McDaniel Family Newsletter

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Hello McDaniel Community,

If you have not seen the Play that Goes Wrong yet performed by our Theater department I strongly encourage you to watch the last two showings tonight at 7pm and tomorrow at 2 pm. It is hilarious!

Freshman, Mira Shah, who has been training and racing competitively in cross country skiing all winter, placed 5th overall at the OISRAN Nordic Ski State Championships in Bend two weekends ago. She skis for Teacup Nordic out of Mt. Hood and she represented McDaniel officially for the high school event. We are very proud of her accomplishment and look forward to cheering her on next season!

Congratulations to Richard Graves for qualifying for State in downhill skiing and representing McDaniel High School all season. We look forward to cheering Richard and the entire McDaniel club downhill ski team next season.

We are one week away from spring break. We strongly encourage everyone to take a few minutes and look over your students' grades in Canvas and Synergy this weekend. If you see any NPs or NGs please have your student show you their plan to address these grades in the next few weeks. Spring Break can be a great time to focus on a class or two that we need to improve in.

Have a great weekend!

Adam Skyles

Principal

McDaniel High School

March 6-15th: McDaniel Theatre Production

March 17-21st: Sprit Week

March 18th: PIL Band Festival

March 21st: Assembly

March 24-28: Spring Break

April 3: Last Day of Quarter 3

April 4: No School (Grading Day)

April 7: No School (Teacher Planning Day)

Spring sports practices started on March 3rd. Our first contests start Monday! Click the button below to view our Weekly Athletics Calendars. Go Mountain Lions!

McDaniel High School congratulates Julie Liu on being awarded the prestigious Evans Scholarship! Julie, along with two other Portland students, earned a full tuition and housing scholarship to the University of Oregon through the EAGLE Caddie Program. This incredible opportunity is the result of three years of hard work and dedication at Portland Parks & Recreation’s Eastmoreland Golf Course.

Learn more about the EAGLE Caddie Program and how current ninth graders can apply here: https://www.portland.gov/parks/news/2025/3/10/portland-parks-recreation-recruiting-ninth-grade-students-eagle-caddie-program

Hello Families of McDaniel!

This letter comes to you from the McGrad Committee, a group of parent volunteers who are working hard to raise money & organize the overnight graduation celebration for our McDaniel 2025 seniors – and we need your help!

McGrad is a drug & alcohol-free, chaperoned celebration held at a surprise location following the commencement ceremony on June 2nd, 2025. Aside from providing a safe event for our grads, we hope to help our students enjoy a final, memorable night together celebrating one of their greatest accomplishments!

The cost for this party is approx $125 per student, for a grand total of approx $ 20,000.00

This amount includes transportation to & from the venue, food, drinks, games, entertainment & a full night of fun for our Seniors! McGrad Team is working very hard to raise funds. Community NIght Out Events, Bottle Drop collection and direct cash donations are just some of our ongoing fundraising efforts you can support. (Watch for posts about these upcoming events on Trivory, Instagram and McDaniel High School Community Facebook page.)

Our community fundraising efforts listed above will help, but those efforts alone will not be enough to cover the entire cost of this event. Therefore, we are asking that every family that is able, to please make a tax deductible cash donation to this event. If you can only afford $10, we’re happy with that. If you can afford to cover your students' costs in full, please do so. And if you can sponsor another student in part or full, that would be so greatly appreciated as well!

Cash donations can be made via this link: https://mcdaniel-hs.givebacks.com/store/items/955586 or by scanning the QR link at the top of this page.

DEADLINE to register is Midnight May 9th, 2025!!

REGISTER HERE

Sincerely,

The McGrad Parent Volunteer Team

Contact us at: mcgradseniorparty@gmail.com

Night school registration is now open. The locations are Benson HS, Franklin HS, and Roosevelt HS. Students can meet with their school counselors to get more information and register for evening classes.

We had an enchanting visit with Javier Zamora, the author of the Multnomah County Library/Literary Arts 2025 Everybody Reads selection, Solito, for a special live broadcast of OPB's Think Out Loud in our Theatre on Tuesday March 11, 2025! About 300 students were in attendance.

It took many, many contributors to make the day a very special and engaging experience for all!

• Gail Gamero was the key collaborator on the day. She prepared and led the Newcomer Club to get the most out of the visit, including providing interpretation for Spanish-speakers. She coordinated and cooked (so much cooking!) special Salvadoran treats called “quesadillas” (that the author mentioned during his talk as the thing that reminds him of home) and Cola Champagne for everyone. As the audience left the Theatre they had the opportunity to enjoy a taste of El Salvador!

• Lots of brave students asked their questions about the author’s life and work during the broadcast.

• In addition to Spanish teachers, Ricardo Ventura and Marisol Rodriquez, Creative Writing teacher, Daniel Fredgant, and Junior ELA teachers, Ben Grosscup, Sydney Mulkey, Jason Tobin, and Heather Fellers taught the book.

• Many teachers around the building offered Honors Credit for reading the book and participating in the author visit.

• Marisol Rodriquez invited a group of students from Centennial HS to join us led by their Spanish teacher, Jessica Orellana.

• Chris Walters and his crew prepared and served early lunch to all of the student participants.

• Literary Arts provided funding for the Centennial lunches.

• Jeremy Dell led a special performance by Drumline to play the audience in and out of the Theatre. Drumline members stayed to hear the author, as well.

• Dulce Ortiz-Gonzalez and Anyi Ricardo Garcia were the student ambassadors for the event.

• Salvadoran students, Katie Menendez and Marlen Gonzalez Gonzalez, delivered a beautiful and heartfelt student introduction.

• Pearson was very supportive, getting the sound and lights going for the event and lending TAs to help, as well.

• Junior, Em Lake, who also volunteers for Friends of Noise, helped with audio tech.

• IT support was provided by Tuang Thang.

• Pam Royal, our Textbook Clerk, and Mary Hirsh, my dedicated library volunteer, both assisted with last-minute tasks.

• Many McDaniel adults were there to help with audience behavior and enjoy the show.

• Additionally, special guests were in the audience: Annie Lewis, the new director of libraries for Multnomah County Library, and Makiia Lucier, Communications Manager for The Library Foundation, as well as event photographer, Bitna Chung.

• Representatives from Literary Arts included the Youth Programs team: Olivia Jones Hall, Director, and Alberto Sveum, Paige Thomas, and Theresa Tran.

• And, of course, the OPB team: Dave Miller, host, Sage Van Wing, producer, and Nalin Silva, Technical Director and Audio Engineer.

Then, in the evening, we took students on a field trip to the Schnitz for the culminating event of Everybody Reads: Solito, where he was presented with a gorgeous gift of student work. A huge thanks to the chaperones: Gail Gamero and Kelsey Madison, and all of the amazing students who stayed up late for this important event!

Official photos to come!

Listen to the McDaniel visit here: https://www.opb.org/article/2025/03/11/think-out-loud-javier-zamora-memoir-multnomah-county

The evening event recording will be available when it’s ready here: https://www.opb.org/show/literary-arts-archive-project

I apologize if I left anyone out! Thank you all for your invaluable support!

~Nancy Sullivan

If you have a student that requires medication while at school or has a health condition that the school needs to be aware of, please reach out to Nurse Rob Nicholson rnicholson@mesd.k12.or.us or call 503-916-5220, option 7 then press 1.

Please note, forms and parent authorizations need to be updated annually.

Avoid clinic wait times!

Schedule an immunization appointment at your nearest Student Health Center now and turn in updated records to your school early

Deadlines for this year:

Jan. 15 to not get an exclusion letter

Feb. 19 to not get turned away from school

More info: multco.us/services/immunizations

Programar una cita de vacunación a su Student Health Center más cercano ahora y entregue los registros de vacunación escolares al día temprano

Fechas límites para este año:
Enero 15 para no recibir una carta de exclusión

Febrero 19 para no ser rechazado en la escuela

Más información: multco.us/services/immunizations

The McDaniel PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association) is looking for dedicated parents and guardians to join our team and help make this school year a success! We have several open positions and would love your involvement. If you’re passionate about supporting our students and staff, consider stepping into one of the following roles:

Open Positions:

• Vice-President (priority position)
• Fundraising Coordinator (priority position)
• Web Administrator (priority position)
• Volunteer Coordinator
• Membership Coordinator
• Safety Committee Coordinator
• Graduation Party Committee Coordinator

We are open to the idea of two people sharing a role, so feel free to team up with a friend or another family member if you prefer!

Our theatre classes offer experiential learning through hands-on activities, project-based interactive learning, real-world applications, and role-playing.

Theatre arts is a dynamic program with many opportunities for experiential learning in both academic pursuits and hands-on collaborations. Students develop valuable experience by participating in High School Theatre productions, studying theatre in our city, or seeking internships and other opportunities in professional arts organizations.

This project will help teach high school students essential theatre skills through a hands-on approach.

Do you shop at Hồng Phát? Please support the VDLI Capstone Program by purchasing Hồng Phát gift cards! Available year-round, these $25 gift cards can be ordered in any quantity by texting Mỹ-Tiên (503-515-7994). Pay by cash app (Venmo, Zelle) and arrange pick up at RHMS.

The VDLI Capstone Program sends 8th grade VDLI students to Vietnam on a research residency. The funds are managed by VDLI parents of the Research Vietnam organization.

Hãy ủng hộ Chương Trình Capstone VDLI bằng cách mua thẻ gift card của Hồng Phát có sẵn quanh năm! Quý vị có thể đặt bao nhiêu thẻ cũng được, mổi thẻ trị giá $25. Làm ơn nhắn tin cho Mỹ-Tiên (503-515-7994) để đặt thẻ. Thanh toán bằng Cash App (Venmo, Zelle) và sắp xếp nhận thẻ tại trường của con quý vị.

Chương Trình VDLI Capstone hỗ trợ các học sinh VDLI lớp 8 đến Việt Nam để thực tập nghiên cứu. Quỹ được quản lý từ các phụ huynh tình nguyện của tổ chức Research Vietnam.

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Vietnamese Language Tutoring

If your student would like Vietnamese language support outside the classroom, HPH can help connect you with a tutor. Tutors are available for paid opportunities, and some are open to volunteering. Contact HPH (president@hphpdx.org) for a list of available tutors.

Note: We ask families to email potential tutors directly to inquire about rates, availability, and to set up sessions, and payments as needed. HPH is not responsible for matching tutors with students, screening tutors, or resolving any issues related to tutoring services. We will continue to update the list of available tutors.

Counselors

Counselors are assigned alphabetically based on last names.

A-C: Tracy Morrison; tmorrison@pps.net; x81425

D-Ga & AVID: Erin Hale; ehale@pps.net; x81424

Ge-L: Crissy Phommachack; crphommachack@pps.net; x81423

M-Ro: Neomi Navarro; nnavarro1@pps.net; x81422

Ru-Z: Brandon Rawls; brawls1@pps.net; x81421

Newcomer Students and ELD1/ELD2: Brian Meyer; bmeyer@pps.net; x81207

Counseling Administrative Assistant/Registrar: Janna Holm; jholm@pps.net; x81420

PISA/Newcomer Registrar: Linnea Surla; lsurla@pps.net; x81417

Every McDaniel Student may get one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day from the school cafeteria.

Chromebook Pickup

If you have not picked up your Chromebook and you are a freshman or new student, you may pick up a Chromebook from the front office on Monday from 8:30 am-2:30 pm.

Student Accounts & Equipment

All students will receive a PPS student account for access to Synergy StudentVUE, email, G-Suite for Education, Destiny library system, and to sign onto school computers. All students will receive a PPS purchased chromebook that will be issued during the first week of school. Do not leave your device unattended.

Wi-Fi Access

Students can access school Wi-fi by using the network "pps-wifi-guest" on their personal devices.

Here are some key features our students will experience:

• The school day is from 8:26am-3:30pm
• We operate on an A/B schedule - students will attend 4 classes per day on a rotating basis (8 classes total)
• A Days include periods 1-4; B Days include periods 5-8
• Classes are 92 minutes in length on regular bell schedule days, 82 minutes on Flex days
• Most Wednesdays will be All 8 Days and classes are 44 minutes in length
• Flex days offer opportunities for instructional support
• Students will earn letter grades

Student ID Cards - REQUIRED FOR ALL STUDENTS

All students are required to have and carry a Student ID card. Our building doors are open before school and at lunch but remain locked all other hours. Students must show their Student ID card to get into the building during locked hours at the Main Entrance.

Student ID Number

All students have a six-digit number that is their assigned student ID number. Whenever you call or email the school, please have the student ID number available and use it if you are leaving a message or sending an email. We want to ensure we are assisting the correct student. You can find the Student ID in StudentVUE or ParentVUE

Attendance

The McDaniel community will see a greater focus on student attendance. Nationally, locally, and at McDaniel HS, student absences negatively impact student achievement.

Our goal for all students is to attend at or above 83% overall attendance rate for the year.

Attendance is the number one barrier in student academic achievement. When students are absent they miss content and most importantly the opportunity to get teacher and staff support. The following is how we mark absences per period.

• A = Absent

• L = Tardy (within 10-15 minutes)

• LAT = Late After Tardy (after 20 minutes)

• SKP = Skipping

If your student was marked LAT that means they missed half of the class. If your student was marked SKP that could mean a few different things. Either they were seen at school roaming hallways and didn't go into class or the student came to class when it was almost done. Other options are that they came at the beginning of class but left and didn't return or they left and came back towards the end.

Paying attention to your student's attendance through Parent VUE and seeing each period individually is important. If you see a lot of LATs or SKPs, they are missing a lot of content and support. If you have concerns with the accuracy of the attendance feel free to reach out to that teacher and verify it. As a school we are aiming for 85% or higher Average Daily Attendance (ADA).

Attendance is taken for every class that meets on a given day. Please report and excuse all absences to our Attendance Secretary at mcdanielattend@pps.net and click here for more information about Attendance at McDaniel.

Skipping is determined by administration and teachers when a student:

… arrives over 40 minutes late (without an excused tardy by parent/guardian)

… takes an extended (unexcused) break of 25+ minutes

… leaves class with more than 15 minutes left of class without permission

If you have any concerns or questions please reach out to Administration,

Principal Skyles - askyles@pps.net

Keyla Santiago - ksantiagorodriguez@pps.net

Ian Twiss - itwiss@pps.net

Kerri West - kwest@pps.net

A reminder that only people with disabled parking placard/permits can park in the disabled parking spots. Vehicles that do not have proper placards or permits displayed will be subject to having their vehicle towed.

ParentVUE

Synergy ParentVUE/StudentVUE is a tool to help families stay informed about their student's progress, including grades and attendance information. User ID and password remain the same each year. If you have not set up your account or if you are having trouble accessing StudentVue or ParentVue,contact our School Admin Assistant, Ana Rosa Macias at amacias@pps.net or (503)916-5200. Also, you can download and install the mobile application from the app store.

Website

Visit the McDaniel website for many resources including details about upcoming events, contact information for teachers and administrators, study and test preparation resources, college and career information, and much more.

Trivory

Students and families can download the Trivory app on their phones or access it online. We use Trivory to send out immediate important school information about activities, clubs and athletics. This is also a great resource to find Tri-Met bus schedules and to see the daily schedule.

Email

Much of our communication goes out via email, including the weekly Principal's Newsletters. If you do not get these newsletters or other important school communications via email, please contact the Main Office at 503-916-5220 to make sure your contact information is current.

Remind

Portland Public Schools uses Remind for two-way communication between teachers and families. This allows or text, email and push notifications and phone calls. Please note, installation of the mobile app is not required to receive texts or phone calls. Please click here for more information about Remind

McDaniel SUN is looking for volunteer tutors from the community! Retired teachers or folks with teaching and/or tutoring experience are ideal candidates. Please share this IRCO volunteer position posting with your networks so we can make SUN Tutoring as robust as possible! After School Tutor - McDaniel High School SUN | IRCO

Questions? Contact Jack at (503) 407-8702 or johnt@irco.org"

• 2735 NE 82nd Avenue Portland, Oregon
• Stay updated by checking our website www.pps.net/McDaniel
• Follow us on Instagram @mcdanielhighschoolpdx @mcdanielhighschoolpdx.espanol
• Link to the McDaniel HS Trivory Page: https://trivory.com/mcdaniel
• www.facebook.com/PPSMcDanielHighSchool/
  
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