Bulldog Bulletin 12.18.24

Our students have been responding so well to our early release schedules this year. I'm very proud of them for being so flexible and maintaining a positive attitude on these days. Changes in routine can be upsetting for some children, especially if a lack of structure and predictability tends to impact their anxiety levels or overall mood. At Richmond we have noticed that students enjoy the excitement of a shortened day, but they tend to struggle returning to school on the following Thursday.

To help support your child's transition back into a full school day tomorrow, you can try these strategies the evening before and on the morning of:

• Remind your child that tomorrow and Friday are full school days so it's important to be fully rested each day.
• Ask your child to tell you about their schedule (e.g. first we have breakfast in the cafeteria, then we go to Japanese class. After Japanese is Specials, lunch, recess, then English. We go home right after choice time).
• Reassure your child that it's normal to feel a bit "off" returning to a full day after having a half day. Remind them of the tools and support they can access during the day (e.g. Calming Corner, fidgets in class, check in with your teacher, ask to see a counselor, etc.).
• [bringing lunch from home] Ask your child what they would like in their lunch tomorrow to ensure they have enough energy for the full day.
• On Thursday morning try to avoid rushing to school, if possible. Sometimes being a little late but allowing your child to start their day in a calm and positive way can be more helpful than being rushed and on time.

This will be the last Bulldog Bulletin for 2024 so I want to wish you all a Happy New Year and a safe and relaxing Winter Break with your loved ones. Stay warm and healthy and we will send out our next bulletin in January!

We truly appreciate the families who have brought in delicious snacks and beverages for our teachers on these long staff meeting days. Our next early release Wednesday will be on February 26th. Sign up here if you would like to bring in a snack/drink for our wonderful staff. Arigato!

Monday's Sports Day was a great day for showing off my Kobe Bryant jersey and upsetting some of our Blazer fans with the realization that their principal is a huge Lakers' fan. 😂

Tuesday's Swap Day was really sweet. Some of our students proudly dressed like their parents and others chose to dress like their teachers. My 4th grader and I had fun swapping our styles for the day.

Wacky Wednesday is always hilarious with students in silly outfits, backwards and mismatched clothes, and lots of interesting accessories. My favorite wacky accessory was the sock a 2nd grader had put in her hair.

TOMORROW is Rainbow Pride day, and we will end the week with Festive Friday!

Our students and advisors are looking forward to making their own BSU t-shirts this Friday. Parents Kiah, Khaatim, and Nurse Toby will kindly be there this Friday to advise the kid centered meeting Dec 20th, the final one for this year. [Invitation linked and attached.]

Please note an important change to our attendance process. To enhance our focus on student safety, automated attendance calls through Remind will now begin at 9:30 AM instead of 10:30 AM. To avoid receiving a call, please report your child's absence to the school before 9:30 AM. Thank you for your cooperation.

Needing that warm jacket and hat for winter break snow play? This is your LAST CHANCE to claim clothes--and water bottles, lunch bags, mittens, etc.

All items remaining on Tuesday, January 7th will be cleaned and donated to PPS Clothing Center.

If your family needs clothing, contact our awesome school counselors.

If you and your child can't check the cafeteria racks and are missing something specific, email cielle.swatland@gmail.com with details.

If you have a laundry machine, consider washing a bag or two of clothes for families in our PPS community--or better yet, teach your kids this important life skill :-)

Join us at the wave pool for this 5th grade Japan trip FUNdraiser! Pizza dinner & drinks provided. $20 per person, payment link to follow. North Clackamas Aquatic Park.

Richmond's intern from Japan, Kawahara Sensei, is offering Japanese language lessons to our community as a community activity and a fundraiser for our 5th grade trip to Japan. Please see the attached flier for more info.

Please review the updated requirements for excluding students from school when they are ill. Thank you for supporting our community by keeping your kids at home when they are not feeling well.

The Parkrose Student Health Center will be the only Multnomah County Student Health Center open during Winter Break. Please see the attached flier for more details.

More Local Resources From Our School Nurse Erika:

Holiday Resources - PDX Parent

Free Christmas Morning Meals - Portland

Oregon Food Bank - Location Finder

Lents Christmas Community Dinner - 12/27/2024

Physical Education

Coach Feeney

afeeney@pps.net

Oregon PE Standards

Congratulations to the 3rd Grade Yellow Group for earning the most points this month! Thank you to the 4th/5th grade Student Leaders that have helped me in kindergarten and 1st grade classes.

Weeks 14: Students learned about teamwork and game strategy through a catching and throwing game called Battleship.

Students had the opportunity to explore equipment and engage in physical activity with responsible interpersonal behavior during their choice time. For this choice day, students requested hockey equipment, hula hoops, bar hang, stuffed animals, mini parachutes and gymnastics mats.

Week 15: Students learned about what happens to our bodies when we get cold through Frostbite Tag.

Each student was able to learn hockey stick handling with individualized equipment through a skills progression of ready position, dribbling, shooting, blocking and passing. The ready position skills cues are: bend your knees, separate your hands, eyes up. We ended class with short videos of examples of hockey in the world, such as the Portland Winterhawks or a 10-year-old girl who’s the only girl on an all boys team.

Week 16: Student’s played Delivery Drivers using their leg strength, core strength, balance, coordination and teamwork to “wrap” toys and deliver them on scooters. Students had the opportunity to express themselves through Sock Figure Skating. After watching some examples of figure skating, students could take their shoes off, pretend the floor was ice and “skate” to the music.

Next month in PE, we will be working with our speed and agility kit as we learn about Fitness Concepts.

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

The SGT is done with organized activities until 2025. The Winter Breakfast in the Garden event is scheduled for January 11th from 9 - noon where we will tackle a front of school cleanup. Please bring your garden gloves.

We are all out of coffee and tea and Bulldog Bites and Beats for 2024! It has been a wonderful fall for our Rich Coffee community. Thank you to everyone who has helped to start our Tuesday mornings off so full of community and coffee (and tea!). We look forward to reuniting in 2025!

Rich Coffee Teacher and Staff Punchcards! If you are still looking for a last minute holiday gift for your teacher, favorite staff member, or the lovely Japanese interns at our school, you can still email me at richcoffeepta@gmail.com (or message Jason Kyler-Yano on Konstella) to order a Punchcard by Thursday, 12/19, and I’ll be able to email them notification of your gift by Friday before break! I will ask you for your email address and invoice you through square.com ($20 for each punchcard). Then I will make physical punchard(s) for the teacher and/or staff and send them an email to let them know of your generous holiday gift!

Rich Coffee Lost and Found Lottery Extended to January 7, 2025! You have one more Rich Coffee (1/7/2025) to find pieces of your kiddos’ clothing at the Lost & Found and enter for chances to win a free coffee at Rich Coffee! The more clothes you take home the more you increase your chance to win!

Thank you to everyone who has donated to Oya No Kai for Giving Tuesday! Together we have already raised more than $6,600 to support our Japanese cultural exchange and intern programs! We are still far from our $40,000 goal to close our budget shortfall and ensure we can continue to offer all the services, support and programs we care about at Richmond Elementary School, Mt. Tabor Middle School and Grant High School, especially our intern program.

As a volunteer-led nonprofit, Oya No Kai needs your support now more than ever! Requests for scholarships are at an all-time high, and classroom sizes are peaking, which makes the extra support for our interns provide even more crucial.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Oya No Kai (if you haven’t already) and share this request for support to friends and family members invested in your child’s education and in Japanese culture.Today, we need the urgent help of our entire community — parents, alumni, teachers, staff, businesses, and friends — to keep our students and programs thriving. When you give to Oya No Kai, you support programs such as:

• Teacher Support: Our Japanese interns enrich our classroom learning and our community at every level. We have 13 interns this year, and we’re placing 16 more in 2025.
• Cultural Exchanges: Students have the opportunity to experience Japanese culture directly through the 5th grade Cultural Exchange, Japanese Research Residency in 8th grade, and Sapporo Summer Institute in high school, as well as cultural programs, hosting opportunities, and immersive learning activities that extend beyond the classroom.
• Equity: A big part of this effort is providing scholarships to ensure every child can participate in exchange trips to Japan. This year, we have budgeted $30,000 for scholarships, and we have more than $40,000 in requests. We need your help to ensure every student has the opportunity to participate!
• Community: We bring the community together for family weekends at Camp Westwind and support our students’ Japanese language learning with our Kurabu summer camp. These beloved traditions can’t continue without support from our community.

Your gift today will have a direct impact on the lives of students, teachers, interns, and families. Plus, when you donate $250 or more by Dec. 31, you will receive a $50 credit to the Oya No Kai merchandise store. Thank you for considering a donation to Oya No Kai. Together, we can continue to create a world of opportunity and connection. Learn more about how your gift supports Oya No Kai's mission.