The Cheetah Coalition #32
Weekly Updates from the Atkinson Office — 5/10/24
Para cualquier otro idioma, utilice el botón "Translate" que se encuentra en esta página.
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Atkinson Parents,
Thank you so much for the treats, meals, flowers, and cards of appreciation that our staff received this week during Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week. Your expressions of gratitude and support really made our week!
Today was the 2023–24 Run for Atkinson. Students ran mightily and enjoyed their post run popsicle delivered by Atkinson's cool Cheetah cat (aka, Ms. Katie)! We are ever closer to our goal—as of last night, we had raised just over $11,000. We are still hoping to raise another $6,000 to cover the cost of a full time office secretary position. Please have sponsors fulfill their pledge with a credit or debit card ONLINE at The Fund for Portland Public Schools by Friday, May 17. Go to fundforpps.org/donate, use the "Donate to a Specific School or Program" button, and then use the "Purpose" menu to select Atkinson Elementary School. Let's get Ms. Katie to full time at Atkinson!
We still have 24 days of learning left. Please be sure to send your healthy child to school every day and take a look at the end of this letter for some dates and times of special events and end of year celebrations.
Debbie Armendariz
Principal
Atkinson Elementary School
COUNSELOR & SOCIAL WORKER CORNER
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) has many supports for those with mental illness or those who care for someone with a mental illness. NAMIWalks Northwest walk will be on Tuesday, May 21. It is an opportunity to celebrate being able to gather and show our community that we're here to end the stigma and support mental health programs. You can register to walk on our team here, or sign up as a team captain here. If you are interested in upcoming events or support groups, please visit our calendar of events at www.namimultnomah.org/events.
Looking ahead to 2024–25 School Year
We need Parent/Community Volunteers! If you can help with any of the following, please contact Ms. Lilly or Ms. Darcy:
Hallway Bulletin Boards Designers
GSA & Rainbow Club Facilitators
Student Store Assistants
BOOK FAIR NEXT WEEK!
Dear Parents and Families:
Get ready! This year's Book Fair is going to be epic! We've turned up the volume with more fun, more choices, and more excitement—so kids will arrive curious and leave bolder, prouder, and stronger than ever before. Here's what you need to know about our upcoming Fair:
Every dollar you spend will benefit our school directly.
You can sign up for Book Fair eWallet, a convenient digital payment account, so your child can shop the Fair cash-free. Grandparents, friends, and others can contribute to the eWallet to help build your home library.
Save these dates and view our school’s Fair site:
Fair dates: Monday, May 13–Friday, May 17
Book Fair homepage: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/atkinsonelementaryschool13
We also need volunteers to help during the fair. If you are interested in helping, here is the link to sign up: https://forms.gle/w4FQMqKH6dQurw9k7.
We can’t wait to see your child at the Book Fair!
Kim Hilton
Atkinson Librarian & Book Fair Chair
khilton@pps.net
HEAD LICE INFORMATION
Just a friendly reminder from your school nurse and health assistant! As we head into warm weather and full of travels, friends and family we hope you stay safe and healthy. See the resources below for more information about head lice:
- Head Lice: https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/schools.html
- MESD website about Lice with really great resources and information for families about treatment. https://www.multnomahesd.org/headliceinformation.html
FIELD DAY
Tuesday, May 28, is Field Day (BEST DAY EVER!) If you would like to help out on this fabulous fun day, please sign up on the Field Day document. The more help, the better! Station descriptions and expectations are linked in the sign-up sheet. Please contact me if you have any questions!
Mrs. Sanchez
PE Teacher
PPS 2024–25 PRE-K ENROLLMENT NOW OPEN
PPS Pre-Kindergarten is available to any child 3 or 4 years of age as of September 1, 2023, that resides within the PPS boundary.
Program Eligibility: Our Pre-Kindergarten programs are funded through Preschool Promise, Preschool for All, and Head Start grants with priority populations, including:
- Children from families affected by homelessness, incarceration, substance abuse, mental health issues, and domestic violence;
- Migrant and refugee families;
- Children who speak languages other than English;
- Children who experience developmental delays and disabilities;
- Children of teen parents or military families;
- Children living in foster care;
- Children enrolled in a Title VI Indian Education Program or organization.
Applicants who do not meet these priority enrollment criteria may be placed in a waiting pool for enrollment consideration in late summer or early fall. Some PPS Pre-K and Head Start programs are income-restricted and others give priority to family incomes below the Oregon self-sufficiency index.
See attached map for PPS PreK locations.
SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL SURVEY NOW OPEN
The Successful Schools Survey is an opportunity for students, staff, and families to provide important feedback on their school environments, learning experiences, and sense of well-being and safety at school. The survey is conducted once every school year to provide timely information to schools, district leadership, and the community, allowing us to make informed decisions about school climate and culture. This year, the survey window is open May 6–31.
You can complete the Successful Schools Survey online using the link provided below. Please complete one survey per household. If you have more than one student at PPS, we ask that you complete the survey considering the experiences of your eldest child.
The survey will take approximately 15–30 minutes to complete and is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Somali, Vietnamese and Chinese.
https://surveys.panoramaed.com/portlandor/familyspring24/surveys
For more information about the Successful Schools Survey, please go to pps.net/sss2024.
PTA NEWSLETTER
Check out the latest PTA newsletter HERE.
UPCOMING DATES TO KNOW
- May 13—17 — Spring Book Fair
- Monday, May 13 — PTA Meeting in the Cafeteria, 6:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, May 22 — 3rd–5th Grade Music Performance, 1:40 p.m.
- Wednesday, May 22 — Dine Out at Dairy Hill Ice Cream
- Thursday, May 23 — Online Viewing of 3rd–5th Grade Music Performance, 6:30 p.m.
- Friday, May 24 — Amigos meeting, 9 a.m., cafeteria
- Monday, May 27 — Memorial Day, NO SCHOOL
- Tuesday, May 28 — Field Day!
- Friday, June 7 — DLI Cultural Night, 6–8 p.m.
- Thursday, June 13 — Kindergarten Graduation, 2:15 p.m.
- Friday, June 14 — Last Day of School
- Friday, June 14 — 5th Grade Promotion and Clap Out, 1:30—3 p.m.