Patterson Elementary
Parent Blast - February 28, 2022
Writing & Storytelling Night
Mark you calendars! Next Thursday night we have writing & storytelling night, a virtual event for the whole family. This event will include time for students to:
- Share their language and writing growth
- Visit Mrs. Elison, Music
- Visit Mr. Twigg, P.E.
- Visit Mrs. Lawler and Mrs. Phipps, Social-Emotional Learning
- Visit our Special Education Team for an information session
- Visit our Bilingual Programs Team for an information session
- Enter to win a raffle prize of new books!
N95 Masks Available
As we prepare for changing state guidance, we want to make sure our families know that we continue to have masks and specifically N95 masks available in our office.
Volunteers Needed:
Please check out this volunteer opportunities around Patterson and sign up! Thank you to our Booster Club for organizing this.
A-MAZ-ING Reading Challenge Started This Week!
Mrs. Giard has created a fun new reading event this year - Patterson's A-MAZ-ING Reading Competition! This started Monday and will run for three weeks. Each week students will set a reading goal and turn in a slip if they meet their goal to be entered into a drawing for new books! Check out the flyers below.
Here to serve,
Jamie Lentz
Principal, Patterson Elementary
Important Dates
- February 28 - Patterson's A-MAZ-ING Reading Competition begins!
- March 1 - Kindergarten Registration Opens for 2022-2023
- March 2 - Read Across America Day (see below)
- March 4 - No School, Student/Staff Wellness Day
- March 10 - Writing/Storytelling Family Night, 5-7 pm (Virtual Event)
- March 10-18 - ELPA (English Language Proficiency Assessment)
- March 17 - Noodles & Co. Family Restaurant Night, 4-8 pm
- April 1 - Talent Show Submissions due to Mrs. Crackel
- April 19 - Band Concert at GHS
10 Tips for Parents and Teachers for Younger Children in a Time of War - RESOURCE
We are sharing this resource with our staff and families, given the invasion of Ukraine last week:
Talk with your child. When children have questions, answer them honestly but simply and with reassurance. Ask them what they think is happening, and listen to their answers. Don’t discount their feelings—they may say they’re afraid, and you should be ready to tell them that fear is all right, but that they must go on with life anyway. Use black-and-white language that leaves no room for doubt, such as, “I will always take care of you.”
Make your home a safe place emotionally for your child. Spend lots of family time with your child, especially during a time of war. Spend more time with your child playing games, reading or just holding your child close.
Limit the amount of news your child watches during a time of war. Turn off the TV or radio when war coverage is on. You don’t need to hide what’s happening in the world from your children, but neither do you have to expose them to constant stories about war. Put away magazines and newspapers that have extensive photo coverage of war or frightening covers. Monitor your child’s Internet usage to ensure that she isn’t going to sites that will give gory or sensationalized accounts of war.
Realize that the stresses of war may heighten daily stresses. Your child might normally be able to handle a failed test or teasing, but be understanding that he may respond with anger or bad behavior to stress that normally wouldn’t rattle him. Reassure him that you just expect him to do his best.
During a time of war, map out a routine and stick to it. Children are reassured by regular schedules. If homework is completed at a certain time, make sure you keep that time for homework. Your child may be less able to handle change at home when the world situation is unstable.
Make sure you take care of yourself. If you don’t, you may have less patience and less creativity at a time when your child needs both to reassure her about her own safety. Take care of yourself so that you can take care of your child. Many people find that turning to a higher power, whether through organized religion or privately, can help.
Tell children that they will be all right. Reassure them that they will be protected. Have an emergency plan for the family and share whatever parts of it you think your child can understand. Share with children the emergency plans their schools have and prepare them—some schools shut down in an emergency with the children inside, and your child needs to know he will be protected at school even if he is not with his parents. If your children have family in the military, help them to understand that this is their family member’s job, just like their job is to go to school.
Watch your child for signs of fear and anxiety he or she may not be able to put into words. Has your child become extra clingy, needing more hugs and kisses than usual? Have your child’s grades suddenly dropped? He may be feeling the pressure of what is going on in the world around him. Encourage him to write stories or draw pictures that show how he feels if he can’t put his feelings into words.
Enlist your child’s help. Just because your child is young does not mean she cannot do age-appropriate chores, such as setting the table or cleaning her room. Make sure your child knows how her actions contribute to the entire family’s well-being. If your child knows that she has a role to play, and that she can help, she will feel more in control and more confident.
Put things into a positive perspective for your child. Neither you nor your child may have been through a war before, but you should tell your child that wars end. Point out times when your child has faced up to and conquered something that may have frightened him, whether it was fear of the dark or of entering a new classroom for the first time. When you talk about bad times, make sure you talk about the good times in the future as well.
Thank You Bus Drivers & Bus Assistants!
Talent Show
Read Across America Day
Held annually since 1998 on or around March 2, Read Across America highlights the importance and joy of reading and lifelong learning. This year we will be celebrating with a read-in and pajama day.
Booster Club News
Our Booster Club is excited to share that we are going to be trying an off-site silent auction this year for parents and teachers. Please save the date: May 13th, 8-11 pm at McMenamins.
Read below to help our Booster Club prepare:
We are looking for your help! Do you know a business or individual who would be interested in donating a product, service or gift certificate? We would love to connect with you. Ideas of what we are looking to auction off are: gift certificates, merchandise for local businesses, local beer and wine donations, memberships or partial memberships to local clubs or gyms, sporting event tickets such as Timbers/Blazers, vacation getaway packages.
In addition to specific donations, the booster club will be putting together a few donation baskets. The themes of these baskets are as follows:
- Spa basket
- Wine & chocolate
- Date Night
- Golf
- Sunday Football
- Movie night
- Steak night
Volunteer Sign-Up Genius:
Our Booster Club is also working to set up a volunteer sign-up genius with weekly and monthly volunteer opportunities at school and off-campus.
Champions - SPRING BREAK
Spring break is right around the corner, and we’ve got you covered with the same great break-time care you're experiencing now in our winter program. So, plan ahead to join us for a spring break adventure that will give your kiddo a sneak peek of all the fun in store for the summer!
Your child will team up with friends for an engaging, interactive program that will broaden their understanding of people and places around the world. Through their journey, kids will learn how to innovate to solve real-world problems, connect with diverse cultures, persevere through challenges, and celebrate their individual strengths and team accomplishments. As they gather clues and complete tasks, they will ...
- Practice sustainable ways to care for our world using creative problem-solving along the way.
- Try out new ways to take care of their mental and physical health to feel their best.
- Embrace different perspectives (following their curiosities to amazing discoveries!).
- Explore the impact of their influence when they create and share information with others.
Plus, they’ll make new buddies, connect with caring teachers, and thrive in our safe classroom environment. Full- and part-time options are available for big kids up to 12 year old, so whatever your family’s needs may be, we’re here to support you.
Check spring break child care off your list and sign your Champion up for an exciting learning adventure that they’ll love! You can learn more about our school break programs here.
The Spring Break Program will be located at Jackson Elementary which is only a couple minutes away!
Best Wishes!
Jordan Leonard
(She/Her)
Field Coach/Site Director @ Paul L. Patterson Elementary
Champions/KinderCare Education LLC.
Site phone: 971.268.3663
HSD Mask Update: Communication From Last Week
2/24/22
Dear HSD Students, Staff, and Families,
Earlier today, the Oregon Health Authority announced it will lift the state-level indoor mask mandate for indoor public spaces and schools on Saturday, March 19. By the time the mandate is lifted, each individual school district needs to have determined its own stance on indoor masking in collaboration with their local public health agency.
HSD has been gathering information on the potential impacts of various decisions and developing our plan. Our goal has been to allow for choice and a return to normalcy, while also keeping students in school and ensuring students and staff are as safe as possible while on our campuses.
Based on current guidance, our intention is to allow masks to be optional for most students and staff indoors once the state-level mandate is lifted. We do anticipate that there will be instances where masking will be required based on the needs of students. This could include students in medically fragile classrooms and other specialized settings, among others.
Information is still being developed for school districts, so there may be additional details to share in the coming weeks that could include protocols for the duration of quarantines, expectations for staff with exceptions, etc.; however, we wanted to share our preliminary thoughts with students, staff, and families, and provide an opportunity for you to share your feedback with us.
As we move to make masking optional, we will continue to strongly encourage mask wearing indoors, as well as vaccination and booster shots for all eligible persons.
Please complete one survey per household by Monday, Feb. 28. An update will be provided by Friday, Mar. 4.
Thank you,
Hillsboro School District
Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) Dates
Here is our schedule for CSE lesson this school year:
- Kinder: May 16-27
- 1st Grade: March 28-April 11
- 2nd Grade: May 16-27
- 3rd Grade: March 7-18
- 4th Grade: May 31-June 13
- 5th Grade: May 31-June 13
- 6th Grade: March 7-18
As a parent/guardian, we encourage you to learn more about our K-12 Comprehensive Sexuality Plan and teaching materials. To make this as easy as possible, we have posted documents on our Comprehensive Sexuality Education Plan website that outline the standards, curricula, and instructional materials used at each grade-level. (Note: If/when materials cannot be posted online due to copyright restrictions, you may call the school and make an appointment to view them in person.) Remember, parents/guardians have the right to utilize our opt-out process if they wish to have their student(s) participate in alternate activities during sexual health instruction (Opt-Out Form).
If you have any questions/concerns about the health curriculum, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Additional Information
HSD’s Health Education Overview
ODE’s Health Education Website
ODE’s Sexuality Education: Frequently Asked Questions
HSD’s Resources for Families
Food Pantry
Attendance Line
Thank you to our families for calling students in sick on our attendance line and sharing symptoms. This has helped us to communicate with families regarding timelines for return and kept our building safe and healthy. If you have not done so already, we encourage you to save our attendance line number in your phone: 503.844.1385
Paul L. Patterson Elementary School
Email: lentzj@hsd.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.hsd.k12.or.us/patterson
Location: 261 NE Lenox St, Hillsboro, OR, United States
Phone: 503-844-1380
Facebook: facebook.com/PattersonHSD
Twitter: @PattersonHSD