Rocketeer Newsletter
Special Edition - April 10, 2020
Newsletter for Rock Creek Elementary School
Rock Creek is a candidate school for
the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme
"We empower all students to achieve post-high school success"
Message from Tiffany
Dear Rock Creek Community,
As I process the news of Governor Brown’s decision to close schools for the rest of the year. I still have hope which is the one thing that gets me out of bed every morning. The glimmer of hope that we will greet our students at the doors of Rock Creek is now gone for this year. However, I am not without hope. I have much hope that our students will gain a unique perspective of the world because of this experience. That our students will continue to learn in a new way, gain patience with themselves and their family members as they make history in stopping the pandemic by staying home. I have hope that they will have a chance to experience a life that is slower, one that gives them time to appreciate nature, one where they will learn skills once thought of as too time-consuming like drawing, sewing, cooking, changing a tire, or even the laundry(yeah!). My hope is that families talk more, love more and are able to realize that they are much stronger than they ever realize.
As our teachers begin the journey of teaching remotely, I want to express how proud I am to be part of such an amazing staff. The steep learning curve and planning it is taking to ensure our students continue to develop academically is immense. Additionally, our teachers and support staff recognize that the most important work we can do is to reach out to our students, connect with them, let them know they are missed, and remind them that they are students of Rock Creek even during this time when we are apart. By now, you and your child(ren) should have had opportunities to connect with a staff member and/or teacher. We will continue to reach out to our families, share videos, provide opportunities to learn and to be a support to all of the adults that have had to become their child’s tutor. We are in this together. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We care about you deeply.
Last week our staff helped with the distribution of almost 200 Chromebooks. As parents drove up to the school to receive their Chromebooks, none of us were prepared for the strong emotions that came when seeing our families from afar. Thank you to the Morriss family for the donuts! This week, we will be distributing Chromebooks that were either not picked up from round 1 or signed up for round 2.
The distribution time for round 2 is from 1:00-3:00 at Rock Creek, this Friday, April 10th. If you are a family that missed both rounds, please note that there will be one more round coming soon. Information from the District about round 3 will most likely come next week.
Who would have known how relevant our staff t-shirts with “We rise by lifting others” would have been when we ordered them? I remind myself frequently how we are writing pages in history. The stories we will be able to tell! Please know that each of you are thought about daily.
Wishing your family good health,
Tiffany
Check it Out! Rock Creek's First Virtual Assembly
Please click the link for our first virtual assembly!
BEF is featuring books for RC kids!!
Student Help Desk is Available
For students needing help with the BSD student device or applications, IT has created a student help desk. Students can email the help desk at shd@beaverton.k12.or.us or call (503) 356-4656 for support. Please visit: https://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/departments/information-technology/help-desk-for-students for more information.
Also, parents have been asking how to log in with Clever. This information can be found here. Do not know much about Clever? Here is a snippet from BSD IT:
- Students are best served logging into Clever FIRST, and then selecting their learning app. All K5 students only need this one login to get them in to all their applications.
- Students can log in using a Clever QR badge (scanned into the iPad app or from clever.com on a computer/Chromebook) or with their username and password by clicking “sign in with active directory” (Grades 3-5 mostly).
- For families using iPads at home, they need to download Clever, Seesaw Class, and Dreambox apps
Helpful Hint: When students login to Seesaw, they can switch between their classroom seesaw and specials seesaw in top left of their screen.
UPDATES from Beaverton School District
Below is information for your reference that has been sent previously by BSD.
Grab & Go Meals
Last week, the Beaverton School District started a bus stop meal distribution program at 37 stops in our service area. This is in addition to the 17 school locations serving Grab & Go meals. Check out this Google Map of all of the Grab & Go bus stop meal sites.
Ride along with bus driver Sandy, Elmonica Principal Kalay and 1st grade teacher Aimee as they deliver breakfast and lunches to students in the Aloha area. You can see all of the District’s meal distribution bus stops and 17 curbside school sites on the Meals for Students webpage. Grab & Go breakfast and lunch are available from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Monday - Friday. Thank you to all of the BSD staff making this important program happen!
Safe Routes to School WE Walk Challenge
Join students and families from across the District on a weekly scavenger hunt! Participate in the Safe Routes to School WE Walk Challenge.Childcare Referral Hotline for Essential Workers
Oregon has set up a Childcare referral hotline for Essential Workers during the COVID-19 Crisis. Examples of categories and occupations considered Essential Workers can be found here. The attached information sheet will show how families are prioritized for childcare. Please share as needed to those who might benefit from this resource as they carry on critical functions.
Additionally, Oregon's Early Learning Division (ELD) is actively recruiting childcare substitutes. People can apply to be a substitute here. Please share with anyone you know looking for Childcare work who might be willing to support your colleagues and neighbors performing vital missions.
Assistance for Families
During these changing times, we are aware that some families may experience loss of income or a reduction in income.
Families can directly contact The Pantry
Their hours are Tuesdays 9-12 & 4-7
They are located at 4470 NW 185th Ave
Portland, OR 97229
Helpful Tips for Families
Keep to a new weekday schedule: Have set times for waking & sleeping, have regular meal times. This will help your family stay grounded and feel in control of the day.
-Spend time outside, everyday. Take walks, go for a picnic or plant a new garden.
-Enjoy your weekends as usual, even though you are spending most time at home. Have fun weekend plans, whether it’s having a family pizza & game night on Friday evenings or a Saturday evening popcorn & movie night.
-For students, it’s best to schedule work to be done on weekday mornings and early afternoons.
Now is a great time for kids to learn how to:
-Prepare meals and follow recipes
-Do laundry and other tasks to care for themselves and others
-Complete small household projects & repairs
-Help people in need
-Research future careers
-Research colleges
It is also a great time to have fun with your kids and teach them resilience. It's a time where old and new hobbies can be explored and some competitive board games can begin. Movies and video games can be enjoyed as a family and just maybe we can all learn something new across generations. So take out the old sewing machine and teach your kids how it works, pull out pictures when you were young and share old stories. This is the time to come together, as families, as neighbors and as communities. Let's show our kids how grateful we are for them and all that we can enjoy together. This is a time to change to a new normal and to appreciate what we have at this moment. It will be a temporary situation, let's make the best of it!
Most importantly, our kids need to learn to be aware of the situation and still not live in fear. The best we can do is to be prepared to care for ourselves and one another while still enjoying each and every moment.
As parents, we are seeing things we may have not seen before and our kids are learning from us as we go through this new process. What do you want to teach them about you? How about teaching them that we can't let this rattle us, that we will be resilient together, and perhaps we can make the world a better place in the process.
Register for 2020/2021 Kindergarten Online!
Connect with your Parent Teacher Club!
Volunteer opportunities, events and fundraising, oh my! Get the latest news on all your favorite PTC activities by connecting with us.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RockCreekElementarySchool/
Website: www.rockcreekptc.org
Text: text @rcptc to 81019
For online links to academic and extra-curricular activities offered in the community, please use this link: https://www.beaverton.k12.or.us/departments/communications-community-involvement/after-school-activitiesflyers
Rock Creek School
4125 NW 185th Ave
Portland OR 97229
Main Office-503-356-2450
Attendance-503-356-2451
Fax- 503-356-2455
Principal: Tiffany Wiencken
SAFEOREGON TIP LINE
Keep Rock Creek safe: report any student safety threats to SafeOregon. Tips can be reported by phone or text (844-427-3367), email (tip@safeoregon.com), or online (safeoregon.com). For more information, visit safeoregon.com.