The Mt. Tabor Tribune

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• September 2: No School (Labor Day)
• September 6: MTMS Family Picnic, 5-7pm
• September 10: Staff Meeting Day--school starts at 9:30 am
• September 10-12: MAP Reading testing in ELA classes
• September 17-19: MAP Math testing in Math classes
• September 19: Fall Picture Day
• September 25: Early release at 1:45pm

Hello, MTMS Staff and Families,

Week One of the 2024-25 school year is in the books. And what a fun week it has been. Though, if your student is anything like me, they are ready for some definite rest and relaxation after a busy (and warm) week back at school.

Our welcome back packets should have come home with your students on Wednesday in their new Mt. Tabor tote bag. These packets have lots of information, including how to make your contribution to our community supply fund (we ask families to pitch in $15-2o to support our purchase of community supplies rather than ask families to individually purchase all items). Most of the information in the packet can stay at home, but we do need Walking Field Trip forms, Technology Use Agreements, and Bus Route information sheets (if applicable) to be returned to your student's Advisory teacher. You will also find information on ordering school pictures and an order form as well for the upcoming Sept 19 photo date.

This week, our staff really leaned in to having fun and building positive connections across their classrooms. Many have already begun the process of creating classroom agreements alongside their students, and families should expect teacher communication by late next week or early the following week with all the details. We appreciate our families knowing what class wide agreements are and the routines and protocols we follow to support students. When we share that information, we are able to support our students at home and school to be successful.

We hope to keep building that community with you all next week as well with our 3rd Annual Kickball Game and Picnic. On Friday, September 6, we welcome all of our students and families to join us on the recess area for a picnic and staff vs student kickball game (more information can be found below). Our PTA will be present with some refreshing lemonade for purchase, and our WEB leaders will be selling treats as well. Bring your blankets, lawn chair, and your competitive spirit. It's always a great time for us all to connect.

And just in case that's not enough fun for you, I'm including below the dramatic opener we used for all three of our Welcome Assemblies this week. I cannot thank the MTMS staff enough for going to Olympic lengths to make things fun for our students--and for me!

Wishing you all a lovely three-day weekend and a great Week Two of school ahead.

All the best,

Ms. Tonya Longo

Principal, Mt. Tabor Middle School

Grade 6-8 students will take their annual fall MAP assessments during the coming weeks at Mt. Tabor. These assessments are administered to measure student reading and math achievement, and provide our students with useful data regarding student strengths and growth.

Additionally, these assessments are an important part of our data-based decision making when it comes to student placement in math classes (6th grade students wishing to enter Compacted Math in Grade 7 will need to demonstrate proficiently on all classroom assessments as well as scoring at the 80th percentile or above on their MAP assessments). We likewise use the math and reading data in our process to evaluate whether students may benefit from more intensive academic supports (through intervention courses) or are ready to exit these programs because they have met grade level standards.

It is important that students bring their Chromebooks to school daily and that these devices are fully charged at home each night. We do not currently have enough loaners in the building to ensure that students will have a spare to use if they forget their device or it is dead.

We truly appreciate your support in helping to frame the importance of these assessments with your students. We will be doing a lesson in advisory next week to share this same information with students as well so that they are prepared for these assessments.

Our social sciences team has already begun planning for our neighborhood 8th grade student Capstone experience this year. Eighth grade neighborhood families should have received additional information from their student's social sciences teacher this week with many of the tentative details for this year's capstone.

We will also be hosting a Family information Night on Thursday, September 12 from 6-7 pm in the MTMS cafeteria to talk through details and solicit support for fundraising efforts. We hope to see you all there!

In the past, PPS has mailed hard copies of assessment results home to families. Often these results arrived in timelines that were confusing and did not provide all families with access to important measures of student learning.

Moving forward, all families will have digital access to their students assessment results directly from the ParentVUE screen. Simply click on the "Assessment" icon to view both OSAS and MAP assessment results.

DID YOU KNOW: Students are required to place their backpacks, purses, and other wearable bags (i.e. fanny packs) in their locker when they enter the building each day, and keep them there until dismissal at 4:00?

Should they need something to haul their binder, Chromebook, and school necessities in, they may use an MTMS tote or other non-zippered tote bag. Students should keep and use their binders to hold their required learning materials for class.

Why? Our class sizes are larger than in the previous couple of years, and there is not dedicated space for students to keep their bags in these spaces. When backpacks are brought in, they are often tripping hazards on the floor and tipping hazards on the backs of chairs. We recognize that students may not want to haul things to and from classrooms in their arms, so non-zippered totes that fold up small can be kept neatly on a desk without the difficult side effects of larger, bulkier bags. The smaller size of totes also limits how much and what is brought into classroom--they are meant to just haul learning supplies.

Staff worked with students this week to determine how they can pack for multiple classes at a time with strategic locker stops to minimize tardies as well.

Hello Families,

As we begin this new year, please be sure to go into ParentVue and review and update the information we have on file for your student. Once logged in, you will see a tab at the top of the screen saying "Online Registration/Yearly Verification/Transfer Application". Click here and follow the prompts for the yearly student verification process. If you do not have a ParentVue account set up yet, please contact me, Ann Pinzelik, at apinzeli@pps.net, and I will be happy to do that for you.

Thank you!

You can find this year's school supply list at the link below. Also, please make your contribution to our community supplies fund. We keep our student lists small by asking familes to make a monetary contribution so that we can keep our classroom supplies up and reduce the number of items students have to carry from class to class. We thank you in advance for your support.

Students will start bringing all of their supplies to school after Wednesday, August 28. Until then, writing utensils are all that are needed.

Updated bus routes are available on the transportation webpage. Families can access the Mt. Tabor specific routes by clicking on this link. Our front office staff has complied a one-pager of all AM and PM routes that can also be found on the Quick Links section of MTMS website or by clicking this link. Mt. Tabor will be asking parents to return information in their welcome back packet to help us track which buses students will be riding this school year.

Just as a reminder: if you student is taking a bus that is not their regular bus or riding home with a friend, families need to provide a note for their student to give to the bus driver. Drivers will not accept riders without parent permission who are not on their regular routes.

Those of you that are returning to MTMS know that during pick up and drop off, things can get congested and difficult around our school campus. Our faculty is out at the busiest traffic locations to direct drivers and help ensure student safety. We ask for the help of everyone to help limit traffic around the school and, when pick up and drop offs are necessary, that we do so in ways that ensure a smooth flow of traffic around the school (from 8:55-9:15 am and from 3:55-4:10 pm).

Here's how you can help:

• Consider alternate forms of transportation to get your student to school. Whether you walk, bike, scooter, or skateboard, reducing vehicular traffic around the building helps. We have skateboard racks in the office to store boards and lots of bike racks--just make sure to invest is a solid U-lock.
• If you need to drive your child to school, use the Drop and Go Parking Lot loop off of Stark, or park/drop students along Ash, Pine, and Oak Streets between 55th and 57th Ave.
• Keep all traffic moving from South to North along 57th Ave. Cars traveling north on 57th during drop off time often delay traffic exiting the area, reduce visibility of pedestrians, and narrow the streets, making them impassable. While it might add a little bit of time to go around the block, keeping our kids safe is priority #1.
• Ash Street between 57th and 60th is the bus zone. Please avoid driving on this stretch of road during the 8:55-9:15 and 3:55-4:10 time frames. There is absolutely no parking allowed along Ash Street on the school side at ANY TIME.
• Be kind to our staff that are out directing traffic. They are the kind humans wearing high visibility vests and holding stop and slow signs. They may signal you to talk with you if you are going against the traffic flow.
• Please slow down! This is a school zone from 7:00am-5:00pm. Please make sure that you adjust your speed! PBOT has installed additional signage along 57th to alert drivers of the school zone requirements.
• Remind your students to use the official crosswalk at 57th and Ash to cross the street!

Please see the graphic below for more details on all of the routes to school!

• Portland Public Schools Nutrition Services is happy to announce all students will be able to enjoy breakfast and lunch at no charge for the 2024-25 school year. This opportunity is made possible in part by the expansion of federal eligibility and additional funds allocated by the state’s Student Success Act.

  
  

  Breakfast includes an entrée, choice of fruit, and milk. Lunch includes a choice of entrée, milk, and unlimited fruits and vegetables. Students must choose at least three foods, with one food being at least a 1/2 cup of fruit and/or a vegetable.

  
  

  Due to this change in services, our kitchen teams will no longer be able to take cash or check payments. If students bring their lunch from home and want milk, they must may choose two other foods – such as a fruit and vegetable – at no charge. Milk can no longer be purchased separately.

  
  

  A few more clarifications:

  • Families do not need to submit a free and reduced-price meal application. All PPS students are automatically enrolled in this program.

  • If you have questions about your student’s meal account, please visit our webpage for more information or contact our department for further support.

  • This change has no impact on Title I funding.

  
  

  Access to nutritious meals is a crucial component of student success and well-being, and we are thrilled to be able to take advantage of this opportunity on behalf of our students.

Dear Portland Public Schools families and students,

As our students embark on another exciting year of learning and growth, we want you to know it is a priority to create spaces where your students feel safe, cared for, and connected to their learning environment. Ensuring a healthy and safe environment for our students, staff, and families is a shared responsibility, and we must continue to work together to prevent the spread of communicable diseases within our school communities.

Prevention continues to be the best health approach to minimize risk for illness and contagious disease. Our 2024-25 Family Guide for Preventing Illness and Contagious Disease in Schools includes practical prevention strategies such as keeping your student up to date with recommended vaccinations and boosters, outlines steps to take if your child is sick and/or diagnosed with a communicable disease, and addresses the current measles outbreak in Oregon. You can expect all PPS schools and facilities to continue regular cleaning and disinfecting, promoting vaccine and booster clinics, providing access to masks and COVID-19 tests, and improving air circulation.

Our schools remain vigilant and work with the Multnomah County Health Department to respond to communicable disease outbreaks and notify affected families if necessary. You may continue to monitor illness activity in our region through Oregon Health Authority’s Respiratory Virus Data dashboards.

We thank you for entrusting us with your students, and for your cooperation in ensuring our schools remain healthy, safe, and productive learning environments. Please contact your school administrator or Let’s Talk with questions about your school’s health and safety protocols.

In service,

Jey Buno, Chief of Student Support Services

As you may know, there is a measles outbreak in Oregon with 26 confirmed cases reported in Marion, Clackamas, and Multnomah Counties as of 08/09/2024. We understand that parents have questions about what can be done to keep children safe, and what their child’s school will do if a case of measles is confirmed at their site. You can get more information about the PPS communicable disease management plan at this website. Currently, 93% of Mt. Tabor students are fully immunized against measles, and research shows that schools where less than 94% of students are up-to-date with measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccines are at higher risk for measles to spread if an individual with measles attends school.

Here are some important points to keep in mind:

• Now is a great time for all families to review their vaccine records and make sure their vaccines are up to date.

• Measles is a highly contagious, serious disease. If a case is confirmed in a school, local public health workers will review all staff and student vaccination records to determine the risk of further spread.

• Keeping children in school is a priority. In the event of an exposure to a contagious illness like measles:

• Local Public Health Authority (LPHA) staff will determine if the person exposed is susceptible to measles.

• If they are determined to be susceptible, MTMS and PPS will work with the LPHA staff to determine if the person needs to be temporarily excluded from school for 21 days or longer to prevent further spread and to ensure their own safety (OAR 333-019-0010).

• This exclusion period aligns with state and national health guidelines and is taken with the well-being of all students, staff and the school community in mind.

• The exclusion period may be extended if there are more measles cases (and thus more exposures).

• Students and staff excluded from school after measles exposure should stay home to avoid exposing others in the community.

If you have questions or concerns about your child’s health, please contact your doctor. If you are worried about paying to see your doctor, the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) can help. OHP is open to all children and teens younger than 19, regardless of immigration status who meet income and other criteria. You can find help enrolling here.

Thank you for your partnership in keeping our school community healthy.

Serving on the board is a great way to give back to the JDLI community and to help ensure strong leadership for our programs and opportunities. We are especially looking for help in these areas:

• Human resources/personnel management
• Communications (especially social media and/or website management)
• Grant writing and/or development

Japanese-speaking, Japanese, and Japanese-American parents are especially encouraged to join the Board.

For more information, contact info@oyanokai.org

Not ready to commit to the Board? We are hoping to fill several other volunteer roles:

• Annual Benefit co-leader
• Accountant/tax preparer
• Volunteer recruitment
• Event volunteers
• Fundraising help

Do you have skills or interests that you think might benefit the community? Please email info@oyanokai.org!

Home of the Eagles. Be sure to follow us on Instagram at mttabormiddleschool

Email: tlongo@pps.net
Website: https://www.pps.net/Domain/143
Location: 5800 Southeast Ash Street, Portland, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 916-5646
X: @Tonya_A_Longo