SES Messenger

Dear Sunnyside Community,

Welcome to October! This is such a fun month at Sunnyside because we get to prepare for all things Harvest Fair which is scheduled for Saturday October 26th. This is an opportunity for families to come together and celebrate and enjoy food, fun, and games.

The first middle school dance of the year will be Friday the 25th from 6:00-8:00. We will be sending permission slips home that week and students will need permission slips to attend. Students are expected to enter the dance by 6:30 and will not be permitted to leave until the end of the dance at 8:00. Cell phones are not allowed so please make arrangements ahead of time for pick up or walk home at 8:00 PM. We are one of the only middle schools who does dances at night, so all your support and help to make these possible.

October is Earthquake Preparedness month. The Great Shakeout is October 17th at 10:17am. Please visit the website which is full of great resources for preparedness and family plans. We will be following the district protocol for earthquake drills which is found here if you want more information.

Our second graders have been lucky enough to participate in district sponsored swimming lessons again this year and students have been happily returning to the building with wet hair and grins. Shout out to Michelle and Heather for plunging into the waters for this one!

Becca's class headed to Ramona Falls on Thursday, Mary Gage to Wildwood Recreation Area, Michael and Robin to Sauvie Island, and Mary Lloyd and Carrie to Keller Auditorium to see Hansel and Gretel. Remember, we couldn't do all of this without your support as fundraisers and chaperones! Thank you! I was at a leadership meeting today and had the opportunity to visit classrooms and some of the students asked about Sunnyside. When I shared with the middle schoolers at this school about our thematic classrooms and our field study, their eyes grew wide and several students asked if they could transfer to Sunnyside immediately. It made me once again realize the specialness of our program and community. Huge love to Sunnyside.

Thank you for another wonderful Run Walk Move. This is one of my favorite events of the year and the running, dancing, and movement from all of our students is inspiring. Thanks to all of our parent coordinators and volunteers. We loved all the dancing and running you all did!!!! We use the money raised to fund our wonderful Nathan and PTSA, so THANK YOU!

Enjoy the three day weekend and the arrival of chilly nights and fall leaves,

Eryn & Chris

• Fri, Oct 11: NO SCHOOL. Statewide Inservice Day
• Tues, Oct 15: All classes dismissed at 3:15 for staff meeting
• Tues, Oct 15, 6p-7p: Mandatory meeting for 8th grade families and students
• Wed, Oct 16, 8:45-10am in the library: SES PTSA meeting
• Fri, Oct 18: SES Picture Day retakes ($10 fee for retakes)
• Mon, Oct 21: Dine out for SES - Stumptown - All Day
• Wed, Oct 23: PPS early release day. School dismiss at 12:45
• Fri, Oct 25, 6pm-8pm: First Middle School Dance
• Sat, Oct 26: 3p - 6p. HARVEST FAIR!!!
• Thur, Oct 31: End of First Quarter
• Nov 1 - Nov 4: No School. Teacher grading and professional development days

Can we get a serious round of applause for RUN WALK MOVE?! Our first fundraising event of the year was a smashing success! We are about 70% to our goal. Let’s finish strong - pledges are due next Wednesday, October 16. See below for more info.

Please join us on October 16 at 8:45 am for our 2nd PTSA meeting in the library! We’ll talk about fun opportunities with Harvest Fair, and various events coming up this fall. Expect delicious coffee from Oblique Coffee Roasters and the wonderful feeling of being in community with so many delightful people.

Can’t be there in person? Listen online at bit.ly/SESPTSA-Meeting-Link.

Reach out to us at board@sesptsa.org with questions!

Wow!!! MAJOR THANKS to all who volunteered and came out to cheer students on yesterday. That was fun, and we appreciated the participation of all students as they celebrated healthy movement together. We’re so proud of you! Shout outs to PE Teacher John, our Dance Leader Michael, event chairs Pia and Sara, all SES Teachers and Admin Staff for making this event possible.

Let’s finish this peer-to-peer fundraiser strong - we’re almost 70% to our fundraising goal!

1. Pledges are due on Wednesday, October 16. It’s not too late to register your student for a digital donations page on MyBooster.com. You can also turn in cash or checks (payable to SES PTSA) to the SES Office in a labeled envelope (include student’s name, teacher/grade).
   
   

Have your student turn in their brochure for participating with ANY amount of fundraising complete. Everyone who turns in brochures is eligible for epic prizes in our raffle drawings, and classes with the most participation will win cool parties and maybe even the Golden Shoe Trophy, TBA week of October 21.

Can you smell the warm granola wafting down the hall or the sizzling sausage on the grill? Hear the gleeful cheers and splashes from the infamous Teacher Plunge, or the music from the Baked Goodies Boogie? Taste the delicious cookies from the Magical Cookie Palace? That’s right, y'all: Harvest Fair is coming! Saturday, October 26 from 3:00* to 6:00 p.m. for Sunnyside’s annual celebration of Autumn and community.

*Sensory soft start will be 2:30 - 3:00 p.m. again.

This event takes epic proportions of volunteer power - for real: there are more than 300 volunteer slots! It is one of SES’s most cherished traditions and a ton of fun. Please chip in however you can!

NEEDED NOW:

1. Small Toy Donations. Those tiny random toys & trinkets that your kids collect throughout the year? It’s time to recycle them as carnival prizes! Bring your bags of (small, clean, unbroken) doodads to the Office..
   
   

2. Volunteer Shifts & Baked Goods Sign Ups HERE! Claim your favorite job now! BONUS POINTS to anyone who stays to help with clean up. We also need grill helpers, cider pressers, baked goods makers, game runners, cookie palace people, pie sellers, set up help and much more.

The event is free for all to attend; and you can purchase carnival tickets to play all the wonderful games. Tickets will be for sale before and after school on Thursday 10/24 and Friday 10/25, and all throughout the event on 10/26. All proceeds support SES Garden, Music, and Field Studies.

This year, we are looking forward to DJ Aspen (of middle school dances AND official Timbers DJ fame) spinning during the Baked Goodie Boogie, a return visit of amazing indigenous dance performance & cultural group Huehca Omeyocan, and the chance to explore the FLIP! Museum - an interactive mobile food cart museum for kid play.

Please contact 2024 HF Chair Ty Adams with questions at: tyadams@gmail.com or on Konstella.

Photo ordering links have been emailed out to families. If you did not receive an email, you can search for your student's photos at this link. HERE.

If your student was absent for photo day or you would like to get retakes those will happen on October 18th. If you are having retakes there will be a $10 fee payable via cash, check or Venmo to Abigayle Tarsches Photograpy.

Support Sunnyside School with Stumptown Coffee! On Monday, October 21st, from 9am-12pm, Stumptown Belmont will donate 25% of sales to SES! Swing by, grab your favorite drink and treat, and help us earn $$$ for our school. Thank you, Stumptown Belmont, for being such fantastic neighbors! Tell your friends, because every sip counts. Stumptown Coffee Roasters, 3356 SE Belmont St., 9am-12pm

Our first middle school dance of the year is Friday, October 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the SES Auditorium. (With a games room in the cafeteria.) The theme is MONSTER MASH - costumes are welcome, with these guidelines: No Masks. NO Weapons, including fake ones. NO phones, NO backpacks. The dance starts promptly at 6 pm and ends at 8 pm—please make sure students have plans to arrive and leave at these precise times. Permission slips will come home a few days before the event.

Please sign up to chaperone and/or bring snacks! (Kids have specifically requested more vegetables!) Chaperones must have active volunteer background checks. (You need not be a middle school parent to chaperone the dance - all are welcome.) We request a $10 contribution to cover the cost of the dance including DJ fees and decorations, but no one will be turned away. Please contribute HERE.

If you have Halloween-themed lights or decorations that could be borrowed for the dance, including GRAVESTONES, SKELETONS, and one large FLAT WHITE SHEET, please bring them to the SES Office ASAP or Contact Jeran Turner at jeranturner@me.com.

SES middle school students make lunches on Tuesdays and Fridays for unhoused individuals at Beacon Village. We’re looking for parents to transport lunches to 43rd and Stark around 12:30 on Tuesdays and Fridays every week. Click the links to sign up on Konstella for this awesome community service opportunity.

K-3 Author Visit!

We are SO excited to have author Megan Woodward visiting us in October for our K-3rd grade students! Author visits are hugely impactful for students and we all love to see how excited they get about reading, writing and art when an author or illustrator comes to see us at Sunnyside! Megan's book This Book is Definitely Not Cursed is a perfect (fun) book heading into spooky season and we can't wait for this visit (there will be puppets!)

In order to help support author visits at SES, please consider purchasing a copy (or two!) of Megan's book! Books will be signed by our author and delivered the day of the visit so kids can come home and share the fun with you!

Please use the below link and select "I would like to pick up this order" under pick up options and then select Sunnyside for pick up. This allows us to know what book orders are for your school. Add your child's teacher's name in the comment box so that the books can be distributed easily.

The deadline for submitting their orders will be Thursday, October 10th.

Thank you for supporting the Sunnyside Library!!!

Megan Woodward Author Book Buying Link

Marionberry! Caramel Apple! Pumpkin Pie! The PTSA is getting a minivan’s worth of pies from Willamette Valley Pie Company in Salem, for pick up at Sunnyside afterschool on Weds November 13 (3-5pm). All pies are 9-inch rounds, frozen from fresh, so they are perfect for stocking up for the holidays or anytime that feels right for pie. Order now, so you can share freshly baked, warm pie (Marionberry or Caramel Apple) – or thaw-and-serve Pumpkin Pie – as we head into Fall and Winter (please note that these flavors are neither vegan nor GF).

ORDER YOUR PIE(S) HERE

Want to be a Pie Hero? Volunteer to give out pie samples at Harvest Fair (Oct 26) or Pie Distro Day (Nov 13). Email fundraising@sesptsa.org

Enjoy fresh-picked apples and pears from Kiyokawa Family Orchards this fall! Order a box for your family or to share. Great for snacking, pies, apple sauce, and more! Fruit is picked at its peak and delivered straight to SES for distribution. Each box contains 32-40 apples or 20-25 pears (total of 20-22 lbs). Find descriptions HERE. All fruit orders must be placed by Sunday, October 27th. All fruit orders must be picked up at SES on Friday, November 8th, 3pm - 5pm.

ORDER YOUR FALL FRUIT HERE

Our 4th graders are collecting materials for the arrival of our salmon eggs. The aquarium we were to receive has a growing hairline crack and is not suitable for this project.

Grade 4 would be grateful for the loan if our community has one available. Please contact Jenny or Michelle at 503-916-6226.

WE NEED SPOONS! Christina in the lunchroom is in desperate need of spoons. Do you have any to donate? Making a trip to the Goodwill? We will take em.

Eva, one of our learning specialists would love a monitor in her classroom for her computer. Does someone in our community have one collecting dust? Please reach out to Jenny in the office.

Every US Households is eligible for 4 Free at-home COVID-19 tests at https://covidtests.gov/

Are you a parent or guardian looking to connect with other Sunnyside families with neurodivergent students? So are we! Our first meetup of the 24-25 school year will be Friday, October 18 @ 9:15 a.m. at TaborSpace. Please email kelleymhutch@gmail.com with questions or and join the Konstella group for parents and caregivers of neurodivergent students for ongoing info.

L’shana tova! We’ve created a Konstella social group for culturally Jewish/Jewish adjacent families looking to connect. All are welcome! We are planning a few meet ups throughout the year. The first meetup will be in October. Join the Konstella group for updates, more information, and to meet more families.

Donations Needed: Urgent need for noise-blocking headphones! Currently middle school doesn't have a single pair, but all grades need them. Noise-blocking headphones can be either new or used. Another need is low-profile fidget toys, especially those that do not make a clicking sound. An example of these could be Haptic feedback fidgets or a silent stress ball. Donations can be dropped off in the office. Thank you!

Indigo needs some support with Kindergarten classes in the Art Room. Ideally, two volunteers would help on Monday, Wednesday, (Ally’s Class) and Thursday and Fridays (Logan’s Class), from 1:00 to 1:45 p.m., and would NOT be a parent of a student in that class. To sign up for this role, please contact Indigo at ccorwin@pps.net.

Want to send easy money flowing into our school AND help Earth?! Pick up a blue bag and sticker tag in the SES Office, put your empty cans and bottles from home inside, and drop full bags off at any Oregon Bottle Drop return location in the metro area. Ten cents ($.10) for each can directly support Sunnyside’s Field Study Program. Bags are available anytime at the SES Office, and will also be available for pick up at Back To School Night and other PTSA events throughout the year.

PPS is hosting a series of events that focus on Belonging, Equity & Inclusive Practices where we will screen powerful, award-winning documentaries that will stir, provoke, and challenge each of us about what is possible in the systems we create for our children with disabilities.

As part of this series, we are excited to welcome you to a live virtual event, Including Samuel, on Monday, October 28 at 5:30 PM at OMSI Empirical Theater. The event will include a screening of Dan Habib’s film, “Including Samuel,” and a conversation with him and his son, Samuel.

The film chronicles the life of the Habib family after Samuel is diagnosed with cerebral palsy and explores the family’s journey of hope and perseverance as they battle cultural and systemic barriers to inclusion. Featured on NPR’s "All Things Considered," "Good Morning America," as well as in the Washington Post and the Boston Globe, the film recently won the Positive Images in Media award from TASH, an international group committed to the full inclusion of people with disabilities, and the “Excellence Award” from Superfest International Film Festival in Berkeley, CA. You can learn more about Dan Habib’s work on his website.

Staff, families, and community members are all invited. Parking is free and light refreshments will be provided. We hope to see you there!

Warmly,

The PPS Special Education Team

Our Roles, Our Work, Our Children!

Folder with fliers in all languages

Our amazing Nutrition Services staff, Christina, needs help at lunch. Sign up to volunteer a lot or a little HERE: bit.ly/SES-LUNCH-24-25. IMPORTANT: SES Volunteers must follow all PPS guidelines including check in procedures, safety, and background checks. Learn more and get verified: www.pps.net/volunteer.

• PIL Youth - Franklin Youth Sports - INFO
• Girls Inc. - Join Eureka! Free STEAM program for girls and gender expansive youth
• Oaks Park Queer Family Night - Oct 28th. INFO
• QSA - Author showcase - Beaumont Library - INFO
• Multnomah County Common Application
  
• Renew DACA status with free legal help English | Español
  
• Including Samuel - OMSI screening
• Link for Free COVID tests - HERE

• SES PTSA Back-to-School Ask

• 2024-2025 Attendance Form

• Sign up to support Christina at lunch
  

• Konstella - One stop shop for parent information (PTSA)
  

• Sunnyside School Page

• SES PTSA website | After school activities at SES

• SchoolPay | Remind

• Communicable disease protocol - AKA when should I keep my child home from school?

• MESD head lice resources and information