Hello, MLC community! Thanks for getting your student(s) here on this EARLY Monday! Daylight savings time is always quite a transition for all of us, but I do look forward to its positive which is the extra sunshine we are bound to get soon!

Please make sure to read throughout the newsletter for some some important updates regarding drills, safety and electives.

We are also revving up for some exciting field trips and a middle school dance!

TWO more weeks until Spring Break! Let's make them good ones!

Best,

Suezann & Darren

Those choosing to use Hoyt Street for pick up:

Please help us in ensuring the Hoyt Street pick up area is safe and efficient. Our AP, Darren, will start being stationed on Hoyt for pick up and to help direct traffic. Another staff member will help to direct 6-8 students to move more directly to their cars after school. Please also have this chat with you student at home.

Cars waiting for students should not block both ways of traffic. Our students are very dangerously having to try to cross the street to their rides due to cars stopping in the middle of the street. Please make sure to pull over to the side when waiting for you student. Once you have your student, please make sure to least the area so more cars can pull up for their child.

Thanks for your help in ensuring student safety.

MLC will be participating in a Lockdown drill on Tuesday 3/21 at 1:30 pm.

Lockdown actions are initiated whenever there is an active threat against the safety of our school. This action includes “Locks, Lights, Out of Sight” and works to create a time barrier until our first responders can arrive at the scene. Lockdown emergency actions save lives, and conducting such drills helps to better prepare our staff and students if a threatening situation were ever to occur at our school.

We understand that these types of active threat drills can cause some anxiety for students and staff. Please know that our staff are working to connect with students in advance of the drill in an age appropriate way to help ease any anxiety and better support students who may be negatively impacted.

As a parent/caregiver, we wanted to share some additional resources that could help in connecting with your child(ren) in advance of this drill:

• 15 Ways to Help Your Child Through Crisis: Parent resource from KidsPeace

• Helping Children Cope: Offered by ready.gov, this resource provides advice for helping children cope through disasters and emergencies.

• Talking with children about terrorist attacks and school and community shootings in the news: from the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement

• Talking with children about violence: tips for parents and teachers: from the National Association of School Psychologists

• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network: this website offers guidance for trauma-informed care for children following a disaster or traumatic event and offers many resources including a Psychological First Aid training.

We do not expect this drill to disrupt the school day, and your child(ren). If you have any questions, please feel free to contact my office. You may also reach out to our district’s Emergency Management program through Security Services at 503-916-3000 to discuss any issues of emergency preparedness, drills, or security measures taken at PPS.

Let's give a shout out to our MLC library/media center team! Tim and Susan have been rockin' it in the library this year! Susan is taking our 5th grade OBOB team to regionals this weekend! We are so lucky she has taken them under her wing and prepped them for this competition.

Tim is not only welcoming and energetic when you enter the library space - but he is also a master at riddles! Have you tried to solve one of Tim's weekly riddles? Test your skills by visiting the library!

Hooray Susan and Tim!

Antigen Rapid Tests available!

We received a shipment of iHealth Covid-19 Antigen Rapid Tests. We are encouraging families to keep kits at home for easy testing. You are welcome to stop by the office and grab some, or call us at 503-916-5737 and we will gladly send some home with your student.

Stay healthy.

PPS families,

As required by the Oregon Department of Education, we are providing you the 30 Day Notice and Opt Out Form. The notice is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Russian and Somali on the PPS Research, Assessment, and Accountability website.

Statewide testing is part of our balanced assessment system that offers all students, especially historically underserved students, opportunities to demonstrate their progress. Information provided by student assessments is critical in helping us determine district and school priorities for improving student learning.

If you have questions, please contact your school office.

Do you wonder what's going on in the Kx8 Art Room? Art teacher Ned and his students are posting their creations and flops on Instagram at bettys_atelier_mlc in honor of Betty Mather, one of MLC's original teacher/founders! Betty taught in room 106 for the first third of our school's history. Betty's space was the beating heart of the school where all children met and created.

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Attendance Line 503-916-3656