Dear PPS Families,

We are so grateful to our educators and our community who have continued to support our students through these times of transition this year. The presidential election and its fallout, especially the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, have been disturbing and unsettling for all of us, and the feeling of unease continues as next week’s inauguration of Joe Biden nears. We know it can be an especially difficult time for our students and we remain optimistic about the power of democracy and education as they try to make sense of the events and issues.

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has issued adapted versions of its annual reports for every school and school district, including Portland Public Schools. The 2019-20 reports do not include data on statewide assessments, class size or attendance. That data is typically included but was not gatherable because classes were conducted online starting in March during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dear PPS Families,

I join all those in public education across the country who denounce the attack on the U.S. Capitol yesterday. The violent and ultimately failed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was traumatic to witness for all of us, including our students, but I remain optimistic about their future and our country’s.

Dear PPS Community,

As we begin 2021, we want to update you on the work that has been completed in the enrollment and program balancing process. On December 17, the Southeast Guiding Coalition (SEGC) held the final meeting of Phase 1 work that focused on middle school grades and finalized its recommendations. 

1/8/21 School Messenger
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School News (NEW)
Upcoming Dates (NEW)
Websites to Know
Talking to Students about Events at the Capitol (NEW)
Connect with Caitlin Quinn (drama, art, classes, etc) (NEW)
Volunteers Wanted: Teach a MS Mini-Class (NEW)
Join Team Chicken! (NEW)
Multilingual Special Education Family Toolkit 
Student Created Youth & Families Resources
Anti-Racist Reading and Resources (NEW)
SES PTSA News (NEW)

School News (NEW)

Hello SES Community,

What a week it’s been. There is so much going on, both nationally and locally--for this week’s newsletter we wanted to share some information about our school park as we are getting several questions from neighbors and families. 

--A handful of PPS sites are part of a shared use agreement with Portland Parks and Rec (PPR), and Sunnyside Park is part of this legally binding agreement. This means that when students are physically in school, we use the park as our playground during certain hours of the week day, but otherwise it is classified as a city park and is under the supervision of PPR. 

--This means that our school staff has limited involvement in regard to the current community of campers in the park. Below is some recent language from Tim Carman, our contact at the district in the facilities department:

“Portland Public Schools holds no authority over how the park is used. I would like to point out that the same is true to how the sidewalk surrounding the entire block and all other public easements adjacent to the school are governed.   

The area that is owned by the School District is not open to formal use by large groups. We are not granting permits to use the school grounds for organized events. however we are no longer enforcing the total closure of grounds. This means that the grounds are open for unsupervised general use by the public. 

We have a security contractor that makes periodic rounds of our sites to ensure that prohibited activities are not taking place and to help prevent graffiti and vandalism. Sunnyside is receiving increased daily site checks because of the activities in the general area.”

That said, the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association (SNA) is working hard with a group of community members to care for the park area, as well as the folks who are temporarily camped there. Please see the attached links with contact information for folks in the SNA, as well as a recent article that was published in Street Roots newspaper regarding a Restorative Justice circle that took place in the park over break. 

https://sunnysideportland.org/2021/01/02/update-on-sunnyside-encampment/

https://www.streetroots.org/news/2020/12/30/kaia-sand-there-room-all-circle 

Hopefully the resources above help provide both clarity as well as contact information for folks who would like to become involved in this SNA community project. 

Thank you,
Amy and Alix

Upcoming Dates (NEW)

Websites to Know
District COVID Resources & Info
PPS Family Resources Page
Sunnyside School Page
SES PTSA website
SES COVID Fund on Venmo

Talking to Students about Events at the Capitol - Family Resources (NEW)
As a K-8 school with nine grades, Sunnyside is on a unique child development spectrum. As a result, the conversations that took place this week differed depending upon the grade, the class, and the feelings within those groups. Teachers shared resources with one another in order to prepare for conversations with students about Wednesday’s events and classes talked as whole groups, in small meetings, as well as in one-on-ones. We combed through these shared resources for information that would be helpful for families. If you are looking for ways to talk to your children, here are a few items we hope will help:

• Helping Children Cope with Frightening News

• Talking to Children About Violence

• Tomorrow is Not Simply Another Day at School

Connect with Caitlin Quinn (drama, art, classes, etc) (NEW)
Want to reconnect with Caitlin Quinn? Caitlin, Sunnyside’s former art teacher, artist in residence, and summer camp instructor, is sending out a weekly newsletter and has some great, new offerings for kiddos and families. You can find out more at her ReFrame Collective site HERE.

Volunteers Wanted: Teach a MS Mini-Class (NEW)
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 of course be virtual and will of course look a little different. Mini-classes will take place on Thursday and Friday, January 21 and 22, from 10-11am (with optional extension to 12pm) on each day.

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.

Join Team Chicken! (NEW)
We are always looking for families to help out with chicken care for our Sunnyside hens. This is a great way to volunteer a little bit of time while getting the kids outside, with grateful chicken clucks and fresh eggs as a bonus. Chicken volunteers sign up for a week of care at a time, and are asked to come around 4-5 days out of that 7 day week.  No experience necessary - you'll get all the directions you need. Contact Sunnyside Garden Coordinator Steph (sunnysidesustainability@gmail.com) to join the list. 

Multilingual Special Education Family Toolkit
This toolkit from Portland Public Schools is the result of a collaboration between the Communications, Language Access Services, and Special Education Departments.
These visuals are intended to support families in Portland Public Schools navigating the challenges of having a student who needs special education services, and to ensure more meaningful participation and increase inclusive, authentic family engagement across cultures, languages, and experiences.
The materials are available on the Special Education website and the Language Access website for interpreters to have easy access to them at each appointment. 

You can find the full overview in this link. Watch this video: https://youtu.be/zWP5N7x80gA

Student Created Youth & Families Resources 
From student Emma Kogut: “I am a senior at Cleveland High School. I am a part of a group out of the Multnomah County Emergency Operations Center, alongside Klara Kjome Fischer, a fellow Cleveland student, that has put together a COVID-19 toolkit for youth and families focused on taking care of ourselves and others. The guide is available in both English and Spanish at this time, and is accessible and continually updated on the Multnomah County webpage. The toolkit can be found at this link: multco.us/covidyouthandfamilies 

This guide is unique because it was put together by both youth and county officials which allows the guide to highlight the needs of youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this guide, there are;

• Basics about COVID-19 and how it spreads

• Where to get tested, resources for staying home, and tips on caring for someone with COVID-19

• General prevention guidelines along with strategies for safer socializing, what to do if a family member isn’t taking precautions, and dealing with peer pressure

• Maintaining mental and physical health and coping with loss and grief

• Resources to stay informed, access health care, mental health resources, culturally-specific support, LGBTQ+ and Gender resources and ways to get involved”

Anti-Racist Reading and Resources (NEW)
White Picket Fence is a podcast about the fractured politics of white women. Host Julie Kohler unpacks how white womanhood in America has been constructed, how it's evolved, and how it affects our politics. 

SES PTSA News (NEW)

Save the Date
SES PTSA General Meeting: Wednesday, January 20, 6:30-8pm

Sunnyside Neighborhood Tree Recycling Fundraiser Results
The organizers of this year’s neighborhood tree recycling fundraiser pass on their thanks: To all 2021 volunteers, tree owners and building partners.

“After a rousing two days of tree pickups and dropoffs (January 2: rain and wind; January 3: perfect weather!), we deposited two full truckloads of mulch to the Sunnyside School grounds and park, and raised just over $6000 for the school. Win/win for all!”

The tree recycling team extends special thanks to Jeremy at URBAN TIMBER, their professional arborist partner; to Pete (Vin), their poster artist; and to the sixteen building managers who worked with them to coordinate pickups for their tenants.

“And double special thanks to ALL of the volunteers who showed up both days through rain, wind, and sun—we couldn't do it without you.”

Dear Sunnyside Community,

Each fall & winter season, Sunnyside engages in a community-wide event called The Circle of Giving. Families are invited to participate as receivers or givers, creating a system of support through the seasons and holidays.

Like many communities across the nation during this pandemic, Sunnyside has an increased number of families in need. It’s heartbreaking to hear stories from our neighbors who just want to have some semblance of normalcy during this season.

Many of you have reached out, asking how to help. Here’s how:

This year, to practice safe social distancing, the Circle of Giving will operate as a gift card based donation/request system. Please consider supporting this tradition by donating what you can to @SESCOVIDFund-2020. Please make a note in the Venmo donation to read “Circle of Giving”.

If you’d like to receive, families can fill out this Circle of Giving Request Form to select which gift cards would be most helpful to their family. Requests can be made until Friday, December 4th.

As always, we handle giving and receiving with discretion and all names remain confidential.

Thank you so much for your generosity, kindness and support of one another.

With love and gratitude,
Alix

Thank you to those families that were able to join us for our first open house. Below is the link to the presentation:

Middle School Lottery Open House Slideshow

If you missed our first open house on 12/1, join us Tuesday, December 8th at 6:30 for our virtual Middle School Lottery Informational Night - https://meet.google.com/cbg-dnoi-siy

Our principals Amy Kleiner and Alix Pickett will lead the open house and share insights into our school program as well as answer questions. To read ahead about our school, please check out our Sunnyside Climate Handbook. 

The lottery is open November 12-December 11 and applications can be submitted online through PPS School Mint.

Check out the links below for more information on the lottery process:
Enrollment & Transfer Lottery Site
Enrollment & Transfer Open House Schedule

Join us Tuesday, December 1st at 6:30 for our virtual Middle School Lottery Informational Night - https://meet.google.com/cbg-dnoi-siy

Our principals Amy Kleiner and Alix Pickett will lead the open house and share insights into our school program as well as answer questions. To read ahead about our school, please check out our Sunnyside Climate Handbook. 

For families that cannot make it to the first meeting, we might either record the event on 12/1 or host a make-up open house. A potential make up date is to be determined as we decide- please note that PPS has posted 12/8 as an additional open house but that is not solidified and we will post the acurate info on our own school website.

The lottery is open November 12-December 11 and applications can be submitted online through PPS School Mint.

Check out the links below for more information on the lottery process:
Enrollment & Transfer Lottery Site
Enrollment & Transfer Open House Schedule