Maplewood Memo
March 15, 2023
What's in the memo
1. Message from Principal Galloway
2. Save the Date
3. School News
Spirit Week // Maplewood Reads // Champions
4. Maplewood Auction
5. Foundation
6. PTA
PTA Meetings & Info // Fundraising // Yearbooks // Volunteering // T-shirt Sales // Plant Sale
7. Nutrition Services
Information // March menus
8. Tag
9. News from Staff
Art // Counseling // Library & Technology // PE
10. Flyers
Yearbooks // Sports //After school programs
Principal's Message
Hi everyone,
I hope this memo find you all well. I will keep this message short as there is so much in the memo to read, but there are a few things I wanted to mention.
We had expected Dr. Franco, the chief of schools for PPS, to visit last week, but it turns out he will be at Maplewood on May 10th for a visit. We are looking forward to sharing all the amazing things at Maplewood.
For example, have you noticed the beautiful new bulletin boards in the front hallway? Thank you to parent volunteers for painting this wall and to Suzanne Smith for choosing the bulletin boards and filling them with gorgeous student art work! Come check it out!
Thank you to Liz and Stephanie, kinder parents, and the other volunteers who put on the first Parent Pick-up Par-tay last Friday. If you didn’t get a chance to join the par-tay, I believe this will become a monthly event with music and treats. However, please feel free to come out and connect with each other every day! By building parent community connections we are strengthening our school climate and culture. Thank you to those for showing up and connecting!
Next week is spirit week. The week will end with popsicles and a bucket of water on MY HEAD! Yup! The class who brings in the most food for the food drive gets to throw the bucket on my head. It is the least I can do to inspire us to help others.
Warmly,
Kit
*"Please click view entire message to read the entire news memo"
Save the Date
Every Tuesday
OHSU Covid Test Returned - Optional
March 20-24
Spirit Week - Event details under School News
Mar. 21
PTA Meeting 6:30
March 23
Class Pictures
March 27-31
Spring Break
April 15
Maplewood Foundation Auction at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center
(this is an adult-only event)
May 19
Carnival
School News
Maplewood Spirit Week!
March 20-24
Monday: Hat & Shades Day- wear your hat and shades
Tuesday: Come as your favorite book character
Wednesday: Each class chooses their own theme.
Thursday: Dress Your Best Day (*this is also class picture day)
Friday: Monochrome or Maplewood Gear Day
End the week with popsicles on the playground and a bucket of water on Principal Galloway’s head!
Maplewood Reads for March
I Walk with Vanessa is inspired by real events, I Walk with Vanessa explores the feelings of helplessness and anger that arise in the wake of seeing a classmate treated badly, and shows how a single act of kindness can lead to an entire community joining in to help.
CHAMPIONS BEFORE & AFTER SCHOOL CARE
Hello Maplewood Parents!
Many of you may have heard about our exciting after school program. We are pleased to announce that Champions is working hard to open up our afternoon waitlist as soon as possible!
Champions wanted to remind parents that we also provide care in the morning from 6:30am until the start of school. Our details about the morning program are as follows:
Before-School:
Hours - 6:30am until breakfast or bell rings
1-2 days: $41 per week
3-5 days: $51 per week
Champions hosts our morning program in a classroom off of the cafeteria and provides engaging materials to help your students wake up and socialize in the morning! We dismiss students that would like breakfast into the Cafeteria at 7:45am. Our teachers walk the kindergarteners to line up with the rest of classes outside at 7:50am. Champions strives to provide care for working families and hope to ease morning drop off for parents. Let Champions help out and play with your students in the mornings. Feel free to contact Champions with any questions you have!
Sincerly,
Megan Swader and Mark Trolan
Email: CH002542@discoverchampions.com
mobile: (971)-230-8431 (ok to text)
Foundation
Maplewood Auction
Your Maplewood Foundation Team has been busy working to plan this year's auction which will take place on Saturday, April 15th, at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center.
This is our biggest fundraising event of the year and we have a goal to raise $60,000 to fund Educational Assistant positions for next school year. This will also be our first time doing an in-person auction since 2019, so it will be a new experience for many!
This is an adult-only event (yay!!) and is open to folks outside the school community. That means you are welcome to invite your family and friends too! And while we are trying to explore options for childcare that may not happen so please begin making plans for someone else to watch your kids that evening (yay!!). We are really excited to come together as a community for a night of drinks, games, dinner, dancing, lots of fun, and of course, giving!
Seeking Donations for the 2023 Spring Auction
We still need donations for the auction. Do you have a vacation home? We are looking for vacation rentals for the auction. Do you have a service or an item to donate? Can you help us connect with local businesses and vendors to gather donations for the auction? If so, or if you have any questions, please email us at maplewoodfoundation@gmail.com or call or text Jeannette Taylor at 503.901.9813.
Other Ways to Donate
- 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 the school or mailed to the school at 7452 SW 52nd Ave, Portland, OR 97219.
- 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.
- 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.
PTA
PTA Meetings
Join us at the PTA meeting every month to learn about upcoming projects, events, priorities, and to share your thoughts! PTA Meetings occur the third Tuesday of every month from 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Become an Oregon PTA Member; this supports our school and allows you to vote during meetings. (You don't have to be a member to attend meetings, just to vote.) https://www.oregonpta.org/membership
March PTA Meeting
We are excited to have our first in person PTA meeting in the Maplewood Library on Tuesday, March 21 from 6:30-7:30 pm!
Please RSVP at maplewoodpta.com/rsvp if you can join us. We'll also have an online option if that works better for you. Meeting details are at maplewoodpta.com/meetings.
We hope to see you there!
Full details and recaps of past meetings at maplewoodpta.com/meetings/
Maplewood PTA
The Maplewood PTA strives to serve our school’s community of teachers, staff, parents, and students. We have lots of amazing things planned this year to support our school!
Stay up to date on events and more
Sign up for the Maplewood PTA email list
Follow Maplewood PTA on Instagram
Yearbooks
Order your 2022-23 Maplewood Yearbook online at: https://buytheyearbook.com/ (school ID #709537) for $25.00 through April 28, 2023!
Paper order forms are available in the school office for cash and check orders. If you have any questions, please reach out to the PTA's Yearbook Committee at maplewoodpdxyearbook@gmail.com
If you have any questions, please reach out to the PTA's Yearbook Committee at maplewoodpdxyearbook@gmail.com
Volunteer info
We are excited to welcome volunteers into the building and classrooms this year. All volunteers must show proof of vaccination, clear a background check (https://www.pps.net/volunteer), and sign-into the Raptor system located at the main office on arrival and sign-out when leaving campus.
We can’t wait to have you in school with us!
T-Shirt Sales
Maplewood T-shirt sale is happening now!
Purchase adult and youth Maplewood T-shirts from now until Friday, March 17th. Show your school spirit and help support Maplewood! Items will be available for pickup in early April. Great gift ideas for your children, grandparents, partners, neighbors, and friends!
Shop online anytime! Maplewood T-shirt Sale
Plant Sale
It's time for the PTA Hanging Basket fundraiser! Sale starts 3/20 and ends 4/14. All orders will be delivered May 10th after school just in time for Mother's Day.
Please check backpacks on 3/20 for the description and order form.
You can also order online at this link: https://maplewood-pta.square.site/s/order
Nutrition Services
PK - 12 SCHOOL MEAL PAYMENTS AND ACCOUNT BALANCES
STUDENT MEAL ACCOUNT BALANCES AND PAYMENTS
The Nutrition Services team is so thankful to see and serve so many students this year. To help communicate meal account balances to families, the Nutrition Services department will start sending notifications and friendly reminders to families whose student’s meal account no longer has funds on it to purchase school meals. Remember, families may apply for free or reduced price meals at any time throughout the school year and must apply every year to maintain eligibility. We recommend that families continuously check their student account balances. All families can check their account balances online with SchoolCafe at any time (and there is no charge to view your accounts). The school kitchen teams and the NS central office is also happy to assist with checking account balances and status.
Families have the following options to pay for school meals:
Pay as you go: Bring cash or check (payable to Portland Public Schools) directly to the cafeteria or school office.
Prepay for meals with cash or check (payable to Portland Public Schools) in the cafeteria*. Funds will be deposited into the student meal account. Purchases will be deducted from the account balance.
Pay with a debit/credit card using SchoolCafe, a secure online meal payment system. NOTE: There is a minimum payment of $15 and a 5% fee per online transaction.
Whitney Ellersick, Senior Director, wellersick@pps.net
TAG
Parent Office Hours with the TAG (Talented and Gifted) Department
Ask questions and receive information related to TAG identification, services, processes, etc.
We will meet on Zoom, 6:00-7:00 PM on 3/22/23, 4/26/23, and 5/31/23.
TAG OFFICE HOURS
NEW! Parent Office Hours with the TAG Department
The October focus will be the TAG referral process
Our next meeting will be March 22, 6:00-7:00 PM
Zoom link for Parent Office Hours with the TAG Department
A list of questions and answers from past meetings are in this FAQ document.
We look forward to seeing you!
News From Staff
Art News
From Art Room 112:
“Making and appreciating art involves emotional and mental faculties!
Art, whether making it, learning about it, or simply looking at it – offers a wide range of important experiences.”
In other words, it’s good for us!
Have you seen our new bulletin boards outside of the front office? Check them out!
Counselor News
Hello Maplewood families! Maplewood is a swirl of activity right now. We are in the middle of the SW Hope Food Drive to support Neighborhood House. They provide food boxes for our families over school breaks, so we support them with food donations throughout the year but especially during this food drive that is part of SW Hope. Until this Friday, you can send students to school with food items (this is a list of most-needed items) for our competitive food drive. Other SW Hope events include a Fun Run and 5K. Learn more at https://nhpdx.org/sw-hope/
Need some other ideas of ways to help out?
* I coordinate supplying teachers with items for cozy corners where students can work on regulating and taking good care of their feelings. HERE is a list of some items we could use at Maplewood.
* I give out prizes each day to students working on specific goals. If you have little items around the house that could live a second life as a small prize for a kid (think matchbox cars, little fidgets, action figures, fancy pencils, etc.) please send those my way! If you'd like to buy something off Amazon, HERE is a wishlist.
There is a lot of financial strain on families at this time of year. If your family is struggling financially, feel free to reach out to me at kcunninghamparm@pps.net and get on a confidential list where we connect your student with resources, free items, and vouchers for things like reduced-price internet service or devices. Also, if there is a need for clothing items, please reach out and we can work on getting needed clothing items for your student.
As always, feel free to reach out with any concerns or needs.
Kendall Cunningham
Maplewood Elementary School Counselor
M-F 7:45-3:30
503-916-6308
Check out my website here for videos, resources, and info on our program at Maplewood!
Counseling Request Google Form
One of the secrets to staying young is to always do things you don't know how to do, to keep learning.
Ruth Reichl, author and chef
OBOB 2023 has wrapped up! Many thanks to Manda, Dana, Andrea and team captain Heather for organizing such a successful event. Maplewood students love to read, and their high participation each year proves that. Thank you families and teachers for supporting their keen interest in books.
Here is the list for OBOB 2024 (Yes -- students have already been asking!)
https://www.oregonbattleofthebooks.org/2023-2024-obob-partial-title-list/
Good luck to the team representing Maplewood at the regional battles this weekend!
Here are our 2023 winners:
Fiery Piglets Dean, Atlas, Dominic, Jasper, Hameedullah Cookie Worms Chessa, Sammy, Loulou, Eden, Dorothy, Michele The Ancient Egyptian Patriotic McNuggets with a Side of Ketchup; Don’t forget the Mustard Mimi, Levi, Jackson, Evan, Porter
Will you be my partner? In PE, we have been teaching and talking about partner acceptance. We broke down partner acceptance into levels and identified attributes of each level (see visual at the bottom of this email). My goal is to help students realize how the different reactions they have when doing partner work has a huge impact on the class environment, the person they are partnered with, and also their ability to be successful with the activity or task challenge that I’ve given them. We have also talked about how this is relevant not just in PE, but in the classroom, playground and activities outside of school.
DOES YOUR CHILD HAVE AN INJURY that causes them to miss PE? Please email the PE teacher, the classroom teacher or send a note with your child. THANK YOU.
Ms. Weatherill
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
We have lots of exciting afterschool activities happening at Maplewood. Registration is open now for the Spring sessions of Kids Yoga, Portland Reign Basketball, and Electronic Music Club.
You can check out all activities here: https://www.maplewoodpta.com/afterschoolactivities/
Watercolor After School
Watercolor For Kids
Are you looking for an enriching after school art activity for your child? Watercolor For Kids is just that. Art promotes confidence, creativity, and communication. Students will learn sketching and painting skills that they can develop into a lifelong hobby. We’ll explore varying styles and subject matter; and there will be something compelling for everyone. Come join us for the after school watercolor fun.
Spring Session:
Tuesdays, 2:20-3:20
February 28-April 25 (no class spring break week)
8 Weeks, $200
More information and registration at www.watercolorforkids.com