Hello Cheetah Families!

It has been a great week getting back in the swing of school after winter break. The next few months are going to be busy and we will have a lot of information to share with you. Please be sure to read all newsletters so you don't miss anything important.

Transfer Window Preparations: The PPS transfer window will be opening soon and in preparation, many schools will be offering Open Houses so you can visit and learn about various programs.

Kellogg Open House - Tuesday, Feb. 7, 5:30-7:00

Harrison Park Open House - TBD

5th Grade Promotion: If you are a 5th grade parent who is interested in helping us plan and carry out 5th grade promotion, please fill out THIS FORM to let us know. If you have any questions, you can ask any of the 5th grade teachers (Ms. Mady, Mx. Zipp, Maestra Vega) or reach out to our 4th/5th grade counselor, Ms. Madi.

Coming Soon - Panorama Successful Schools Survey!: Research shows that student-teacher relationships and overall school climate are two variables that have some of the greatest effect on student achievement and success. Each year, Portland Public Schools uses the Panorama Successful Schools Survey to collect data on these variables in each school. This year, the survey window will be open from January 23 - February 10. All teachers, students and parents are invited to participate. Our goal is 100% participation so that we get feedback from every unique voice. You will be getting more information on the survey in the coming weeks. Please contact me, Beth Essex, if you have any questions. Thank you!

Previous Issues of The Cheetah Coalition: Are you looking for information you remember reading in a previous issue of our Atkinson Newsletter? You can find links to all previous newsletters on our Atkinson Website, linked HERE. Just click the second tab, "Atkinson News," and you will find what you need.

OPB Article: There was an interesting article about Special Education services in PPS on OPB yesterday. If you were not able to listen/read it and are interested in learning more, HERE is the link. This article is the first in a series that will be released in the upcoming days/weeks.

Child Growth Milestones: Do you ever wonder what types of behaviors are "typical" for children of a particular age? If so, check out this resource from The Center for Parenting Education. It has some basic information to give you an idea of the sorts of things you can expect at different ages. Just remember... every child develops in their own unique way!

Kim Hilton comes from a long line of educators. She grew up in Troutdale, Oregon with 3 sisters: one older and two younger. Kim's dad was a teacher and principal in the same school district that she attended. There is even an elementary school named after Ms. Hilton's grandmother, who was also a principal!

Ms. Hilton has been teaching for 35 years. She has been a classroom teacher (kindergarten and 1st grade) and a librarian in both PPS and Reynolds. Her 2nd grade librarian was the inspiration for Ms. Hilton to become a school librarian. She got her Bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon, her Master's degree from Portland State University, and various additional endorsements from Concordia University.

Ms. Hilton has been married for 20 years. She enjoys knitting, reading, cross stitch, and watching movies.

A favorite memory of Ms. Hilton is from high school. For a graduation present, she got to go to Western Australia for a month! One of the families she stayed with took her to an Australian Rules Football game in Perth.

Ms. Hilton plays many important roles at Atkinson. She organizes & leads our OBOB (Oregon Battle of the Books) program, is our technology guru and our testing coordinator. We are happy to have her as part of our Atkinson team!

CONGRATULATIONS to the PTA for making their fundraising goal of $20,000!!! Way to go! Atkinson cheetahs appreciate the support :)

The Atkinson PTA Website, with all newsletters, is linked HERE.

The next PTA meeting will be from 6:30-8:00pm on Monday, January 9 in the Atkinson library. This meeting will be a potluck dinner.

The next Amigos meeting will be on Friday, Jan. 20 from 9:00-10:00 in the cafeteria.

Show your school pride by ordering some Atkinson Spirit Wear! Please visit THIS LINK for more information.

Hi ATK Fams,

We are excited to announce that as a school we are focusing on kindness as a monthly theme for recognition for the students. We are incorporating this value word by having each classroom teacher nominate two students per class who have exemplified being kind at school to earn a fancy certificate, special recognition through the speaker school-wide, and a pizza party at the end of the month with Principal Essex. Miss Darcy, our current K-3 counselor, made an awesome bulletin board dedicated to kindness in the main hallway, picture below! You will notice a few flowers on the tree. These flowers are meant to represent acts of kindness that both students and staff can do to exemplify being kind. Students are encouraged to use a flower and add their personal act of kindness to the tree!

4th and 5th graders are receiving a counseling lesson with Miss Madi around Positive and Negative Self-Talk throughout January. Check out that lesson here to help reiterate healthy self-talk with your student at home.

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Leadership

4th and 5th Grade Leadership Team - Today, 1/6/23, each student who applied for the Leadership Team is receiving their letter of admission! If you know your kiddo applied, go ahead and check their backpack to ensure that letter made its way home! :)

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Safety Patrol

Safety Patrol Update: If your student applied for Safety Patrol, we are currently creating an Atkinson specific training to help students who applied gain the knowledge around this very important job. We are hoping to start Safety Patrol during the 2nd semester, towards the end of this month. Hang tight for more info!

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GSA

ATK GSA: is excited to announce that the GSA Newsletter, "The Gay Agenda", will start being shared school-wide starting this month with all ATK families. Our newsletter is made up of articles written by GSA'ers on a variety of topics of their choosing, art, inclusivity tips, and important info surrounding the Queer community within and outside of our school. Be sure to check that out when it's finished in a few weeks! :)

Monday, Jan. 9 - PTA Meeting, in person potluck, 6:30-8:00, Library

Monday, Jan. 16 - No School, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thursday, Jan. 26 - End of 2nd Quarter

Friday, Jan. 27 - No School, Teacher Grading Day