DOLPHIN DIGEST 4/19/2024
Community Newsletter by Arleta School & Arleta PTA
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WELCOME TO ARLETA'S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER!
We’re so glad to have you as part of our school community!
This weekly newsletter is developed and sent in partnership between school administration and the PTA. If you have information you'd like shared in the newsletter, please email it to ArletaSchoolPTA@gmail.com. Keep scrolling for the latest.
INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge Portland rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla and many other Tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River. #HonorNativeLand https://youtu.be/ETOhNzBsiKA
APRIL IS ARAB AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH & CELEBRATES DIVERSITY
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
- April: Arab American Heritage Month
- Fridays in April: Tours for new students/families hosted by Arleta parents, 8:05-8:40am
- Apr 22-26: Earth Week!
- Apr 25: Litter Pick-Up, 8am, meet at the picnic tables
- Apr 25: Open House for new Kinder & 1st Graders, 2:15-3:30pm
- Apr 26: Earth Day & Arbor Day Celebration, plant sale and activities in the cafeteria 2:15-4pm
- Apr 30: Atlas Pizza Dine-Out for Arleta, 4-10pm, Foster location
- May 6-10: All School Staff Appreciation Week - contribute to the brunch on May 6th!
- May 3: First Grade Parade
- May 10: Dolphin Dash - a fun-run supporting Arleta School!
- May 23 & 24: SAVE THE DATE! Arleta Theater Presents: The Jungle Book
*Litter Pick Up with the Green Team every 2nd Thursday at 2:15, and 4th Thursday at 8am at the picnic tables
Updated PPS District Calendars:
English language PPS District Calendar 2023-24
PRINCIPAL MESSAGE
Hello Arleta Families,
It’s been a great week of learning! As a staff, we’ve recently enjoyed learning from each other in a few particularly exciting ways.... One was through teacher teams visiting a colleague’s classroom together last week, then debriefing together this week during our staff meeting about something they observed that they’d like to try in their own classroom. A teacher mentioned to me today, when I appreciated having heard them referencing a “Word / Value of the Day” in their own classroom, that they got the idea in a colleague’s classroom during those visits.
We also recently had a Professional Development Specialist from iReady, our mathematics resource, lead a staff meeting on meeting the individual needs of the wide range of learners we have in any of our classrooms through the use of small group instruction. She then came back this week and met with teachers individually or in teams to support their desired next steps.
And, students have had lots of insightful learning moments in the classroom! A teacher was happy with a connection an upper grade student made between the text they are currently reading in class (The Phantom Tollbooth) and their previous text, Holes while thinking about how and why a “snapshot” is important. The comment was “It’s kind of like in Holes, it’s kind of creepy… picturing the red eyes and black teeth”. Learning about “snapshots”, both writing them ourselves or noticing them in texts, is important because they help us visualize what the author is describing.
Kindergartners (and beyond!) are learning to identify what “zone of regulation” they are in, as well as reflecting on what zone they’ve been in previously and how to recognize what zone another person might be in based on their expressions and body language. “I don’t think she’s green, I don’t think she’s blue, I don’t think she’s red. Hyper!” to which the teacher explained “Yes she felt very uncomfortable. That is the yellow zone a lot of the time.” Kindergartners and 1st graders are also currently learning what an opinion is. As explained to a 1st grade class: “There’s nothing wrong with people feeling different about the same thing! It’s called opinion.” Students then formed opinions about the stepsisters in Cinderella. A few I heard shared were “I think the stepsisters are mean because they’re mocking” and “I think the stepsisters are very cruel and moody.”
Have a great weekend!
Lisa
NEWS & EVENTS
NEW! CHESS TEAM SUCCESS AT STATE TOURNAMENT
Our Arleta chess players did an awesome job at the state tournament last weekend! The team placed 5th overall for K-5, and 4th grader Ivy placed 4th in the individual competition. Awesome job! Thank you to our chess leaders, Mr. Cooke, Teacher Noah, and our volunteer Jason for all your time dedicated to teaching chess!
NEW! WALK, ROLL, OR BUS/CARPOOL TO SCHOOL FOR EARTH WEEK
Happy Earth Day! To celebrate Earth Day this year, we are encouraging everyone to either Walk, Roll or Bus/Carpool to school ALL WEEK LONG. The highest grade-level percentage of students who participate will receive a special treat! Note: Students must check in at the front of the school to get credit for their grade level.
P.S. It is appreciated if 1 parent volunteer can help track this! Please email svidmar@pps.net if you are able to help or if you have any questions!
NEW! OPEN HOUSE FOR NEW STUDENTS - APRIL 25
Arleta is welcoming families of incoming new students to an Open House on Thursday, April 25 from 2:15-3:30. We'll share information about what Arleta has to offer and our 4th grade students will help lead tours around the school. Help spread the word!
UPDATED! EARTH DAY/ARBOR DAY EVENT + PLANT SALE - APRIL 26
Get Excited For Some Fun After School EARTH DAY & ARBOR DAY Celebration Activities!!
FRIDAY, April 26th, 2:15-4:00 in the school cafeteria
🌿 PLANT SALE, PTA Garden Team Fundraiser.
Thank you to Left Field Garden Supply, Xera Plants and our community growers!
🐞 Make your own BUG HOTEL
🌱 Make your own SEED BALLS with Orange Pippins seed company!
👣 Make your own CARBON FOOTPRINT POSTER
🍋 Lemonade
📚 Free Books (no more donations needed please)
🏫 Learn about native bugs
🎨 Bring in your OLD PAINT! The PTA Green Team will take these hard to dispose of items off your hands and get them recycled! Accepting latex and oil based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size to be recycled at local paint shops. No spray paint or other spray products. No containers without original labels or containers that are leaking or empty.
WE ARE STILL IN NEED OF VOLUNTEERS to help make this event successful! Sign Up HERE!
WE ARE STILL COLLECTING RECYCLED AND NATURAL ITEMS: including toilet and paper towel rolls, egg cartons, small boxes, pinecones, moss/lichen and twigs. Drop off in the bin located outside of the front office until the day of the event. Thank you!
NEW! ARTS ALIVE PERFORMANCES AT FRANKLIN THROUGH APRIL 27
Arts Alive is a spectacular collaboration from all four performing arts departments at Franklin High School (choir, band, theater, and dance). We invite you to come see a performance and take it all in: April 19, 20, 26, 27 @ 7:00. Tickets can be purchased here: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=232924 and more info can be found here: https://www.danceatfranklin.org.
NEW! DINE OUT AT ATLAS PIZZA - APRIL 30
SUN IS LOOKING FOR CHILDREN'S SHOE DONATIONS
The SUN Clothing Closet is looking for children's shoe donations! The sizes we need the most are Little Kid (4 to 8 years) and Big Kid (8-12 years). Please drop off donations any time after school on Wednesdays and Fridays in Room 4. Feel free to contact Kylie Halland at kylie.halland@portlandoregon.gov or at (503) 260-0507 for any questions.
UPDATED! HELP KEEP THE PTA ALIVE (& THRIVING!) NEXT YEAR!
Many of us on the board of the Parent Teacher Association are serving our second term, which means we will need new voices to fill roles next year! We need dedicated parents/caregivers/staff willing to step in. The Arleta PTA does a lot to support the students, teacher, staff, and the school community, and participating on the board is a rewarding experience! Please consider joining the board — in fact, we need volunteers for the positions of president, vice president, treasurer and secretary or there can be no PTA next year.
Can't commit to a top board position? We have lots of way to get involved as coordinator, co-coordinator, or committee volunteer. For many positions the time commitment is what you make of it. We want your ideas and your help! Click the image and visit arletapta.org for more details about the positions available.
Please email ArletaSchoolPTA@gmail.com if you have are interested in learning more!
GARDEN OPPORTUNITIES
VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED!
The Arleta Garden Team is seeking a few PARENT VOLUNTEERS to help assist with the SCHOOL GARDEN through the spring. We need helpers with availability any TUESDAYS in April and May, during school hours, to help support our student groups as we lead them through hands-on experience in the school garden. Volunteers must have a background check completed. Let us know if you need assistance with this.
Please reach out to Adinah D’Andrea or Melissa Hugeback with questions and for scheduling.
DOLPHIN DASH - FUN-RUN FOR ARLETA - MAY 10
The second annual Dolphin Dash is coming up on Friday, May 10th!
What is the Dolphin Dash? The Dolphin Dash is similar to a Fun Run or Jog-a-thon, and students will participate on Friday, May 10th. We’re asking families, friends, and neighbors to support students with a donation and encouragement to do their best in the event. Each lap will be tallied as students jog, walk, skip, and run during their set time period, and we are challenging students to complete 1,500 laps for the whole school. All students will have a chance to participate and all students will celebrate the success of the event with a treat and a prize.
Why are we having a Dolphin Dash? School funding doesn’t cover enough for programs like art or PE, so our PTA is hoping this fundraiser can make up some of that gap. Fundraising for this event will focus on enriching experiences for all students at Arleta. Our goal is to raise at least $5,000, and ANY donation is welcome!
How do we raise money? We’re asking for students and their caregivers to request one-time donations from family and friends in support of giving it their all on the day of the Dolphin Dash. We have an easy-to-use website that accepts credit cards, or we can accept cash or checks. Please help your student(s) collect pledges through their webpage. You can email or text the link to family, relatives, friends, co-workers, etc. for support. Posting on social media is another great option! One way we can meet our school goal of $5,000 is if each student raises $20. Fundraising is completely optional!
Online pledges with 99Pledges. Your student already has a page set up to collect pledges. Simply go to https://app.99pledges.com/fund/arletadolpindash and enter your student’s first name in the ‘search for participant’ field. You do not need to login or change anything. Simply make a donation for whatever you can, and share your student's link with friends and family. We are shooting for 100% participation, and no amount is too small.
If you have any questions, or need to make a change to your students pledge page, please contact ArletaSchoolPTA@gmail.com
ANNOUNCING LAUNCH OF FAMILIES FOR EQUITY IN SCHOOLS
(shared from the group, Families for Equity in Schools)
Dear Community,
Many have asked how to advocate for more school funding. Here’s the launch of a group that is working to do just so!
“We’ve known for years that Oregon does a terrible job of funding our public schools. There’s hope, though, because there’s a group of active, rowdy, and committed parents and families working to make change at the state level. We are pushing state lawmakers to commit to fully funding all Oregon schools with the launch of Families for Equity in Schools.
https://www.familiesforequityinschools.org/
Bring the whole family to help us launch Families for Equity in Schools. Join us on Tues, April 30th at Oakshire Beer Hall (5013 NE 42nd) from 6:00-8:00pm. Tell Us You're Coming: https://www.familiesforequityinschools.org/kickoff
Background: The Portland Public Schools strike showed how we are fighting for scraps due to inadequate state funding and a broken tax system. “Oregon’s state K-12 public education funding system is archaic and inequitable,” said Andrea Castañeda, Superintendent Salem-Keizer School District, in a statement in Fall 2023.
A generation ago, Oregon’s tax system was upended by the passage of the “kicker” and Measures 5 and 50. Every year since, our schools have been underfunded by over $1 billion. Today, Oregon’s broken funding system is resulting in larger class sizes, cuts to class options, lower test scores, and insufficient support for our students’ mental health. Districts around the state are facing massive cuts to budgets that were insufficient to begin with. Without bold changes to state school funding, the future is bleak.
Our students deserve more.
Families for Equity in Schools is launching to push our state’s leaders to make lasting changes that fully fund our schools.”
Join The Mailing List Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSddRVFw1AQLiv62w5C-6Ccx70o-SyGEZ-lzNVaMUlCmbx4woA/viewform
ADVOCATE FOR PPS FOUNDATION REFORM
A group of PPS parents have been advocating for several years to reform the PPS foundation policy. Here are some easy action items if you'd like to lend your voice to the effort:
Join the nearly 400 parents, caregivers, teachers and staff from 73 PPS schools (and counting) and sign the JOINT LETTER in support of the policy change.
We’ve entered a mandatory 21-day public comment period to provide feedback on the draft policy. Community members can provide comments through this form (select “Revision: District-Wide Fundraising and Advocacy 7.10.020-P” from the drop-down menu) Here’s a document with a template for feedback along with background information and talking points.
If you have additional time and interest beyond helping amplify these two action items, it would be very impactful for board members to receive emails in support of the policy change on behalf of individual PTA organizations. See linked document above for a sample email to the board template and the board member email addresses.
SUMMER CAMP RESOURCES
Summer Acceleration Academy has decided to use Arleta as a summer site hub. This will include Arleta students and 3 other PPS schools, due to those sites being closed for construction/repair this summer. Unfortunately, because of the lack of space, SUN will not be able to offer summer programming.
Other options: here is a link for all other summer programming being offered through Portland Parks
PPR Registration opens 5/16/24 for sessions 6/26-7/28
PPR Registration opens 6/21/24 for sessions 7/31-8/25
GIVE A TOUR TO PROSPECTIVE FAMILIES
It's the time of year when incoming kindergarten families start touring schools. We may also have families with older children who'll be joining Arleta. Please help spread the word to your friends and neighbors that Arleta parents will be offering tours the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Fridays in April at 8:05 am. No RSVP needed, just show up, take a tour and get your questions answered.
Current Arleta parents, we'd love your help to show prospective Arleta families around the school. This is a quick gig and a great way to welcome a new family into the Arleta community. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0C4BA5A92FA2F58-48672742-friday
BIKE BUS PARK CRAWL ON APRIL 20TH
Bike bus captains from Creston Elementary School and Woodstock Elementary School are hosting a kid-ride bike-loop "park crawl" between the two schools and adjacent, namesake parks on Saturday, April 20. The ride will be very short and slow-paced—with breaks to hit the playgrounds.
Woodstock to Creston loop, April 20
When: Saturday, April 20 leaving at 10 a.m.
Where: Woodstock Park (near playground at SE 48th Avenue entrance)
Questions? Email organizers.
SEEKING VOLUNTEERS TO SUPPORT SCHOOL NEWSLETTER & READER BOARD
If you're a reader of this newsletter, hopefully you appreciate staying up-to-date on school activities. The current lead for the newsletter is also the one who updates the reader board in front of Arleta, and she is looking for a couple people who can take on these important communication channels. You'll get lots of training and support, and have the opportunity to work with a team of staff and parents to share school news with our community. The commitment is 1-2 hours per week and it would be great for a couple people to share the work. If you're interested in learning more, please email melissasircy@gmail.com
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED DURING LUNCH & RECESS
An updated sign up sheet for lunch volunteers is available! We are looking for two volunteers each day from 10:45am to 12:30pm to help monitor the playground and assist in the lunch room. This is a fun way to get to know the students and staff! Can you commit to one day a week, or an occasional lunch time?
Check out the sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0C4BA5A92FA2F58-47051724-lunch
MIDDLE SCHOOL TRANSITION RESOURCES
Here are some helpful resources for our rising 6th graders and families to prepare for middle school. These resources will be updated frequently, so please check back in weekly!
Families should have received communication from the PPS Enrollment and Transfer office regarding your student's assigned middle school. Below is information about 5th grade visits, school tours, and other transition resources provided by each school.
Kellogg Middle School: Kellogg 6th Grade Rising Visit
Concluded Thursday, April 11, 2024
Lane Middle School:
Principal Visits February
5th Grade Visits to Lane 4/11: Concluded Thursday, April 11, 2024
Forecasting Visits: Week of 4/22
5th Grade Family Breakfast: 4/27 10am
Individual Family Tours: June, TBD
Hosford Middle School "Fly Up Events:"
May 8th, 9:30-11:00 - Students come to Hosford for a visit
May 15, 6:30-8:00- Family information night for incoming 6th graders
Back to School Picnic (TBD): Meet with students and families before school starts
Jumpstart Day (TBD): Start middle school with a day for 6th grade only
Please reach out to Hosford 6th grade counselor Sahjo Brown (sbrown3@pps.net) if you would like to learn more about these events!"
Harrison Park Middle School: Info to come soon
Feel free to reach out to Ms. Aud who will be supporting 5th graders in the spring with preparing for middle school. If you have any questions related to your child's school assignment, please reach out to the Enrollment and Transfer Office.
SUN NEWS & RESOURCES
UPDATED HOURS FOR SUN CLOTHING CLOSET AND FOOD PANTRY
The SUN Clothing Closet and Food Pantry has updated hours for the new year! The new hours are Tuesday, 12:45pm-7:15pm; Wednesday, 1:30pm-7:30pm; and Friday, 10:00am-5:00pm. Email kylie.halland@portlandoregon.gov or raina.bilbrew@portlandoregon.gov to check other availability.
EASY WAYS TO SUPPORT ARLETA PTA
JOIN THE PTA FOR FREE
We'd love to invite everyone in the Arleta community to become a PTA member for free! Joining the PTA is a great way to connect with others, support projects and programs that support our students, and amplifies your voice in issues that impact our school.
Signing up only takes a couple minutes - https://arletapta.memberhub.com/store (one free membership per household, additional memberships are $10)
ARLETA SPIRIT WEAR AVAILABLE ONLINE 24/7
Get your Arleta spirit wear! Shop online 24/7 and have your items shipped to your home anytime! There are t-shirts, hoodies, tanks, mugs, and more. Check out the online store here: https://arletaschool.threadless.com/
PTA IS COLLECTING BOTTLES & CANS
ARLETA YARD SIGNS AVAILABLE!
LINK YOUR FRED MEYER REWARDS CARD TO SUPPORT ARLETA
Arleta PTA participates in the Fred Meyer Community Rewards
By linking your Fred Meyer Rewards card to the Arleta PTA and scanning your rewards card when you shop, a percentage of your purchase goes to the PTA. Sign up here. (And you'll still get your cash back rewards!)
PPS & COMMUNITY RESOURCES
COMMUNITY FLYERS
- City of Portland 311 Non-Emergency Hotline
STAY CONNECTED
Email: ArletaSchoolPTA@gmail.com
Website: arletapta.org
Location: 5109 SE 66th Avenue
Phone: 503-916-6330
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArletaElementaryK5