Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – August 26, 2022

Greetings Sellwood Community,

Next week begins the first week of school and we are very much looking forward to meeting 6^th-graders and new students for the first time, and seeing 7^th and 8^th-graders once again.

Staff and teachers having been working hard to get the school and the educational program ready for students!  We are looking forward to a year of learning, celebration and joy.

Last week, I sent a communication with a lot of details about the start of school.  I have kept that information in the lower portion of this newsletter, for those who may have missed it, or who may need to refer to it.

Also, I wanted to again share our 2022-23 Family & Student Handbook.

Cheers to a wonderful school year!

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

PTA NEWS

We are excited to start a new school year and support our students and SMS community!  We need your help!  

Please join the PTA via this link. 

https://www.schoolpay.com/link/sellwoodpta

What does the PTA do?  Our main goal is to support and help serve the needs of the students and staff of SMS.  Our fundraising dollars goes to support electives, teacher classrooms and community events.  We will highlight throughout the year how PTA dollars have helped our students.

The PTA will be using Konstella again this year.  This is a great app where you can find the school directory, calendar of events and volunteer opportunities.  Please use this link to join Konstella. https://www.konstella.com/schoolSignup.html?usg=3jNaf%2FCTgS4mjLXOTz3OYg%3D%3D&tst=1631761827066&prm=code&code=IHQLGN

On August 30^th, the first day of school for 6^th-graders, the PTA and the Sellwood Foundation will have a welcome table with coffee and snacks at about 9AM.  6^th-grade families can find out more about how to get involved with the PTA and Foundation.

We look forward to connecting!

PTA Board 2022-2023 

Karen Hansen; President

Erin Black-Mitchell; Vice-President

Mindy Parker; Treasurer

Melisa Pierson; Secretary

Liz Super, Katka Howard, Megan Perkins, Micah Chu, 

Tasha Bartley, Phoebe Maloney; Members-at-Large

WHERE TO GO WHEN YOU GET TO SCHOOL

Parent Drop offs

Please drop students off on SE Umatilla, SE 16^th Avenue, or SE Sherrett (green).  Please do not drop students off on SE 15^th Avenue, which is reserved for buses (red).

August 30^th

6^th-grade only

6th-graders will meet in the courtyard to get their schedules and get ready for “Jump Start” orientation.

To bring:

• Water bottle
• Lunch, if not purchasing lunch from the cafeteria.
• 6^th-graders do not need to bring any school supplies whatsoever to orientation.

August 31^st

6^th graders will go directly to their classes.

7^th-graders will go to the courtyard to get a fresh schedule print out.

8^th-graders will go to the field to get a fresh schedule print out.

To bring:

• Water bottle
• Lunch, if not purchasing lunch from the cafeteria.
• School supplies but no Chromebooks needed for the first few days.

September 1^st and after

General Building entry

Students will use one of 4 entrances based on how they came to school: by bus, drop-off, walking, biking, or skating.  Please refer to the everyday map below.

FROM PPS TRANSPORTATION

Hello PPS Families,

Bus stop and route information are now live. Stops are listed by school on the PPS.net/bus website. Click on your school to open a file that contains a document associated with each route, the document name includes the route number, a three letter school code, whether the route is in the morning or afternoon (AM or PM) and the effective date of any changes associated with the route. 

For example, 209BMT-AM-Effective-083022, is the document name associated with the AM portion of route 209 servicing Beaumont, the stops will all come into effect on 08/30/22.

Please contact Student Transportation at (503) 916-6901 if you need assistance.

Thank you,

Teri Brady 

Director of Student Transportation

CHROMEBOOKS

Chromebooks will be distributed over the first and second week of school.  Students who have kept their Chromebooks over the summer do not need to bring their Chromebooks to school for the first few days, unless they are broken.  If your Chromebook is broken please bring it to the office on your first day of school.

SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST 2022-23

August 30^th

6^th-GRADERS FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

6^th-graders will have a special “jump-start” orientation on August 30^th.  The “jump start” will be led by a team of friendly 8^th-grade students called Web Leaders.  WEB = Where Everyone Belongs.  6^th-graders will learn how to: find their way around the school, open their lockers, and follow their schedules.  They will also meet their teachers, office and support staff, and learn about Sellwood’s policies, procedures, and ways of doing things.  Of course, they will have a chance to see old friends from elementary school, and also make new friends!

AUGUST 31^st

7^th-8^th GRADERS FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (All students attend)

Although August 31^st is a Wednesday, it will be a regular bell schedule day, with no advisory period.  Re-orientation to Sellwood will be built into each period of the day.  Welcome back!

HOW TO CHECK YOUR SCHEDULE ON STUDENTVUE

Please review the student created presentation demonstrating how students can check their own schedules in StudentVue.

PPS 2022-23 COMMUNICABLE DISEASE PROTOCOL

The health of our students and staff remains a priority, and we plan to follow all local and state rules for health services and communicable disease control, and implement best practices to mitigate impact on school communities. Please refer to the 2022-23 Communicable Disease Protocol for more detailed information regarding PPS’s plan and practices.

SCHOOL LUNCH

Like last year, all Sellwood students will eat lunch outside, at least for the first eight weeks, weather and air quality permitting.  If your student does not want to sit directly on the ground, I recommend they bring a small cushion or half yoga mat to sit on.  I recommend this folding camp mat, as it folds up small enough to fit in a backpack.  They come in packs of two or five and can be delivered in one day.  No students will be allowed to eat inside and all staff members will be supervising outdoors.  Please make sure that students have sufficiently warm clothing to be comfortable outdoors.

Here is a description of Sellwood’s outdoor lunch plan. 

Students bringing their own lunch will exit the courtyard doors and proceed to the field. Students eating the school lunch will line up in the cafeteria, pick up their food, and exit the cafeteria exterior doors directly to the courtyard/field. Staff members/volunteers will supervise students as they exit the building, eat lunch and take recess. Approximately 200 6th-graders have 1st lunch/recess from 11:10-11:45, and 350 7th & 8th graders will have 2nd lunch/recess from 12:10 to 12:45. Prior to 1st lunch/recess, custodial staff will check the field for dog waste and remove any found. Garbage bins will be placed outside for student use. Custodial staff will clean up as necessary between 11:45 and 12:10 as well as after 2nd lunch.

Last year, school meals were provided free of charge to all students.  While many advocates tried to extend free meals for all students for the 2022-23 school year, this was not approved by Congress.  Below you will find prices for school meals, and instructions for using School Café to purchase meals.

Students purchasing lunch in the cafeteria will need to use their six digit student ID #s for lunch and breakfast, so they will need to memorize those numbers.

2022-23 Menu Prices

Grades

Breakfast

Lunch

PK-8

$1.60

$3.00

9-12

$1.60

$3.50

Adult

$3.00

$5.50

Milk

$0.50

$0.50

SCHOOLCAFÉ

• SchoolCafé is a safe, secure online payment system that can be used to fund student and adult meal accounts with a debit or credit card. You can make one-time payments, setup autopay and low balance alerts, monitor transactions and even submit/track a free and reduced meal application for students in the household. 

SchoolCafé is:

• Easy: Staff can provide their employee ID# (or assigned PIN) or provide their name. Students provide their 6-digit student ID#.
  NOTE: Currently, SchoolCafé does not accept American Express.
• Convenient: Once the account is established, you can check balances and add funds from your computer or mobile app.
  NOTE: SchoolCafé charges a 5% fee per online transaction with a $15 minimum payment.
• Able to go where you go. The mobile app can be downloaded in:

NOTE: If you have issues with the mobile app on the iPhone, try uninstalling it and reinstalling it the following day. If that doesn't work, download Google Chrome. For additional support questions, please contact SchoolCafé at 1.855.PAY-2EAT (1.855.729.2328) or email customercare@schoolcafe.com. Hours: M-F, 6AM-6PM CST.

To enroll, go to www.schoolcafe.com/pps or download the SchoolCafé mobile app. 

BELL SCHEDULE 2022-23

All PPS Middle Schools start at 9:15 and end at 3:45. Please follow the link to access Sellwood’s bell schedule for 2022-23.

CELL PHONE POLICY & FAMILY/STUDENT SUPPORT

Sellwood Middle School has an "Away all day" policy for cell phones. This means, all cell phones and personal electronic devices are to be away from 9:05 to 3:45. They are not to be used or visible at any time, including lunch. All Sellwood staff will clarify and reinforce this policy.  If a student is found with their cell phone out, a Sellwood staff member will take it away and store it in the school office. The first time it is taken away, the caregiver will be called and the student can pick it up in the office at the end of the school day. If a cell phone is confiscated a second time or more, the student’s caregiver must pick it up from the office.  

Student/caregiver communication during school hours can be done through the main office. Please refrain texting or calling your student’s cell phone during school hours. 

Earbuds

Sellwood Middle School Earbud policy is that students can only use them in the classroom with educator permission. Otherwise, earbuds need to be out of ears and away-- this includes lunch time and hallway passing time. 

Thank you in advance for supporting our students in making healthy and safe choices at school. 

To this end, we request that families and students show their support and understanding by completing and submitting the SMS Cell Phone Agreement.

CROSS COUNTRY

Cross Country practices will be Monday and Wednesday from 4-5:30 beginning Monday, August 22nd.  We will start and finish in front of Sellwood Middle School.  Also, we need parent runners to volunteer to run with us!  We can use as many volunteers as are willing and there is no obligation.  They can show up once or every practice throughout the season.   For questions about Cross Country, contact Ronda Hall-Ramirez rhall@pps.net

COUNSELING CORNER

Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net

Students with last names M-Z:  Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net

RACE, RACISM, & RACIAL EQUITY RESOURCES 

• “What is Systemic Racism?” videos from RaceForward
• Racism Interruptions sentence frames (see PDF in folder)
• “Why Aren’t There More Black People in Oregon? A Hidden History” (Walidah Imarisha)

MAIN OFFICE:

The best way to reach us is by email.  

The Office Phone Number

Secured Building 

Parent/Student Requests:  

Guides to Help you:

Please email Melissa (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:

Please email Claire (choward1@pps.net) for:

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

• August 30: First day of the 2022-23 school year for 6^th-graders
• August 31: First day of the 2022-23 school year for 7^th & 8^th graders
• September 5: Labor Day – No School
• September 29: Back to School Night 5:30-7:00PM
• TBA: Community Cares Day
• TBA: Ice Cream Social Community Event