PORTER PRIDE MONTHLY

Hello C.S. Porter Community!

September went by quickly!! That means that we’re having fun, right?! Welcome to October! We’ve set up our systems and procedures, and now it’s time to grow:) There’s a lot happening in October, so save this letter!

• Our first midterm ended on Friday, September 27th. Teachers have early this week to finalize and submit grades. Be looking for them to post at the end of the week. It seems like we had a quick first midterm!

• To celebrate American Indian Heritage Day, we had a Round Dance at Porter on Friday, September 27th. It was great to see not only our families, but many families from other schools as well. A round dance is a social dance where everyone is invited to participate! There are a variety of dances for all ages and abilities to enjoy. Round dances are a time to reconcile differences, rekindle and make new friendships and, of course, celebrate!

• Chocolate sales for our music programs was a success. So many students worked so hard to get their money in. Thanks to families too for supporting this much needed fundraising opportunity. Be on the lookout for chocolate delivery and ability to help our amazing music team to distribute.

• National School Bus Safety Week is October 21-25! Look to Beach Transportations social media accounts for safety tips and reminders.

• Bingo For Books will be on October 7th at 6:00 in the Cougar Gym. Come play Bingo and win some books!

• Our band (8th grade) and orchestra (7th and 8th grade programs will be performing in the UM Homecoming Parade on Saturday October 12th. It’s a fun event, so come out and support:)

• Fall sports end on October 12th and Boys Basketball starts on the 14th. Sign-ups for Boys Basketball begin October 1st and end October 14th. Thanks to all participants, fans, and coaches!

• NO SCHOOL Remember that school will be out Thursday and Friday October 17th and 18th for the statewide MEA conference.

• We will hold our 3rd annual Trunk or Treat event on Friday, October 25th from 6-7 pm. Scan the QR code in the flier below for our sign up genius link, as we’ll want to fill our parking lot. We will open this up to cars, students, and families from 3 of our feeder schools (Lowell, Franklin, and Hawthorne) as well!

We continue to work hard to engage our community, empower our students, and teach with clarity to improve student learning. Remember, you can always ask your student (s) WHAT are you learning? WHY are you learning it, and HOW do you know when you’ve learned it.

Here’s to a great October!

Ty Solberg, Principal

Ariel Cornelius, Assistant Principal

We are seeking donations of nutritious snacks for our students. Healthy options like whole-grain crackers, trail mix and breakfast bars are always appreciated. Your contributions will provide tasty, wholesome choices that keep our kids energized and focused throughout the school day.

Kids EmPower Pack is Missoula Food Bank and Community Center's weekend nutrition program that helps students to stay healthy and nourished when school is not in session. Each Friday, a bag of food is provided to childen who experience chronic hunger over the weekends.

Their Fresh Food Box program has boxes of food delivered to your home on the last Thursday of the month for a low cost.

Pleae contact Jen in the FRC for more information.

LOST AND FOUND items will be donated on Friday, October 11th. Please have your kiddos check for their water bottles and clothing. Fall is the season of layering and forgotten sweatshirts!

If you have any questions for the FRC or need assistance in any way, please contact Jen Pfeiffer at 406-542-4060 or email at jpfeiffer@mcpsmt.org

Reserve your yearbook today! Yearbooks are on sale for $20 now until Thanksgiving Break. The price goes up in December!

Reserve your yearbook at yearbookforever.com, or at the office.

Yearbooks will be delivered the last week of school. We always sell out, so ordering early is the best way to make sure your child receives one!

Yearbook Club will get started in November. Information will be coming to students soon!

BINGO FOR BOOKS

On Monday, October 7, we are hosting BINGO for Books, a FREE family event! Join us from 6 - 7 pm in the Cougar Gym. Play BINGO, win books, and enjoy popcorn and lemonade!

Contact your librarians, Ms. Lipke or Mrs. Rieley, for more information!

BOOK VENDING MACHINE

Thank you for supporting our Book Vending Machine Project last spring. We couldn't have raised the funds without the support from the entire Porter Community!

We are so excited to announce that it's finally here and will soon be open for business! Students can buy a book token from the library or the school store for 10 Cougar Coupons and select a book from the machien that is theirs to keep!

Boys Basketball sign-ups take place between October 1 - 14th. All paperwork and fees need to be paid before the first practice on Mondaya, October 16. Please see the Porter Athletics page for forms, schedules, and fees for individual sports.

TRUNK OR TREAT

Join Franklin, Hawthorne, Lowell, and CS Porter Families for a Halloween Celebration!

Interested in having your spooky trunk participate? Sign-up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0844A4AF2EA2F9CE9-51868591-trunk?useFullSite=true#/

Our afterschool Parks and Rec programs are already underway! These programs are completely FREE for our Porter students! There are still some openings for this first session. We have Tuesday, High Ropes Adventures, and Wednesdays, Skate and Scooter, still available for this session.

Signups are open for all sessions. Please refer to the flyer on sessions, activities, and signing up. https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/2525/AfterschoolSchools-Out

Porter is building more partnerships with parents, caregivers, and community members. Please sign up on our Volunteer Portal for many opportunities to be a part of our school community. We are currently looking for support with: Cross Country, Volleyball, Soccer, and lunch support. You can sign up for individual days of the week or weekly. We look forward to seeing you soon! Please reach out to Ciana Kelly with any questions or support.

• Our Porter Parent Council will have their second meeting on Wednesday, October 9th from 6:00-7:00pm in Mr. Edge's PLTW room. We really need as many people as we can have attend these meetings to help build collaborative relationships between our staff and our caregivers. You are so crucial to our success!

  
  

Our first School Dance will be Thursday, November 7th from 2 to 3:30!

• This is a free event for everyone to attend.

• Snacks, dessert, food and drink will be for sale. All items are $1. Please reach out if your student needs support to purchase these items.

• There will be a DJ, limbo and hula hoop contests, dodgeball, volleyball, and a lot of other activities will also be provided.

• Students will need to meet the attendance, behavior, and grade requirements to attend.

Dance Eligibility

• Academic: Students must earn passing grades (D or higher) in all classes.

• We will go off of quarter grades.

• Attendance: Students may have no more than 3 unexcused absences during the eligibility period.

• Behavior: Students may not have any MAJOR behavior infractions during the eligibility period. Students with more than 2 minor behavior infractions will be ineligible.

• No Majors

• 2 Minors = No Go

• Eligibility period will begin October 1

Porter families may already be familiar with the Zero Waste programs at Jeannette Rankin, Hawthorne, Franklin, and Lowell Elementary schools. We are now preparing for the Zero Waste program to come to C.S. Porter! Starting this fall, we will join the MCPS Zero Waste schools that have been reducing over 90% of lunchtime waste every day by reducing, reusing, recycling, and composting. These programs not only teach students about sustainable materials management, but they also save our schools money on collection and disposal costs. It’s a win-win!

Learn more about Zero Waste at MCPS!

If you are curious about the origins of the MCPS Zero Waste program, take a look at the MCPS Zero Waste Plan: https://www.homeresource.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/MCPS_ZW_Plan_withAppendix_062018-1.pdf

Information about Missoula’s community-wide Zero-Waste efforts can be found here: https://www.zerobyfiftymissoula.com/