Wildcat Newsletter
Edition 32: April 17th, 2024
Dear Wildcat Families,
April is swirling by and we’ve been busy! Our weeks are full of learning, fun and community building. Our Kindergarteners have been taking walks outside to observe changes in the plants and trees as well as noting the kinds of bugs they see. First grade is deep in “Cinderella” stories, second graders are measuring in inches and centimeters and preparing for a field trip to the Wildlife Refuge. Third graders are comparing essays while fourth graders are continuing their salmon journey by heading to the fish hatchery. In fifth grade, the students are focused on independence skills and advocacy as they prepare for middle school. Together, many students are preparing for their Poetry Slam performance on Thursday evening.
We had 7 students honored at the PPS HeART of Portland last night at the Portland Art Museum. Three students were in the District Elementary Honors Choir and 4 students had their artwork on display. The artwork will remain on display for two more weeks and is part of a free showing.
We are excited to showcase our poets at Poetry Slam tomorrow night. Dinner starts at 5:30 and performances begin at 6:15. If you are the parent of a K-2 student, plan to see your child early in the session. Dinner will be served through the beginning of the performances, so it is OK to watch your K-2 child before eating if you aren’t able to get to school for 5:30. No food is allowed in the auditorium and we don’t want kids to miss their stage time.
Mrs. Porter-Lopez
Shelter in place
We take safety very seriously at Woodlawn. Each month we practice drills for different situations; fire drills, evacuation drills, earthquake and lockdown drills. This month, as I mentioned last week, we are doing three drills. We did our monthly fire drill on Monday. This coming Monday we will hold an earthquake drill followed by a Shelter-in-Place drill. Some drills are faster than others. A shelter-in-place drill takes a bit of time but we feel that it is an important protocol to practice.
We hear and see the oil trains going by everyday. If there was an accident with one of these trains near Woodlawn and toxins were released into the air we would need to respond and limit the air flow in the building. There are other sources or air contaminants in our neighborhood and if there was an incident of toxin release we would do the same.
You may have considered this type of response in your own living or work situation, too. Sealing off the possibility of the contaminants entering your home or work space would be important. At school, we are ready for this and we will practice the shelter-in-place with the scenario that an earthquake has broken some underground pipes and there are air contaminants near school. We use our gym as our location to gather.
Teachers will review this drill with the class and possibly watch a video, too. You should ask your child on Monday evening about the drill. They may have ideas about ways to respond at home.
Poetry Slam is TOMORROW NIGHT! Join us 5:30-7:30pm
We are so excited to experience all of our young poets tomorrow night! We will serve Jersey Mike’s sandwiches beginning at 5:30, then performances will begin at 6:15 starting with kindergarten and ending with 5th grade. Please be in the auditorium by 6:15 if your student is performing! It is okay to watch your student perform and then grab dinner if you arrive late. There is no food allowed in the auditorium.
Please note that SUN School programming will continue as normal tomorrow, with pickup at 4:30pm.
Earth Week School Clean Up - THIS SUNDAY Saturday April 21st, 2-4pm
Join Mr. Ransom, Coach Layman and energetic families for a fun day with friends cleaning up our school, our block and playgrounds! Snacks. Prizes and Supplies provided. Everyone is welcome! Thank you to our sponsors Eco School Network.
Campfire Summer Registration is Now Open!
Campfire is offering 6 weeks of summer camp starting on June 24th! The last day of Summer Day Camp will be on August 2nd. Registration is first come-first serve so sign up ASAP!
PTA Updates:
Appreciating Our Community: Recognizing PTA Volunteers and 5th Grade Families at Woodlawn
Last night, long time PTA volunteers and 5th grade families were recognized for their contributions to our school community throughout their time at Woodlawn. Collectively they have helped by serving on the board, heading committees, repairing broken spreadsheets, leading lego robots , Green Team or other STEAM activities, helping with OBOB, picking up bread donations, leading run for Woodlawn, leading our anti-racism group, planning history night, volunteering to clean veggie snack, give out apples at Apple day, serving food at events, holding doors, countless raffles, Celebrate Woodlawn planning or taking beautiful photos of it all. Thank you for all your love, time and sweat of the years.
Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat.
BottleDrop - Matching Funds opportunity!
Donate your cans & bottles to help support the Woodlawn PTA. BottleDrop's Earth Week Give runs from April 22 - May 4.
Funds raised during this time will receive a 20% match from BottleDrop Give!
This is how it works:
1. Fill blue bag with redeemable cans and bottles, Available at the school office.
2. Drop off at BottleDrop location (QR code on blue bag will open drop door)
3. Funds will be credited to the Woodlawn PTA bottledrop account
Note: If you have a BottleDrop Green bag account, you can also make an online donation from your account to the Woodlawn School PTA give account, these online donations will also be eligible for the 20% match!
Blue bags can be picked up at the main office. You can also drop off cans & bottles at the Woodlawn clean up event this Sunday, April 21, from 2-4 pm!
In preparation for Staff Appreciation Week coming up in May, the Staff Appreciation Team is taking donations to use as Daily Raffle Prizes for Staff. They are specifically asking for: Gift Cards to nearby restaurants, coffee shops, or businesses; high quality coffee, chocolates, candles, local business travel mugs, or other quality gift items. The Woodlawn staff loves Woodlawn t-shirts, too! You can purchase an adult tshirt to be turned into a “coupon” for the raffle. If you have any of these to donate, please reach out to Becca Snyder via text (971-832-0408) to arrange a hand-off of the items. You can purchase a Woodlawn t-shirt online at the PTA store and write in the “notes” section that it’s for Staff Appreciation.
Calendar Changes
As the end of the school year is approaching, we are finalizing our end of year celebrations and dates post-strike and winter weather! Field day is now June 13th, and the last day of school is June 14th. Our 5th grade grad celebrations will also be June 14th, including the clap out and honk out! Ms. Paige will be taking portraits of each of our 5th graders, stay tuned for the official date. Each student was sent home with an updated events calendar today with any updates for the remainder of the school year. Thanks!
Upcoming Important Dates:
4/18 Poetry Slam 5:30-7:30pm
5/3 Spirit Day: Silly Hair Day
5/6 - 5/10 Staff Appreciation Week
5/8 Walk, Bike, Roll Day
5/16 Family Fest
5/23 Last Day of SUN (Spring)