Maplewood Memo
February 28, 2024
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Dear Maplewood Families,
Dr. Brown-Warrens (principal of Markham) and I were very disappointed to learn the update about the portables not being an option for all of Markham. She and I have been working very closely together to make the colocation of our schools work well for all involved. There have been some growing pains, which is to be expected, but we have been working together to support our staff and students in this new current reality.
Just this morning, Dr. Brown-Warrens and I took our new interim superintendent, Dr. Sandy Husk, on a tour of Maplewood to see first hand the crowded Markham classrooms and to witness areas which are not ideal with the colocation. We hope to have some information about next steps from PPS soon. In the meantime, we are all making the best out of the situation for both Markham and Maplewood students and staff.
On a different note, I would like to address the issue of the Maplewood Foundation Auction venue and the electronic letter sent to our community concerning this issue on February 2, 2024. The letter was a collaborative document created by PPS leadership, myself, Maplewood’s Foundation leaders and also with some feedback from Maplewood’s PTA co-presidents. It was written in response to some Maplewood families who felt the MJCC was not a welcoming place to them. These fears were grounded in information on the MJCC’s website that linked to a blog with strong political views.
After bringing this to the attention of MJCC’s leadership, they added a disclaimer to their “Israel Resources and Updates” webpage to provide clarity that the MJCC does not take political positions. The MJCC board also sent the following to convey that they are a welcome community center for all: The MJCC is not a political organization, does not issue political statements, and exists to be a safe and welcoming gathering space for a broad range of individuals of different religions and perspectives. We are proud to serve a diverse membership that includes many people of all faiths, the majority of whom do not identify as Jewish, and to foster meaningful dialogue to enhance the relationship between the Jewish community and the wider community. Our mission is to provide social, recreational, and cultural opportunities to everyone.
PPS, Maplewood and the Maplewood Foundation strive to maintain neutrality and inclusivity in all decisions we make. The discussion about whether or not to use the MJCC as the auction venue had no religious underpinnings. Rather, it was an effort to ensure a sense of belonging, make space for and be responsive to all Maplewood voices, and to take community concerns seriously.
While the intent of the letter was to be transparent with the community about this decision, despite our best intentions, the feedback I have received is that the February 2nd letter exacerbated divisions instead of mending them. To some, it felt like we had considered not using the MJCC because it is a Jewish organization (which was not the intent or the truth), making our Jewish community feel scrutinized and unwelcome. At the same time, it made those who brought up the initial concern feel ostracized. And in the backdrop of all of this is a small yet committed group of parent volunteers trying to serve our community with limited time and resources.
When I joined Maplewood three years ago, our school community needed to be restored due to the isolation brought on by COVID. My vision for Maplewood was to bring us together once again. With the help of our PTA, Foundation, Maplewood staff, and students, we have created a community even stronger than before COVID. I am proud of the work we have done to be welcoming, inclusive, celebrate our differences, and recognize our many similarities. The impact of the letter about MJCC and the auction should not overshadow or unravel the great work we have done.
I would like to ask each of you to help us reconnect and reunite ourselves as that strong Maplewood community we all love so much. Please reach out to those who you think may have been impacted and let them know that we, the Maplewood school community, stand together for the sake of not only our collective children but also for each other.
Thank you to those who reached out to me and to those I have had the privilege to talk to. I appreciate your openness and transparency.
In community,
Kit
Staffing
Staffing for 2024-2025 school year:
I have just finished up our preliminary staffing for next year. Unfortunately, we have had to make some cuts, which are always very hard to do. The state budget has not yet come out and the PPS budget will not be finalized until June. So, cross your fingers we find a little windfall between now and June.
We are sad to see our part-time counselor, Kate Knochel leave us due to cuts. Ms. K has been such a phenomenal addition to Maplewood and she has made a significant difference in children’s lives in just her short time with us. We will miss her deeply. Ms. K, thank you for leading with your heart and working so hard to meet our students and their family's needs.
We also will have to say goodbye to Patricia Hurrer-Hatzikos, our amazing ESL teacher, who joined us this year. Trish’s strength is building relationships with students and their families. She has made those who may feel on the outskirts of our school due to a language barrier, feel at home in our Maplewood halls, playground and streets. Trish, thank you for creating a warm and supportive environment for our students whose English may be a barrier to connection. We will all miss you!
Elin Kordhal has been at Maplewood for 24 years as our Librarian and Media Specialist. She will remain with us next year, however, she will only be at Maplewood three days a week instead of four. Running a library takes a lot of time and she makes it all look effortless. This cut to her role will mean that our students will no longer have technology class nor will they benefit from Elin having as much time to run our library.
Last year we were able to use ESSER funds (COVID relief money) to fund Megan Weatherill to be full time at Maplewood. This year Megan taught PE four days a week and on the fifth day she continued the work started by Playworks to make our recesses fun and inclusive for all. We no longer have that fund so Megan will be at Maplewood 4 days a week and we will not have the amazing recess support next year.
We have also had some additions to our staff. PPS has given us a part time interventionist which is someone who works with students who may need some extra support in literacy. Jenni Heaton held this role last year which was then called Instructional Specialist. Ms. Heaton plans to move into this new Interventionist role to work with students in small groups on reading. She will also take on the half time ESL role, as she has her ESL endorsement. We are excited to have her in both these roles, as she is exceptional at supporting students’ reading growth and language acquisition.
We also were given 1.5 additional days a week for Art from the Arts tax. This money can be used for Art as well as Music, Dance, Drama, etc… Suzanne Smith, our current Art teacher, currently teaches 2.5 days a week and will reduce to teaching two days a week next year. I will be looking to hire a Music teacher for two days with the remaining funds. This decision was made with the help of our Maplewood Site Council and our Building Leadership Team. If I am unable to find a music teacher who meets our needs, I will go back to the drawing board and confer with these groups to decide whether to have four days of Art or add 2 days of Dance or Drama to our school.
Lastly, because Ms. Heaton is moving into a different role next year (as mentioned above) I will be looking for an Instructional Coach. The coach delivers professional development to teachers, leads Professional Learning Communities(PLCs), and assists with our Student Intervention Team (SIT).
These few new positions I am hiring for will be done first through an internal job fair to see if there is anyone within PPS who fits these roles well. I will keep you updated as we move into spring.
SAVE THE DATE
February 28 - Today
Kindergarten Connection - Incoming Kinder Families
Gym 3-4:00pm
February 29
Deadline for 5th Grade Tributes
(Must have 100% participation for
tributes to be added to yearbook)
March 5th
Coffee with Principal Galloway - Gym 8:00am
March 5th
Lunar New Year Assembly - Gum 1:00-2:00pm
March 21
Class Pictures
April 6th
Auction
MAPLEWOOD AUCTION
New date, Same great theme, Same great people!
When and Where: April 6, 2024 (Sat), 5:30 pm at MJCC.
What’s new: Sponsor a staff or teacher ticket and receive a drink ticket as a thank you for your generosity!
You can purchase tickets here directly at: https://maplewoodfoundation.schoolauction.net/backtothe80s
Let’s go back to the 80s!
COUNSELING
Dear Maplewood Families,
Attendance truly matters. Did you know that students with good attendance are 4 times more likely to graduate from high school than those who are chronically absent?
Last year at Maplewood, 81% of our students had good or acceptable attendance and 19% of our students were chronically absent. Chronically absent means missing an average of 2 days a month. Our goal is to reduce the Chronic and severe attendance to 15% and increase the good and acceptable attendance to 85%.
This year, please help us provide the best possible education for your student by sending them to school everyday ON TIME. Tardiness also has a huge effect on student learning as they miss out on valuable morning instruction. If you have any questions or concerns about your child's attendance, please let us know we are here to support you.
Some tips and ideas to get your student to school every day, on time:
Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
Don’t let your child stay home unless they are truly sick. Keep in mind headaches and stomachaches can be signs of stress or anxiety and not a reason to stay home.
If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to their teacher, a school counselor or other parents about how to make them feel comfortable and excited to learn.
Develop a back-up plan for getting to school if something comes up. Call on family members, a neighbor or other parents.
Avoid medical appointments and extended vacations when school is in session.
Contact school staff or community partners to find resources around transportation, housing, employment, or health care.
As always, we are here to help and support your student/s and family, so please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Be well,
Ms. Cunningham and Ms. Knochel
Maplewood Counselors
P.E.
We are so excited to introduce our ALL KIDS BIKE program in which all kindergarteners will learn to ride bikes in PE class! It's an exciting opportunity to support our children in becoming safe and active bicyclists! Click HERE for a short video showing the program. Click HERE for our donation page! If you work for a company that matches donation contributions, please check it out. We'll need to raise $9000 for the program and remember, even a $10 donation makes a BIG IMPACT. Please feel free to pass this along to fellow biking enthusiasts to help build our future Portland cycling community. Our QR code is below for quick donations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdZ51mjBJ-U&authuser=0
Ms. Weatherill
OFFICE SCHEDULE
Maria Belgrave (mbelgrav@pps.net) works Monday through Thursday.
Shannon Riley (sriley@pps.net) works Tuesday through Friday.
Julie Ries (jries@mesd.k12.or.us) Health Aid- Monday through Friday 8:00am - 3:30pm
Chris Khodadadian (ckhodadad@mesd.k12.or.us) School Nurse - Thursday 8:00a-12:00p
Please be sure to include both Maria and Shannon in communications regarding your children.
SCHOOL NEWS
Dear 5th Grade Families,
Each year, there is a dedicated section in the yearbook where 5th grade families include a short message to their elementary school graduate, along with a baby or childhood photo. It's a Maplewood Elementary School tradition!
To participate, please submit your child's name, your message, and your child's baby/childhood photo here: https://forms.gle/aUyqYJbPRLaNTbmYA or email them to us at maplewoodpdxyearbook@gmail.com
The firm deadline is tomorrow Thursday, February 29th, so please send yours in TODAY if you have not already done so!
د پنځم ټولګي ګرانو کورنیو،
هر کال، د کال په کتاب کې یوه وقف شوې برخه شتون لري چیرې چې د پنځم ټولګي کورنۍ د خپل لومړني ښوونځي فارغانو ته د ماشوم یا ماشومتوب عکس سره یو لنډ پیغام شاملوي. دا د میپل ووډ لومړني ښوونځي دود دی!
د ګډون لپاره، مهرباني وکړئ د خپل ماشوم نوم، خپل پیغام، او د خپل ماشوم د ماشوم/ماشومتوب عکس دلته وسپارئ: https://forms.gle/aUyqYJbPRlaNTbmYA یا موږ ته په maplewoodpdxyearbook@gmail.com بریښنالیک واستوئ
د فرم وروستۍ نیټه د پنجشنبې په ورځ ، د فبروري 29 ده ، نو مهرباني وکړئ خپل نن ورځ په دې کې واستوئ چې تاسو دمخه دا ندي کړي!
Summer Acceleration Academy
Summer Acceleration Academy
This summer, PPS is offering the Summer Acceleration Academy again. I know many of you are signing your kids up for camps now, so I wanted to give you the dates for your planning purposes. The SAA will run from July 1- August 1.
Students will be invited based on the following:
K-2 - Students who are below or approaching grade level on the MAP testing for Phonics and Word Recognition.
3-5 - Students who are between 1-40th percentile on MAP Growth Reading
Initial invites will be sent on March 18th and the second round of invites will be sent on April 1st.
Volunteer Needs:
- One-on-one/small group academic support
- Social/emotional breaks for kids
*More information and sign-up spots are here: https://www.maplewoodpta.com/volunteer/. Or contact Lauren at Maplewoodvolcoord@gmail.com.
Thank you!
Lauren
ParentVue race update:
As we look at our school assessment data, we noticed that there are many students whose race is not correctly recorded in our system. Please be sure to update this information asap so our data reflects our true demographics.
Click on “Yearly Verification”
Click “Verify Online”
Follow the prompts to update your information.
Battle of the Books at Maplewood:
OBOB battles are in full swing and all the kids are doing great! This is an awesome program with so many learning opportunities. Kids get to read some excellent and diverse books, but they also learn how to form and work with a team, use sportsmanship in a non-athletic event and how to win and lose!
Our final battle assembly will be on Tuesday March 12th from 1-2pm in the gym. Families are welcome to come watch the battles during this time! We hope to send our winning 5th grade team to regionals on Saturday 3/16 (5th grade parents look for more info coming from your teachers).
Thank you to all the volunteers that have helped moderate battles, we can't run OBOB without help from volunteers!! Best of luck to all remaining teams, see you at the battles!
For more information and up to date brackets visit maplewoodpta.com/obob
Questions can be directed to maplewoodobob@gmail.com
Your Maplewood OBOB Team:
Heather J, Manda B, Darcie G, Lauren C, Christy W, Katie U, & Megan P
PTA
PTA Current & Upcoming Events:
Coffee and Pastries with Kit — March 5th in the Gym, First Tuesday of each Month
Lunar New Year Assembly, March 5, 1-2:00pm
Carnival Chairperson:
Do you love event planning? Are you incredibly organized? Then we have the volunteer opportunity for YOU!
The PTA is looking for 1-2 Carnival Chairs and 3-6 committee members to plan this years spring, school wide Carnival! This is a super fun event and one of our biggest fundraisers of the year, raising over $5K!!
If this sounds overwhelming, don't worry! A few of last years committee members have already agreed to participate again this year! And additionally, a few past committee members with exiting 5th graders have agreed to be involved, in more of a smaller, mentorship role so you won't be alone!
We also have really fantastic documentation from multiple years past with a really strong blue print of how to plan a successful event.
This event CANNOT happen without parent volunteers and someone taking the lead. Please reach out to me, Amy Ng Bamford or email us at maplewoodptavicepresident@gmail.com if you're interested in helping out! THANK YOU!!!
Janina
Oregon Battle of the Books PTA Book Fundraiser (3rd - 5th grade students) - The PTA has partnered with Annie Bloom's to make purchasing our Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB) titles super easy! Books are available now to be ordered through our Maplewood Store and sent home in your child's backpack in early November. Want books as a gift? No worries, pickup options are available. Please email with any questions.
Please visit the PTA website and Maplewood Facebook page for all PTA events and information.
For After School classes - please visit the PTA site or Maplewood Facebook Page.
Thank you!!
Amber
Blues Assembly
Below see some pictures of our 2nd Blues Assembly brought to Maplewood by our PTA
FOUNDATION
Ways to Support Foundation
Monthly recurring donation
A monthly donation is the most convenient and effective way to give to Maplewood. Even small monthly donations make a big impact over time. Set up your monthly recurring donation here.
One-time contribution
This is a great option for grandparents, extended family, and loving neighbors to support your Maplewood student. Make a one-time contribution here.
By check
We are happy to receive donations by check made out to Maplewood Foundation and dropped off at or mailed to the school:
Maplewood Foundation
7452 SW 52nd Ave, Portland, OR 97219
Matching employer contribution
Ask your employer if they have a matching program for donations to non-profits. Click here for a list of already participating employers.
Fred Meyer Rewards Program Contribution
If you shop at Fred Meyer and are part of their rewards program, you may designate those reward savings to the Maplewood Foundation. It’s super easy and you can learn more here (sign in and search for Maplewood Foundation or IF500): https://www.fredmeyer.com/i/community/community-rewards.
BottleDrop Donations
Individuals can donate funds from their BottleDrop account balance to your Give account by logging into their account and using this link or connecting with the Foundation for bag tags.
STUDENT HEALTH
WHEN TO KEEP YOUR CHILD HOME FROM SCHOOL
Please follow these guidelines to help all students stay healthy and ready to learn.
Please DO NOT SEND AN ILL STUDENT TO SCHOOL. The other page of this letter gives examples of when your student should not be in school.
If your student is ill, please CONTACT THE SCHOOL.
Please contact your health care provider about any SERIOUS ILLNESS or if you are worried about your student’s health. If you need help in finding a health care provider, you may contact the local public health authority.
Please notify the school if your child is diagnosed with a CONTAGIOUS DISEASE, including these: chickenpox, diarrhea caused by E. coli or Salmonella or Shigella, hepatitis, measles, mumps, pertussis, rubella, scabies, tuberculosis, or another disease as requested. The school will protect your private information as required by law. [OAR 333-019-0010; ORS 433.008.]
Please notify the school if your student requires MEDICATIONS during school hours. Follow school protocols for medication at school. If your student’s illness requires antibiotics, the student must have been on antibiotics for at least 24 hours before returning to school, and longer in some cases. Antibiotics are not effective for viral illnesses.
Please notify the school if your student has an UNDERLYING OR CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITION. We will work with you to address the health condition so that the student can learn. With consent, the school nurse may consult with the student’s health care provider about the health condition and necessary treatments. To contact the school nurse or health office please call or email.
We want to support your student. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns.
FLYERS AND OTHER INFORMATION
YEARBOOKS $26.00
YEARBOOK
Last chance to order your yearbook! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to take one home at the end of the year. Sales close March 12!
Order online at https://buytheyearbook.com using school ID 716910. Paper order forms are available in the school office for cash and check orders.
Garden Committee
Garden Club grounds clean-up Sunday, Sunday, Apr. 21, 10am - 2pm. Here is a direct link to volunteer to help: https://forms.gle/5VrhHSN7JdCFTJgu5
Camp Invention:
Camp Invention® is coming back to Maplewood Elementary July 22-26, 2024. After earning rave reviews from campers, parents and educators, this action-packed program is returning with a brandnew program, Illuminate! Children in grades K-6 will collaborate with friends to take on fun, hands-on STEM challenges, from designing a light-up ball game to tackling global water challenges to starring in a prototyping game show! Each experience inspires creativity and boosts confidence. Secure your spot at invent.org/ mylocalcamp and use promo code SUM25 by 3/27 to save $25.