Arleta K-5

Dear Arleta Families and Guardians,

I hope you are all doing as well as possible during this unsettling time. We miss your children! Hopefully we will all be back together at school soon.

November is National Native American Heritage Month, making November an opportunity to celebrate our Native students, and highlighting the importance of always celebrating our Native students! One of our staff’s goals is to learn what specific ways Arleta Native families think the heritage month could be celebrated, and also, how Native culture and celebrations could be brought forward and elevated throughout the year. The goal of learning from the expertise and richness within our own community actually originated last month during Latiné/Hispanic Heritage Month. For Native American Heritage Month and also for Latiné/Hispanic Heritage Months, Black History Month, and the other upcoming Heritage Months, we’d love to hear the voices and perspectives of our families in hopes to create ways to celebrate that feel honoring to your family and culture, whether a space, an event or anything that feels meaningful.

I hope that even within the various challenges and however long or short the strike ends up, you can find even just a little bit of time to walk or play outside with your children, or to play and talk in new, fun ways. I know in today’s world creating that kind of space (space without screens!) can be difficult. Even a very few minutes of unstructured play with you is very beneficial!

A few other notes or updates specific to the strike: I want to offer a heartfelt and special thank you to our paraeducators and educational assistants who are part of a different union and who are busy pivoting to new work they’ve been assigned to during the strike. Thank you to our community for all your support of our beloved Arleta teachers and staff, and simultaneously, your resilience with the many challenges and complexities many of you are undoubtedly facing.

Report cards for the first quarter will be delayed. Once school is back in session and we have more information about report cards, we will share that with you.

Ms. Candice is providing grab and go breakfast and lunch services 3 days per week, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during the strike, between 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM in our breezeway. Meals are free for all current PPS students and any children in your home ages 1 to 18 years old, and students do not need to be present to pick up the meals.

Sooner or later an agreement will be reached and we will happily be welcoming your students back to school. Until then, please know that our two administrative assistants, Ms. René Viloria and Ms. Nicole Francois and I are here at school every day from 8am - 3pm. Please reach out if you have any questions or needs. 503.916.6330.

Warmly,

Lisa