Whitman Elementary Newsletter
2020-2021
December
December 18th-Winter Showcase Virtually @ 2:00 PM
December 21-January 1: Winter Break
PRINCIPAL LETTER
Hi Whitman Community-
We hope that you continue to be well during this time. As we enter this holiday season, we wish joy and happiness for you and your family. It is a holiday season like we have never experienced before, but we are grateful for so many things. We are grateful to serve the families at Whitman, to see your students grow and learn, and to work with such amazing colleagues. Please see this newsletter for many important updates as well as our website, YouTube channel and Facebook page. Please take care of yourselves and those you love.
Warmly,
Stephanie Murdock and Celina Garrido
From the Office:
From the Counselor:
Virtual Recess has been a super fun opportunity for our students to connect and have fun together in the virtual setting!
1st: 11:30 Tuesday code 1strecess
2nd: 12:30 Monday code 2ndrecess
3rd: 11:45 Monday code 3rdrecess
4th: 12:30 Thursday code 4threcess
5th: 2:15 Thursday code 5threcess
Office Hours with Ms.Locarno are available for families, students, and teachers.
I am available to help support you with your questions, concerns, celebrations, referrals to resources etc.
Monday - Friday 1:15-2:00
Google meet code: locarno
Feel free to reach out to schedule an appointment if needed - jlocarno@pps.net
Portland Public Schools now has a PPS Youth Resource App!
This App was created by a PPS Mental Health advisory group along with the input of over 100 PPS students from around the district. The app is full of youth friendly community resources. download this FREE app to your phone
At-Home Strategies for Distance Learning' is a series of short, concise resources being developed by PPS to support families during distance learning. Please visit their website by clicking here to learn more.
From the School Nurse:
Immunizations are an important part of keeping our kids and community safe from certain diseases. That is why vaccines are required for school. Fall is a great time to catch-up on vaccines and get your yearly flu shots. Students need to be up-to-date on vaccines or give the school documentation of an exemption by early January, so that your child is not at risk of being excluded from school. Exclusion day is February 17, 2021.
Free Clinic available to students:
The Benson Wellness Center is OPEN!
ADDRESS: 546 NE 12th Avenue, Portland, OR 97232
IN PERSON Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Wednesday 8:00-12:00 p.m.
VIRTUAL Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00-5:00 p.m.
AGE of Student's being served: 7-18 y.o.
Appointments are available for BOTH Mental Health & Physical Wellness
Appointments for BOTH Flu Shots & ALL Other Vaccinations are available
To SCHEDULE an Appointment:
1. Call OHSU Registrar and Register each person needing an appointment at 503-494-8505 (if you've not been seen there before)
2. Leave a Message for Reva at the Benson Wellness Center at 503-418-0409 with your call back information
3. Reva will call back and schedule an appointment, appointments are readily available
Also, here is the PPS link regarding The Benson Wellness Center: https://www.pps.net/Page/5953
From the Library:
When: November 23-December 6
Free shipping to your home on book purchases over $25.
This will be an easy way to do some holiday shopping and support your Whitman School Library.
SUN School:
Hello Whitman Wildcat Family! This is Laurelee Wells with SUN.
If your family has needs such as a food box , coat or energy assistance please email, call or text me. 503-290-8058 lwells@impactnw.org
Have a wonderful day & hope to hear from you soon!
Kimochi's Way
We are excited to continue implementing the character education and social-emotional learning program, Kimochi's, with our students and community this year! Kimochi means “feelings” in Japanese, and the Curriculum is based on research that tells us that a strong social-emotional learning foundation is essential to academic and life success. Every Whitman student has been provided a Kimochi's at home resource kit, let your classroom teacher know if you have not received one yet!
The lessons in the Kimochis® SEL Curriculum teach real-life skills, such as communication, self-management, decision-making, problem-solving, resilience, and responsibility. These are the skills that help us all become successful in life and in school. When children learn to communicate their feelings effectively, they build confidence, self-esteem, and strong relationships.
Each month classroom teachers will be focusing on a Kotowaza (phrase) to help reinforce our Whitman School Values of Community, Empowerment and Commitment. You can help by talking to them about their feelings and plan family time to practice communication skills and expressing emotions appropriately.
During the month of October we celebrated our Whitman Value of Community with the Kotowaza "Friendly faces create friendly spaces. In November we continued to focus on Community with the Kotowaza "It's okay to be mad, it's not okay to be mean".
During the month of December we will focus on the Whitman Value Empowerment with the Kotowaza "Be Brave enough to stand up and speak * Be brave enough to sit down and listen". We will encourage and teach our students to be brave and redo hurtful moments.
Ask your students about these Kotowaza and discuss ways to put them to use at home and in the community
PARENT WORKSHOP ON EARLY READING SKILLS
The Humanities Department is offering a virtual workshop in collaboration with Read by 4th, Drexel University School of Education, and AIM Institute designed to help parents grow their grade K-3 students into strong readers. This workshop will have ideas for making reading fun with the ultimate goal of reading by 4th grade. Parents will receive a workbook to use during and after this workshop.
Sessions will be offered in both Spanish and English with translation available during the English session.
Friday, December 11, 2020 (4:00 pm-6:00 pm) - English with translation
Saturday, December 12, 2020 (10:00 am - 12:00 pm) - Spanish
Whitman School
Email: tbonjern@pps.net
Website: https://www.pps.net/whitman
Location: 7326 Southeast Flavel Street, Portland, OR, USA
Phone: 503-916-6370