Black Bear Bits
April 8, 2022
Important Dates
4/11-14: Fourth Grade State Testing
4/14: Read-a-thon Reading Log and Money due
4/14: End of Third Quarter
4/15: No School - Teacher Work Day
4/18-21: Fifth Grade State Testing
4/19: PTA Meeting 7:00 p.m.
4/23: Garden Work Party 9:00-11:00 a.m.
4/28: Vision Screening
In this edition...
- Letter from the Principal
- Read-a-thon Wrapping Up
- World Autism Acceptance Month
- Arab American Heritage Month
- Kindergarten Registration
- Pre-K Registration
- Allergy Season
- Black Bears for Equity Newsletter
- Volunteering Requirements
- PTA Needs YOU!
- Updated Covid Information
- Updated Covid-19 Guidelines (3/12/22)
- Sign up for OHSU Covid Screening
- Reporting Covid-19 Vaccinations to the School
- Screen for Covid at home
- Packed with Pride Needs Our Help!
- Important Links
Letter from the Principal
Dear Tualatin Black Bear Families,
The end of the third quarter is quickly approaching on April 14th. Friday, April 15th will be a teacher work day to review end of quarter assessments and complete report cards. Report cards will be available on ParentVUE and a printed copy will also be sent home during the week of April 18th. Please contact your child’s teacher with any questions or for more information about this year’s progress. We are here to make sure you have all the information at home to get the 4th quarter off to a great start.
Please mark your calendars! Our next Tualatin Elementary Sustainable Garden work party is scheduled for April 23rd between 9:00 -11:00 AM. Come join the fun and make some great connections with other Tualatin Elementary families and staff.
With Gratitude,
Mr. Kingery
Principal
2022 Read-a-thon Wrapping up!
Thank you to all the families who participated in the read-a-thon! We have enjoyed the weeks of book talks, teachers in tutus, and spirit week! We appreciate your support and participation!
April 11th - 14th:
Turn in your Read-a-thon sheets
Final week to turn in pledge forms
Class winners will begin to be tallied
World Autism Acceptance Month
April is World Autism Acceptance Month, celebrating our differences and encouraging acceptance of individuals exactly as they are. Sharing stories of individuals living with Autism helps children understand, accept, and celebrate differences. Want to know more about Autism? Check out this guide from Nickelodeon and the Autism Society for kid-friendly activities and resources that advocate for, connect, and empower members of the Autism community.
The Girl Who Thought In Pictures by Julia Finley Mosca: tells the inspiring story of world-renowned scientist Dr. Temple Grandin, who grew up at a time when society doubted people like her would accomplish anything.
Ethan’s Story: My Life with Autism by Ethan Rice: Eight-year-old Ethan Rice shared his story with others to raise awareness and show what autism means to him.
Tacos Anyone? ¿Alguien Quiere Tacos? by Marvie Ellis: This bilingual book follows the story of Michael, a 4-year-old with autism, and his older brother, Thomas, who must learn to understand his atypical behavior.
Cooper and the Big Apple by Camille Cohn: Featuring illustrations by her daughter who is on the autism spectrum, Camille Cohn's book tells the story of a cat with autism who reluctantly travels to New York City with his best friend.
A Friend Like Simon by Kate Gaynor: This book details the friendship between a child with autism and his neurotypical classmate.
Can You See Me? by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott: Another #OwnVoices story, about an 11-year-old girl named Tally who just wants to fit into a world that doesn’t seem to want her, at least from her perspective.
Arab American Heritage Month
April is National Arab-American Heritage Month, which celebrates the rich and diverse culture and contributions of the diverse population of Arab Americans. NAAH Month has been observed during the month of April since 2017, but has only been formally recognized nationally since 2021.
An estimated 3.7 million Americans have Arab roots, according to the Arab American Institute, with ancestries traced to 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa, including Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Morocco, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and others.
Learn more:
See this list of influential Arab-Americans, and learn more about their contributions to our awesome, diverse country!
Want to read some fun books that celebrate Arab/Arab-American culture? Check out this website!
Kindergarten and Pre-K Registration Update
If your Pre-K student is in one of Teacher Adam’s classes then you are already registered for this fall. Contact our office with questions.
Pre-K Registration
TTSD PRESCHOOL
Free Preschool for Children ages 3 to 5
The Tigard-Tualatin School District in partnership with Community Action offers free preschool classes for qualifying families.
Please fill out our electronic Preschool Interest Google Form online
OR
complete the Preschool Program Interest PDF and send the completed form to:
- preschoolinfo@ttsd.k12.or.us or
- deliver to your neighborhood Tigard-Tualatin Elementary School or
- mail to Early Learning Coordinator TTSD
6961 SW Sandburg St, Tigard, OR 97223
Allergy Season is Upon Us!
With Spring, sunshine, and pollen come allergies! If your student has allergies, please make sure allergy-sensitive students have proper allergy remedies taken at home prior to school. If your student has allergy medication they need to take at school, please contact the office. (503-431-4800)
Black Bears for Equity
This newsletter will have activities and resources for educators, families, and students centered around this topic.
Volunteering Requirements
We are excited to welcome volunteers back into our school! Please note that the following must be completed prior to volunteering on site:
Note: All volunteers must complete the checklist below to volunteer
- Complete a background check at: www.helpcounter.net/ttsd. (This needs to be renewed every three years.) You will also need to complete the Child Abuse online training.
- Be vaccinated for COVID-19. Please provide vaccine documentation using the following link-TTSD Volunteer Vaccination Documentation or send a copy/photo of your card to the school office (athorderson@ttsd.k12.or.us)
- When the above has been completed, contact the school office (athorderson@ttsd.k12.or.us or 503-431-4800) and we will give you documents for the Volunteer COVID training through Tualatin Elementary.
Masks will be optional in the building for volunteers. We ask that if you are sick or have any symptoms, that you postpone your volunteering until you are well.
PTA Needs YOU!
The PTA is most immediately recruiting for the following:
- Art Lit: Volunteers needed to teach Art Lit lessons in your child's classroom next year.
- Fun Run: This is the biggest yearly fundraiser we hold and the most fun for our families. Help coordinate or join the team as we plan for an in-person event!
- Join the PTA board! This is where all the fun and planning starts! We most urgently need a Secretary--we've been without one for 2 years now!
If you are interested in joining any of these committees or joining the board, please contact the PTA at tualatinpta@gmail.com You may also call the office for more information.
Updated Covid Information
Updated Covid-19 Guidelines
Please make note of the following updated Covid Exclusion guidelines,
effective March 14, 2022.
Primary Symptoms:
Fever greater than 100.4 or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
New loss of taste or smell
Non-Primary Symptoms:
Headache
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea
Fatigue (tiredness)
Sore throat
Muscle/body aches
Congestion or runny nose
If your child is COVID-19 positive, all of the following must apply before returning to school:
Your child must remain home for at least 5 days after the onset of symptoms or positive test result, AND
Be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, such as Tylenol or ibuprofen; and
Symptoms must be improving.
It is recommended that your student wear a mask on days 6-10.
If your child has any TWO of the above primary symptoms, the Tigard-Tualatin School District requires your child to stay home for 5 days after the onset of symptoms, unless:
You provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result OR A doctor’s note indicating a different diagnosis and that COVID-19 is not suspected; or proof of COVID-19 infection within the last 90 days, AND
Be fever-free for 24 hours without use of fever-reducing medications, such as Tylenol or ibuprofen;
Symptoms must be improving.
If your child has any ONE of the above primary symptoms, Tigard-Tualatin School District requires your child to stay home until:
Symptoms are improving
Fever must be resolved for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications such as Tylenol or ibuprofen.
If your child has any of the above non-primary symptoms that persist for more than one day, parents or guardians should consider evaluation by the child’s healthcare provider, who can determine if viral testing is advised. See attached flyers for guidance on when your child can return to school.
Please contact the office for testing resources, including on-site and at home tests kits, if needed.
OHSU Covid Screening--You can still sign up!
If you are interested in participating in the weekly OHSU screening, you can join at any time. Additionally, your student can participate whether they are vaccinated or unvaccinated. If you would like to sign up, contact your student's teacher and we'll send a packet home.
If you have any questions, please contact the office. (503-431-4800)
Reporting Covid-19 Vaccinations to the School
Screen for Covid Symptoms at Home
Every day before your child leaves for school, check for symptoms of Covid. If your child exhibits any of the following symptoms, keep them home. Please call the attendance line (503-431-4770) to let us know what symptoms the child has so we can help you determine how long the child will need to be out of school. Requirements can be found in the attachments to this newsletter.
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Packed with Pride Needs Our Help
Volunteers are needed and appreciated. Opportunities include helping to:
* unload and stock food items
* pick up donations from our grocery store partners
* fill the food boxes
* help check-in station with your Spanish/English bilingual skills, every other Wednesday, 5:00-7:30p
* move and load boxes into cars at handout
* help with some schools needing to make home deliveries every other Wednesday evening
Email packedwithpridecommunity@gmail.com to be included in our weekly email about volunteer opportunities. Thank you in advance for your helping hands.
Tualatin Elementary School
Email: tualatinoffice@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