Dear Parklane Families,

We would like to share our gratitude for your support during our STEAM Night last Thursday. We had a great turnout with close to 250 individuals attending this very special event. There was lots of excitement and positive energy as students and their families explored science and technology activities. It was nice to see various community partners coming out to support our student's exploration of science and technology. A big shout out to our teachers and SUN site manager for their hard work and planning in making this event an amazing success.

Next week will be our last week of school before Spring Break. During this wonderful time of year, the days are getting longer, and the nights are getting shorter. We are looking forward to more opportunities for students to go outside and have fun while learning. Please help us have a wonderful last week of school before Spring Break by ensuring students are well-rested and attending every day on time, and ready to learn.

Empathy

Empathy is the quality of being in tune with the emotions of others. Sometimes the term empathy refers to the ability to imagine and understand how other people might be thinking or feeling (what researchers call cognitive empathy or perspective-taking); other times it indicates the capacity to sense others’ emotions and experience feelings that mirror theirs (referred to as emotional or affective empathy).

Though empathy alone does not guarantee positive behavior—in fact, if other social-emotional skills are lacking, empathy can be overwhelming and counterproductive—it is often considered a vital foundation of morality and prosocial (kind and helpful) action. Empathy is what enables us to extend beyond our own point of view and truly care for each other.

Health Curriculum

THE GREAT BODY SHOP is a comprehensive health education curriculum that is sequential, developmentally appropriate, culturally sensitive and medically accurate. THE GREAT BODY SHOP is aligned to state and national standards for health education, as well as the Healthy People 2020 initiative. It is aligned to the National Education Standards, the National Sexuality Education Standards, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Characteristics of Effective Health Education Curricular, and the core concepts recommended by the CDC’s HECAT. If you would like more information about our health curriculum, you can visit our district website: https://www.csd28j.org/Page/147. Here you will also find an opt-out form if necessary.

*Spring Break March 27-31, No School

Free Tax Help with CASH Oregon

Metropolitan Family Service's CASH Oregon program is providing free, high-quality tax preparation by IRS-certified volunteers to families and individuals earning under $60,000 a year. Sign up for an in-person or virtual appointment at: www.cashoregon.org

*March is Women's History Month

*Equity Audit April 5th & 6th

*Please do not double park in front of the school during dismissal. Please park and walk up to pick up your students. Please use crosswalks to cross the street in front of our school, do not walk through traffic, and obey the speed limit.

*Please make sure to pick up your student at 2:27 PM; everyday students can not be left unattended. Teachers are not able to watch students after school is dismissed

*Please retrieve your student's coats or other lost items (hats, gloves, glasses, etc.) from the lost and found.

*State testing is around the corner for grades 3rd-5th. We would like to have all students participate. But if you choose to opt-out your student, please visit our district website to access this OSAS opt-out form.

*Student's Right & Responsibility Handbook

Children pick up on what parents expect from them, and they’re likely to rise to the occasion. Try these suggestions for setting and communicating high but reasonable expectations for your youngster.

State your expectations. You can be direct (“I expect you to finish homework before you get screen time”) or indirect (“When you graduate from high school and go to college..”) Communicate your expectations regularly so your child knows them. Be realistic. Your youngster will be more apt to meet expectations if they’re within her reach. Say several of her report card grades dropped. It may be more reasonable to expect her to bring them up by one letter grade rather than two. Make attendance a priority. Let your child know that you expect her to attend school every day unless she’s sick or there’s a family emergency. Show her that you value attendance by scheduling vacations and, when possible, medical appointments outside of school hours.

(Home School Connect)

Women’s History Month is a dedicated month to reflect on the often-overlooked contributions of women to United States history. From Abigail Adams to Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth to Rosa Parks, the timeline of women’s history milestones stretches back to the founding of the United States.

The actual celebration of Women’s History Month grew out of a weeklong celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history and society organized by the school district of Sonoma, California, in 1978. Presentations were given at dozens of schools, hundreds of students participated in a “Real Woman” essay contest and a parade was held in downtown Santa Rosa.

A few years later, the idea caught on within communities, school districts and organizations across the country. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. The U.S. Congress followed suit the next year, passing a resolution establishing a national celebration. Six years later, the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to the entire month of March.

REGISTER FOR SPRING SUN
Registration for Spring SUN afterschool classes is now open at: www.tinyurl.com/SpringParklaneSUN. Register online by March 15. The Winter SUN term will be April 10 - June 1, Monday-Thursday from 2:30-4:45pm. Afterschool SUN is free and includes one hour of enrichment classes, 30 minutes of homework time, recess, and an afterschool meal.

VIRTUAL FAMILY COOKING CLASSES
Cook healthy recipes with the whole family! Sign up for Parklane SUN's cooking workshop series to get two free ingredient kits and video recipes delivered on March 13 and April 10. Sign up by March 8 at: www.tinyurl.com/bdftt5xw

BUDGETING & FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Wednesday April 12, 5:30-7:00pm
This workshop by MFS Economic Empowerment will share budgeting and saving tips and financial resources for your family. RSVP at: www.tinyurl.com/ParklaneBudgeting

CASH OREGON FREE TAX HELP
MFS's CASH Oregon program is providing free, high-quality tax preparation by IRS-certified volunteers to families and individuals earning under $60,000 a year. Sign up for an in-person or virtual appointment at: www.cashoregon.org

Contact Andrew Neal at 503-593-5222 or andrewn@mfs.email if you have any questions.