Duniway Dispatch

• December 6: Duniway Holiday Home Tour & Boutique. Stop by the Boutique today between 10 a.m-7 p.m. Entrance map below.

• December 6: Duniway Choir Concert 5-5:30 p.m. Entrance map below
• December 9: OBOB Kick-Off, 5-7 p.m.
• December 16: Last Day to submit Successful Schools Survey
• December 18: Early Release - Dismissal at 11:50 a.m.
• December 20: School Spirit Day - Sports Team Day - wear gear from your favorite team or sport
• December 23-January 3: Schools closed for winter break
• January 6: First Day of School in the new year - 2025!
• January 20: Schools closed for holiday
• January 23: OBOB Mock Battle, 4-6 p.m.
• January 27-28: Schools closed for grading and planning days

• February 22-23: OBOB Final Competition

2024-25 District Calendar

Dear Families,

I hope you all are well and have enjoyed a good week. It was great to welcome everyone back from Fall Break and hear students filled with excitement of feasting, traveling, and relaxation. It was also great to observe my first parent teacher conferences at Duniway and see the engagement and passion of all of you parents as you met with teachers regarding your child or children's progress. I wanted to give a huge shout out to our teachers who put in long hours in preparing for the conferences and in meeting with all of their families over the two days and in other times as well. All of us in our staff appreciate the delicious food that was provided by you all for our dinner during the conference days. It was so nice to be wrapped around the arms of a caring community!

Looking ahead there are only two weeks remaining until our next break, our two week Winter Break from December 21 to January 5. We are embracing this season of giving and caring and celebrating the caring nature of our students this month. I also know we are excited about our Holiday Home Tour and Boutique taking place today along with our Choir concert tonight @ 5pm. I hope you all have an enjoyable and restful weekend!

In gratitude,

John Melvin

The Duniway Choir is performing in the Duniway Auditorium during the Holiday Boutique on Friday, December 6th. Students should arrive at 4:50 p.m., enter through the Holiday Boutique Entrance at the southern entrance by the fifth grade wing (see map below), and head to the auditorium. Students will perform from 5:00-5:30 p.m. Family and friends from the Duniway community are invited to our festive concert! Students are encouraged to wear something festive for the performance. Hope to see you there!

-Mrs. Adams

Portland Public Schools is asking all families to fill out the annual Successful Schools Survey. The Successful Schools Survey is an opportunity for students, staff, and families to provide important feedback on their school environments, learning experiences, and sense of well-being and safety at school. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete and is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Somali, Vietnamese and Chinese.

Hello Duniway Community!

As we gear up for the holiday season, we have a wonderful opportunity to spread warmth and kindness throughout our community. Duniway’s Community Giving Project will once again be collecting gift cards to be delivered to Duniway families. We have found that gift cards offer flexibility in that they allow recipients to choose items that fit their needs and preferences.

Please know that your donation of a gift card, however big or small, will be greatly appreciated! Here is how you can donate for this holiday season:

1. Sign up for a gift card here on Konstella. There will be an option to choose from Fred Meyer, Target, Safeway, New Seasons, and Trader Joe’s.

2. Deliver physical gift card/s (in the amount of $25.00) to the main office during school hours by Wednesday, 12/11/24.

3. On the outside of the envelope, please write your name and the donation amount.

The Duniway community thrives because of your collective support and effort. We are deeply grateful for your contribution! Have a wonderful holiday season.

View on Konstella

Hello Duniway Community,

The Duniway Foundation is happy to announce that we’ll be continuing our 28th Annual Giving Campaign. We will be working more closely with the Duniway PTA toward a shared vision of community engagement and school improvement. It runs November 21st through December 31st. There will be a lot of exciting incentives at all levels, including participation!

HOW MUCH SHOULD I GIVE?

Please consider donating as generously as you can. Many families make a gift equal to the value of one week’s tuition for summer camp. Others give the cost of eating one family dinner out. Last year, the average gift was around $250. There is a monthly payment option as well. Others simply fill out the annual campaign participation form to show their support and to help get their class participation to 100%. All gifts of any size are appreciated and 100% tax-deductible!

We have some great prizes and incentives to help us meet our goal, including:

• A popsicle party for the class in each grade with the highest participation

• Dr. Melvin dressing up in costume when we get halfway to our $50,000 goal

• A “students choice” movie night at Duniway if we reach the same participation or higher as last year’s campaign!

• A “Proud Supporter of our Duniway Dragons” yard sign for families donating $250 or more

Does your employer match donations for Giving Tuesday? Feel free to reach out and we can help if needed. Our Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) and your donation is 100% tax-deductible. All donations will stay at Duniway.

This year your donations will go directly to Duniway and its students in the form of supplemental art and science curriculum, literacy support, improving our facilities, and so much more that would otherwise go overlooked by the district for 2025-2026 school year.

Last year, your dollars hired two Educational Assistants, kept music programming full time at Duniway, and closed the funding gap to keep a part-time office assistant, helping parents and students across the school. While we can no longer fundraise for PPS positions – your dollars will continue to enrich our Duniway student experience and help our teachers.

Please consider supporting Duniway! Click HERE to read all about what the Duniway Foundation is about, and CLICK HERE TO DONATE.

We look forward to working together with our amazing and special Duniway community. Go Dragons!!

With gratitude,

Andrea Angell and The Giving Campaign Committee

president@duniwayfoundation.org

Registration is now open for the PTA's winter enrichment programs. Whether your kids are into art, lego, sports, chess, Spanish, music, or dance, we have many returning favorites as well as a few new activities to try. Check out the schedule for details and registration info, and contact programs directly with any questions.

Greetings! The Sellwood Middle School PTA is pleased to present Sellwood Middle School Gear! On sale now EXTENDED through December 9th, at midnight at the following website:

STORE LINK: https://stores.inksoft.com/sellwood_middle_school_spirit (https://stores.inksoft.com/sellwood_middle_school_spirit)

Get your Beanies! T-shirts! Hoodies! Zip Hoodies! Sweatpants! Do you have a current or soon to be Sellwoood MS student?

This is a spirit raiser, not a fund raiser, with prices set close to production costs. We look forward to seeing this gear out in the community! Items will be available for pick-up in early January now. Details to come closer to that time.

Questions? Send a message to SMSGearShop@gmail.com and we will get back to you ASAP.

Thank you,
The Sellwood Middle School PTA