Principal's Newsletter 5.24.2024

Sellwood Principal’s Newsletter – May 24, 2024

Greetings Sellwood Community,

Sellwood's 2023-24 yearbooks have arrived! They look beautiful, and I know every student will want one.  For the first time this year, we are committed to providing a yearbook to every single student regardless of ability to pay.

We need your support in order to make this sustainable.  We are requesting a suggested $17-$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.


Here's the link to SchoolPay.  https://pps.schoolpay.com/  If you need assistance with SchoolPay, the SchoolPay parent help phone number is 833-731-2600.

Thank you in advance for your generosity in bringing this end-of-year experience to all of our students. 

Again: every student will receive a yearbook the last week of school, but we need your help!

Sincerely,

Jeandré Carbone

Sellwood MS Principal

jcarbone@pps.net

PTA NEWS

Sellwood Garden Tour 2024 - Thank You!

Thank you to all who supported, attended and volunteered for the Garden Tour last weekend, and special thanks to our community members who generously donated their gardens. It was a tremendous success and helped us raise needed funds to support the school. We look forward to seeing you next year!

PTA General Meeting - May 28

Please join us for our final PTA meeting of the school year on May 28 at 7:00 pm in the SMS library. We will have an update from Principal Carbone on staffing for the 2024-2025 school year, as well as an update from SMS librarian Tini Maier on the library book budget. 

We will also welcome special guest Frenchie Huey from Yondr. We are exploring the idea of using Yondr to secure student cell phones at SMS. During the presentation we will learn about the benefits of Yondr and how Yondr works, and have the opportunity to ask questions. This is a costly investment for the school and an important conversation as we consider potential implementation. Please see the articles below for more information on Yondr:

https://www.overyondr.com/phone-free-schools

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/05/01/school-cellphones-confiscate/

https://osba.org/cellphone-ban-transforms-mt-scott-school-days/

We will also approve our 2024-25 PTA Board slate and budget. We look forward to seeing you there!

SMS PTA Board - 2024-2025

We are pleased to share our 2024-2025 PTA Board slate, which will be presented for approval at the general meeting on Tuesday:

  • President: Emily Quast
  • Vice-President: Katka Howland
  • Secretary: Carrie Spiteri
  • Treasurer: Bayra Garfield
  • Members-at-Large: Karen Hansen, Betsy Roberts, Ceri Cundiff, Amanda Cue, Scott DeMonte

We are still welcoming new PTA board members and committee chairs for next year. Please consider joining us to and helping with important committees like Sellwood Dines Out, Staff Appreciation, PEAK programs and other important events throughout the year. Reach out to sellwoodpta@gmail.com with any questions and/or connect with us in person at the meeting next week.

Sellwood Dines Out - Pure Green - June 4

We are excited to share our last SDO event of this school year. Pure Green Sellwood has generously offered to share a portion of their sales on June 4 to support SMS. Please drop in for delicious juices, smoothies, bowls, and $5 mimosas offered between 3:00-6:00 pm. Thanks for your support!

Important links:

SELLWOOD SPRING SHOWCASE NIGHT, JUNE 6th

Save the date for Sellwood’s Annual Student Showcase on June 6th.  The Showcase is a fun, drop-in event with displays of student work throughout the school, plus music and drama performances.  We will have an art show, science displays, math & games, language arts and social studies projects, and food carts.  Please see below for more details.

OAKS PARK FIELD TRIPS – (FINAL DATE FOR PAYMENT - TUESDAY, MAY 28)

All students should have received the Oaks Park permission form to sign and return. If you have not submitted the $18 payment, please do so right away, today or by Tuesday, May 28th.

Go to the following link to log in.  You may need to create an account.

https://pps.schoolpay.com/

The name of the account is SELLWOOD Oaks Park Year End Field Trip All Grades

On Tuesday of next week, we must confirm with Oaks Parks our final number of park bracelets, so  please make your $18 payment today if you haven't yet done so. Let me know if your child needs a scholarship for the Oaks Park bracelet by replying to this email.

We don’t want your child to miss out on the fun end-of-year trip with their class.

Here are the details of the field trip.  

  • When
  • 8th graders - Monday, June 10th, 2024, 9:30am – 2:30pm 
  • 6th/7th graders – Tuesday, June 11th, 2024, 9:30am – 2:30pm 
  • Transportation:  We will be walking both to and from the park.  Make sure to wear comfortable shoes!  All students will return to Sellwood for school dismissal; no exceptions. 
  • Cost$18.00 will include Adrenalin Peak Roller Coaster, Go-Karts, Atmosphere (new ride). 
    • Preferred payment on-line with School Pay. 
    • If this presents a financial hardship, scholarships are available. Let us know by emailing Ms. Collins dcollins@pps.net or Claire Howard choward1@pps.net
  • Lunch:  Students may: 1. Bring a sack lunch, 2. Request a Sellwood sack lunch, or 3. purchase lunch at OAKS Park.  Please note that there can be very long lines and waits for purchasing food at the park. We have reserved a Picnic Area (students can leave their lunch here during the day).
  • Other Costs:  Students can bring extra money for snacks, games. etc.
  • Due Date for Permission Slips: Friday, May 3rd.  (extended to May 17th)
  • Expectations: In order to make sure this experience is safe and enjoyable for everyone, students attending Oaks Park are expected to be on their best behavior and must be responsive to adult direction.  We are also expecting that as we come closer to the end of the year, that students will continue to meet behavior expectations while at school.
  • If a student were to receive a serious stage 2-3 referral that would merit suspension, between now and the end of the year, that student may be suspended from attending Oaks Park with their class.  Examples of incidents that may merit suspension: fighting, serious disruptive conduct, violation of the PPS drug/alcohol policy, bullying and harassment, physical attack/harm, property damage (intentional), etc. 

8TH-GRADE PROMOTION

Friday June 14, 8th Grade Promotion

Sellwood Field, 10:30-11:30 am

Please join in celebration of our Sellwood Middle School 8th grade class with a promotion ceremony at the Sellwood Middle School Field.  We will have our amazing Sellwood Middle School band performing, with a photo booth and light refreshments for families and graduates.

Thank you to Sellwood PTA for sponsoring this event! If you would like to volunteer, please look on Konstella for Sign Ups or email Liz: supere@ohsu.edu.

ANNUAL SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL SURVEY

  • There is only ONE WEEK LEFT for you to take the 2024 PPS Family Survey. 
  • Don’t miss this chance to share your feedback with PPS and Sellwood.  Your input is critical as we work to make our schools and district as good as they can be. 
  • Emails were sent on May 6th and 20th with direct links to the survey. You may complete the survey online using a computer, tablet, or smartphone. You can also find the survey by visiting the website https://surveys.panoramaed.com/portlandor/ppsfamily23/surveys

For more information, please refer to the attached SLIDES or on the PPS Survey Homepage.  

  • We thank you in advance for your thoughtful responses. If you have any questions about the survey administration, please don’t hesitate to contact the School Climate Specialist at mmortensen@pps.net.

LOST OR INTENTIONALLY DAMAGED CHROMEBOOKS

As we are nearing the end of the 2023-24 school year, questions are surfacing about students who have lost or intentionally damaged their Chromebook or their charger/adapter.  In October, the School Board updated the board policy on instructional materials, 6.40.010-P, to include charging students for lost or damaged equipment. Parents/guardians will pay the school and the school will purchase replacement Chromebook using the PPS IT Purchasing process. Chromebook replacements are $515 and lost chargers are $11.50.

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 

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

  • May 27: Memorial Day – NO SCHOOL
  • May 28: PTA Meeting 7PM
  • June 6: Showcase Night 5:30 – 7:30 PM
  • 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 – 11:30 AM
  • June 14: Last Day of School – Half Day
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