Duniway Dispatch

• February 17: Schools closed for holiday

• February 26: Students released early at 11:50 a.m.

• March 3: Schools closed for planning day

• March 19: Students released early at 11:50 a.m.

• March 24-28: Schools closed for Spring Break

• April 4: Schools closed for grading day

• April 7: Schools closed for planning day

• April 23: Students released early at 11:50 a.m.

• May 21: Students released early at 11:50 a.m.

• May 26: Schools closed for holiday

• June 10: Last day of school for students

• February 7: Winter Dance and Social
• February 10: Funding Forum
• February 21: School Spirit Book/Movie Character Day
• February 22-23: OBOB Final Competition
• February 26: School Assembly
• February 28: Principal's Coffee
• March 11: PTA Meeting
• March 12: Connect to Duniway
• March 17-21: Book Fair
• March 19: School Assembly
• March 21: Principal's Coffee
• April 9: Connect to Kindergarten
• April 11: Picture Day
• April 23: School Assembly
• April 25: Principal's Coffee
• May 13: PTA Meeting
• May 14: Connect to Duniway
• May 16: Fund Run
• May 21: School Assembly
• May 30: Principal Coffee
• June 3: PTA Meeting
• June 6: Parade and Carnival

2024-25 District Calendar

Hello Dragon Families,

Happy Friday and I hope you all have had a good week. I know we were all excited to see some snow this week and unfortunately it didn't materialize except for a few brief flurries. It looks like some snow is again in the forecast for next week so we are staying prepared. Please review the PPS guidelines on Inclement Weather below.

I hope you were all able to access student report cards that were posted in ParentVue on Monday. If you need any assistance in accessing these report cards (or would like a paper version of the report card), please contact your child's teacher or the Duniway Office. Looking ahead to next week, I hope many of you will join us for our School Funding Budget Forum next Monday at 6pm in the school auditorium. We are excited to welcome Portland Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong, School Board Member Eddie Wang and Oregon State Representatives for a discussion of school funding in Portland and in Oregon. I want to give a huge shout out to our Duniway PTA Advocacy Committee for organizing this event. It is great to raise our voices and demand adequate funding for our schools.

I hope you all enjoy a restful weekend. See you next week!

Principal Melvin

During the winter months, we often see an increase in illness, and we want to remind you of how we can all help manage illness and work to prevent the spread of contagious diseases to keep everyone safe and healthy.

What Our Community Can Do:

• Keep Sick Children Home: If your child has symptoms like fever, vomiting, or diarrhea, please keep them home. If symptoms worsen, seek medical care for your child.

• If a student or staff member shows symptoms listed in the Symptom-based Exclusion Chart, we send them home to prevent spreading illness.

• Report Illnesses: Let the school know if your child is sick so we can monitor for increased illness.

• Encourage Healthy Hygiene: Teach your child to wash their hands often, cover coughs and sneezes, and avoid touching their face.

• Practice Social Distancing: If your child is mildly ill, encourage them to keep their distance from others at home.

• Clean Common Areas: Regularly clean frequently touched surfaces.

Thank you for helping us keep our schools safe and healthy!

It is that time of year to remind everyone about what we do at PPS when dealing with inclement weather. You can find information on the PPS website.

Find out about closures and delays:

• Depending on your notification preferences, PPS will send alerts via phone, text, and/or email.
• Information is also posted on the PPS website, social media, and submitted to the media.

Delays and closures:

• The District has two options in the event of inclement weather - delay school openings for two hours or close schools altogether.
• Before deciding which to do, District officials consult with local meteorologists, city transportation officials and PPS transportation staff in the field.

Late start:

• If PPS announces a two hour late start, Duniway will start school at 10:00 a.m.
• Breakfast would be available starting at 9:45 a.m.
• Morning Buses would run 2 hours later than usual.

Makeup days:

• The Board of Education has built into the calendar up to four replacement days in the event of school closures. See 2024-25 District Calendar for dates.

We hope to see many of you at our PTA sponsored Winter Social + Winter Dance this evening in the cafeteria. Please see below reminders for each event.

WINTER SOCIAL

The Winter Social for grades PreK through 1st is a parent accompanied event. Please enter the cafeteria through the cafeteria back doors (west side). The social will run from 2:30-3:15pm.

WINTER DANCE

The Winter Dance is a drop off event for grades 2nd-5th. Please enter the dance through the cafeteria back doors (west side), check your student in with the parent volunteers, and exit the cafeteria via the east side back door. For PICKUP, please enter again through the back doors (west side) and check your student out with the parent volunteers.

Do you know any families who are interested in attending Duniway?

Please let them know about our upcoming Connect Events!

March 12, 9-10 a.m.

April 9, 6-7 p.m.

May 14, 9-10 a.m.

Register here!

Some parents may have received a letter this week from Portland Public Schools regarding eligibility to apply to Access Academy, a PPS grades 2-8 focus option program. PPS sent letters to the families of students who scored in the 99% percentile in the last two years on any PPS standardized assessment. Access is a lottery system school and the grades start at second grade. Importantly, the eligibility to apply to Access is not related to the PPS TAG referral process. We apologize for any confusion. You can visit this webpage for more information on Access and lottery schools in PPS.

If you have any questions please let me know Sarah Erickson, Duniway TAG coordinator serickson@pps.net "

We hit the ground running this January in the music room! A lot of our steady beat and body percussion skills culminated in beautiful performances for our Wellerman Cardio Drum unit in M.E (Music/PE). Take a look at the student performances here.

• Kindergarteners and First Graders learned The Steady Beat Song. Ask students if they can sing this one at home and remember one of the things that keeps a steady beat from the song.

• Second Graders have been working on identifying the lines and spaces of the music staff. We talked about how our hands were the inspiration for the music staff. Ask your second grader about how many lines and spaces make up the staff.

• Third Graders have been hard at work learning the notes BAG on their recorders. Students just played Hot Cross Buns for their first belt test! Perhaps your third grader can sing this one for you and air recorder the fingerings!

• Fourth and Fifth Graders have been practicing low C, D, and E on their recorders to be able to play the C pentatonic scale. Students are also busy reading and writing four beat rhythm patterns. We composed rhythms together in Quaver to prepare us for some individual composition projects coming up in Q3!

Image: Students in Mrs. Cudjoe's class writing their four beat rhythm pattern.

We have had a fun filled and jam packed return from winter break in PE. We started the year off with Picklemitton for 2nd-5th graders and paddle control and striking in K-1. Not only does Picklemittion have a funny name, it combines striking a badminton birdie with a pickleball paddle. This combo of larger, shorter striking implement and birdie, which moves slower than a pickleball, helps more students to be successful at striking. Which in turn allows them to participate more confidently (and have more fun in games). In K-1 we worked on paddle control and striking to help build the foundation of skills necessary to succeed when they start Picklemittion in the 2nd grade.

Ms. Adams and I teamed up for another M.E. (Music/PE class). This has been such a fun way for us to help students see and explore where our content areas overlap. In this unit students learned Body Percussion and Cardio Drumming which were then combined to make a routine to The Wellerman Song. You could ask your student about the routine. If they liked the drumming or body percussion better. And, bonus points if they can remember, to show you the body percussion piece.

In 2nd-5th grade we are currently doing our Scooter Town unit! Students get the opportunity to be Highway Drivers, City Drivers (that go to all the businesses in town), and City Workers. This year we have added some new businesses to town including a Humane Society, where students can adopt some tiny stuffies. You could ask your student about their favorite business in Scooter Town. Or if they like being a Highway Driver, City Driver, or City Worker best.

In K-1 we played Spaghetti And Meatballs Scooter Tag and have been working our way through a series of Alien Chase Videos - Moon Mission, Mars Mission and Earth Mission. You could ask your student what mission has been their favorite.

Coming up next we are going to jump around! For all students K-5, we have a week of jumping skills and activities followed by our jump rope unit. This year's Jump Rope unit will culminate with another M.E. (Music/PE class) where we will focus on partner and small group jump rope and learning all sorts of rhymes that go along with jumping rope.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us for Duniway Movie Night! We had so much fun sharing laughs and snacks together, and we can’t wait to host another one soon. Your support of the Duniway Educational Foundation through the Giving Campaign is deeply appreciated.

Reminder: All funds raised by the Duniway Educational Foundation—an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit—stay at Duniway to fund vital programming and services.

Save the Dates: Upcoming Spring Fundraising Events!

🎨 Spring Classroom Art Reception

📅 Saturday, April 26 | 6 PM – 9 PM

This free, adults-only community event showcases the stunning classroom art created by our students! Each piece will be auctioned off, with the highest bidders taking their treasures home that evening.

• Food & Drinks: Wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase. We're also looking into having a food cart on-site—know a great one? Let us know!

• Student Reception: Earlier in the day, we’ll host a special viewing during the school day for our talented student artists.

😎 Spring Duniway Auction: Nantucket Nights

📅 Friday, May 9 | 6 PM – 11 PM

📍 Location The Evergreen 618 SE Alder St, Portland, OR 97214

We’re setting sail for an unforgettable Nantucket-inspired evening of fundraising and fun! This year, we’re switching things up with a cocktail-style format to keep it social and lively.

Here’s what you can expect:

• Sign-up parties

• Class baskets

• Silent auction & paddle raise

• Delicious food & drinks

• And a live Yacht Rock cover band to dance the night away!

Tickets will go fast, so stay tuned for when they go on sale!

We Need Volunteers!

These events wouldn’t be possible without the incredible support of our volunteers. If you’re new to the auction or curious about the art reception, we’d love to hear from you! No experience necessary—just a willingness to help. Feel free to email auction@duniwayfoundation.com for any questions!

👉 Sign up to volunteer for classroom baskets[HERE]!

And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram for all the latest updates: @duniwayauction.

We’re so excited to come together as a community to support Duniway. Thank you for all you do to make our school such a special place! Go Dragons!

Warmly,
Andrea Angell
Duniway Educational Foundation