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Hello, MTMS Staff and Families,

Spring has definitely sprung as we enter the 4th and final quarter of the school year. The work of the PTA is beginning to take shape in the courtyard with new plantings, beds, and bulbs. The tremendous work of a very dedicated group of volunteers and our amazing local vendors (including Dean's Innovations, the landscape materials company that delivered our most recent additions of soil and compost) is humbling. I had the chance to watch our volunteers at work last week and commented to them how important beautifying this space is. I realize that some many not think much of it, but I truly believe when students and adults learn and work in beautiful spaces--spaces that are aesthetically pleasing, clean, and bright--that our moods, productivity, and pride all rise. I sincerely hope that all of you who have not had a chance to see the renovations in action take a moment to look at the photos below and consider donating--we have such an amazing opportunity to transform the heart of our building into a space of learning.

And, just like the bulbs that push up every spring, so do our annual state assessments (OSAS). Students will begin their testing this week starting in their language arts classes before we move into a school-wide testing schedule the week of April 17-21. While I know there are a host of feelings about the merit of these exams when balanced with instructional time, they are an important measure for us to gauge our progress as a school. We hope that our families can support their children by ensuring they get good rest, charged Chromebooks, and a solid breakfast on our testing dates. There are more details about the testing schedule later in the newsletter.

As many of you also know, the PPS school board has extended our school year to make up for instructional time lost due to snow days. Barring any further closures, the last day of school for students will be on Wednesday, June 14. Given this change, we have also moved our 8th grade promotion on Wednesday, June 14 from 6:00-7:15 pm in the Franklin High School gymnasium.

I wish all of you an amazing first week of the last quarter of the school year.

All the best,

Ms. Tonya Longo

Principal, Mt. Tabor Middle School

¡Marca tu calendario! Mark your calendar! Last two Convivencia de Familias Latinas events for Latinx Parents/Guardians/Caregivers on April 12 and May 24!

Please join us for snacks, drinks, important school information handouts in Spanish, and to connect with our Spanish Community Agent, our counselors and our administrators.

We want to answer any questions you have about the end of the school year and get your input!

All Latinx families -- Spanish-speaking and non-Spanish-speaking -- are invited to attend!

Wednesdays, April 12 and May 24

9:15 - 9:45am

In the library

We would love to see you!

We would appreciate your time in completing this survey that will be used as part of our Middle School Redesign process:

Mt Tabor PPS Family Survey (English)

Mt Tabor PPS Family Survey (Spanish)

The deadline for pre-ordering yearbooks is coming up! Make sure to get online orders in by April 21st. Yearbooks are $20 and available for purchase through PPS SchoolPay.

Questions? Contact Alex Dawson adawson@pps.net

Your Weekly PTA Update

The PTA hopes that everyone had a pleasant Spring Break and found joy in the short hiatus from the daily school routine. Our students have been back to school for a week and the week has flown by. As we move into spring and toward the end of the school year, the PTA is planning for Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week, continuing work on the Courtyard Beautification project, and recruiting PTA Board members for the next school year. Keep on reading for all the details.

Teacher-Staff Appreciation Week

Calling all you amazing parents and community members. Teacher and staff appreciation week is quickly approaching (May 8th - 12th). Do any of you have ideas and/or services to help make this the most amazing week for them? Food? Short massages between classes? Gifts? Please let us know how you can help! #ittakesavillage (and we are one!) Contact the PTA at mtmspta@gmail.com with your ideas and ability to volunteer.

Courtyard Beautification

Your PTA and community volunteers have made significant progress on our courtyard beautification project, and we send three loud cheers to those of you who contributed funds to help support this effort! In total, we raised $3490 from our community. We have also benefited from a financial grant from Cambia Health Foundation of $5000, due to a MTMS parent who serves on their board. With these monies, we plan to purchase plants, soil and mulch, irrigation supplies, and some hardscape elements to complete a reflection space. We have surveyed the teachers and staff for their wish lists, and plan to survey the students as well. With these additional wishes, we hope to maximize the functional use of this space for all.

So far, we have moved in one load of soil, two loads of mulch, placed about 20 plants in the ground, set out many spring-blooming bulbs, trimmed trees and bushes, weeded a significant footprint, created a meandering walking path and cleaned out the garden shed. Whew!

We have another garden party scheduled for Wednesday, April 19th from 3-5pm. If you haven’t had a hand in beautifying our courtyard yet, maybe this is your day! If you are able to help, please send your contact information to Sarah Nuttbrock at snutt@spu.edu.

We want to make a couple of acknowledgements to local businesses that have generously supported this project so far: Honl Tree Care (arborist services), Dean Innovations (mulch/soil delivery) and of course, the star of this show, Kyle Summers with Nine Bark Design (landscaping design).

Check out the pictures to see a few of the work party folks we are so grateful for.

2023-2024 PTA - Take Part in Forming the Board for Next Year

This is the time of year that the PTA needs to start recruiting volunteers from the MTMS community to fill critical roles on the PTA. To legally operate the PTA must have a President, Secretary, and Treasurer. However, to operate effectively, we need a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Communications Chair, Restaurant Partners/Funding Chair, and more!!! We have some 8th grade parents that are moving on with their students and some GREAT parents that joined the PTA this year and will be an asset on the team next year. If you are interested in one of these roles please contact the PTA at mtmspta@gmail.com. Join with a friend, it’s even more fun that way!

MTMS Gear

Spring and summer are coming and your student(s) need t-shirts that fit. T-shirts are $25.00 and come in different MTMS designs and colors. Or, perhaps they need a hoodie for cool spring mornings and evenings. Check out Mt. Tabor Middle School spirit gear at Big Frog. Items are ordered on demand from the local company. You order online, pay online, and items can be picked up locally in Portland or mailed to your address. You can place your order online at this link: https://mttabormiddleschool.itemorder.com/shop/sale/

For the 2022-23 school year, MTMS shortened the list of student-provided materials considerably and are working to provide community supplies to ensure that all students have access to these tools. We are asking that families contribute $15-$25 toward the purchase of these community supplies.

It is also time to purchase your 2022-23 Yearbook. Every year come June, students and families are disappointed because we run out of extras for sale. This year's book with cost $20.

You can pay your community supply contribution AND purchase your yearbook by scanning the attached QR code.

The nationwide waiver to provide all K-12 students free meals regardless of income expired June 30, 2022. Meals will no longer be free to all PPS students in the 2022-23 school year. Eligible families can submit an online or paper Confidential Family Application to see if they qualify for free and reduced-priced meals.

• Click the Apply Online link or download the mobile app to complete and submit an application via SchoolCafe.

Two Step Process to Submit an Online Meal Application with SchoolCafe:

1. Create a SchoolCafe Account. You can use this account each school year to submit an online meal application.
2. Complete and submit the online application. You can check the status of the application and even print out the approval/denial letter.

Applying with a Paper Application:

To submit a paper application, click on the 2022-23 Confidential Family Application for Free and Reduced Priced Meals below.

• English
• Chinese
• Russian
• Somali
• Spanish
• Vietnamese

Then, print out and complete the required information and mail the application to the PPS Nutrition Services Department, 501 N. Dixon St., Portland, OR 97227. To request one to be mailed to you, please fill out the online request form or contact the PPS Meal Benefits Office at 503.916.3402 or email mealbenefits@pps.net.

If families do not qualify for free and reduced-price meals, a meal application can be submitted any time during the school year. This means if circumstances change that allow families to meet the income guidelines, they can submit an application at that time.