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Friday, September 27, 2024
Hello, MTMS Staff and Families,
We have had a busy week this week, with our 6th and 7th grade students enjoying their first class competition assemblies, our first Mix It Up at Lunch event, a lockdown drill, and the conclusion of our fall MAP testing. Oh, and did I forget to mention that we are already halfway through the first quarter of the school year?!?
Teachers have been busy this week working to finalize their progress report grades for this quarter. Unlike most of the other quarters, midterm progress reports seem to come quickly at the start of the year as students are building community, learning routines, and setting classroom expectations with their teachers and peers. As such, getting solid summative assessments crammed in there for new knowledge doesn't always happen. Families should be aware that these "report cards" are by no means final, just a marker of where your student is right now. For some classes, there may not be a grade as only our summative marks count toward their ultimate grade. We also have many of our teachers working closely with the district in piloting a new district standards-based gradebook. And, as with most pilots, there are unexpected hiccups along the way. I know many of them have reached out to their classes directly to let families know about the hurdles and glitches you may see when viewing student grades online. If you have questions about your student's performance, please feel free to reach out to them directly.
And unlike years past, in an effort to save money, the district is moving to a fully online report card process. You should be able to access progress reports and report card directly through logging into ParentVUE. Similarly, student test results (from OSAS and MAP) are also available through ParentVUE and Student VUE. If you have not yet set up your account or are encountering difficulty, please reach out to our main office.
I also want to put the offer out to families who would like to get more involved with us at MTMS that we are currently looking for parents to serve on two school-based teams/committees:
- Our Climate Team meets twice monthly on Tuesday mornings from 8:15-9:00 am in the library. The Climate Team reviews building-wide discipline data to drive implementation and refinement of PBIS strategies for student expectations/behavior and schoolwide using a racial equity lens. The team assists in developing, implementing, and monitoring the School Continuous Improvement Plan (SCIP), solicits input from the community regarding school programs, reviews and rates school performance, and adjusts approaches to meet school improvement goals. We are currently looking for one to two family members to serve. If you are interested in participating, please email me at tlongo@pps.net.
- Our Site Council meets once monthly on Monday mornings from 8:15-9:00 am. Site Council is charged with the improvement of the school’s instructional program, the development of a plan to improve the professional growth of school staff, and fostering family involvement in the schools. Members are elected to a two-year term. They also provide input into the School Continuous Improvement Plan (SCIP) and monitor our school's progress toward it. We are currently looking for one family member to serve. If you are interested in participating, please email me at tlongo@pps.net.
Next week, I will be sending out specific details for our upcoming Back to School Night. This year's event will be held from 6:00-7:30 pm on Thursday, October 10. We will be holding our ELD Family Night and TAG Information sessions just prior to the event starting at 5:30 pm. Our Oregon Research Residency will be selling pizza and drinks to help fundraise for this year's upcoming trip, so please come early and buy your dinner to support the cause.
I hope all of you have an amazing weekend, and we look forward to seeing you all soon.
All the best,
Ms. Tonya Longo
Principal, Mt. Tabor Middle School
Hi students and families,
Here is our Oregon Research Residency update… we received many more contracts in the past 6 days. Currently, we have 44 signed contract/commitment forms. Another 14 families indicated YES at our Family Night presentation, but we haven't received those signed contracts yet.
We need at least 70 signed contracts to be able to proceed with trip planning, and as you can see, we have not yet reached that number.
The due date for turning in signed contracts is THIS Friday, September 27. If you are unable to make that happen, please communicate with your student's teacher to let us know your situation. We realize we may be chasing down signed contracts next week as well, since the Backpack Express is not always reliable .
Finally, if you know for sure you/your student will not participate, you can opt out of ORR-related messages by completing our 3 question form: ORR No thanks! form
Thank you to all who have already sent in your commitments and money - we are grateful for your prompt decision!
We look forward to receiving more contracts ASAP,
Alex Dawson, Dawn Gordon, & Valerie Turner
Get all the information about the trip, including links to the scholarship application by clicking here.
Any time a student rides a different bus, is taking the bus for the first time or even wants to get off at a different stop than normal, parents need to write a note to the driver letting them know of this change. The student should bring this note to the office to be initialed by one of the Admin. Assts. before giving it to the driver. Drivers will not accept different riders or any changes to normal stops without parent permission. The drivers do their best to get to know all their riders and their stops so that they can keep everyone safe.
Thank you for understanding!
In just the last week, we are seeing a marked increase in students reporting damaged Chromebooks and lost devices.
In this year's back to school packet (and in the Student Verification process in ParetnVUE), families are required to sign the "Required Technology Consent Policy and Acknowledgments form. In that document, it states:
PPS students who are assigned to take home a District technology device are responsible for all damages or loss, whether intentional or accidental and regardless of whether damage or loss occurs on or off District property. Parents/guardians will be fully financially responsibly for any associated cost for damage, loss, or theft, regardless of whether incidents occur at home or at school.
It is important to emphasize with your students the importance of taking care of their devices. This means that binders containing their devices should be kept in their lockers when not in use, and that they use provided tote bags to support transporting those devices around at school.
The current replacement cost for a Chromebook is $515.00 with chargers costing $11.50. Parents are responsible for paying these fees for lost/damaged cords; lost devices or devices damaged beyond repair; and intentional misuse, abuse, willful or negligent damage by the student or any household members.
Hello families,
Some of our students did not receive their preferred names on their ID cards. We are very sorry about this. We have received the electronic pictures from Dorian, so will be able to print new ones for them. Please have your student check in with the office if they will be needing a new card.
Thank you!
Ann Pinzelik
The student store is open at Mt. Tabor!
And it is a big hit! Students earn Soaring Eagle tickets throughout the day for showing care, respect and kindness toward themselves and others in the school community. They can then cash in these tickets at the student store. We are putting out an ask for donations from you, specifically for the following items:
Goldfish crackers
Various chips
Dum Dum lollipops
Guava candy (available on Amazon)
Jolly Ranchers
Capri Suns
Squishy fidgets or finger traps
Thank you for any way you can help!
Hello Families,
As we begin this new year, please be sure to go into ParentVue and review and update the information we have on file for your student. Once logged in, you will see a tab at the top of the screen saying "Online Registration/Yearly Verification/Transfer Application". Click here and follow the prompts for the yearly student verification process. If you do not have a ParentVue account set up yet, please contact me, Ann Pinzelik, at apinzeli@pps.net, and I will be happy to do that for you.
Thank you!
1) Library Volunteers Needed
Ms. Licurse in the library needs help. She is looking for two parent volunteers to come once a month at drop off to help with special projects such as creating visual displays. Please contact Annie Licurse directly at: alicurse@pps.net if interested.
2) PTA Board Seeking Members
Further, we need parents to join the PTA board in the following positions:
Fundraising chair
Fundraising committee members
* Fundraising endeavors include planning and orchestrating sports events and Dine Out Nights.
Hard of Hearing Program Rep
Communications Lead
Volunteer Coordinator
Please reach out to Christina Master, PTA president at christinadmaster@gmail.com with interest.
3)Courtyard Project Updates
Only A Week to Go! Help Us Fund the PTA Zen Meditation Corner in the Courtyard!
(inspirational photo below)
We have raised ~$1000 so far and we’re hoping for more support ($3000) to bring the vision to life!
Planned additions: small covered pagoda, shishi odoshi water fountain, bamboo privacy fence, Japanese solar lantern pagoda statue, native Japanese plants
Even small contributions from many families makes a huge difference! If we do not raise enough money, the zen meditation corner will not come to fruition. Please consider donating today so we can close our fundraiser and start the build!
Donate here: http://bit.ly/3xzQUQN
3) Courtyard Work Party This Monday, 9/30 from 9am-12pm
Wishing you had a little more connection with middle school?! We would like to invite any parents with flexible work schedules to join us for a winter-prep work party in the Mt. Tabor Courtyard this coming Monday, 9/30,from 9a-12p. Come see the amazing transformation that has happened in the courtyard (happy to tell you all about it)! Insider Tip: it’s pretty sweet to enjoy the sounds from the band room, watch kids skip through the courtyard and just experience middle-school day-time energy all while helping with this project! Come see what it’s all about!
Details: We will be hauling mulch and compost in to the courtyard from the back parking lot, using wheelbarrows. This will allow us to put our gardens to bed protected for the winter (and you can skip the gym for the day!). We could really use several parents to help us make light work of this heavy task. We also have some fall blooms and plant markers to put in the ground as well. Please e-mail Angela Kockler if you are available to help (even if just for an hour - it can make a huge difference!). E-mail adorseyrd@yahoo.com to volunteer.
4) Back to School Night
Thursday, October 10th is Back to School Night from 5:30-7:30. The MTMS PTA will have a table at the event. Come meet parents who are working on the PTA this year and learn about our mission.
5) MTMS PTA General Meeting
The MTMS PTA encourages all parents (including new 6th grade parents) to attend our general membership meetings. Our next meeting will be:
Thursday November 7th at 6:30 pm - Location and/or Zoom link forthcoming
Short-term host families needed Oct. 28-Nov. 4!
We are still actively recruiting host families for the Nanto group, who will be visiting Mt. Tabor Middle School from Monday, October 28, 2024, to Monday, November 4, 2024 (they will depart on the 4th). This is a great way to get to know some Japanese students!
We need a total of 25 host families to accommodate 21 students (7 boys and 14 girls) and 4 chaperones (2 men and 2 women). If you or someone you know would like to host, please fill out the application form using this link: Host Family Application Form
Feel free to reach out to our Exchange Coordinator, Soshi Miyazaki, with any questions: soshi.miyazaki@oyanokai.org. Thank you for your support!
We have had reports from several families that they are not receiving Remind notifications from the school or district. A number of families had checked the box to not receive Remind messages when they do their ParentVue update at the beginning of the year. Please know that all district and school communication will be coming through Remind, so it is important to go in and check to see if you have checked that box.
As you may know, there is a measles outbreak in Oregon with 26 confirmed cases reported in Marion, Clackamas, and Multnomah Counties as of 08/09/2024. We understand that parents have questions about what can be done to keep children safe, and what their child’s school will do if a case of measles is confirmed at their site. You can get more information about the PPS communicable disease management plan at this website. Currently, 93% of Mt. Tabor students are fully immunized against measles, and research shows that schools where less than 94% of students are up-to-date with measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccines are at higher risk for measles to spread if an individual with measles attends school.
Here are some important points to keep in mind:
Now is a great time for all families to review their vaccine records and make sure their vaccines are up to date.
Measles is a highly contagious, serious disease. If a case is confirmed in a school, local public health workers will review all staff and student vaccination records to determine the risk of further spread.
Keeping children in school is a priority. In the event of an exposure to a contagious illness like measles:
Local Public Health Authority (LPHA) staff will determine if the person exposed is susceptible to measles.
If they are determined to be susceptible, MTMS and PPS will work with the LPHA staff to determine if the person needs to be temporarily excluded from school for 21 days or longer to prevent further spread and to ensure their own safety (OAR 333-019-0010).
This exclusion period aligns with state and national health guidelines and is taken with the well-being of all students, staff and the school community in mind.
The exclusion period may be extended if there are more measles cases (and thus more exposures).
Students and staff excluded from school after measles exposure should stay home to avoid exposing others in the community.
If you have questions or concerns about your child’s health, please contact your doctor. If you are worried about paying to see your doctor, the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) can help. OHP is open to all children and teens younger than 19, regardless of immigration status who meet income and other criteria. You can find help enrolling here.
Thank you for your partnership in keeping our school community healthy.
Mt. Tabor Middle School
Email: tlongo@pps.net
Website: https://www.pps.net/Domain/143
Location: 5800 Southeast Ash Street, Portland, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 916-5646
X: @Tonya_A_Longo