a day at the beach
September 3, 2024
Safety is our absolute priority. We know that you share your hearts with us when you send your child(ren) to Beach. We take that responsibility very seriously. PPS’ Visitors Policy requires that all adults in the building sign in at the office, wear a visitor badge and sign out when they leave. This is to make sure that everyone in the building is accounted for. Unfortunately, this means that parents/caregivers can not pop in to walk their child to class when they are late or to grab something of their child’s from the classroom.
We know that there will be times when people are running late. This may sound tedious, but once the 8:00 bell has rung, all students arriving at school must be checked into the office. Second through fifth graders will grab a note from the office and head to class. Kindergarten and first grade students will collect a note from the office and will need to be escorted around the side of the building to the annex by a parent/caregiver. Please say goodbye to your child at the annex door as they head to their room (which is something they do on their own each morning!). Not only does this help build independence but it keeps us aligned with PPS policy. Thank you for helping us keep your child(ren) safe!
Welcome back to school! School attendance is very important. Did you know:
Students who miss 10% of the school year (or 17 days throughout the year) are considered chronically absent
This number includes excused AND unexcused absences
Missing 10% or more of the school year can make it harder to learn to read
Attendance is one of the three school success indicators reflected in our school’s report card issued yearly by the state
When students reduce absences, they can make great academic gains
Last year, 79 students were chronically absent. We are working to decrease that number this year and in the years to come by providing outreach, school wide attendance awareness, and resources to students and families.
If you have any questions about your child's attendance or if you need resources for your family to help support school attendance, don't hesitate to call the main office for our school social worker, Mr. Rhys, at rhills@pps.net or 503-916-6236.
Restaurant nights are scheduled once a month and are one way to help the school raise money while also getting a great meal. The restaurant chooses a day to donate a portion of their proceeds to our school (usually 10-15% of the day's proceeds). We advertise the event in newsletters, the school calendar and on social media to get our school community as well as local neighbors to come out and support both the small business and our school.
PPS schools practice a variety of emergency drills monthly. This month we will have an Evacuation (Fire) Drill on Friday, September 13th and a Lockdown Drill on September 26th. Teachers prepare students for the drills before they happen so that students know not only what to do, but why we do them (this is done thoughtfully an in alignment with students' developmental stages). Click here to see what happens during each drill.
We look forward to seeing all of you, and your child(ren), at Back to School Night! This is a casual go-at-your-own-pace event designed for you to meet your child(ren)'s teachers, become familiar with the building, learn about our Talented and Gifted (TAG) program and get information from support staff and the community. It's going to be great!
Thank you to those of you who have helped me better understand our community by sharing your feedback with me! Here are some themes that I heard:
What you love about Beach:
- The staff!
- The community
- The safe learning environment
- Greater academic challenge
- More frequent communication with/from teachers
- More community events
This year our entire staff is participating in Science of Reading training. This clear focus on our literacy practice is aligned with our goal of making sure all students engage in grade level, standards-aligned learning. This is also aligned with our first area of growth: greater academic challenge.
We have not yet had a chance to align our communication practices across classrooms, but this is something that our Instructional Leadership Team will discuss this year.
In response to your comments, we will be working to increase the number and types of community events this year. Later this month, a team will come together to talk about this year's plan for family engagement. Want to join us? Have ideas you'd like to share? Let me know! njohnson@pps.net
I am excited to share this year's Site Council with you!
- Jennifer Maerz has a child in 1st Grade English
- Christy Hudson has a child in 4th Grade DLI
- Shae Parker is our SUN Site Manager
- Bridget Lopez is a paraeducator
- Skip Millis is an educational assistant
- Julianne Stevens is a 2nd grade English teacher
There is still room for more! It would be wonderful to have an Amharic, Arabic, French and/or Spanish speaker join us! We are very happy to have a translator at each of our meetings.
Please send in a 4x6 or 5x7 family/loved ones photo for us to frame and put in our hallways. We would love to have our community in the building every day! You are welcome to give a printed photo to your child's teacher (please write your child's name and grade on the back) or email me the jpeg at njohnson@pps.net (please write your child's name and grade in the email). This does NOT need to be a fancy picture! A fun, casual pic will do the trick.
- Wednesday, September 11 - Dental Sealants for Grades 2-3
- Friday, September 13 - Fire Drill
- Thursday, September 19 from 5:30-7:00pm - Back to School Night
- Wednesday, September 25 - Early Release at 11:50
- Wednesday, Septemebr 25 - Restaurant Night @ Por que no
- Thursday, September 26 - Lockdown Drill
- Monday, September 30 - School Picture Day
- Friday, October 11 - No School