From the Abernethy Office

Good evening Abernethy Community!

I hope you all had a great Spring Break. It was so fun to hear all the stories from the students this week! Everything from visits with family and friends, staying home to traveling near and far. I headed towards the sun and soaked up some of that much needed Vitamin C while catching up on some much needed family time.

I got so caught up this week with all the students that I completely lost track of what day it was and I can not believe that it is already Thursday.

We have a very full April and it will be followed by a just as full May. Please see all the following Abernethy happenings!

• Tomorrow, April 5th is a NON STUDENT DAY - ths is a day when teahers will be working on our student's Report Cards
• Monday, April 8th - This IS a student day - Please bring your student to school!
• Tuesay, April 9th, Community meeting for 4th and 5th grade recess - 3:30 in Room 5
• Monday, April 15th. Report Cards will be sent home, via your students backpack
• Wednesday, April 17th - Abernethy Fun(d) Run!
• Thursday, April 25th - Abernethy Open House!, 5:30 - 7:00 This is s change in our calendar!
• May 4th - Abernethy Auction!

It has been brought to my attention that there may be some ​strong feelings and frustrations around our 4th and 5th grade recess options. As it has been shared with me, there has been a petition that was circulated and signed by many families and students.

F​irst, I would like to thank all that provided feedback around all the assumed elements of the 4th and 5th grade recess. I always welcome, and love, all feedback and partners in problem solving. I may be the principal of Abernethy, but it takes a village to bring all that we can to our students. I absolutely love all partners who have an invested interest in what we can bring to our students and our community. As much as what was in this petition was hard to hear, I would like to think that all feedback that was given was with the intent to be part of a solution, rather than a directive to fix a problem without accurate information.

I am sharing some information from this petition, but choosing to leave out the names of those who signed it, so please understand that all feedback, suggestions and family and student names are that of which I would like to acknowledge, support and honor moving forward.

Dear Melissa:

You always make great decisions for these kids. You are a terrific leader who inspires

curiosity, delight and wonder in our students. Please help make recess wonderful again for our

4 th and 5 th grade students.

Our community is asking you to please do more for our children in 4 th and 5 th grades.

They no longer enjoy recess, and that is actively affecting their social lives and their

development. So many parents have expressed that their kids would like to see their recess

experience improve. The current problems with recess for Abernathy 4 th and 5 th graders are

many, and detailed below. And while the recess alternatives choir and the play are *wonderful*

activities, not every student wants those. Some want to do monkey bars. Some want to sit down

and read a book. Some need the rainbow bench to let others know they need company without

having to say it aloud.

Some of the problems with the current 4 th and 5 th grade recess experience include:

• 5 th grade consistently gets out first and they exit from the side door. This means they get

to 2-touch first and dominate it. There is seemingly no set process to make the line move

quickly enough that any kid who stands in line is guaranteed a chance to play. Never

mind that the children standing at the back of the line get cold while they wait.

• Unlike during recess in 3 rd grade (where my child learned how to jump rope), are there

jump ropes available?? (at the beginning of this petition process, I heard there were

none, but maybe that has changed). This is an easy game for a single child to play alone

without feeling lonely.

• Pickle ball only gets set up on nice days, which leaves no other games than 2-touch

(again, maybe this has changed since the petition process started?).

• There is *nowhere* to sit. Not a single bench is available for the kids. Nowhere. A lot of

your students need quiet time. They need to sit and read. Or sit and talk.

• The only dry spot to sit on the ground is under the basketball area, but that it filled with

kids playing 2-touch or basketball (the younger kids seem to have access to that).

• There are only every 3-4 balls out for all the kids. That surely is not enough.
• The field is pot-holey and often has dog poop throughout. I personally have to pick up

dog poop every time our soccer team practices there.

• And unless a child has and brings their own umbrella, they have to share or get wet.

In creating this petition, these remarks came from parents and students who desperately

need change:

Many of us parents have been told that the older children do not get to use the

playground because it gets damaged. But, since the playground is open to Art4Life every day,

and to the wide community every evening, weekend and non-school day, we question whether

playground damage is caused by older Abernathy students.

Many of us have also heard that the younger students need the playground more than

the older students, but that is just not accurate. I have seen older students flock to the

playground during Art4Life. I have met other 4 th and 5 th grade students at Abernethy when

school is closed and they absolutely love to play on the playground. The world is a tough place

and kids have to grow up too soon these days, particularly with the increase in screens. This

beautiful playground of ours belongs to all of them and should be available to all of them.

If it is a timing issue, then please work out the schedule that the 4 th and 5 th grade

students have access to it for one recess and not the other. Don’t keep the playground away

from them any longer.

In creating this petition, these remarks came from parents and students who desperately

need change:

• Thank you for starting this conversation. It has been bothering me that kids cannot have better recess options. <my child> just plays in the doorway, for example, because that’s where it is dry.
• My child used to easily find friends to play with on the playground, but now that non- athletic kids basically only walk around and talk, she finds it hard to break into a conversation. She is feeling very lonely this year and not enjoying recess … which leads me to ask: what are we doing if our kids are not enjoying recess????
• Poor kids said she was forced to become a jock because the other option is cold and bored!
• Our recess sucks.
• Our kids deserve so much better.
• I watched my older child’s social life decline when they took the playground away. I feel bad for my child having to go through the same transition.
• We have all had this concern as well. Profoundly dumb situation during recess in our opinion. Concrete and a mud pit with graffiti is an abysmal playground. Shockingly bad.
• My daughter has hated recess more than any other period this year. And frankly that should never be the case.
• Thank you for organizing. My son doesn’t care for ball sports and misses the playground structures
• Upon arriving at school one morning recently, my 4 th grader sadly said “hello, playground” and said she misses it a lot.
• My child has really struggled to find something to do each recess. We are continuously having conversations to brainstorm what to do during recess that doesn't involve just wandering around.
• And an idea from a former PTA board member: The school year that COVID interrupted, the PTA allocated $10k to a recess coordinator – Jake Weiss had the role and he was amazing. This was less a reaction to the space constraints (at that time, all kids could be under the covered area) and more an attempt to create a time and space where not just the basketball / soccer kiddos got a chance to move their bodies. In any case, it was a huge success for the short time we had Jake.

In closing, please make a necessary and important change for these kids. This would be

in following with your email response to me where you said you had submitted a draft of your

2023-2024 master schedule and your draft allowed the 4 th and 5 th graders to use the playground.

These are 8-, 9-, 10- and 11-year olds. They are still little kids. Let’s not force them to grow up

any faster than they have to.

With gratitude for all your do, and in hoping you can do more in this regard,

Your Community

I would like to clarify a few items listed in this petition that are inaccurate before moving forward.

• 1st - 4th and 5th Grade students are provided with options for an Inside Recess option every day, Monday through Friday, that includes games, space for reading, space to play pokemon, and a space to draw. I have used our general funds to purchase a number of inside recess activities this year that support all inside recess activities. As Ms. Hartle is our inside recess teacher, we do have to limit the number of students that can come. We have allotted each class of 4th and 5th grade a limit of 4 students each. However, that does allow a max of 24 students each recess.

• 2nd - In the first semester of school we also offered 4th and 5th grade Choir 2 days a week. This semester we have offered all 4th and 5th grade students the play production of Willie Wonka 3 days a week. The last number I heard of students involved in the play was over 50!
• 3rd - All 4th and 5th grade students have access to the covered play area for basketball and any other activities that they would like to do. Our expectations are that they are mindful of the younger students who may be playing there as well.
• 4th - on Thursday and Friday, 4th and 5th grade students have access to recess in the library if they would like. This follows the same 4 students per class limit.

The bottom line is:

• On Monday - Friday we can have a max of 24 students each day utilize our inside recess option
• On Thursdays and Fridays we can have a total of 24 students each day utilize recess inside the library
• On Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday we can have the students mentioned above as well as the 50 plus for the play rehearsal.

These are a lot of options for all students who do not want to engage in sports or participate in outside recess. Yes, I know that this does not solve the main recess problem mentioned in the petition which is access to the play structure. However, it does show that we ae not trying to force all students into this active, athletic, "jock" view of recess.

I brought this petition to the staff, last week in our staff meeting, to see if we could brainstorm our next steps. What came out of our conversation was an opportunity to have those who started as well as signed this petition, the time and space to come to the table as part of the solution, rather than point fingers and demand change. We're a team and it is all about Team Abernethy inside and out. We would like to offer an opportunity for all those who would like to be part of a solution to what they feel is a 4th and 5th grade recess problem. We would like to provide an opportunity to ask questions, maybe even come and experience a recess and see for yourself what it looks like and feels like​.

I have been working with Ms. Morgan and Ms. Katie and our Student Council and we have some ideas for what the students would like moving forward, but as with everything, we would love some partnership in making it all come to life.

For all those who are interested, I will be opening up a space in school on Tuesday April 9th at 3:30pm to hear from all who are invested in a change for the 4th and 5th grade recess options. Please understand that this is not a space to come and share the complaints mentioned in the petitions. The staff and I have heard those and we have sat with them for some time now. We would love to partner with all who have ideas around the possibilities for solutions and opportunities for our students.

This week we started our Kindergarten - 3rd Grade Dance Residency

It was so fun peeking in and seeing all the students so engaged and dancing. The instructor was so impressed with how all the students "were so focused and moved to the beat!"

🏃‍♀️The countdown is on for the much-loved annual Fun(d) Run! 🏁 With just two weeks to April 17th, we're calling upon all vibrant young runners from Kindergarten to 5th grade to join us in a day brimming with joy 🎉, jogging 🏃, and generosity 💖. Aiming to raise $30,000 to boost our educational environment, every pace forward helps fund essential books 📚 for teachers, supplies ✏️, community events 🎈, and reading programs 📖.

📅 Event Highlights:

• Date: Wednesday, April 17th, 2024

• Weather: Ready to shine, come rain or sunshine! ☀️🌦

• Who's Invited: Exclusively for students from Kindergarten to 5th grade.

• Our Goal: To back our beloved educators and their programs, mixing the excitement of running with the spirit of fundraising.

💡 Ways to Make an Impact:

• Prep for the Run: Kids, time to get active and flaunt that school spirit on the track! 🏫🎽

• Support Through Pledges: Our live pledge page is up and running at https://app.99pledges.com/fund/abernethy2024. Simply search for your child’s name and share the URL of their personal page with family and friends, spreading the word to garner more support. This is a golden opportunity to contribute to our fundraising goals, where every bit helps us edge closer to making a significant impact. 💸🤲

• Boost the Buzz: Let’s get everyone talking about this incredible event. The broader the audience, the stronger the support for our runners and the valuable causes they stand for. 📢👫

• Volunteer Sign-Up Alert: Keep an eye on your inbox! A sign-up sheet for volunteers via Konstella is on its way. We're on the lookout for passionate volunteers to ensure this event is a phenomenal success. Your willingness to help in any capacity - organizing, cheering, or supporting our runners, is greatly appreciated. 💌🙌

We're excited to keep you posted with more details on registration, the day’s schedule, and how else you can pledge your support. Let’s unite to make the 2024 Fun(d) Run an unforgettable triumph! It’s more than a race; it's our collective endeavor to enrich our school’s learning landscape. Join us in rooting for our young champions as they race to the finish line, demonstrating their extraordinary zeal and spirit! 🏆💫

Want to help advocate for better school funding for our students? Sign up for a postcard packet below.

WE: provide blank postcards, sample messages, addresses, and postcard stamps (optional/while supplies last).

YOU: write your own constituent feedback to our Oregon legislators and drop the postcards in the mail at your convenience.

You do NOT need to be an active PTA member to participate. All Abernethy families are welcome.

https://forms.gle/Rm9K7P3bmsPr9Kjr8

Thank you!

Abernethy PTA Advocacy Committee

Our biggest fundraiser of the year is coming up and we need your help! There’s three ways you can get involved:

1) Volunteer leading up, day of, or post-event (see all the volunteer opportunities here or email auction@supportabernethy.org to join the committee!)

2) Get your tickets HERE

3) Are you a small business or know someone who would be interested in donating to the auction? (Email auction@supportabernethy.org with suggestions!)

One of the easiest ways to support our kids’ physical education (and the environment) is by recycling redeemable cans and bottles through BottleDrop.

Blue redemption bags are always available in the front office, and the PTA also delivers bags to your home! Simply email our BottleDrop coordinator with your address and the number of bags you'd like.

To date, we have raised more than $4,500 to purchase PE equipment through BottleDrop. Thank you, Abernethy Community! Please see the PTA website for more information.