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Vestal Elementary School
Our richly-diverse community nurtures life-long learning to support all students
in achieving their very highest educational and personal potential.

161 NE 82nd Avenue•Portland, OR 97220•Ph (503) 916-6437•Fx (503) 916-2679

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Vestal
News

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  • Looking ahead

    8/13/2024
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    The lovely RAIN has come! Please send an extra set of clothing to include shoes for your students. We do go outside if it is sprinkling or intermittent rain and if they get wet, we do not have enough extra clothing or shoes to let them change.

    Can Bees Fly in Rain? Discover the Science of Bee Flight!

    Friday, October 10 - Statewide In Service - School Closed /Fresh Food Market CLOSED

    Tuesday, October 14 - PTA General Meeting

    Wednesday, October 15 - Picture make-up day (if your student was not at Vestal on 9-15)

    Wednesday, October 22 - Early Release for Students (11:50) - the office closes at 1 today

    Thursday and Friday, October 30 & 31 - No school for Students

  • Garden News and Schedule

    2/8/2024
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    Schedule

    From PTA- Garden News
     
    Hi Vestal families,
    We’re excited to share that the Vestal Garden Community Feedback Survey is now live! This is a chance for parents, guardians, caretakers, staff, students, and partnerships to share thoughts, ideas, and hopes for how the garden can best serve our school community.
     
    The survey will be open through Thursday, October 17th, and your feedback will help guide our next steps as we work together to refresh the garden space.
     
    The garden is a big part of our school environment, a place for learning, growing, and gathering, and your input will help shape what comes next.
     
    Take the survey here: https://forms.gle/oStDjaapShPTakCN8
    Thank you for taking a few minutes to share your thoughts and ideas, and helping us make the garden an even better space for Vestal students and families!
    Warmly,
     
    Vestal PTA

    Reminder-No School Friday, 10/10

Community Buzz

  • Hello to the amazing Vestal hive!

     

    Happy Thursday! It is a three-day weekend which I hope everyone gets to enjoy!

    We have had a fun and busy week! Today each student was greeted by a colorful bunch of streamers hanging from their classroom door. When they asked why, we told them, “Because we love that you come to school here” and “It’s just for fun!” which got some big smiles!

     

    Next week is another full 5-day week, with a forecast for rain! Please send your student ready to go outside. If the precipitation is light, we head outside! If it gets to ‘moderate’ on my weather app, then we stay in. As you can likely imagine, fresh air and an opportunity to run around is pretty essential in the middle of the school day, so please send students with the expectation that they will be outside. (If it is pouring, we do have an indoor plan!)


    Attendance and getting to school on time, ready to learn! Thanks to everyone for your efforts around attendance, it is so important that students are here whenever they are healthy. Trust me, as a mom of older kids...setting the habit of being on time is so much easier in elementary school....thank you for helping establish the routine for your kids! Just like it is important to be on time for work, it is so important to be on time for school! Our classrooms start the teaching and learning the moment 8:00 arrives! Each classroom starts the day with a Class Circle where folks check in about emotions, plans for the day, and greet one another. It truly is a special time for building community. Please keep helping your students be at Vestal on time and ready to learn at 8:00!

    On another note, Libby often greets the kids getting here after 8:00. Some of you have worried about the Late Pass. Let me assure you, the primary purpose of a late pass is to make sure our attendance is accurate so you do not get that terrible call that says your child isn't at school — when they are! We must make sure we are careful and accurate with attendance and this is one of our strategies!
    Thanks all, take a village!!

    PS- VERY important Fun Message! Please read!
     
    So sorry to have forgotten this in the BUZZ message, please read!

    Book Character Parade!
    We are excited about October's Dress up Day on Wednesday, October 29th! Students can choose to dress up as a character from their favorite book and we will have a school-wide parade from 2:15pm-2:30pm.

     You are welcome to come and see your reader in the parade.
    Please remember-You do not need to buy anything.-Weapons (even play ones) are not allowed at school-Wait until the end of the parade to pick up your student.

    Reach out to Ms. Em with any questions.971-716-5841 (call or text)erochford@pps.net

    This is going to bee fun!!!!

     

     

    FROM our PTA- Meeting announcement 

     

    Join us next Tuesday on October 14th  from 6:30-7:30pm for our October PTA meeting. We will be talking meeting some of the team from our garden education partners at Grow Portland, talking about possible garden space updates, talking about Class Rep Roles, and much more!

     

    Available both online via Zoom and (sometimes) in person at Vestal Elementary. On-site front doors are open from 6-6:25pm.

    To attend monthly meetings remotely via Zoom, please click here OR join by phone by dialing +1 346 248 7799, and using passcode: 898024.  If you have never used Zoom or need a refresher you can read this article here.

     

    Take a look at the agenda below:

     

    Welcome

    • Board Introductions - Who we are | What we do | Last Year In Review

    • Review Previous Minutes

     

    Principal Updates
• Sabrina Flamoe

     

    Financial Report

    • Q/A

     

    Unfinished Business

    • Re-designation proposal to expand availability of restricted funds

    • Board role openings for 26-27 school year

     

    Announcements & Upcoming Events

    • 10/17: Rock, Paper, Soiree Planning Meeting 6:30pm–7:30pm

    • 10/24: Meet the Board Morning 8:30am–9:30amish

    • 10/25: Community Care Day 10am–12pm

    • 11/02: Wreaths for Vestal Community Fundraiser starts

    • 11/11: November PTA Meeting (Remote only) 6:30pm–7:30pm

     

    Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities

    November 14th Ruby Bridges Day

    November 17th PTA Clothing Closet

    November 21st Movie Night

    November 24th/25th Teacher Conference Potluck

    December 5th Wreath Sale Pickup Booth

    December 5th Book Fair Setup

    December 13th Outdoor Classroom Tree Planting Event

    January 10th Welcome Back Pancake Breakfast

     

    Open Forum

       

District News

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  • Two Lincoln High School Grads Win National Merit Scholarships

    6/12/2025

    Congratulations to Lincoln High School students Richard Deng and Coral Platt! Both were awarded National Merit Scholarships of $2,500 toward their college studies.

    They were chosen from more than 15,000 finalists nationwide. Richard plans to pursue a career in politics and Coral is looking at a future in the legal sector.

  • Two PPS Educators Named OnPoint Educators of the Year

    6/2/2025

    Two exceptional PPS educators, Ricardo Barber and Hang Jones, were recently named OnPoint Educators of the Year for 2025.

    As part of this prestigious honor, both teachers will have their rent or mortgage paid for an entire year, and their schools also receive a $2,500 donation. 

    Ricardo Barber teaches third grade at Faubion, and Hang Jones serves as a social worker at Marysville Elementary. 

    The OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education celebrates educators who embrace innovative teaching techniques that ignite enthusiasm in their students. 

    Congratulations to Ricardo Barber and Hang Jones! And thank you both for everything you do to make a difference in the lives our students.

  • Student Filmmakers Showcase Their Monster Talent

    5/22/2025

    The assignment their teacher gave them was simple – make a short film that begins with a phone call and ends with someone hanging up. Benson first-year students Dylan Martinez-Torres and Dariel Soriano Zamora ran it all the way to a small city populated by two very big and rather iconic monsters – Godzilla and Hedora.

    The result, Sorry, Wrong Number, is one of the more than 90 films entered into the annual Best of PPS Film Festival. The festival is a celebration of exceptional student filmmaking that includes a showcase at the historic Hollywood Theatre. 

    The fourth annual installment of the festival took place on May 21 and included a screening of 13 standout films. The films came from all over PPS and ran the gamut from Dylan and Dariel’s monster short to documentaries, film noir, and broadcast journalism. 

    Read More

  • Join the Climate Crisis Response Committee

    5/19/2025

    If you are a passionate student or community member that wants to make a difference at PPS, apply to join the Climate Crisis Response Committee! This is a committee that reports to the PPS Board of Education.

    On the committee you will learn about how PPS is making progress towards our climate justice and sustainability policies, provide input and recommendations to the PPS Board on how to better support PPS staff as we advance these policy goals, and connect with other passionate members of our PPS community from diverse backgrounds, knowledge areas, and lived experiences.

    No previous professional experience in climate change or sustainability required! Students can apply via this form. Community members can apply here.

    Deadline to apply: June 6. 

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