Hello, MLC Community. We had a great Q3/Semester 2 opening! Our 6x8 dance was quite a hit with a great time had by all!
Check this out from our 7x8 ELA classes with Liz B!
Chilling Tales from MLC: Our 7x8 Podcast is Live!
Liz Buelow's 7th and 8th grade Language Arts students have been brewing up something spine-tingling—and now, their scary story podcast is ALIVE on Spotify! As part of our Scary Story Unit, students crafted original tales of terror, then brought them to life with eerie sound effects and dramatic narration. The result? A collection of hair-raising, goosebump-inducing episodes that will leave you sleeping with the lights on. Dare to listen? Find our MLC Horror Podcast right here (or simply search for This MLC Life on Spotify).
Stories by the following students:
Period 1: Rowan Skywalker, Annalisa Jordan, Violet Kitchens. Sound editing: James Turkus and Elias Liu.
Period 7: Avi Warner, Rae Velazquez, Gwen Meyers. Sound editing: Darren Conway.
Congrats on a fabulous podcasting project!
This week is National School Counseling Week! We want to appreciate and celebrate our amazing MLC counselors, Ethan and Benner! Thank you both for your dedication and hard work in supporting the students, staff, and families at our K-x2 school. Your commitment to providing guidance, encouragement, and a safe space for students does not go unnoticed. Whether helping students navigate challenges, offering a listening ear, or fostering a positive school environment, your efforts make a lasting impact. We truly appreciate your compassion, patience, and the countless ways you go above and beyond every day. Your contributions are invaluable, and we are grateful to have you as part of our team!
The weather is looking a bit frosty this week! Please make sure to read below for reminders of the PPS inclement weather policy.
Also a quick note that our School Social Worker, Clement, will be out on leave for the month of February. He asks for privacy at this time. We look forward to seeing him back in March.
Warmly,
Suezann & Darren
February is BLACK HISTORY Month!
SCHOOL COUNSELOR APPRECIATION WEEK!
Monday February 3
Tuesday February 4
BSU lunch club in Alberti's room
Wednesday February 5
Kx5 Winter Electives
Thursday February 6
6x8 SAGA lunch club in Erewyn's room
Friday February 7
9x12 Field Trip to the Chinese Garden 9:15-11:30 am
Coming Soon:
2/10-2/14 Kindness Week
2/10-2/12 - OMSI Planetarium at MLC!
2/12 PTSA Meeting
2/13 3rd Field Trip to OMSI, Tour with Benner
2/17 Presidents Day - No School (unless it is a snow make up day!)
2/18 Blue Moon Fundraiser for KCLC
2/25 K&3 OMSI Weather Workshop
2/26 4x5, 6x8 OBOB Battles
2/26 Early Release @ 12:45!
2/27 Q3 Midterm, Open House Kx5 2025-26 Lottery 5:30-6:30 pm
2/28 Black History Month Assembly
3/3 No School/Planning Day
3/11 Virtual Open House Kx5 Lottery 6:00-7:00 pm
3/12 Winter Electives End, PTSA Meeting
3/13 Choir Recital 6:00 pm, Tour with Benner
3/19 Spring Elective Sign Ups, Early Release @12:45!
3/24-28 SPRING BREAK!
Inclement Weather!?!
**Information will come from the district, not from MLC**
When inclement weather is expected on the morning of a school day, every attempt is made to decide about school closures and schedule changes the evening before. For an unexpected or a less definite weather situation, every attempt is made to make a decision as early in the morning as possible. Our goal is to make the most appropriate decision for our students, staff and patrons based on the available information.
District staff members collect weather-related data from a range of reliable sources. A network of Leadership then decides whether any school closures or schedule changes will occur, and arranges for that decision to be posted as soon as possible. If you do not see any emergency announcements posted at our media outlets then PPS schools and offices will be open at their regular starting times.
Find out about closures and delays:
- PPS will send text alerts to families, students and PPS staff who have opted in to receive SMS text alerts on their cell phones. If you are a parent or guardian, a student or a PPS staff member, you can opt in to receive texts by texting YES to 68453.
- An automated phone call is sent to affected families.
- The District has a Twitter feed to relay closure, delay and emergency information. Follow @PPSConnect.
- Information also is posted on the PPS website and submitted to the media.
- Snow routes and alternative stops will be called for AM or PM or both depending upon the road conditions or weather forecast. Additional District announcements could come out throughout the day as the weather is monitored.
Delays and closures: The District has two options in the event of bad weather; Delay school openings for two hours or close the 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 a two hour late start decision is implemented and for example your bell time is 8:00 AM, your scheduled late start time would be 10:00 AM.
Individual school decisions: The District may close or delay schools at higher elevations while keeping schools at lower elevations open. For example, Skyline, West Sylvan and Forest Park might open two hours late with all other schools opening on time.
Makeup days: The Board of Education has built into the calendar up to five replacement days in the event of school closures.
MLC Community,
It is important to PPS that immigrant families feel safe and supported. Some families have expressed to me and other members of our staff that they are concerned about possible immigration actions under the new presidential administration.
I want to reassure you that our top priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of all students and staff. We continue to work closely with PPS leadership and our community partners to uphold Oregon law prohibiting state and local law enforcement from arresting or detaining people based solely on immigration status. Additionally, Oregon law protects student educational records from use for immigration actions.
In times of uncertainty, it is always beneficial to be proactive and prepared, and it’s crucial that we have up-to-date contact information for you and your student. If you have not done so already, please complete the yearly student verification form to ensure we’re reaching you via the right information and in the right language.
I also wanted to provide the following resources:
This FAQ and this webpage answer many questions about the steps Portland Public Schools will be taking to safeguard staff and students going forward.
This page from the Multnomah Education Service District (MESD) includes a family resource hub and culturally specific information for families in the Portland area.
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center Little Red Card is meant to help people assert their rights and defend themselves in many situations. The cards can be printed out in your preferred language and carried on your person.
Know Your Rights for Families/Students (Oregon ACLU)
PPS’s Office for Civil Rights offers support addressing discrimination, harassment, and bias-related concerns.
Please contact me at skitchens1@pps.net if you have any questions or concerns. I am here for you and your students, and you have my word that, at MLC, we will always stand together to champion our diversity and support the most vulnerable among us.
Sincerely,
Suezann Kitchens
MLC Principal
Re-affirming our Support of Inclusive Spaces
Dear PPS community, At Portland Public Schools, we respect every student's rights to a safe school experience, and we are concerned and alarmed by the increasingly divisive and often threatening rhetoric aimed at LGBTQ2SIA+ youth in our communities. We want to unequivocally affirm that Portland Public Schools remains steadfast in our commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for transgender and LGBTQ2SIA+ staff, students, and their families. Transgender students bring unique talents, perspectives, and aspirations to their school communities. The Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender Expansive Administrative Directive reflects PPS’s promise to honor and respect these identities, including the right to use asserted names and pronouns, participate in GSA groups, and access restrooms and locker rooms aligned with their identities. PPS partners with community organizations to equip educators with tools to create welcoming classrooms, address microaggressions, and advocate for LGBTQ2SIA+ students. Additionally, the district’s LGBTQ2SIA+ Supports team works closely with staff to ensure guidance is implemented with care and understanding. Confidentiality is essential to ensuring transgender students' safety. In compliance with the Family Education Rights Protection Act (FERPA), PPS will redact personally identifiable information when responding to records requests. Additionally, staff must keep gender identity confidential unless explicit permission is granted by the student and/or caregivers. Sharing such information with other staff without a legitimate educational interest violates students' rights under FERPA. PPS’ Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook outlines the district’s expectations for everyone to maintain a safe learning environment. The discipline matrix guides the school responses to transphobic behavior, including hate-based incident investigations and school exclusions. Any staff member who violates a student’s right to confidentiality or engages in transphobic behavior (e.g. refusing to use the correct name and pronouns) may be subject to disciplinary action. Caregivers and community members who engage in transphobic behavior will be reminded of our community expectation to treat everyone with dignity and respect, and the district reserves the right to trespass repeat violators from school property. We are deeply grateful to our community — students, families, educators, and allies — for their continued dedication and support in making our schools safer, more inclusive, and affirming spaces for all. Sincerely, Dr. Renard Adams, Chief Accountability and Equity Officer Dr. Bobby Cruz, Director, Office for Civil Rights Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong, Superintendent
AdditionalResources
ODE Guidance: Supporting Gender Expansive Students: Guidance for schools
PPS Transgender, Nonbinary, Gender Expansive Administrative Directive
PPS District Wide LGBTQ2SIA Supports
ImI. A Self-guided tool for LGBTQ+ teens, by LGBTQ+ teens and their allies to help explore identity and support mental health.
Trans Life Line. Trans Lifeline’s Hotline is a peer support phone service run by trans people for our trans and questioning peers. Staffed 10a-6p
Youth Line has phone, text, email, and chat options YouthLine is a free teen-to-teen crisis support and help line that is staffed 4-10 p.m. by trained youth
National Healthcare Access, Relocation, and Emergency Fund Resources
Pre-ACT and SAT
On Wednesday, March 5 we will be offering the Pre-ACT and SAT tests. The students in grade 10 may take the PreACT and students in grade 11 may take the SAT. The location for our MLC students is still being determined.
There is no cost to students or families to take either assessment.
The PreACT is a low-stakes pre-exam for the ACT designed by ACT.
The SAT is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admissions decisions.
If you're interested in your child taking either the PreACT or the SAT, please email MLC's testing coordinator Duncan Carranza (dcarranza@pps.net) no later than Monday, February 3rd to ensure your child is registered.
30-Day Notice for Statewide Tests and Opt-out Form for 2024-25
Parent Request for Opting Out of Oregon Summative Assessments (ELA and Math)
If a form is submitted after a student has begun testing, the student will stop testing and the District Test Coordinator will work with ODE assessment staff to invalidate the test.
30-Day Notice and ELA/Math Opt-out Form (grades 3-8 & 11)
English | Español | Tiếng Việt | 中文 | Русский | Soomaali
Science Exemption Request Form (grades 5, 8 & 11)
English | Español | Tiếng Việt | 中文 | Русский | Soomaali
If you have questions about ELPA Summative testing, please talk with your school administrator.
Cell Phone and Electronic Device Policy
Cell Phones are not allowed in MLC classrooms or anywhere else during class time. They will be locked in a safe zone during each class by the classroom teacher. We will be very vigilant in keeping our classrooms phone free at MLC in order to keep learning distraction free. Please make sure you are discussing with your student prior to the first day. We will have students and parent/guardian sign a no cell phone agreement at conferences for grades 6x12.
Blue Moon Fundraiser for KCLC!
McMenamins Blue Moon will be hosting a fundraising event for KCLC on February 18th from 5:00pm to close. Proceeds will go directly to the aftercare program at MLC. We are asking families and friends in our community to show up, have dinner and half of the sales will go towards our fundraising goals for the year. Please join us!
Requests for Support
MPG Athletics
MPG (Multiple Pathways to Graduation) athletics will soon be transitioning from winter to spring sports. We'll offer a variety of spring sports that include: Esports, Soccer, Track & Field, and Flag Football. Stay tuned for more details!
Spring Soccer registration is now open. If you have any students interested, please contact me as soon as possible. We will provide the jerseys and all necessary equipment needed. Our goal is to form our own teams; If we're unable to, students will be placed on teams regardless. Most games will be held at Delta Park. Please connect with me if you have any questions or need more information.
Thanks,
--
Demarcus Richard
Student Success Progams Supervisor
Portland Public Schools
C: 971-425-5503
RESTAURANT NIGHT: HOTLIPS Pizza
Tuesday, February 11, 3:00-9:00pm
HOTLIPS, 2211 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Let’s raise some dough with a HOTLIPS “Pizza for Pencils” event! Enjoy fresh handcrafted pizza, salads, breadsticks, drinks and more when you dine in, grab takeout, or order delivery by phone or directly on their website HERE from the SE Hawthorne location. 15% of ALL evening sales will be donated to our PTSA and they will also donate 15% of ALL gift cards purchased online HERE on 2/11 that include “MLC” in the notes. Tell all your friends and spread the word!
SAVE THE DATE: Family Movie Night
Friday, February 21, 6:00pm
MLC Auditorium
Join us for a cozy evening of family fun and community connection. We’re letting the students vote to choose the movie so stay tuned to learn the winner! Concessions and pizza dinner will be available for purchase, with proceeds supporting the 4x5 spring field trip fund. More details to come, but mark your calendars—we can’t wait to see you there!
PARKING CREW: Sign Up for the Timbers Home Opener 2/23
The MLC PTSA hosts parking in our school lots for Timbers and Thorns weekend matches and we need volunteers to take money and direct people to spots. This is an easy and fun way to raise money for our school. Shifts are short and we will be there to teach you everything you need to know. Bring a friend or come make new ones!
See available dates and sign up for a shift HERE. Questions? Contact our coordinators, Nate or Chenney.
SEEKING SPONSORS: MLC Annual Auction & Social
The MLC PTSA is excited to host our annual auction & social, North Star: Party at Polaris!, on April 11 at Polaris Hall in North Portland. The auction is our largest fundraiser of the year and is also one of our most cherished community-building events, but we can’t do it without your help!
Do you own a business or know someone who does? We would be thrilled to have your support as an event sponsor! Your tax-deductible contribution goes directly toward underwriting the cost of the event and this opportunity provides excellent exposure for your business to our school families, neighbors, and broader community. We offer several levels of sponsorships with various perks so please see more info HERE and email Auction Chair Sierra with any questions.