Whitman Newsletter
January 7th 2022
WELCOME BACK, WILDCATS!
WEDNESDAY, JAN 12TH - PICTURE RETAKE DAY!
MONDAY, JAN 17TH - NO SCHOOL
FRIDAY, JAN 21ST - Mix Match/Backwards Day
FRIDAY, JAN 28TH - NO SCHOOL
MONDAY, JAN 31ST - NO SCHOOL
GREETINGS FROM MS. G
Dear Whitman Families:
We hope this newsletter finds you well as we return from winter break and begin a new year. We are very proud of our incredible Whitman students and their achievement and resiliency. We are truly grateful for your support through these challenging times in our world and education. You are such a wonderful community to serve and we cannot thank you enough for your patience and commitment to Whitman as we navigate this educational journey together.
Our aim in this new year is to ensure a bi-monthly newsletter so there is a central location for everyone to continue being informed as well as a way to celebrate all the incredible aspects happening at Whitman.
Some celebrations we would like to share with you :
DePave Project- in order to bring more nature and less pavement to our playground. Volunteers from DePave, our PTA, and School worked to depave some of our playground area to make way for trees that will be planted by our amazing 5th graders on Tuesday, January 11!
PAWS tickets are given daily to students for demonstrating Whitman values. Each Monday, a drawing occurs from those tickets and students are honored and celebrated with a prize. Those tickets from Monday’s drawings then go into a bucket for K-2 and 3-5, then 2 tickets from each bucket are drawn and those students get to pick a friend to enjoy a COVID safe donut party. What is so exciting to share is that all of these tickets are then put into a school wide container, and when the very large container is filled the whole school gets to celebrate. This year's whole school celebration will be honored differently due to covid restrictions. Each Classroom will rotate to the gym, cafeteria, library, hallway and outside for fun activities and some treats!
COVID UPDATE
COVID Update:
It is very important that Whtitman continue to communicate as much as possible, and it is our commitment to be sure to keep you informed and feeling supported. As we enter into a new year with the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases that have been driven by the Omicron variant PPS will be sending regular updates and I will be sure to share any additional information that is needed. You should be receiving some updates later today 1/7, expanding on the community message that was sent last night on 1/8.
For now, it is essential that everyone that comes to school completes a daily illness screening.
Please don't come if you have a cough and/or fever.
Also please wear a well fitting mask at all times.
Finally, practice frequent hand washing.
I am so proud of the response and thoughtfulness of our community so far. I know that we can continue to take care of each other. I also need to inform you that for now, the district has started a Test to Stay procedure. Information about the new PPS Test to Stay program can be found here.
I realize this is a lot of information at once. We are working hard to keep Whitman students and staff as healthy as possible during this difficult time. This program is to determine if non-vaccinated students that have been exposed to a positive case at school can stay. At this time vaccinated students that are determined to be a close contact to a positive COVID case do not have to quarantine as long as they remain symptom free.
Below are listed the steps of this program:
1. A Positive COVID case is identified in a classroom.
2. The school and CD team determines any "close contact" students of the positive case individual.
3. If the close contact student is unvaccinated, has no symptoms and has a completed BinaxNow test consent form completed then the SHA can test 'close contacts'/unvaccinated/asymptomatic that have consent on file.
4. If the test result is negative then the student returns to class.
5. If the close contact student does not have a test consent form on file then the student has to go home to quarantine.
6. If the close contact student has a positive test result then the student goes home to isolate and the school will initiate another consultation with the County Health Department Communicable Disease team.
You will receive more information regarding the Test to Stay program on Monday 1/10 via email, as well as a hard copies sent home with your students.
SUN
Due to the Oregon Department of Education's recommendation to pause extra-curricular programming & the rising number of Covid cases we have made the hard decision for SUN extended-day classes to pause at the moment. We will not be starting after school classes on January 10th. We will contact families when we start classes, hopefully in the coming weeks.
Please reach out with questions: lwells@impactnw.org | 503-319-5813
We miss you and can't wait to start programming soon!
If your family has a need this winter (coats, shoes, food) please reach out to Dulce Lopez to see if we have resources for you: dlopez@impactnw.org | 503-319-5813
SHA & NURSE NEWS
Erin Flintjer, School Health Assistant | eflintjer@pps.net
Shannon Schupp, BSN, RN | sschupp@mesd.k12.or.us
REMINDER: During the rainy season please send extra clothes with your students.
COUNSELOR CORNER
It has been so great to see all of your children back in school! We kicked off the year reorienting them to my position as their school counselor, can they tell you what a school counselor does?
Part of my role is to teach in the "specials" rotation. Students call this "counseling class." I meet with each class every other week for 30 min. Before the winter break K-2nd grades were introduced to bucketfilling and the idea that kindness spreads. In addition to bucketfilling, 2nd and 3rd grades spent time exploring emotions and different ways of coping with stress. Our 4th and 5th graders have been learning how to communicate positively with the Kimochi's 7 keys to communication ~ Can they tell you keys 1-3?
Jenny Locarno, School Counselor | jlocarno@pps.net
WHITMAN RESOURCE TEAM
We are excited to announce that our Whitman Resource team welcomed back our School Social Worker, Nicole Costello, this school year. Nicole is bicultural/bilingual in Spanish and English, is passionate about mental health, and knowledgeable about various community resources.
She can be reached at ncostello@pps.net or by texting or calling 503-916-6370.
NUTRITION SERVICES
"Hello. My name is Emi and Anna is my assistant. We are the two people who prepare and serve meals to your children. For both of us we are new to working at Whitman. Due to shortages, some times we do not have sufficient foods or options for each child to get what they prefer. But we always have some food option available for them. I hope you have a fantastic and safe year. Thank you!"
FROM THE GARDEN
Hi Whitman Wildcats! I am Millicent (Millie) and I will be joining your community as the Garden Coordinator through the Growing Gardens program. I'll be teaching Garden Club in SUN on Thursdays with the 4th and 5th graders and am so looking forward to caring for the Whitman School Garden (alongside Ms. Cat!). I believe plants have so much to offer us, if we know how to care for and respect them. Please come by the garden and learn with me; there's so much to discover!
Thank you for being a support!
Millicent (Millie) Zimdars | Youth Grow School Coordinator (She/Her)
Growing Gardens | millicent@growing-gardens.org | 971-276-4147
3114 SE 50th Ave, Portland, OR 97206
Whitman PTA
Our PTA needs a minimum of 25 members or we will lose our PTA status!
At this time there are less than 10 members.
It is only $10 to sign up with scholarships available.
Membership Post: https://www.facebook.com/216923478741947/posts/1326157324485218/
Link to our FB page: https://m.facebook.com/216923478741947/
Link to our Memberhub page: https://ptawhitman.memberhub.store/
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
The Multnomah County Health Department is offering twice-weekly Immunization Clinics for families and children to obtain COVID-19 and school-required vaccines. Clinics will be held on Wednesdays from 11 am - 2 pm & 3 pm - 6 pm at the Gateway WIC Building, 131 NE 102nd Ave., Portland; and on Saturdays from 9 am - 12 pm & 1 pm - at the NE Health Clinic, 5329 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. #322, Portland.
Appointments are required for children aged 5 - 11. No appointment is required for family members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and flu shots. Call 503-988-8939 to make an appointment.
More info is available at: multco.us/vaccineclinics
Mt. Scott Community Center offers "access discounts" for 25%-90% off programming for families in our community! Call or go in and mention the discount to sign up!
Students 10 and older can attend "Teen Force" for FREE with a waiver signed by a parent or guardian. This allows a free pass to the basketball courts, pool, and game room!
Mt. Scott Community Center is located at 5530 SE 72nd Ave | 503-823-3183
QUESTIONS? LET'S STAY IN TOUCH!
Taylor Langeliers, School Secretary | tlangeliers@pps.net
Dollie Vaughn, Principal's Secretary | dovaughn@pps.net
Phone: 503-916-6370 | Fax: 503-916-2684 | Website: https://www.pps.net/whitman