaining two Harvard degrees and leading Oregon’s largest school district.
Guerrero discussed his commitment to implementing educational systems at PPS that identify students from their first days in classrooms who need supports to ensure they graduate ready for higher education and a career.
“We have to look for that spark,” he said. And that needs to begin early if more students are to succeed and graduate.
My Voice: Malcolm Asher of Cleveland
Malcolm Asher of Cleveland High School is a state honoree of the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, nationwide program that recognizes students for outstanding volunteer service. Malcolm founded ArtPass, a nonprofit organization that helps hospitalized kids on four continents make and share art to alleviate the fear and anxiety they often experience in the hospital. The junior shares what inspired him.
Board report: Alameda boundary change rescinded
The Portland Public Schools Board of Education held a meeting on Feb. 13 at the district office. Among the agenda items:
• By a 7-0 vote, the Board passed Resolution 5571, which rescinded a boundary change that would have moved a few students from Alameda Elementary School to Rose City Park, which will become an elementary school in 2018-19. The boundary was changed as part of the moves to turn Roseway Heights into a middle school next school year.
• The Board’s Enrollment and Forecasting Committee unanimously recommended rescinding the change as it would have affected a small number of students, and Rose City Park is projected to have full enrollment when it opens.
Odyssey students learn from ‘George and Martha Washington’
George and Martha Washington recently made an appearance at the Odyssey Guild Fair. Well actually they were students taking part in a living history lesson that includes a rigorous academic study that immerses students in colonial life. The students join a guild, and with the guild master, create wares that are purchased by parents and the community. It’s all part of the program at Odyssey, a focus option school that teaches through a lens of history.
News and Notes
UPCOMING EVENTS
February
Black History MonthFriday, February 23
International Youth Leadership Conference (IYLC)
@ PSUTuesday, February 27
MLC Info Night
ACT for HS JuniorsWednesday, February 28
CANCELED Roseway Heights MS Community MeetingOckley Green student designs winning poster for PDX Jazz Festival
The artwork of Edith Crever, a seventh-grader at Ockley Green Middle School, will serve as the poster for the PDX Jazz Festival after she won a design contest.
Edith’s design was chosen from 240 semifinalists who created 12-inch-square art meant to be album covers. Those pieces were displayed Feb. 13 at the Portland Art Museum and were evaluated by 150 invited judges, who were asked to pick a top five.
Edith’s work was turned into a commemorative poster distributed to PDX Jazz members who meet a minimum contribution level. The PDX Jazz Festival runs Feb. 15-25.
Cesar Chavez Elementary holds Read-in as part of Black History Month
As part of its Black History Month Celebration, Cesar Chavez Elementary School held an African-American Read-In, Feb. 15. Nearly 200 people. including community leaders and Portland Public Schools administrators, came to the school to read to students from books either written by black authors or about African-American heroes.
Most likely to succeed: Heidi Durrow, Jefferson High School, 1987
Durrow is an attorney, social justice proponent, award-winning podcast hostess of “Mixed Chicks Chat,” life skills coach for NBA and NFL players and the author of “The Girl Who Fell From the Sky,” for which she won the 2008 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. In 2010, she was named a Power 100 leader by Ebony Magazine.
We want your ideas
Please feel free to submit story suggestions, links to the best stories on your school web site or newsletter, photos, videos and other items you think would have district wide interest. Email story ideas, images and documents to: ltrapp@pps.net.
PULSE Contacts
Coordinator
Lindsay Trapp
ltrapp@pps.netEditor
Mike Tokito
mtokito@pps.netStaff writer
Pamela Jordan
pjordan1@pps.netDesigner
Louise Tollisen
ltollisen@pps.netCalendar
Rosie Fiallo
rfiallo@pps.netThe District is committed to equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in all its educational and employment activities. The District prohibits discrimination based on race; national or ethnic origin; color; sex; religion; age; sexual orientation; gender expression or identity; pregnancy; marital status; familial status; economic status or source of income; mental or physical disability or perceived disability; or military service.
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