Principal's Newsletter 02.02.2024
Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – February 2, 2024
Greetings Sellwood Community,
I hope you are enjoying the warmer weather and a little bit of sunshine. It looks like it is going to stay around for the weekend. Please read on for information about the Sellwood Foundation’s upcoming fundraiser event, Drag Queen Bingo, a reminder about Exclusion Day February 21st (immunizations required) and the rescheduled Cleveland re-design meeting happening this Saturday.
Jeandré Carbone
Sellwood MS Principal
PTA NEWS
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the January 23 PTA meeting, and special thanks to CHS Principal Jo Ann Wadkins and SMS Drama teacher Colleen Crabtree for being there as our guest speakers. We appreciate your commitment and support!
Our next PTA gathering will be in April - details to come soon.
Sellwood Dines Out
Thank you to Dick’s Primal Burger for supporting Sellwood Dines Out in January, despite the snow and ice! We are grateful for your support.
Funds from Sellwood Dines Out support educational programs, student scholarships, and teacher/staff classroom projects at SMS.
Important links:
- Join the PTA: www.schoolpay.com/link/
sellwoodpta - Join Konstella: https://www.konstella.com/cd/
AXC2Z9 - Instagram: @sellwoodmiddlePTA
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
SellwoodMiddleSchoolPTA/
SELLWOOD FOUNDATION
SAVE THE DATE FOR DRAG QUEEN BINGO!
Friday, March 8, 2024
7-9PM
Get ready to mark your calendars because Drag Queen Bingo is back at Westmoreland's Union Manor! Join us for a fabulous evening hosted by the one and only Coco Jem Holiday on Friday, March 8th, from 7-9 PM. Stay tuned for more exciting details to come, but in the meantime, get ready to party with beer, wine, and delicious baked goods available for purchase. Win amazing prizes including a WEEKEND AT THE COAST and gift cards from local restaurants and retailers! Don't miss out on the fun! This is an adult's-only event, 21+.
EXCLUSION DAY, IMMUNIZATIONS BY WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21
PPS is required to ensure that all students are up to date on all school-required immunizations, or have a signed medical exemption letter signed by a licensed physician or a non-medical exemption, by Wednesday, February 21, 2024 (“Exclusion Day”). Immunizations are required by state law for children and students in attendance at public and private schools, preschools, childcare facilities and Head Start programs in Oregon.
On February 7th, the Multnomah County Health Department (MCHD) will mail a notification letter to all students who are due to receive one or more required vaccinations or who do not have a record of immunization. Students who do not have all their school-required vaccines or a qualifying exemption by Exclusion Day will not be allowed to attend school until their immunizations are up-to-date.
What to do if you get a letter
- Call your school if you have already provided your child’s immunization record to the school and verify whether the school has a copy on file.
- If your student needs updated vaccinations, get your child immunized right away. You can schedule an appointment with your child’s regular health care provider, or with:
- One of the MCHD Student Health Centers. Benson High School students can call the Benson Wellness Center (OHSU).
- The MCHD Immunization Clinic at 619 NW 6th Avenue, Room 150, Portland, OR. This Clinic occurs every Tuesday and Thursday 9am - 4pm, and Friday 10am - 5pm. Call 503-988-4724 for an appointment.
- Bring to your child’s appointment the Certificate of Immunization Status Form that was included with the letter you received from MCHD. This Form will let the provider know what vaccinations your student still needs. If you misplace the CIS Form you received in the mail, you can request another copy from your child’s school).
- Once your student has received their required vaccines, sign the completed immunization form and turn it in to your child’s school.
Thank you for keeping your student and their classmates safe, in school, and ready to learn!
CLEVELAND DESIGN WORKSHOP RESCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, FEB 3
Rescheduled Cleveland Modernization Public Design Workshop
this Saturday, Feb. 3rd at 9:30 a.m.
Español |Tiếng Việt | Русский | Soomaali |中文
Dear Cleveland High School & Cleveland Cluster Families,
This is to remind you of the upcoming Cleveland Design Workshop on Saturday Feb 3rd from 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. in the CHS cafeteria. Come early at 9:00 a.m. for a light breakfast. Childcare will be provided. Your participation at this time is very important.
Project Update
Comprehensive Planning for Cleveland began in late September with the selection of the Comprehensive Planning Committee (CPC). This 40+ person committee is made up of parents, school staff, students, alumni and community members. The CPC has had several meetings with the design team working in a community-centered process to produce a high-level plan for the future of Cleveland High School. The plan will address how to improve student safety in and around the campus, provide direction on where building and program elements will be located and most critically, determine whether to renovate the historic building or completely rebuild the school.
The Public Design workshop taking place on Saturday, Feb. 3rd at 9:30a.m. is the next opportunity for community members to provide their feedback on the design options for Cleveland High School’s modernization. Important decisions about the future design of Cleveland High School are being made by PPS.Community attendance and feedback shared with the Design Team is vital to this process.
Provide Feedback on Cleveland Design Options
The modernized CHS will need to add about 50,000 square feet of space to accommodate modern learning needs. To fit a larger building on the site, several options are being considered:
- Whether to keep some of the existing building or to completely rebuild
- Adding a new building on the current parking lot site
- Adding more athletic facilities on the current track site
Come provide your feedback on these design considerations with the Project Team.
Translation services are available upon request
PPS recognizes the many diverse voices within the Cleveland community and wants to hear from them. Language translation services are available upon request at CHSBond@pps.net. Please respond by Thursday, February 1st by 5:00p.m. so we can arrange to have an interpreter to meet your needs.
Visit the website regularly for more information
The Cleveland modernization website, www.pps.net/
Thank you for helping us create a modernized Cleveland High School.
PROGRAMS, EVENTS & RESOURCES
Camps, Classes, & After School Programs:
- VIBE of Portland Music & Digital Art Classes for Kids
- Cognizart 360 Arts Camp (July 8-12, 15-19, & 22-26)
- Rec Tennis Maplewood Tennis Afterschool Zone (Jan. 16 - Mar. 5)
- OSU Summer Reading Program
- VIBE of Portland Art Camps & Classes
- AFS-USA Student Exchange Programs (Flier 1) (Flier 2)
Preschool Programs:
- Portland Parks Preschool 2024-25
“Portland Parks & Recreation is holding a registration lottery for our Educational Preschool program for the 2024-25 school year. Interested families can apply now through February 21 to be included in the lottery.” - Multnomah Early Childhood Program Free Preschool Classes
(Spanish) (Vietnamese)
Community Events & Information:
- Oregon State University Summer Dog-training Research Program for Children with Developmental Differences
- City of Portland 311 Non-Emergency Hotline
(Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali)
Vaccinations, Health & Wellness:
- Multnomah County Free Community Vaccination Clinic (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays)
(English) (Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali) - Multnomah County Student Health Centers (fliers in English, Russian, Chinese, and Vietnamese):
PIL YOUTH SPORTS
PIL sports registration, schedules and calendar found HERE. Sellwood falls under the "Cleveland Cluster". If your student is playing a sport or any extracurricular activity outside of the PIL, we would love to support them as well. Send an email to Mr. KB (akennybrew@pps.net) including the schedule, including playoff information, and team pictures. Thank you
SELLWOOD YEARBOOKS FOR ALL
Who wants a yearbook at the end of the year? It turns out, pretty much everybody wants one! Each year, we set aside some time for students to commemorate the end of the school year with a yearbook signing ritual. However, not everyone orders a yearbook, often because they are busy and don’t realize until after the ordering deadline. Sometimes students don’t think they want a yearbook, but when they see them, they realize they really do want one. The truth is, there are many reasons why families don’t order yearbooks, and we never have enough yearbooks for everyone who wants one. We do not like to disappoint students and families. So, what if we ordered yearbooks for every student? In fact, if we order more yearbooks, the price per book will go down. We envision the last day of school when every student has a yearbook to sign! However, we will need your support in order to make this sustainable. We are requesting a suggested $20 donation to our Sellwood Yearbook Donation account in School Pay (the price for a yearbook was $25 last year). You can donate more, especially if you have more than one child at Sellwood. We hope that our “Yearbooks for All” plan will make for a more enjoyable and equitable end of the year experience for all. Thank you for your support.
Here's the link to SchoolPay. If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent help
phone number is 833-731-2600.
COUNSELING CORNER
Students with last names A-L: Mr. KB – akennybrew@pps.net
Students with last names M-Z: Ms. Katie – kfrancis@pps.net
MAIN OFFICE
The best way to reach us is by email.
- Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) is our school secretary and registrar.
- Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) is our principal’s secretary and bookkeeper.
- Our Sellwood website (pps.net/sellwood) has many “Quick Links” to help you immediately.
The Office Phone Number
The office phone number is 503-916-5656.
When prompted:
- press 4 for Melissa;
- press 3 for Claire
- press 2 for all Attendance matters.
- press 5 for Records, Registration.
- press 0 for the front counter; however, students may answer this line. Do not discuss anything confidential or leave any confidential messages.
Secured Building
Sellwood is a locked and secure building.
Please ring the doorbell to the right of the main doors to reach the office. We will guide you accordingly.
Parent/Student Requests:
Please email both Melissa and Claire for student pick up or if you must get a message to a student. For student pickup, advance notice is strongly recommended to minimize classroom interruptions. No pickups/dismissals will be allowed after 3:30 pm.
Guides to Help you:
To access your student’s attendance in Synergy: Log into ParentVue.
To make changes to your student’s registration in Synergy: ParentVue/StudentVue
Please email Melissa Whiteside (mwhitesi@pps.net) for:
- Passwords: If you have forgotten your password, have been locked out of your account, or do not have login credentials
- ParentVue (if your account has been disabled).
Please email Claire Howard (choward1@pps.net) for:
- School Pay/Bookkeeping/accounting issues.
- Administrative Support: Messages or matters of support to the principal or assistant principal.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- February 19: Make-up day (President’s Day – previously not a school day)
- February 21: Exclusion Day – Get your vaccines
- March 12: 5th-grade Parent Info Night
- March 25 to March 29: Spring Break
- April 5: No School for Students – Teacher Planning Day
- April 8: Make-up Day (Previously not a school day for students)
- May 9 & 10: Sellwood School Play “Roshambo”
- May 22: Band Concert & Art Show
- May 27: Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL
- June 6: Showcase Night
- June 10: OAKS Park – 8th Grade
- June 11: OAKS Park – 6th and 7th Grades
- June 12-14: Make-up Days
- June 14: 8th Grade Promotion 10:30 AM
- June 14: Last Day of School – Half Day