Hello SES Community:

Quarter 2 is off and running! We have a lot of exciting things to look forward to, such as our 2nd Middle School Dance tonight. A reminder, the dance is from 6:30 - 8:30. Please make sure you have a pick-up plan for your student. We will not have chaperones after 8:30 so a prompt pick up is appreciated.

In a couple weeks, Sunnyside will hold two full days of parent conferences. Please connect with your student’s teacher to set this up.

The Riparian Festival will be on Friday, December 13th. This curriculum showcase is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the teaching and learning in our school. We will share more information in the weeks to come.

For now, enjoy this 3-day weekend together. We’ll see you on Tuesday!

Kindly,
Amy and Alix

Check the district online calendar here.

Friday, November 8	Middle School Dance, 6:30-8:30
Monday, November 11	Veterans Day (no school)
Wednesday, November 20	PTSA Board Meeting, 6:30-8:00
Thursday, November 21	SES Volunteer Day for PPS Clothing Closet
Thursday, November 21	5th Grade Parent:  Middle School Info Sessions, 9:00am or 6:30pm
Mon-Tue, Nov 25-26	Conferences (schedule with teacher)
Mon-Fri, Nov 25-29	Fall Break (no school)
Friday, December 13	Riparian Festival

 

For many years it has been a tradition in the SES middle school to invite parents, guardians and community members to teach mini-classes. This is a time when we draw on the expertise and interests of our school community to teach an enrichment course to our middle school students who are excited and passionate about the topic. We've had parents from all grade levels offer to teach courses. Some examples of past classes are: woodworking, sewing, computer programming, trail running, history of radio, purse/wallet making, poetry, watercolor, yoga, chess and card games, and movie making. 

This year our mini-classes will take place on two days:

We look forward to providing our students with a range of offerings to choose from. If you are available, but undecided on what class to teach, we can help. If you have a class in mind, we look forward to learning what your class will be. We are happy to welcome you in whatever capacity your busy life allows.

If you will be joining us during our mini-classes, please complete this form or email Kieran Cannistra at kcannistra@pps.net.

Thank you so much for helping us provide a rich and engaging curriculum at the end of our calendar year before break.

The Middle School Team

Please take a moment to complete this confidential online survey or go to pps.net, departments, child care. Your input is valuable. Survey results will be used as part of an annual program evaluation. Please complete the survey by December 13, 2019.

The cone cups by the water jugs are not recyclable. We’d like to reduce/eliminate our dependence on them. Please encourage students to bring and use water bottles at school. Thank you.

Families interested in receiving help this holiday season are invited to participate in our annual holiday program, the SES Circle of Giving. Through the Circle of Giving families can request specific gifts they would like for their children, as well as assistance with a holiday meal. If you are interested, please fill out the Google form here.

There are also hard copies of this form located in the main office. Hard copy forms can be dropped off in the drop box in the main office or given to your student's teacher.

All submissions must be received by Monday, December 9th. Gifts will be delivered on Thursday and Friday, December 19th and 20th, or can be picked up in the SES office on those dates.

This is an annual event for us. We handle gift giving with discretion and all names remain confidential. Our goal is to assist families who would otherwise have difficulty during this holiday season.

If you have further questions, please contact Ashley Bevan in the counseling office.

Our school t-shirts are back in stock and for sale! They are available in Youth Sizes S-XL (Gray or Mauve) and Adult Sizes S-2XL (Gray, Green, or Olive). Shirts are $15 and all proceeds benefit the Sunnyside Go Fund. They can be purchased through the office or periodically during dismissal throughout the coming weeks.

Class photos are available for order until November 15th! We are hoping to send them home in December before Winter Break begins.

Families are welcome to issue payment using the following SchoolPay link(s) or by bringing cash or check to the school office. The best part ~ ALL PROCEEDS WILL BENEFIT SUNNYSIDE'S GO FUND!

Here’s an article that provides a foundation of racial education for white children.

And check back often for updates!

To our 5th grade families,

This year PPS has moved up the middle/high school lottery window significantly—it opens next week and closes in early December. You will be receiving a letter from PPS in the next few days; please disregard the Sunnyside Middle School info session dates that are listed in that mailing. Our sessions are at 9 am on Thursday, November 21 and at 6:30 pm on Thursday, November 21 here at Sunnyside. We have added the updated dates to our school calendar and website.

If you are a current Sunnyside family PPS policy ensures that your child stay at Sunnyside through the highest grade of middle school regardless of your address, as long as you live within PPS district boundaries (not in Gresham or Beaverton, for example). If this is the case for your family, you do not need to participate in the school choice lottery if you're continuing into 6th grade at our school. If you are interested in a different school for middle school, PPS will be advertising the info nights for all of the middle schools who have open lottery slots. In most cases, if you are looking to change schools you would need to go through the lottery process. This is true even for schools where you live in the boundary. As an example, if you live in Mt. Tabor's boundary area and are looking to go there for middle school, if you're currently enrolled here the district assumes you are enrolled through 8th grade. If your address is in Tabor's boundary, you are guaranteed enrollment there but only if you go through the lottery process to declare that change. The same is true for families who live in our neighborhood and are leaving another program to come here as 6th graders—they must declare their intention through the lottery process so we can accurately plan for staffing.

As principal I do believe it is important to attend this session if you're able, even if your child has been at Sunnyside for elementary school. Middle school is very different than K-5, and l believe that learning about our middle school program is valuable for our students and for families. I do realize that it feels as if 5th grade has just begun and these meetings feel early! PPS has shifted the timeline to try to improve staffing and support processes for schools across the district.

Thank you and I hope to see you on the 21st.

—Amy Kleiner