I hope everyone and your loved ones are doing well. Thank you to the PTSA board, parents, and teachers that attended last evening's meeting. We had a thorough discussion about Limited In-Person Instruction (LIPI). Below, within the newsletter, I have provided information about LIPI, and here is the presentation from yesterday. I will continue to update you with the process.
One conversation discussed was the issue of a percentage of our scholars who are not engaging in distance learning. I explained to the parents that we are struggling to gain contact with the parents of these scholars. I believe that they might be worried that they live outside of the school district, and I am contacting them to leave HTMS. That is NOT the case. They are being contacted to assist their scholar with materials and the knowledge to navigate distance learning. I want to thank the parents from yesterday that want to help with this dilemma. I am truly appreciative that we want to work as a community to help our fellow brethren. If you know of families who are struggling, please inform them to contact me, lmair@pps.net. We want to assist immediately. The resources are here. Thank you.
Parents, this week was a historic week for our country with the first woman and person of color, Madame Kamala Harris, to be sworn in as the Vice-President of the United States!
I want to acknowledge a legend that we lost today, Major League Baseball great, Hank Aaron. Not only was he a great baseball player, but he helped advance civil rights issues and lobbied and worked for an equal, just society. Condolences to his family and salute to a legend.
Lastly, I am proud to announce that our very own scholars have created their own monthly newsletter, The Tubman Times! Nate Shine is the founder, one of the writers, and editor in chief. Kudos to you, Nate! This newsletter is for the scholars, but, I asked Nate may I share it with the parents, and he said, yes :). I just had to show off our scholar's talents! Here is the board of scholars that have created the inaugural edition:
Nate Shine Founder, Writer, and Editor in Chief
Nora DuLong Writer
Elliot Perez Writer
James Prasil Writer
Julian Asklaskon Editor
Quintin Currier Editor
Ruby Fenger Artist
Oliver Bullman Artist
Salute to this team of scholars! Please take a read; you will be surprised with their articles. Note, this was strictly student-led.
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REOPENING OF SCHOOLS (Limited In-Person Instruction-LIPI)
Harriet Tubman Middle is in Phase 2 of the Portland Public Schools that will begin Limited in-Person Instruction (LIPI). The beginning date is February 22nd. LIPI is voluntary for scholars. It is only for 6th graders at this time, with approximately 10-12 scholars in a cohort. The cohort would attend for two hours in the afternoon for one day a week. LIPI does not replace distance synchronous learning in the morning. This is an opportunity for our most vulnerable scholars to receive extra support with face-to-face instruction. Transportation will be provided in most instances.
HTMS' classrooms have been reconfigured to the safety guidelines recommended by the state. We, the administrative/admin support teams, will develop criteria for the scholars we will invite.
The district will be sending correspondence to the community next week. As always, I will keep you up to date with LIPI news.
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PPS PARENT WORKSHOP - RACISM IN OREGON HISTORY
The Humanities Department is offering a virtual workshop in collaboration with the Oregon Historical Society on Jan. 27, 2021, designed to help parents understand how both racism and justice are at the heart of Oregon’s history and are crucial to our ability to build a better future. For more information, including a flyer and the registration, click here.
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AT-HOME STRATEGY OF THE WEEK -- LIMIT SETTING
Parents, the district is providing and recommending the Limit Setting strategy to use with your scholar(s). This one-page flyer contains links to more detailed information on the strategy, as well as a link to the MTSS At-Home Strategies Website,
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FREE, BILINGUAL, 90-MINUTE WEBINAR FOR STUDENTS IN 6TH – 12TH GRADE AND THEIR FAMILIES Mensaje en español
Greetings,
You’re invited to attend the virtual Road to College, hosted by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund! This is a FREE, bilingual, 90-minute webinar for students in 6th – 12th grade and their families, where you will receive valuable information about how to prepare, plan, and pay for a college education!
HSF’s Road to College is tailored to address the needs of middle and high school students and their parents. People of all ethnicities and backgrounds are encouraged to attend.
Presentations will be delivered by subject-matter experts, in both English and Spanish, on the following topics:
- Preparing for and applying to college
- Researching financial aid and scholarship opportunities
- Understanding the real cost of a college education
- Maximizing the college experience
- Preparing for a career after college
Below are the dates and registration links for each of the three HSF Road to College webinars:
Tuesday, January 26, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Tuesday, March 30, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Tuesday, April 27, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. Central/ 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time
Registration will close once capacity has been reached. Secure your spot by registering today! We hope to see you there!
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FREE/REDUCED ELIGIBILITY FOR PEBT AND OTHER BENEFITS
While meals are served at no cost to children ages 1-18 at several Portland Public School sites this year, there are several benefits for eligible families to submit a meal application this school year.
Families approved for free and reduced-price meals may be eligible to receive future potential government assistance such as Pandemic EBT benefits.
Families may be eligible for other benefits such as school-related fee reduction or waivers, low-cost internet, and health coverage.
Families do not need to submit a meal application if any of the following apply:
All students in the household attend a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school (list located online: https://www.pps.net/Page/2088) where students eat meals at no cost.
A meal application has already been submitted and approved for the 2020-21 school year.
The household received a 2020-21 Direct Certification Approval letter.
Eligible families who would like to submit a meal application have the following options:
- Online at www.schoolcafe.com/pps.
- Print, complete, and mail back a paper meal application (https://www.pps.net/Page/2464) to PPS Nutrition Services, 501 N. Dixon St., Portland, OR 97227.
- Request a paper meal application be mailed home from mealbenefits@pps.net or call (503) 916-3402
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SNAP BENEFITS
The federal economic relief package passed late last month included a temporary increase of approximately 15% in SNAP benefits. These benefits are planned to be distributed this month in Oregon. To see the details, please read this news release. SNAP Emergency Allotments will continue for January as well, meaning families will still receive their maximum household allotment of SNAP benefits. Please see these FAQs for more information.
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SATURDAY ACADEMY APPRENTICESHIPS IN SCIENCE & ENGINEERING PROGRAM
Science and engineering program opportunity for scholars. Please click on the link, below.
Apprenticeships in Science & Engineering Program
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MEAL SERVICES
Due to Martin Luther King Jr.’s Day falling on a meal service day, the Nutrition Services department will be providing extra meals on Friday, January 15th, and Wednesday, January 20th in order to continue to cover meals for all 7 days. On Friday, January 29th (a teacher planning day), meal services will continue as scheduled. For PPS families not near a meal pickup location or who need assistance accessing meals and would like to request home meal delivery, please contact nutritionservices@pps.net with:
- Family name
- Address (where meals should be delivered)
- Contact phone number
- Number of children in the household
- School(s) attended
Requests submitted by end of day Monday, will begin receiving meal deliveries on the following Monday. For cancellations, changes or updates, please contact nutritionservices@pps.net. Please feel free to visit our website or contact us at nutritionservices@pps.net with any questions. ___________________________________________________________________________________________
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY MUSIC SCHOLARSHIPS
Please click on the link below for information.
https://www.pps.net/cms/lib/OR01913224/Centricity/Domain/4/PSU_Music_Scholarships_2021.pdf
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PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE TEEN COMMUNITY ED PROGRAMS
Please click on this link for information.
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DONATING TO THOSE IN NEED
Tubman Family, during these times, some of our families are facing struggles and hardships. Families may need help with food, coats, and basic necessities during the upcoming season. If you would like to help those in need, below is an online giving link for those who may like to donate funds to support those in our community. https://pps.schoolpay.com/link/HTMScommunity
Thank you.
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SATURDAY ACADEMY ONLINE STEAM ONLINE CLASSES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS
This is an opportunity for our scholars. If interested, please click on this link for further information.
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OTHER NEWS
SO YOU WANT TO BE A CANVAS PARENT OBSERVER
Parents, if you would like to be an observer of your scholar's courses, this step-by-step direction will allow you to see your scholar's courses. Mr. Longo provided a demonstration at yesterday's training. If you have multiple scholars, you can add them to the same account that you have created.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Please contact Ms. Holmes, jholmes1@pps.net, for any technical need.
OFFICE STAFF
If you have a registration or general question, please contact our office staff via email: Ms. Brown, jbrown12@pps.net, Ms. Maharry, hmaharry@pps.net, and Ms. Smith-Myles, csmithmyles@pps.net. Please note, the office is still closed until further notice.
Lastly, please click on the buttons below.
Please take care, and be safe!
In-Service,
Proud Principal
Louis Mair
