Bulldog Bulletin 10.23.24

Thank you SO much for all of your support during our PTA Run4Richmond fundraiser! It was such a fun and festive day full of school spirit, and our students had a blast outside with their friends.

As a working parent, prior to working at Richmond, I oftentimes had to miss out on school events and volunteer opportunities due to my insane schedule and that was really upsetting for me as a mom. For what it’s worth, I did my best to create a Run4Richmond video that highlights every class and their first lap around the track.

Thank you for all of your generosity and volunteer efforts to make this day so special.

We hit the target of $25,000...and then passed it by another 4k!

As of today, through the extraordinary generosity of the Richmond Elementary community, Run4Richmond has raised over 29k! Incredible!

BIG thank you to all of the volunteers working behind the scenes and on the day of the run who brought the energy and helped to pull off this event; coaches Ariel and Millie who prepped the kids and then managed the madness; school office staff (shout out to Karen for surprising us all with the special class color T-shirts), teachers, School Health Official Toby and Principal Eto for their unwavering support and enthusiasm; and, the custodial crew, who gave us a nice clean track which, no doubt, helped minimize the trips and spills that would have sent kids limping to Toby's office.

It was awesome to have Rich Coffee and all of Jason's home baked goods onsite to fuel us through the morning!

AND...of course, thank you to everyone who showed up, cheered, brought the signs and noisemakers and DONATED!

Our Chief of Schools, Dr. Jon Franco, has shared that it is possible that some students plan to participate in a walkout on Friday, October 25th to attend a rally at Pioneer Square at 11:30 AM for the Portland Youth Climate Strike.

Although these types of situations mostly only apply to middle & high school students, I wanted to remind families that at the elementary & middle school levels an approved parent/guardian must sign out your child in the main office to leave campus for any reason, including student walkouts.

If your 4th/5th grader is interested in participating in Student Leadership this year, please have them complete this application form by Friday, October 25th. More details about Student Leadership are included at the top of the application google form.

Mr. Candor and I can be available during school to assist students who need help completing their application form.

Our first Black Student Union (BSU) affinity group meeting for our Black-identifying students will be held on Friday, October 25th at 10:45-11:30am in Room 104. That same evening our BSU families are invited to join us at the Richmond BSU Family Night.

Racial affinity groups allow our students of color who typically do not have the privilege of seeing themselves represented throughout our school spaces to be in community with one another. This SEL support positively impacts student outcomes by creating a sense of belonging and empowerment.

For some families October 31st is a fun holiday for dressing up in costumes and having lots of sweet treats to enjoy. However, not all families participate in these traditions, and not all costumes are safe or appropriate for school.

To maintain a safe, calm and predictable learning environment for all of our students and staff, we are requesting that Halloween costumes are not worn to school on Thursday, October 31st. This includes other items such as props, fake weapons, masks, face paint, fake blood, hair sprays, etc. Please save those festive items for after school when you are available to supervise your child.

If your child attends an after school care program that is allowing costumes, etc. next week, please be sure it is packed in your child's backpack with the understanding that it remains in their backpack until they arrive to their after school care location.

Thank you in advance for your partnership in ensuring that our staff is able to safely manage the very high energy that typically surrounds this day. 🙏

Starting this school year, families who have completed their child's Yearly Verification on ParentVUE will have access to their child's report card on the ParentVUE app.

Richmond report cards for 1st quarter will be visible on ParentVUE on Monday, November 18th. Please remember that DLI schools require additional time to prepare report cards due to the extra grading that is required in a dual language program.

If you wish to opt-out of the paperless option for report cards on ParentVUE, please follow these steps no later than November 11th so that our office staff have enough time to process your individual request for a printed report card.

We are looking for an amazing community member who would be interested in filling this role for us at Richmond! If you know someone who may be interested and/or who would be great at this job, please complete this Google Form so we can reach out to them. Arigato!

This is a temporary position for this school year, but it will provide an amazing academic support for our kindergarten, 1st, 2nd & 3rd grade classrooms. Feel free to share this job description with those who may be interested.

Position: Limited Term Educational Assistant Reading Support

Hourly Rate: TBD by HR

Hours: 3 days per week, 4 hours per day, 30 weeks

Start Date: ASAP to Jun 21, 2024

(Excludes the weeks of 12/23-1/03 & 3/24-3/28)

Job Description:

Educational Assistants will provide reading support to students in grades K-3 who need additional foundational literacy support under a licensed teacher's direction. Reading support will take place at Richmond in small groups during the school day between 10:30-2:30. Specific duties will include:

• Orientation and training will take place after hiring is complete.

• EAs will work under the direction of a licensed teacher.

• EAs will be matched with students based on literacy needs.

• EAs will participate in weekly meetings with a licensed staff member.

• Continued professional development will take place throughout the school year.

• All materials and activities will be provided.

We will have virtual (Google Meet) and in-person (at Richmond) parent-teacher conference opportunities on Monday, November 25th & Tuesday, November 26th from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Your child’s teacher will be creating a conference sign-up sheet at our next staff meeting on 11/5, and they will be shared with families in their class newsletter once they’re ready.

Picture Retake Day is November 7th

If we did not see you on picture day or you would like a new image, Dorian Studio will be taking pictures at our school again soon. Orders may be placed online by searching our school name at mydorian.com and selecting the green Order button next to the retake day event. Online orders are available up to 4 days after retake day. If you already ordered and want a new picture taken please be sure to return your original picture packet to the photographer on retake day.

Attention Bulldog Families! Richmond Elementary School is partnering with Ridwell to collect plastic film. Plastic film recycling bins will be located outside of Main Entrance Door #1 and Cafeteria Door #6 on Nov. 5 and the morning of Nov. 6.

For additional information regarding plastic film here are links to A Guide to Plastic Film and All About Plastic Film. Please contact Richmond parent Karen Rodriguez khilts4@gmail.com with any questions.

HELPFUL LINKS
School Webpage HERE
District Student Handbook
Google Dismissal and Dismissal Changes Form
Want to Volunteer?
Fliers approved for distribution
Richmond Calendar
School Supplies Online Payment

Apple & Pear Sale

Thank you so much to everyone who purchased delicious apples and pears to support our PTA and the wonderful Kiyokawa Family Orchard! Your fruit will be ready for pickup on October 30th—so mark your calendars! And don’t forget to keep an eye on Konstella for any updates. We couldn’t do it without your support!

Rich Coffee

Thank you to everyone who stopped by Rich Coffee this past Friday on their way to cheering on their Running Bulldogs! They were so cute! Thinking that our coffee helped give you just that little bit of extra energy to help cheer on our Bulldogs is the stuff that warms our hearts as the weather seems to have officially turned. Thanks for your continued support.

Rich Coffee Footnote: Rich Coffee is cashless. We accept credit cards, Apple Pay, etc. **Join the Coffee Crew** We need more hands to keep this 15+ year tradition going. Stop by or email richcoffeepta@gmail.com.

Super Green Team

We had a great Breakfast in the Garden work part on Saturday October 19th and are loving and appreciating all of the energy and participation this year from our Richmond community - thank you!

*If you are interested in joining the Super Green Team or staying closer in the loop about happenings please join the committee on Konstella and/or send an email to greenteamrichmond@gmail.com *

The next Breakfast in the Garden event is Saturday November 2nd and we will be rebuilding some bamboo barriers to discourage curious feet (and neighborhood pets) from exploring some sites with sensitive new plantings. The craft/activity for that event will be mason bee cocoon cleaning.

Many hands make light work - please mark your calendars!

PTA Membership – Annual Membership Drive

Do I need to do anything if I become a member? I’m really busy as a parent of littles in a DLI program.

NO! But, you will be able to vote in all general meetings on matters such as approving the budget, forming new committees that the community might need, and approving new officers.

What do I get?

1. An awesome bright red yard sign to show your pride in Richmond School. (Pick it up from Rich Coffee on Tuesdays in October.)

2. The privilege of bragging to your friends and family that you’re in a cool national society called the Parent Teacher Association.

3. Showing your support to our school and K-12 education across our state and nation.

How do I join, and what does it cost?

Join by filling out this membership form and paying the PTA $15 through Square.

Cultural Committee

JAPANESE HOT LUNCH vol.1 is coming back again!
October 29th, Tuesday
Let’s eat Japanese curry rice at school for lunch!

[What is a Japanese hot lunch?]

Richmond students can experience tasting Japanese food for their lunch, this time Japanese Curry Rice. Collaborating with PPS Nutrition Service, we are sharing the opportunity for Richmond students to taste Japanese culture. It will be served as a hot lunch on the day instead of the PPS regular lunch menu.

We have enough volunteers to make this Japanese hot lunch happen! Thank you to all who signed up for it. (If you missed it, we are planning to have another one later in the school year! Stay tuned!)

Questions? Please contact Richmond PTA Cultural Committee at ptaculturalcommittee@gmail.com

日本食ランチ第一弾です！

PPSのNutrition Service部門と協力し、10月２９日（火）のホットランチはPPSのメニューではなく、日本のカレーライスを食べられますよ！

ボランティアの人数も十分に集まりました！ありがとうございました。

何か質問があればリッチモンドPTA文化委員まで！ptaculturalcommittee@gmail.com

To Japanese Speaking families

日本語スピーカーの皆さまへ

リッチモンド通信への登録

文化委員では、日本語で不定期にニュースレターを配信しています。学校行事などの大事な日程、ボランティアのチャンスなど、日本語で簡単に配信しています。もし興味がありましたら、ぜひご登録ください。登録リンク→https://forms.gle/kaYqKg7pQY2Hp4gG6

文化委員と一緒に日本の文化や言語に関するイベントなどのお手伝いに興味がありましたら、ptaculturalcommittee@gmail.comまでいつでも連絡ください！