Last Friday's Back To School Picnic couldn't have been more perfect! The evening was so pleasant not only because of the fabulous weather, but because so many wonderful families came. It was great to have an opportunity to meet new families and connect with others. I hope you enjoyed yourself too!

As we move into next week I'd like to highlight National Hispanic Heritage Month by sharing information, activities and learning taking place at Llewellyn. According to the website at https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/about.html, "Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.

The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period. "

Here is a site you may want to explore with your children to learn more:

National Museum of American Latino – Hispanic Heritage Month Resources

• On this webpage of resources curated by the National Museum of the American Latino, you’ll find a list of why and how we celebrate Latino communities and their contributions to American society, a list of virtual exhibits featuring Latino history, bilingual resources, stories of Latino achievements, and more.
• View resources

• Image credit: Tamalada by Carmen Lomas Garza. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by John B. Turner

Thank you for your readership! Please share any questions or feedback about this newsletter or school in general through email at pgwynn@pps.net.

Have a great weekend!

Principal Pam

Picture Day is coming up on Thursday, September 28th! Click HERE for more information and advice from our friends at Dorian. Order forms will be coming home next week! Photo re-take day will be November 7th.

If you haven't yet, please take time to update your Verification form. You can log into ParentVue on a desktop here: https://parent-portland.cascadetech.org/portland/PXP2_Login.aspx

Parent Tip: Add Llewellyn as a contact in your phone (503-916-6216). That way you know it’s us calling and not a Spam call! This is especially important for when the nurse or office need to reach you due to an emergency regarding your student.

Welcome back to school, Llewellyn families!

Your school’s health team is looking forward to working with you and your child/children to keep everyone happy and healthy this school year. As a reminder, back to school can also mean back to increased exposures to common germs and illnesses. Already this year we have started to see an uptick in cases of gastrointestinal illness within our schools. This chart provides guidance for when to keep your students home, and when they can return to school.

In order to help prevent the spread of illness, continue encouraging your children to practice good hand hygiene by washing their hands before eating, after using the restroom, and after sneezing or coughing. Hand washing remains more effective than using hand sanitizer, especially against some of the leading causes of gastrointestinal illness. Please notify the school if your student is absent due to illness, and reach out to the school nurse if you have any questions or concerns about your student’s symptoms.

Sincerely, Melissa Monroy, RN mmonroy@mesd.k12.or.us

Every Friday will be a School Spirit Day. Students and staff are encouraged to wear their Llewellyn gear new or old. One Friday per month will be a fun theme. On 9/29 will be Silly Sock Day.

Many great programs have spots available including: Basketball, Yoga, Circus Arts, Coding, Acting, Chess, Drawing and Garden Club!

Register HERE:

https://www.6crickets.com/?open_signup=&user_source=user&user_source_details=adrianne.schaefer%40gmail.com&utm_medium=copylink&utm_source=6cricketsuser

(Several programs haven't met their minimums and will need to cancel if enrollment is low.)

Basketball is here:

https://www.pdxreignbasketball.com/event-details/llewellyn-fall-23-hoops

The Afterschool Enrichment Program is a great way to both add on an hour to the school day, and for your child to learn a new skill or explore a hobby or sport! Email Adrianne at adrianne.schaefer@gmail.com with questions or to help teach a class next session!

PTA Happenings

Hello Llewellyn community! I hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine this week and basking in the last days of summer. The back to school picnic was a huge success. So many parents and students came and enjoyed reconnecting and meeting some new faces. We love seeing all of our students laughing and playing together. Fall days are upon us and soon we will all be wearing our cozy hoodies and beanies around the neighborhood. Which reminds us……

Get your Llewellyn gear and be ready for cooler temperatures! Our gear sale is live and loaded with T-shirts, hoodies and beanies. This wonderful site was created and is managed by two of our Llewellyn parent volunteers, Tim and Kelsey Coulter. It is easy to use and has the added feature of donating a T-shirt to a student or a teacher. Thank you in advance for your purchase and for any amount you can add to help purchase T-shirts for people in our school community. It’s so awesome to see everyone in their shirts for spirit days and all around our neighborhood showing Llewellyn pride. Any questions about the website or payment issues can be answered at llewellyn.elementary.gear@gmail.com.

We still have several classrooms without a class lead. Class leads are a vital part of our students’ learning experience and it helps PTA and other parents know what they can contribute to help both the teacher and students have an amazing year filled with special events and fun learning activities. Some things teachers have done with parent volunteers through class leads are: scheduling mystery readers, setting up seasonal bulletin boards, cutting out materials for learning centers, reading one-on-one with students and so much more. A class lead is the communication between school and parents. You can choose to do this on your own or partner up with some other amazing parent(s) and co-lead for your classroom. Classes that still need leads: Frisby, Omey, Montejo, Gallagher, Evans, Stelter, Gassner, & Rozell. Cronen and Coholan both have a volunteer who would like a co-lead. Sign-up using the Konstella post, or email Kili Fern (kiliandethan@gmail.com).

Just a reminder to make sure you are on Konstella and your student is in their current classroom. That way you are getting any updates from your teacher or from PTA in regards to events specific to your grade level or whole school. We use Konstella for announcements, signups and all PTA sponsored events. Also, make sure to download the app so you can stay up-to-date while away from home.

After school enrichment classes are still enrolling and there are spots available! This is a great way to extend the school day, and for your child to learn a new skill or explore a hobby or sport! Many great programs have spots available including basketball, yoga, circus arts, coding, acting, chess, drawing and garden club! Email Adrianne at adrianne.schaefer@gmail.com with questions or to help teach a class next session!

Our first PTA meeting is September 19 at the Bottleshop at 7 p.m. We want you to get to know your new board and connect as families. We will be there to answer questions about what is happening at our school, hear your new ideas for anything PTA can improve, fundraiser ideas, and just get to know you as parents and community members. Please join us in partnering together to make Llewellyn shine!

Upcoming Events/Fundraisers

September 19: Our first PTA meeting!

September 21: Open House—Bring your family and get a look inside your child’s classroom to see what they have been learning and creating. PTA will also be available to answer any questions about gear, Konstella, and of course membership!

September 29— Gift Wrap sales begin! Look out for flyers in folders and on Konstella for more information on when to begin getting the word out.

Please take a moment to sign-up for Konstella, the platform the Llewellyn PTA uses to share the following information:

• Community Events
• School Directory (there will be NO printed directory this year)
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Classroom Events (coordinated by class leads)

To sign up please visit: https://www.konstella.com/cd/PNS7TQ

Iniray I. Luper
inirayluper@gmail.com

RUN Llewellyn is on October 6th this year! It is the Llewellyn Foundation's largest fundraiser of the year. Sign-up information is coming home this week in student packets but you can also register your children here:

https://fundforpps.eventgroovefundraising.com/oct23/Campaign/Details

You can also purchase your child and family members their RUN Llewellyn t-shirts. Check them out! School Goal: $50,000!

RUN Llewellyn T-Shirts

Help Us Create a Modernized Cleveland High School

The comprehensive planning process for the modernization of historic Cleveland High School is getting underway. PPS is seeking a diverse range of engaged citizens who can positively contribute to the process of creating a next generation high school through the Cleveland Comprehensive Planning Committee (CPC). View the Cleveland CPC flyer here |Español |Tiếng Việt | Русский | Soomaali | 中文

Cleveland Comprehensive Planning Committee Mission
The goal of the Cleveland CPC is to develop an equitable and integrated comprehensive plan for a modernized Cleveland High School through authentic community engagement. It will include students, parents, teachers, alumni, administrators, PPS staff, partners, community representatives and a school board member. While CPC members are not tasked with making final decisions, their input is crucial in creating a plan that the entire community can be proud of.

Join the Cleveland Comprehensive Planning Committee (CPC)
To apply please visit the Cleveland modernization website at https://www.pps.net/ClevelandBond Applications are available in all PPS supported languages. Paper applications will also be available upon request. Interested candidates should plan on meeting about once a month in the evenings for about 5 to 6 months. The CPC application process will remain open until mid-September. The first meeting will take place in early October.

Get involved and stay informed
The Cleveland modernization website will keep you updated on the latest developments and provide a list of upcoming engagement opportunities. You can also join the Cleveland Modernization project mailing list at CHSBond@pps.net.

Thank you for helping us create a modernized Cleveland High School for the 21st century.

9/19 PTA Meeting @ Bottleshop 7:00-8:00PM

9/21 ESL Information Night 5:15PM

Llewellyn Open House 6:00-7:30PM

9/28 Photo Day 😀

Foundation Meeting 7:00PM

9/29 Gift Wrap Sales Begin

10/6 Run Llewellyn

10/13 NO SCHOOL – CSI & TSI School Training

10/15 Gift Wrap Sales End

10/17 PTA Meeting 7:00-8:00PM

11/2 End of First Quarter

11/3 NO SCHOOL – Teacher Planning Day

11/7 Photo Re-Take Day

11/8 Foundation Meeting 7:00PM

11/10 NO SCHOOL – Veterans Day

11/12 PTA Meeting 7:00-8:00PM – New Date!

11/14 Pie Fundraiser

11/20-21 Parent-Teacher Conferences – NO SCHOOL

11/22-23 NO SCHOOL – Thanksgiving Break