North Star News
September 2022 - We Reach! We Rise! We Shine!
Mark Your Calendar
9/20 PTC Meeting in the Library 6-7 p.m.
9/23 C&I Day - No School
9/24 Teddy Bear Parade in Downtown Gresham 10-12 p.m.
10/11 Fall Picture Day
10/13 C&I Day - No School
10/14 Statewide Inservice - No School
Principal's Message
Dear North Gresham Families,
I am so excited to see our students showing up everyday, smiles on their faces and ready to learn. Our students are quickly adjusting to and learning our school routines. They're doing a great job!
Thank you for your patience in dropping off and picking your students up from school. We are getting our system down and it will get faster and faster. We appreciate your support helping ensure a safe and smooth dismissal by following the guidelines and reminders below:
- Pick-Up by Car: Please follow all staff directions, signs, and arrows. Pull forward with the flow of traffic. Do not park in the drive-up line and get out of your car to walk up. Also, make sure your number is visible on the lower right windshield (passenger side). Make sure the people who pick your student up also have a copy of the number in their window.
- Pick-Up by Walking Up: Please only go to the pick-up line. Be ready to show your pick-up number to the staff member(s) at that area, and then wait for your student(s) to be sent out to you.
- Buses: Our buses are arriving sooner and sooner, and are leaving the school on time or close to on time. When buses are running significantly late, we will send an alert via ParentSquare notifying you of which buses are running late. Late buses can be due to a variety of issues such as traffic, running late from previous routes (high school students are released and dropped off before elementary schools), etc., and these factors are outside of our control.
- Walkers: If you have students who are walkers, please remind them to walk straight home after they've checked in with staff in the gym. Some walkers are hanging out chatting, and this causes concern when they don't arrive home on time as expected. Please make sure they know where to meet you and to use the crosswalks and follow staff directions.
- Crosswalk Volunteers Wanted: It takes a large amount of staff to run dismissal, and extra support is always appreciated. If you're an approved GBSD volunteer and can consistently commit to volunteering one, several, or all five days a week, we are looking for crosswalk volunteers to support dismissal. Please email me or call the school if you're interested.
Thank you for partnering with us to educate your children. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me at sewell2@gresham.k12.or.us or call the front office.
Sincerely,
Shawnda Sewell
Principal
ParentSquare
For more information and helpful tips, click here.
From Our PTC
Join us for our first PTC meeting of the year on Tuesday, September 20th from 6:00-7:00 p.m.! This year, our meetings will be in-person at North Gresham in the library. Meetings will usually be held on the 3rd Tuesday of every month from 6:00-7:00 p.m. PTC meeting information will be shared each month via the school newsletter, website, ParentSquare, and Facebook page to confirm the date, time, and location.
Join the PTC for the annual Gresham Teddy Bear Parade! This year the parade will be on Saturday, September 24th in downtown Gresham. Anyone can go watch the parade downtown. Spectators can watch the parade from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. If you would like to participate in the parade and join the PTC, please meet us in the East Hill Church parking lot between 8:30-9:00 a.m. to assemble and get ready for the parade. We ask that you wear our school colors - blue, white, and yellow - or dress up as you choose. Bring a teddy bear, if you have one! If you plan to ride a scooter or bike in the parade, you must wear a helmet. If you have any questions about the Teddy Bear parade, please email the PTC at northgreshamptc@gmail.com.
Remember, to scan your grocery receipts using the Box Top App (After you scan the receipt, click on the STAR “Credit”, and put in your child’s teacher’s last name to give Credit to that teacher. Yes! We will have competitions.) You can also give back with Smile.Amazon.com (North Gresham Grade School Parent Teacher Club) and Fred Meyers Community Rewards (North Gresham Parent Teacher Club). All funds go back to the school and support our students!
When Should I Keep My Student Home?
If your student has any of the symptoms below, please keep them home:
- New Cough - May return after symptoms improve for 24 hours (no cough or well-controlled cough)
- Difficulty Breathing - May return after symptoms improve for 24 hours (breathing comfortably)
- Sore Throat - May return when symptoms improve for 24 hours
- Vomiting or Diarrhea - May return when symptom-free for 48 hours
- Fever of 100.4 or greater - May return when fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication
- Rash - May return when the rash is gone or with orders from a doctor or school nurse
- General Illness - If your student is feeling unwell in general and you feel it will interfere with their learning, please keep them home until they're feeling better
If your student tests positive for COVID-19 or any other contagious disease such as measles, mumps, etc., do not send your student to school. Please call the office for further directions and a return-to-school date.
Please report any student injuries, such as a broken limb, recent surgery, etc., and provide the school with a doctor's note stating that the student is clear to be at school and that it outlines any limitations such as not participating in P.E., recess, etc.
All medications must be checked in at the office by a parent or legal guardian. Medications are kept locked in our health room, and are not to be sent to school with students and/or kept in the classroom. This includes over-the-counter medications such as cough drops and Tylenol.
If your student has an underlying health condition, such as diabetes, seizure disorder, asthma, severe allergy, etc., please call the school. We want to make sure we are able to support and treat your student's health in accordance with their doctor's orders.
Picture Day on October 11th
IMPORTANT: Please send your student's picture day order envelope to the school on picture day with exact cash (we cannot make change at the school and don't process the orders), or with a check made payable to: Dorian Studio. Online orders are also a convenient option. We cannot accept order envelopes after picture day, but you can order online up to 4 days after.
Please note that all students will get their picture taken for school purposes, regardless of whether you order or not. Ordering photos is optional.
Would you like to volunteer for picture day? Please contact our PTC or call the school. We need 2-4 volunteers to help!
Reminders from the Office
Contacting the Office
You can reach the office staff by calling our school at 503-661-6415, Monday-Friday 8:15 a.m. (9:15 a.m. on Wednesdays) to 4:00 p.m. You can also email our office team at any time. Nina Thomas at thomas82@gresham.k12.or.us, and Yuli Nolasco at nolasco8@gresham.k12.or.usAbsences
Please call in your student's absence before 8:35 a.m. (9:35 a.m. on Wednesdays). Leave a message by selecting option 1 if you call outside of school hours. Please let us know your student's first and last name, teacher/grade, and the reason for the absence. Students not present by 8:35 a.m. (9:35 a.m. on Wednesdays) will be marked absent. Students that arrive late will receive a tardy slip, and their absence will be adjusted in the system to a tardy. Automated attendance calls go out and you may receive a call if your student arrives after the calls are made.
Changes of Transportation
If your student will go home differently than normal, please contact the office to make the change. Dismissal is a very busy time, so we appreciate you calling no later than 2:00 p.m. to make any changes.
Early Pick-Up
If you need to pick your student up early from school, please do so before 2:45 p.m. Dismissal is very busy, so if you arrive after 2:45 p.m. you will be asked to wait until dismissal time to get your student.
ParentVue
Register for ParentVue to view your student’s attendance, grades, and make changes to your contact information. If you need assistance with setting up ParentVue, please call the school at 503-661-6415. You can also email our secretaries at thomas82@gresham.k12.or.us or nolasco8@gresham.k12.or.us. Visit the ParentVue web page to login or sign up: https://www.gresham.k12.or.us/domain/2446.North Gresham Elementary School
Website: www.gresham.k12.or.us/nges
Location: 1001 Southeast 217th Avenue, Gresham, OR, USA
Phone: 503-661-6415
Facebook: facebook.com/NorthGreshamElementary
Twitter: @NorthGresham_ES