Black Bear Bits
April 22, 2022
Important Dates
4/22: Earth Day
4/23: Garden Work Party 9:00-11:00 a.m.
4/28: Vision Screening
4/30: Classified Job Fair (See flyer for details)
5/1: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
5/4: Springtime Rock and Roll to School
5/2-6: Teacher Appreciation Week
5/2-6: 3rd grade Math state testing
5/9-13: 4th grade Math state testing
5/11: No School - Teacher Planning Day
In this edition...
- Letter from the Principal
- Garden Work Party
- New Principal Named at Tualatin Elementary
- PTA Read-a-thon Results
- Kindergarten Registration
- Kinder Summer Jumpstart
- Pre-K Registration
- Spring Walk and Roll to School
- Volunteering Requirements
- 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,
I hope everyone has had a nice week and looking forward to some potentially good weather for this weekend. The weather will help make for a great Tualatin Elementary Sustainable Garden work party this Saturday, April 23rd, between 9:00 - 11:00 AM. Please come join the fun and make some great connections with other Tualatin Elementary families and staff. Helping in the school garden is a great way to volunteer at this time.
Please contact your child’s teacher regarding any questions or need for more information about report cards--now available through ParentVUE, as well as a printed copy that was sent home in students' backpacks. We are here to make sure you have all the information you need as we work together during this final quarter of the school year.
We had our second lockdown emergency practice drill on Wednesday this week. Please contact our counselor, Mrs. Gillam, or me with student support needs if you feel this would benefit your child. We are happy to ensure that everyone feels safe at school. We will have a practice fire drill on Monday, April 25th. Feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher or me with any questions about our emergency practice drills to help with conversations at home.
Please see the TTSD announcement from earlier this week about Jim Hiller being named Tualatin Elementary School’s next Principal.
With Gratitude,
Mr. Kingery
Principal
Celebrate Earth Day With Us!
Celebrate Earth Day with Tualatin Elementary's Sustainable Garden!
Plan to attend our garden work party on Saturday, April 23rd, from 9:00-11:00 a.m.
We will be spreading bark chips over the paths in the garden to inhibit weed growth, weeding and prepping soil for our early plantings.
Why should you come? Here are 6 good reasons:
Our last work party was a great success! We had over 60 people there and accomplished so much! Who doesn't want a repeat of that?!!!
Learn about garden care from Mr. Taylor.
See where food comes from and learn how your family can harvest and enjoy the produce that grows in our garden throughout the summer.
Enjoy lite snacks.
Experience our garden with your family and friends.
Show your school spirit while getting our garden ready for spring planting!
Bring your gloves and water bottle. Tools, buckets and wagons provided.
Message from Jim Hiller, Tualatin's Next Principal
Dear Tualatin Elementary Families,
I am honored to be chosen as your new principal and to serve your children here at Tualatin Elementary. I am so impressed and inspired by the sense of community and pride you share in this school and I am so excited to join you come July 1.
I am sharing the district’s announcement for a little more information about my career. I will work with Principal Kingery to coordinate opportunities to meet with families in the coming weeks. Beginning July 1, I can be reached at jhiller@ttsd.k12.or.us.
Sincerely,
Jim Hiller
PTA Read-a-thon Results
Our 2022 Tualatin Elementary School Read-a-thon results are here! As a reminder, we had school-wide goals of $1,000 (teachers and staff wore tutus), $5,000 (Mrs. Hinkle would get a pie in the face), $7,500 (Ms. Olson would get a pie in the face), and $10,000 (students would get extra recess and a popsicle party).
I can now announce that the Tualatin Elementary 2022 Read-a-thon has raised a grand total of.... $14,836!!!
Class who raised the most money, grades K-2: Ms. Craft's 1st grade class with $1,629.30.
Class who raised the most money, grades 3-5: Ms. McConnell's 3rd grade class with $1,643.56.
Class with the most minutes read, grades K-2: Ms. Hagerman's 2nd grade class with 2,822.
Class with the most minutes read, grades 3-5: Mr. Michaels' 4th grade class with 4,270 minutes.
Student with most minutes read: Astrid DeGiovanni with 1,410 minutes.
Student with most money raised: Claire Berning with $577.
Students who read over 1,000 minutes:
Astrid DeGiovanni: 1410
Aidan O'Keeffe: 1365
Elora Faucera: 1146
Liam Vickery: 1040
Cora Lindsey: 1020
Claire Berning: 1015
Galya Palencia: 1005
Landon Booth: 1000
Nora Elizabetta Eaton: 1000
We had over 130 kids turn in reading logs, 9 students read over 1,000 minutes, and every student in the school participated in the in-class read-a-thon activities.
I am blown away and humbled by the success of our read-a-thon. I want to say a very sincere thank you to all of the PTA members, teachers, and staff who worked effortlessly to put this fundraiser together and help make it a success, as well as to the many families who helped their students raise funds and complete reading logs, and to every member of our community who donated money to support our students and our school. These are the events that allow us as a PTA to continue supporting our school, and are integral to our school enrichment. THANK YOU - we couldn't have done this without you all!!!
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.
Kinder Summer Jumpstart
Parents of Incoming Kindergarteners! We invite you to apply for Kinder Jumpstart here at Tualatin Elementary.
- Learn routines taught by real life Tualatin Elementary kindergarten teachers!
- Meet future classmates and make new friends!
- Become familiar with our school, playground and buses so that you’re ready for the first day!
Dates:
August 1 - August 4: Monday-Thursday 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m
August 8 - August 11: Monday-Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m
Forms will be emailed to all parents who have already registered their child for Kindergarten next year. They are also available from Teacher Adam, the school office, and here. Please complete this form and return to the front office or email a photo of both pages to tualatinoffice@ttsd.k12.or.us by June 1, 2022 to have your child be considered. Students who have no/limited pre-school experience receive priority placement in this program.
If you have questions, please contact: Christine Allen 503-431-4794 or callen@ttsd.k12.or.us
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
Springtime Walk and Roll to School
Black Bear Families, we have some upcoming opportunities to MOVE! On May 4th, Tualatin Elementary will host a Springtime Walk and Roll to School. Then join Tigard and the Tualatin Public Library are hosting Move4May Challenge. Get more information here or see the attachments.
- May 4th Walk & Roll to School: See attached PDF
- Move4May Challenge: Attached is a PDF with the Move4May Challenge Calendar (this is open to all). Tigard will host a bunch of fun events including three weekends of e-bike and e-scooter demos, a Mini-Duathlon, a free bike repair clinic, a virtual speaker event with panelists discussing Transportation & Health, and more! Additionally, the Tualatin Library will have an active book list and display for the month. See the website with more information and fun local business promotions.
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.
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