Skyline K-8 News
March 27, 2020
PPS District Message
Dear PPS Families and Staff,
After much urgent collaboration and planning today, leadership from Portland Public Schools and the Portland Association of Teachers shared with all of our PPS educators the outline for how teachers will begin working online next week. This outline represents our upcoming efforts to most effectively phase in supports for our students and teachers during the extended closure of our schools. We appreciate your patience while we, like other school districts, adapt our instructional delivery model virtually overnight. Next week we will share with you a detailed, multi-week plan for home-based learning for your students. Please stay tuned for that.
Phase I of this work focused on the provision of online resources for our students to engage. PPS posted a number of digital content and learning resources available to students and families. Because many of the resources on our website include learning applications many of our students and teachers are already familiar with, it provided an opportunity for students to go online for continuity of learning. During this phase, we also made learning packets available in hard copy for distribution at all of our meal distribution sites, in addition to being posted online; these include language arts and mathematics materials. Staff are presently preparing another set of learning materials, such as mathematics manipulatives, and arts and PE materials, so that students have hands-on resources available to them as well.
Phase II includes development of professional development, curriculum materials, and an action plan. A series of professional development modules will be available online next week to provide teachers a basic comfort level in facilitating home-based distance learning during the closure of our schools. Following educators’ professional development work, we are planning to provide online interaction with students and digital learning resources in core content areas and enrichment activities for pre-K through 12th grade. We will also regularly distribute learning materials in paper form.
There are a number of equity and access barriers and challenges to overcome in transitioning to a delivery model that relies on technology. These include having the necessary tools to communicate and access to digital-based content. This week we are retrieving devices from our campuses, ensuring they have been sanitized, and organizing the lending of these Chromebooks and devices for distribution and use by students who have been identified. Ensuring students have access to a device is only half of the equation - they also need to have Internet connection. We are also working with partners to make mobile wi-fi hotspots, with unlimited prepaid data plans, available to students who need connectivity. If you have wi-fi at home, you can help this effort by opening an additional home network “For Student Use” and without passwords necessary to give neighbors access during this crisis. We are also working to evaluate other technology tools to ensure they are supportive of students with disabilities.
These are unprecedented times and building a home-based distance learning program almost from scratch is not without its challenges. But after the last two weeks, we feel further along than we initially expected with regard to content and platforms, and we are aligned with our teacher representatives about professional development. There are barriers, no question. It will not be perfect; while every effort is being made to provide a rich learning opportunity to our students, we also recognize that remote, at-home learning does not replace the experience of a student engaging with the teacher and their peers in the classroom. We will do our best to create a thoughtful and meaningful experience for our students. This is all new to us, and quite frankly, the infrastructure is a challenge for what we are trying to achieve. But we believe that our talented educators and administrators are ready to give their very best effort. Our students deserve nothing less.
Shawn Bird, Ed.D.
Chief of Schools
Luis Valentino, Ed.D.
Chief Academic Officer
If you are not following us on Twitter @BGAGUIRRE1 and @skyline_ib, you are missing out! It has been so much fun watching all of our students engaged in learning while also being safe, respectful, responsible and IB ready. You can also follow Portland Public School at @PPSConnect!
Upcoming Events
ALL SCHOOL EVENTS SUSPENDED AT THIS TIME
March
*28- PTA Webinar In This Together: Managing Chaos and Creating Resilient Kids During Uncertain Times
30- Online Learning Professional Development for Teachers & Staff
April
*1- PTA Virtual Meeting 6:00 PM via Zoom
12- Skyline Yearbook Order due Online
*PTA Sponsored Event
Year at a Glance
All Events Suspended at this Time
Library/ Technology
Please remember there are many great resources available for at-home learning and reading. Students can access many resources from home via the Internet and the PPS Student Portal.
Clever has many district approved links for your student to use as well. Students will use their Google Login to access the portal.
Starting Monday, March 30, Skyline Morning Announcements will be back up and running! I know we have all missed a regular routine and seeing one anotherś smiling faces. Hopefully, the Morning Announcements will help provide a little bit of normalcy for students at home.
If you have any pictures of you and your child learning at home, please email Mrs. Hiser. I would love to include them in the daily Morning Announcements. The announcements will be sent out through the Skyline Library Google Classroom- the joining code is yf5pyb5
Be kind! Be safe! Be Reading!
PTA Connection
Skyline PTA is excited to share that Amy Stoeber, Ph.D. ("Dr. Amy"), is putting on a FREE Webinar for those of us who are feeling ALL THE FEELS these days. How can we turn worry, anxiety and stress into opportunities?
Join Dr. Amy and Daniel Patterson for a FREE 60-minute Webinar they're calling In This Together: Managing Chaos and Creating Resilient Kids During Uncertain Times.
Choose one of two dates: March 26 at 6:30 p.m. or March 28 at 11 a.m. Can't make either one? There's no need to worry. The webinar will be recorded and sent to everyone who signed up.
The Webinar will cover some concerns that Dr. Amy has been hearing, including:
What in the world am I supposed to do to create some structure for my kids until they’re back in school?
How can I support learning and create a realistic schedule around education?
Am I now supposed to be a homeschooling expert as well as full-time parent, chef, athletic director, etc?
How do I balance my own stress as a mom/dad and working/stay-at-home parent as well as encourage and support my children during this uncertain time?
Wait, I didn’t sign up for this? How do I balance all of this and for how long? We’ve got answers my friends. We’re all in this together!
Sign up for the free webinar here.
Join us for a Virtual Skyline PTA Meeting!
Wednesday, April 1
6 p.m.
Via Zoom
Check out the agenda, here.
UPDATE ON VOTING DURING MEETING
I've learned that all PTA members who participate in the Zoom meeting can also vote during it in one of two ways:
1. Send a private Chat message to PTA Secretary Carly Mersereau with your vote of "yay" or "nay." As long as you send the message to Carly (versus Everyone), then only she will see your vote.
or
2. Raise your hand! You can literally raise your hand, or select Raise Hand at the bottom of your screen when it's time to vote. Clicking Raise Hand places the raise hand icon beside your name to simulate a hand raise. Everyone in the meeting will be able to see your response.
Join the meeting by clicking on:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/854658648
The meeting ID is: 854 658 648
Before joining the April 1 meeting on a computer or mobile device, you can download the Zoom app here. Otherwise, you will be prompted to download and install Zoom when you click the join link.
You can also join a test meeting to familiarize yourself with Zoom.
PLEASE NOTE - You can join the meeting even after it's begun (at 6 p.m.).
I look forward to seeing you--via video--on April 1!
Until then, be kind to yourselves.
We are most definitely in this together.
With Gratitude,
Clarissa Kearns
Skyline PTA President
#stayhomesavelives
Learn more about Skyline PTA here
Skyline Foundation
JOIN the Skyline School Foundation Board. YES, YOU!
Amid this virus outbreak, we are still in need of volunteers to take part in the Skyline Foundation. We need people that are interested in the educational well-being of Skyline students. Here is how YOU can help!
The Skyline Foundation board comprises of everyday people – no prerequisites, no out-of-reach qualifications needed. A background in education policy is not required, nor is experience in local government. You don’t even need to have kids in the school district. What matters most is your own deep commitment to seeing the young people in our community get the best possible education by advocating for staffing funds and educating all Skyline students!
Current Open Positions
• Co-Chair - leader roles usually 2-year terms work as a team with the Chair. Focus on agenda topics, uphold by-laws and hold public monthly meetings.
• Secretary- communicate decisions made by the board and Principal to the community, through written reports. Keeps the public informed of the progress and challenges.
• Treasurer - tracks fiscal goals with the principal. They pay attention to finances, work with the Auction Chair and regularly monitor the fiscal health of the Skyline Foundation Funds.
Email or speak with a current board member if interested in running.
Annual Election Meeting will be held May 28th @ 7 PM in Skyline Library or via conference call.
Chair – Tiffani Torgeson: torgesontiffani@gmail.com
Co-Chair – Liz Ascher: leezard85@yahoo.com
Treasurer – Michelle Ruppelt: ruppeltfamily@yahoo.com
Secretary – Erika Gustafson: emacy.gustafson@gmail.com
Skyline Yearbook Order Online
Hi Skyline Families,
I hope you are all staying well during this unprecedented time. I am happy to say that the yearbook did get done this year (minus spring sports and a few class group photos:(
Because of school closure, all yearbook orders will need to be made online. Also, unlike in previous years, we will not be ordering any extra books, so please place your order now.
Cost: $12
Due date: April 12, 2020
(No orders available after online sales end)
The link and passcode for ordering your child’s yearbook:
Web address is ybpay.lifetouch.com
Yearbook ID code: 12899020
Questions? Please contact Julie Karnstein, Yearbook Chair, via email: juliekarnstein@comcast.net.
Skyline Yearbook
Skyline Auction
Tough week for your auction committee but in order to keep everyone healthy and safe from COVID-19, we are re-scheduling the Auction to MAY 9th.
Same time, same awesome place, same amazing community!
Morgan Bors
Skyline Auction Chair
Ph# 503-888-5133
Buy Tickets & Donate: SkylineAuction.com