Irvington Weekly Newsletter
September 22, 2023
Tea with Mr. G. Recap
- Please communicate with your child's teacher if they are going to leave early.
- Please avoid pick-up between 2:45 and 3:00 (it's hard to track students down then).
A parent also brought up the SOAR chant. Because we are using this year to think through our school-wide expectations, we will not do the SOAR chant before school. But we recognize that many families loved that tradition, so we will think about ways to showcase our students' talents and create a community feel in the mornings!
Upcoming Lockdown Drill
Our school will be participating in a l ockdown drill next Friday, September 29, at 1pm. Lockdown actions are initiated whenever there is an active threat against the safety of our school. These actions save lives, and conducting such drills helps to better prepare our staff and students if a threatening situation were ever to occur at our school.
We understand that these types of active threat drills can cause some anxiety for students and staff. Please know that our staff are working to connect with students in advance of the drill in an age appropriate way to help ease any anxiety and better support students who may be negatively impacted.
I wanted to share some additional resources that could help in connecting with your child(ren) in advance of this drill:
15 Ways to Help Your Child Through Crisis: Parent resource from KidsPeace
Helping Children Cope: Offered by ready.gov, this resource provides advice for helping children cope through disasters and emergencies.
Talking with children about terrorist attacks and school and community shootings in the news: from the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement
Talking with children about violence: tips for parents and teachers: from the National Association of School Psychologists
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network: this website offers guidance for trauma-informed care for children following a disaster or traumatic event and offers many resources including a Psychological First Aid training.
We do not expect this drill to disrupt the school day, and your child(ren) will be dismissed at the regular time. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. You may also reach out to our district’s Emergency Management program through Security Services at 503-916-3000 to discuss any issues of emergency preparedness, drills, or security measures taken at PPS.
Grounds and Garden Committee
Change to Chess Club This Fall
Fall Festival Is Two Weeks Away
Get into the fall spirit with another fun community gathering! Join other Irvington families -- past and present -- the first Friday of October after school for carnival games, snacks, prizes, and more! The whole family is welcome to come and enjoy this free community event: Friday, October 6, 3:30 - 6:00 pm.
It takes a village to make this one happen: volunteers are needed to decorate, set up and clean up, run the games, hand out prizes and more -- there's a role for everyone. Shifts are short but numerous, so head here to see where you can be helpful to make this event possible and fun for all!
Have you met Hungry Harvey? He is hungry hungry hungry for unopened, individually wrapped candy to be used at the Fall Festival! He'll be out at drop off every morning next week waiting for your student to feed him!
First Restaurant Fundraiser Night at Sparky's Pizza
One or twice a month, Irvington School PTA teams up with a neighborhood restaurant to hold a fundraiser night. We encourage our school community to dine in or take out from the restaurant on that day, and the restaurant generously donates a portion of the proceeds back to our school -- it's a win-win! Every one is a little different, so stay tuned for details each time. Tell your neighbors and bring your friends - the bigger the turnout, the better for everyone! Bon appetit!
Our first one is next Tuesday, September 26, at Sparky’s Pizza. All hours and all locations count. Use their handy online ordering system to place your order. You can pre-order for a scheduled pick up time or in-house delivery; or call 503-282-3000 to order. 10% of ALL orders from ALL locations will be donated. Thank you, Sparky’s!
October Lunch Servers
Last Call for PTA/PPS Clothing Closet Volunteers
Families of Students of Color Picnic! <REPEAT>
Neurodiversity Group for Parents and Caregivers of Neurodiverse Students <REPEAT>
Upcoming Events
Monday, September 25: Neurodiversity Caregivers Group, 9am
Monday, September 25: Families of Students of Color picnic, 5:30-7:00pm
Tuesday, September 26: Restaurant night, Sparky's Pizza
Wednesday, September 27: Grounds & Garden Committee Meeting, 9am
Thursday, September 28: Back-to-School Night, 5:30-7:00pm
Friday, October 6: Fall Festival
See it all at a glance here: https://www.irvingtonschool.com/