MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
THIS WEEK:
1/3 Tuesday - Welcome Back and to 2023!
COMING SOON:
1/10 Tuesday - 1x8 Winter Elective Sign Ups
1/10 Tuesday - PTSA Meeting in MLC Library 6:30 p.m.
1/11 Wednesday - Students of Color lunch group with Hakim
1/16 Monday - MLK Day - No School
Welcome, Hakim!
I am extremely excited to welcome my good friend, Hakim Muhammed, to our community! Hakim will begin his MLC journey by leading our Students of Color & BSU group on Wednesday's starting in January.
A little about Hakim:
Born and raised in Portland, OR, Hakim has been playing drums and percussion since the age of nine. Hakim teaches African drumming classes and workshops all over the West Coast at various schools and universities. He is also a Hip-Hop artist and producer. In 2012 he was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. Hakim is extremely community oriented and is dedicated to coaching and mentoring youth.
Hakim will be visiting us the first week in January to meet our community.
First official meeting day: Wednesday, January 11th during lunch
We will be starting with grades 6-12. More information to come!
Student Spotlight
Check out this amazing news about our 7th grader, Izzie Cahill:
We are thrilled to announce the new members of the PPS Racial Equity and Social Justice Community Advisory Committee.
These exceptional candidates were put forth for consideration because of their steadfast commitment to pursuing positive cultural change. They will meet quarterly to advise the Board on matters of racial equity and social justice, with a particular emphasis on eliminating academic disparities district-wide.
We are thrilled to welcome the members of the RESJ Community Advisory Committee to the PPS family and look forward to partnering with them as we work together toward a better future for all students.
Warmly,
Dani Ledezma
Senior Advisor, Racial Equity and Social Justice
Way to go, Izzie!!!
Safety Updates and Reminders
COVID TESTS:
MLC has received several COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test kits. The kits are available in the main office.
WEATHER:
Communications about inclement weather go out in a variety of ways, including text messages, robocalls, emails, and are posted on the PPS website. If you are a parent or guardian, a student, or a PPS staff member, you can opt in to receive texts by texting YES to 68453.
1st-8th students should not arrive to MLC before 8:15 a.m. At that time, students will need to wait outside until 8:25 unless they are eating breakfast. Breakfast students may enter the cafeteria at 8:15. Students may not enter the other areas of the school until 8:25 to start the school day at 8:30 a.m.
Unfortunately, we do not have enough staff to monitor all areas of the building and outdoors before those times. Teachers and staff are preparing for the day.
We want to make sure all students are safe and in designated areas where there is adequate supervision.
Kindergarten students will now be dropped off and picked up in the Kindergarten classroom!
Thank you for your help in keeping our students safe!
Staff Wish List
Our hard working MLC staff is in need of a few wish list items. If you have any of these things to donate, we would sure appreciate your generosity! Feel free to reach out to the staff requester if you can help them out. Click HERE to verify DONE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HELP YOU HAVE ALREADY GIVEN! :)
Clothing Closet - Large plastic storage bins, clothing racks, sturdy hangers
Dana Lipson - Low temp glue gun and glue sticks
Jenny Rappaport - Whiteboard easel
Minna Mauney - 25 bean bag chairs
Gretchen Benner - Paper cups, plastic spoons and forks, Bean bag chair
Clement Wilson - Chapsticks, Large sweatpants
Amanda Darmawi - Sugarless gum
Paid Youth Opportunity: Uplift Youth Summit
Here is a cool opportunity shared by our HS Career Coordinator:
Feb. 17-20, Uplift Virtual Youth Summit, Youth ERA; Students receive a $75 stipend for participation and a chance to win a PS5, funded by a grant from the Oregon Health Authority. Now registering youth for scholarships for Oregon youth, ages 14-19.
As described by a student participant, “The main goal is to train teens in peer support so that they can be there for each other in crisis. Uplift prioritizes your mental health and as a result, teens who’ve done Uplift say they have improved self confidence and personal growth, and feel more capable in reaching out to peers.” Students will learn how to identify signs of distress, practice listening and self care skills, identify strengths, build resilience, and counter issues like bullying and youth suicide.
Adults and staff can watch this video to learn more. Youth 14-19 can apply here.
For more information, contact:
--Tanya Leib
High School Career Coordinator
PTSA News
Greetings from the MLC PTSA!
Next PTSA Meeting: Jan 10th!
As the previous meeting date was the first day back to school after Winter Break, members voted to move the meeting date to the second Tuesday of January, Jan 10th, at 6:30-8:00.
MLC Calendars
This year's calendar is amazing! Full of student faces and student art! A lot went into putting this calendar together, and we're so happy to be able to share it with you!
We're trying a sliding scale option on this one! Details in the link below:
http://www.mlcptsa.org/store/p84/MLC_2023_Calendar.html
Craft Faire
The Craft Faire was awesome! Thanks to Sheila, Alisa, and everyone else that put it all together! It was great seeing so many members of our community all in one place. There were smiles everywhere and an amazing energy!
All this and more at mlcptsa.org