Greetings Fir Grove Families!

We've been in school for a month now. Teachers have routines in place. Classroom communities are still being established. Writing, math, and reading workshops are going strong in every grade level.

All across the school teachers and students are building stamina in independent reading. What is stamina? Reading stamina is a child's ability to focus and read independently for long-ish periods of time without being distracted or without distracting others. Reading stamina is something that parents can help students develop at home too. Ask your child how their reading stamina is coming along and what the goal is for their classroom.

Here are some great tips for reading at home with your child. At Fir Grove the expectation is that every child is reading every night at home. Depending on the grade level from 10-30 minutes a night. This can include reading with your child, reading to your child, or having your child read to you.

Walk+Bike to School Day is October 2nd. Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle will be here to celebrate and welcome walkers and rollers at the north end of the building. Lots of give-aways that morning for students who walk, roll, or bus to school. Rumor has it that Furry Grover will make an appearance.

If you have any suggestions, questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to me to chat or schedule a meeting. I am at each PTO Meeting. Additionally, I have several Principal Chats scheduled this year. It is a time to share what is happening at Fir Grove, answer questions, and connect with families.

• October 3, 6:15-7:00pm.
• November 7, 6:15-7:00pm
• January 9, 6:15-7:00pm
• March 5, 6:15-7:00pm
• May 15, 8:15-9:00am

Warmly,

Erin Miles

Nutrition Services information is easier to access this year, and we have lots of cool information to share!

Remember that the 30-day Rollover Period for 2018-2019 meal benefits will end in early October. Be sure to apply TODAY so your students don’t have a lapse in benefits. Any families whose students go into “Paid” status will be responsible to pay for all meals charged in school cafeterias. Don’t let this happen to you!!

Click on the link below to go to SchoolCafe, and see all the things that you can do:

https://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/departments/nutrition-services/meals/schoolcafe

All you need is your student’s ID number. If you don’t have that, you can call your school office

or the Meal Benefits line (503-356-3957). Here are some of your options in SchoolCafe:

1. Create an account
2. Apply for Meal Benefits
3. View and print Meal Benefits letters
4. See what items your student is getting in the cafeteria.
5. Check your student’s account balance.
6. View cafeteria menus
7. Set up low balance alerts
8. Set up auto-pay (when balance gets to an amount that YOU set, the account is replenished from your credit card)

SchoolCafe can provide amazing amounts of information!

If you do not have access to a computer, you can also apply for Meal Benefits on paper. Applications are available in every school office and cafeteria.

If you have questions or need help, please call Laurie Bishop at Meal Benefits, (503)356-3957 or email us at NS-MealBenefits@beaverton.k12.or.us.

Speak Up 4 Student Success: HB 3427 - Student Success Act Community Conversations

The Oregon Legislature passed and the Governor signed the $2 billion Student Success Act (HB 3427) in Spring 2019. This is an historic and much needed investment in K-12 schools. The Beaverton School District could be able to access an estimated $34 million per year through a state application process.

School districts are required to apply for funds, and must engage their community in a needs assessment process prior to the application for funds. All Beaverton schools will be engaging their communities in these conversations during September and October.

Please join us to talk about what student success looks like in our school and the Beaverton School District. What is going well in our schools? What areas/services/programs could we improve?

Your voice matters! We welcome your perspective and opinion.

Fir Grove Speak Up 4 Student Success Community Conversations offered in English & Spanish:

· October 3, 2019, 6:15-7:00pm

· Childcare will be provided

Conference scheduling is online. You should be getting an email with a sign-up link in a few weeks from your classroom teacher. Conferences are 20 minutes long.

The program is located in portables on the west side of the District Administration Center, 16550 SW Merlo Rd., and is open on Wednesdays through June 10, 2020 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Families should arrive no later than 6:30 p.m. to plan to be done shopping by closing time. Admit Slips are required. Please visit Fir Grove's main office or counselor for an admit slip.

Donation bins in front of the Clothes Closet will be available Monday through Thursday during business hours for donations.

El Ropero del Distrito está ubicado en el salón portátil situado junto al estacionamiento oeste del Centro Administrativo del Distrito en 16550 SW Merlo Rd., y está abierto todos los miércoles de 10:00 a.m. a 7:00 p.m. hasta el 10 de junio de 2020. Las familias deben llegar a más tardar a las 6:30 p.m. para poder seleccionar los artículos antes de las 7:00 p.m. Es necesario llevar un pase de acceso. Este pase puede ser adquirido en la oficina de la escuela o con el consejero escolar.

Los contenedores para depositar donaciones pequeñas se encuentran frente al Ropero del Distrito y estarán disponibles de lunes a jueves en horario de oficina.

The 21st Beaverton Education Foundation Phone-a-thon takes place October 9-17, 2019. This annual dialing tradition provides critical funds that support innovative educational programs for students in the Beaverton community. During the five-fun-filled nights, more than 350 student volunteers make over 30,000 phone calls, dedicating their time, energy and enthusiasm to supporting BEF programs.

Last year, BEF served over 27,000 Beaverton students in grades K-12, funding 124 academic programs or projects. Through this funding from our supporters and community engagement, $390,603 was invested back into our schools.

This year our goal is to fund 130 projects impacting 30,000 students. Together, we will make it happen.

The Phone campaign and the associated mailings are the Foundations largest fundraising activity of the year. Funds raised are reinvested in a wide variety of after and summer school programs for students at all of Beaverton public schools. Please Answer the Call for our students!