Stoller Weekly
June 4th, 2020
Calendar It...
- Friday, June 5th - Furlough Day
- Tuesday, June 9th - 8th Grade Send Off (see article below)
- Wednesday, June 10th - 6th and 7th Grade Yearbook and Medication Distribution (see article below for important details)
- Wednesday, June 10th 10am - 1pm - Stoller Book Returns (see article below)
- Thursday, June 11th - Last Day of School
Dear Stoller community,
I have been struggling trying to find the words that can offer comfort and solace during such difficult times. As it was, we as a community have been navigating the COVID situation - ensuring that students are connected to school and continue in their academic growth. We have been torn about the fact that it has disrupted the school year. Teachers worry about their students and we miss our community.
We thought we just needed to get through this year in order to get a better hold of the situation, and then the murder of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd shook us all. The past couple of weeks, and especially the past few days, have been filled with sadness, anger, disbelief, and a lot of mourning. We have to ask ourselves why we cannot seem to overcome racism in our country. I am a firm believer that love and compassion begins at home. Children look to adults to guide them. As educators we do not take our role in children’s lives for granted. We know they are watching and expecting us to lead with kindness and love. We also are trained around the impact that trauma has on children. The trauma that racism has on children, communities, and society is devastating. This message is to acknowledge the pain that our Black/African American community is feeling right now and has been feeling for decades. It is also a message to remind the Stoller community that our school is so amazing because of its cultural diversity. At Stoller we are committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for our students. Every single one of our teachers and staff members is committed to this. Racism and hate speech will not be tolerated. To our Black/African American families, we support you and you are valued members of our Stoller community.
Veronica Galvan
Principal
Distance Learning
Student Help Desk Information - Please Read
Chromebooks
Important News
8th Grade Send Off
Dear 8th grade families,
We are planning a safe and socially distanced send off on Tuesday, June 9th, 12-4pm. Students are invited to join a drive-by event where they will be able to wave goodbye to Stoller staff. Every student will receive a keepsake t-shirt. Students will also receive a yearbook if they pre-ordered one.
Please watch this youtube video to understand the route and recommendation to when you should arrive that afternoon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR3M1ARZ7mo
A few reminders and guidelines:
- Please stay in your car during the event. No walkers.
- Please have an 8x11 piece of paper with your first and last name boldly written on it, so we can pull your bag quicker. Post on the passenger side of your vehicle when you arrive to the front entry.
- You are welcome to decorate your vehicle.
- The event will also be livestreamed for families who are unable to attend that day and/or you can follow it when you get home.
- If you did not purchase a yearbook, you may still purchase one using the online payment system by Sunday, June 7.
If you are unable to access the online payment system, you will also have an opportunity to purchase with a check made out to Stoller MS for $15 (NO CASH ACCEPTED) on June 9th at the back of the school.
6th and 7th Grade Yearbook and Medication Distribution
On Wednesday, June 10th we will be distributing yearbooks along with medications belonging to our 6th and 7th grade students. Limited quantities of yearbooks will also be available for purchase on June 10th. Directions to pick up items while staying safe while on campus are detailed below.
Picking up a pre-purchased yearbook:
- If you are only picking up a yearbook, you will enter the front parking and take a left and drive along the curb.
- Please have a sign made with your student’s first and last name clearly written on a piece of paper.
- Once we find the student’s yearbook, staff wearing gloves and masks will distribute your student’s yearbook.
- Please do not leave your vehicle.
Purchasing a yearbook or picking up medications:
- If you need to purchase a yearbook or pick up medications, please enter our front parking lot and turn to the right.
- Please park your vehicle and form socially distanced lines in the appropriate medication or yearbook line. There will be signs directing you to the correct line.
- Once at the front of the line, staff will be present to assist you.
- If you are purchasing a yearbook on June 10th, you will need to pay with a check made out to Stoller Middle School in the amount of $15. NO CASH ACCEPTED.
When to come to Stoller on the 10th?
In order to avoid crowds and unneeded traffic on Laidlaw, we will be dividing distribution into groups by last name. Please refer to the following schedule so you know when to come to Stoller and pick up your student’s items.
Last Names
A-D 9:00am - 10:00am
E-H 10:00am - 11:00am
I-L 11:00am -12:00pm
M-P 1:00 pm - 2:00pm
Q-T 2:00 pm - 3:00pm
U-Z 3:00 pm- 4:00pm
Please try your best to pick up your student’s yearbook in the allotted time slot.
Guidelines during the event:
- If you are sick or have a family member sick with symptoms resembling the flu or coronavirus, please stay home.
- Vulnerable people, such as those with underlying conditions and older adults should stay home.
- Please stay in your vehicle unless you are purchasing a yearbook, or picking up medications.
- Do your best to maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet while on campus.
- For your safety and the safety of others, we recommend that you wear a face mask, especially if leaving your vehicle.
Art Projects/Materials
If your student has an art project that they would like to retrieve, we will find an opportunity to return them. Projects left in Ms. Gillard's room will not be discarded. Once we are able to get back in the building or find an opportunity to have her go in and organize them, we will coordinate a plan for pick up. If you have any questions about this please let us know.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
Hello Everyone!
We are in the final week of our 2019-2020 school year, and it has been an unexpected ending to say the least. Our lesson this week has two activities. One is to make a time capsule to remember this time and the other is to make a bucket list for the summer. We also focus on the importance of self-care over the summer with some resources for ideas of how to do just that - take care of yourself! Summer is a great time to unwind, decompress and have fun.
We hope all of your summers are filled with lots of joy. We will miss you all very much over the summer, and wish our 8th graders good luck in all their future endeavors as high schoolers.
Congratulations!
-Mr. Brooks, Mr. Damiano, Mrs. Dell, and Mr. Everson
Stoller Library
AVID Recruitment
The AVID application deadline has passed. If your student applied for AVID class for next year, they will hear about whether they are in the class next year or not, by mid June. Students who are not selected for the class this fall can reapply in the future.
Administrative Transfers 2020-2021
If you are considering applying for an Administrative Transfer for the 2020-2021 school year, please take time to review the following information.
All parents who submit a request prior to June 1, should be notified by June 30.
All requests submitted after June 1 will be reviewed on a case by case basis.
The principal of the student's resident school will initiate contact with the principal at the school where the student has applied to attend.
Both principals must agree to the transfer for it to be considered approved.
Copies of the completed application will be distributed by the resident school, pending a letter or telephone conversation with the parents/guardians of the student, regarding the final recommendation.
The receiving school principal may revoke an Administrative Student Transfer at any time if there is no evidence the student has benefited from the transfer, as evidenced by behavior, attendance, or academic achievement.
Capacity at the receiving school can be a reason that an Administrative Student Transfer is denied even if a student qualifies for hardship.
Hardship is defined as the student:
is being impacted by a parent or guardian's military deployment
is experiencing instability related to homelessness or foster care placement
has a documented medical condition that necessitates a transfer
is impacted by the death of a parent
there is severe financial hardship for the family
is involved in a documented case of severe harassment, intimidation, bullying or cyber-bullying
Student Achievements
- Congratualtions to Neha Vimal whose speech was chosen as one of the Top 21 speeches in the ThinkKindness Competition. She will now be given professional help with her speech and will repost it and people around the world will vote for the best speech. Best of luck to Neha. Check out her speech using this link. Her message is one we could all use right now.
- Congratulations to all participants in this year's North West Science Exposition I would like to recognize everyone's hard work and effort for their online submissions this year. I would also like to recognize these students for their outstanding accomplishments.
Best of Fair - Arjun Agarwal For his project titled: "An Artificial Intelligence Based Approach To Improve The Accuracy of Hurricane Strength Prediction In The Northwest."
Best of Fair - Ishan Ahluwalia For his Project titled: "A Real Time System For Detecting Tire-Road Friction In Different Weather Conditions Using Dynamic Time Warping."
Chemistry: 2nd Place - Shreemoyee Saha
Earth Science: 1st Place - Arjun Agarwal
Energy: 2nd Place: Alexander Plekhanov
Engineering : Honorable Mention - Sohan Govindaraju
Engineering/Mechanical - Honorable Mention - Eisuke Hirota
Math/Computer Science - 3rd Place - Ananth Namboothiry
Math/Computer Science - 2nd Place Vibha Adala
Physics/Mechanical - 1st Place - Ishan Ahluwalia
Plant Science - Honorable Mention - Tanisha Chitlur
Plant Science - 2nd Place - Aryan Agarwal
Stoller PTO
Thank you 2019-2020 Stoller Volunteers! Whether you volunteered in the classroom or behind the scenes ... Thank You! Your involvement helps make Stoller Middle School an active community.
As we come to the end of the school year, many of you will be moving on to support other schools. Please refer to stollerpto.com/volunteer for instructions on how to:
- Retire as a Stoller volunteer
- Add a new school to your volunteer profile
- Leave the BSD volunteer system
These changes in status require action on your part to update/manage your volunteer profile. It is not automatically updated as your child changes schools.
Thank you for giving your time and talents to Stoller this school year!
Stoller Middle School
Website: https://stoller.beaverton.k12.or.us/
Location: 14141 Northwest Laidlaw Road, Portland, OR, USA
Phone: 503-356-2680
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stollermiddle/
Twitter: @StollerPOWER1