Black Bear Bits
June 11, 2021
Important Dates
**TuES Kindergarten registration ongoing. Please register before the office closes for the Summer!
6/14-15: STREAM Days at Tualatin
6/16: Last Day of School-Morning Meetings only
6/16: 5th Grade Drive Through Celebration and iPad drop off 9:30-11:00 a.m.
6/16: Black Bear Neighborhood Parade 2:00 p.m.
6/17-6/25: Office Hours 8:00-3:30
6/19: Juneteenth
6/28-8/13: Office Closed for the Summer
6/30: Registration extended for TTSD Virtual Academy
Letter from the Principal
Dear Tualatin Black Bear Families,
Summer will be here next week! This time of year provides time to look back on all that our students, families and staff have accomplished. We are fortunate to be a school in a special community with amazing support. We have had a lot to be proud of as we finish a truly different type of school year. I have been impressed with the level of professionalism, teamwork, family partnerships, dedication and fun we were all able to experience each day while in distance learning, and currently while learning virtually and in-person. The successes that have been part of this school year are a direct reflection of our exceptional staff, students and families. We have an amazing school community!
SUMMER READING
Continue to have your child READ-READ-READ each day over the summer months. Reading over the summer is even more important this year to be ready for the fall. Please contact your child’s teacher for ideas and suggestions about fun reading activities that students can do with friends and family members. Reading together is a great way to share a love and interest in reading. Here is a link to the library summer reading to stay informed of their fun activities: Summer Reading
Staff Announcements
As some of you have already heard, there are some staffing changes to announce. Faye Orme, ELD teacher, is retiring to Idaho to enjoy fun with grandchildren. Kathy DiCarlo, Speech teacher, is retiring to Florida. Jessica Taylor, Reading Support, will be on a one year leave. Melissa Hinkle will return as our music teacher and Mrs. Kelchner-Lee will be returning to Alberta Rider. Mrs. Welch and Mrs. George will be returning to Bridgeport Elementary. Special thanks and best wishes to Mrs. Tarabochia, Ms. Ament, and Mrs. Barbee who were long-term subs while teachers were out on maternity leave. While we are sad to see some of our Black Bear family leave our staff, we are very happy and excited for them all. We thank them all for their positive influence within the Tualatin Elementary community. We are excited to announce that we have hired a Dean of Students. We welcome Lisa Fetherston as our newest Black Bear for this fall. Other staffing updates will be shared as we start up again in August. We will be looking for recess supervision staff so please help spread the word.
Thank you for another great year and have a wonderful SAFE, KIND and RESPONSIBLE summer break.
Warm Regards,
Mr. Kingery
Lisa Fetherston Hired as Dean of Students for Tualatin Elementary
We are thrilled to announce that Lisa Fetherston will be the Dean of Students at Tualatin Elementary starting this fall. Lisa has been an educator for 25 years with experience at the elementary and middle school levels. She graduated from Boston College with a degree in Human Development and then completed her MAT at Oregon State University. Lisa also received her administrative license from Portland State University. Her teaching career started in Portland Public SD where she taught multiple grades at the elementary level. In 2001 she began working in TTSD as a Curriculum & Instruction Specialist at Mary Woodward Elementary and then moved to Fowler Middle School as a counselor, TAG coordinator and served as part of the school leadership team. Lisa returned to the elementary level as a 5th grade teacher at Alberta Rider Elementary in 2009. Her focus as an educator has consistently been on improving school conditions to support equitable outcomes for traditionally underserved students, and building strong relationships within school communities.
Jamie Kingery - Principal
Memory Book Update
Summer Meal Program June 21- August 27.
Remember at Tualatin Elementary, the Tualatin Library will be offering Makerspace activities on Thursdays! See below for more details.
Tualatin Library Summer Reading Program
This summer, joining the Tualatin Library Summer Reading Program is easy:
- Pick up a signup bag at the library or find us in the parks
- Read to complete a bingo - or complete the whole card
- Bring your completed bingo card to the library in July or August for free books and a prize drawing entry
Science Spectacular on the Plaza
Tuesdays beginning June 22, 1:30 pm.
Explosions! Rockets! Bubbles! Slime! Join us for some spectacular science on Tuesdays this summer. We’ll be in front of the library doing wacky science demonstrations and leading awesome science experiments. You can participate in the library - or at home!
We’ll have bags with supplies available on the Wednesday prior, and we’ll livestream the event on Facebook!
Science Bites at Tualatin Elementary
Thursdays beginning June 24, 11:30 am
Can’t make it to the library for our Science Spectacular? We’ll bring the science to you! We will be heading out to Tualatin Elementary throughout the summer to bring you wacky science demonstrations and take-home science kits. You can also sign up for summer reading and learn more about our new makerspace!
Learn more about the Summer Reading Program and activities in these videos, the library website, and in the attachments!
English video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H30f3_xh31E
Video en español
June is STREAM Month at Tualatin Elementary
Monday and Tuesday, June 14-15, our CDL and Hybrid classes will be hosting STREAM projects during their class time. If your CDL student was not able to pick up their items this week, please contact your teacher or the office to arrange pickup.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Amanda Thorderson (503-431-4800, athorderson@ttsd.k12.or.us), Kathryn LePore (klepore@ttsd.k12.or.us), Kathleen Cunnington (kcunnington@ttsd.k12.or.us) or your child's classroom teacher.
Moving? Leaving Tualatin Elementary?
End-of-Year Neighborhood Parade
You can see the step-by-step guide in the attachments.
Parade Route 1
Parade Route 2
Tualatin Garden Summer Sign Up 2021
The school garden needs your tender loving care! Please sign up for a week of weeding, watering and harvesting. We have been fortunate to get donated starts and seeds from Portland Nursery and The Garden Corner. Now we have to plant them, water them, care for them, and pick and eat the produce! All of the new plants will require consistent watering.
Current produce available: snap peas, snow peas, garlic, chard, strawberries and herbs. Even the blueberries and yellow raspberries are starting to ripen. This summer look for: zucchini, bell peppers, broccoli, lettuce, cut flowers, radishes, blueberries, apples, asian pears, figs and more!
2 families can sign up for the same week, so get your friends to help you share the work and harvest. If you have ANY questions please contact Paul Taylor, our gardener extraordinaire, at paultaylorocnp@aol.com or Pam Soderquist, 1st grade teacher and garden volunteer, at psoderquist@ttsd.k12.or.us.
Help us keep our garden alive and vibrant. Make the garden part of your summer plans.
Registration Deadline Extended!
Was Comprehensive Distance Learning (CDL) a good fit for your student? The TTSD Virtual Academy may be a good option.
Enroll now through ParentVue through June 30th.
Questions can be submitted to: virtualacademy@ttsd.k12.or.us and the FAQ on the Virtual Academy page will include answers to these questions.
4 weeks of summer fun!
Limited slots are available!
Enroll by June 18!
The summer enrichment camp is designed for TTSD students in grades K-8
- Hosted at Fowler Middle School.
Sessions offer a variety of fun opportunities for learning, building community, and keeping students moving and engaged
- Morning sessions are 8:30 to 11:00 AM
- Afternoon sessions are 12:30 to 3:00 PM
- Transportation and meals are provided
Session 2 (July 12 - 15)
Session 3 (July 19 - 22)
Session 4 (July 26 - 29)
- Please review the Enrichment Camp Guidebook or Guía de campamentos de enriquecimiento to choose your option.
- After reviewing the guidebook enroll at this link http://bit.ly/TTSDSummerCamp
2021-22 Kindergarten Registration Now Open!
Kindergarten online enrollment for the 2021-22 school year is now open! A child must be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2021 to enter Kindergarten for the 2021-2022 School year.
Parents/guardians will need the following to complete the enrollment process:
- child's birth certificate,
- Proof of address (current resident electric, gas, or garbage bill, rental/lease agreement or property tax bill)
- immunization record
Go to the Enrollment page to complete the online enrollment process. Please be sure to have the above documents available before you begin the online enrollment.
Please register as soon as possible so we can arrange staffing.
TTSD’s free Pre-Kindergarten programs are expanding!
The Tigard-Tualatin School District, in partnership with Community Action, offers free preschool classes for qualifying families. Enrollment is open to all four-year-olds within the district.
To find out more and start the process, please complete our one-page Free Preschool Program Interest Form. You may:
email your completed form to preschoolinfo@ttsd.k12.or.us
text a photo of the form to 971-330-5930
deliver to your neighborhood Tigard-Tualatin elementary school, or
mail the form to the Early Learning Coordinator TTSD 6960 SW Sandburg Street Tigard, OR 97223
See the videos from the information sessions:
Tualatin Elementary School
Email: jkingery@ttsd.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.ttsdschools.org/tualatin
Location: 20405 SW 95th Ave
Phone: 503-431-4800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TualatinElementaryGarden/
Twitter: @TuES_BlackBears