Astor Connection

Principal's Message

Important Dates

After School Opportunities

Info, Reminders and Resources for Families

Resources

Health Services

Volunteering opportunities at Astor

PPS District Fliers

Hello Astor Community,

It's the final stretch of the school year, and we are in full swing with those traditions and events that close it all out. I want to thank all our community members for the incredible support we've had this school year. From volunteers in the classroom and incredible events, like last month's AAPI celebration, to the Astor PTSO benefit and our weekly Helping Hands, there has been a constant show of care and commitment to our students at Astor. If you have volunteered in any capacity this year, please consider joining us on the Astor Playground, June 13th at 2:35 after school for treats and a celebration of our incredible volunteers. Thank you for making this our Astor the incredible place it is. We certainly have the Best. Team. Ever!

Below, you'll find events that round out the school year, and summer opportunities through a variety of programs and community partners. If you have any questions, then don't hesitate to reach out to your teacher, the office, or me. I also know that there might be things that come up throughout the summer, so please don't hesitate to reach out if I can support with anything.

In mid-August, families will receive their student's classroom assignment and/or schedule (Middle School Students). Each year, we remind families that we do not accept requests for classroom teachers. Our educators balance classrooms to ensure that we are able to meet all student needs throughout the course of the school year. This process starts in April and includes all our important teams on campus. Please trust in this process and that each of our educators can support each student's unique needs.

I will have an updated list of teacher assignments for the 24-25 school year by the end of June. It's been longer to get out due to staffing cuts. However, as always, I'm trying to ensure that our program is stable, so we can build on the great work that educators are doing.

Finally, please take a moment to provide feedback to our school through the Successful School Survey by this Friday, June 7th. You can find the link here. The input helps us to celebrate successes and set our focus on improvements, too. We use this data to set goals in our school comprehensive improvement plan. Thank you for your time and input!

Have a wonderful end of the school year!

Warmly,

Blake Robertson

Principal @ Astor

Student and Family Calendar and Handbook

During our end of year events, please be mindful of others personal or cultural preferences about not being photographed without permission and/or the use of social media. Thank you for your help in promoting an inclusive school community.

June

6th - 8th grade to Seattle

7th - Chromebooks and chargers due back

7th - Astor PTSO Carnival

10th - Spirit Week for K-5!

11th - Field Day! (Check in at office if you're visiting to help! Contact your student's teacher with any questions)

12th - 8th grade Promotion and Dance - Final Day!

13th - 1st Grade Oregon Zoo Field Trip

13h - After School Volunteer Appreciation Gathering on the Playground @2:35!

14th - Kinder and 5th grade promotion

Hi Astor Families!

Champions is proud to announce that we’re conducting **trial enrollment** for a new BEFORE-SCHOOL CHAMPIONS PROGRAM for next school year!

Mild interest has been expressed in utilizing a before-school Champions program if we could offer one. To gather more information about confirmed interest, we have opened a trial enrollment for Before-School care.

• · I’ve attached a flier to this email. Please review for hours and tuition rates.

• · For families currently utilizing Champions after school, you will need to access the parent portal and update your child’s enrollment to include before-school, then create a schedule for your child. If you are interested in the before-school program every week, please set a “recurring” schedule. · For families who are new to Champions, please visit www.discoverchampions.com to register/enroll. There is an enrollment fee that will need to be paid at the time of registration. You’ll be able to choose before-school, after-school or both programs and set your child’s schedule.

• If you encounter any difficulties while enrolling and scheduling, please reach out to Family Support at 800-246-2154. They are the experts who will assist you with registering/enrolling, scheduling, questions about billing or navigating the parent portal.

• · Pro-Tip: The Champions website/parent portal isn’t designed as a mobile interface. To avoid most technical difficulties, a desktop/laptop is recommended for the best user experience.

• · This trial enrollment period will be open for two weeks (June 3rd-14th). After that time, Champions will review confirmed paid enrollments and scheduled attendance to make final determinations on whether to move forward with the before-school program.

• · This is a trial to determine if a before-school program is sustainable for Astor next year. The number of paid enrollments and scheduled attendance are the factors needed to determine true interest. (We are not looking for a specific number. We want your enrollments and scheduled attendance to inform our next steps).

Champions Family Support 800-246-2154

Thank You,

Lanita Nail

Area Manager, Champions

As a reminder, 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. We use the data from the survey to improve our schools and provide targeted feedback and training on how to create healthy school environments that are welcoming for all.

You can complete the Successful Schools Survey online using the links provided below. The survey will take approximately 15-30 minutes to complete and is available in English, Spanish, Russian, Somali, Vietnamese and Chinese.

• For families: https://surveys.panoramaed.com/portlandor/familyspring24/surveys

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Your student was assigned a Chromebook for use during the school day, and in some cases, for use at home. We will be collecting all Chromebooks on Friday, June 7, 2024. It is very important that your student brings their Chromebook and charger to school by that day at the latest. We will accept them prior to that day.

Please check your home for Chromebooks and chargers! Be sure to send all Chromebooks and chargers to the school on June 7, 2024.

Astor is excited to partner with Portland Backpack in the fall to increase our capacity to support the whole student. Portland Backpack is a nonprofit aimed at reducing hunger in student populations; they provide food sacks for weekend days. Read more about their mission here.

In the fall, we'll have an opportunity for families to sign up. Reach out to Theresa with any questions you have at tscottmerrion@pps.net

Early Registration Opening Day for our community: Thursday, June 6 at 9:30 am. Please note that the Early Registration closing deadline is Monday, June 13 at 12:00 pm, three days before the general registration begins. This is for activities that begin between July 29 and August 25, 2024.

Check out our Student Support Team's new webpage for easy access to resources, relevant articles on supporting youth and information on Astor's counseling program. Information and links will be updated throughout the year.

Student Health Centers are like having a doctor’s office at school. They offer comprehensive primary and mental health care services to all Multnomah County youth ages 5-18. There are no out-of-pocket costs. More information can be found here.

Parkrose High School Health Center and David Douglas Health Center will be the only locations open during the summer. (Flyer attached)

PPS Pre-Kindergarten

PPS Pre-Kindergarten is available to any child 3 or 4 years of age by September 1, 2023 that resides within the PPS boundary. The program uses criteria for priority purposes; click here for more information.

Common Services Application

Multnomah County has created a Common Services Application to help people apply for up to 20 community programs. Now, you can use just one application to apply for as many programs as you want at one time, if you meet the basic requirements. www.forwardplatform.com/common-app

Eligible programs through the common application serve immigrant communities, young families, and low-income seniors and include.

You can learn more about the right to return program here. Please share with any families that you know might be interested.

You can find information about PPS HR here. The positions below would directly serve our community. Reach out to Principal Robertson (brobertson@pps.net) if you have any questions about these opportunities.

Paraeducator Substitute - (Position Number 26085) This position supports our CB K-2 room. We are looking for substitute paraeductors whenever our team members are absent for the day. Our CB room is heavily supported by other Astor Team and it's a great way to get involved with a wonderful group of educators!

Please see the link here for information regarding Summer EBT, which out families get access to this summer!

The loss of loved ones or any loss can be challenign for our children. See the link for resources at TIP NW (Trauma Intervention Program Northwest): https://www.tipnw.org/

And, additional resources below...

next year’s bell schedules will change for many students.

Beginning next school year, we added 15 instructional minutes for elementary and middle school students and provided all middle school students with a seven-period day. Accommodating these changes while supporting 410 minutes per week of teacher planning time and aligning our transportation systems requires us to adopt common start and stop times:

• At K-8 schools, all students will start at 8:45 AM.

• K-5 students will end at 3:15 PM.

• 6-8 students will end at 3:30 PM

The 24/25 Calendars are below...

Rose City Rowing Club invites all rising 7th thru 12th graders to come try rowing on the water!
Our beginner session will be 10:30-1:30pm, weekdays only. This session will include instruction for high school beginners and middle-school beginners (Grades: rising 7th - 12th). Cost is $150 for the two-week class, a sandwich lunch is included each day, and we offer full or partial fee waivers as necessary.

This summer we will be organized in two-week intervals. Athletes can sign up for one, or several, or all. There will be a week-long break in July:
• Session one: 6/17 – 7/28
• Session two: 7/1 – 7/12
-- Week off --
• Session three: 7/22 – 8/2
• Session four: 8/5 – 8/16

How to sign up: Email RCRCinformation@gmail.com OR click here!

Bring the world home this summer: Host an international student for 2-4 weeks! A local nonprofit is seeking hosts for Japanese high school students (7/11-25) and college students from various countries (8/11-31, 8/18-9/7, 8/18-9/14). Hosting an international student is a great way to make international friends, learn about a new culture, and have fun! Students will have weekday classes and activities at PSU (commuting on public transit) and look forward to spending evenings and weekends experiencing American culture and practicing their English with their host. Hosts receive orientation materials, 24/7 support, and a small stipend. ACES is a PNW nonprofit that has been connecting families and students since 1995. Learn more at acescollegehomestay.org or apply online. Follow ACES on Instagram or Facebook. Questions? Contact emily@exploretheworld.org or (503) 673-6898.

UP summer camp is an extremely unique opportunity for the Youth in our area to not only get an athletic experience and enjoy the company of fellow youth in the community, but also it will be the first educational experience, where they will be toured on a college campus, while also getting to communicate and engage in daily activities with our 18 Student- Athletes on the Men’s basketball team.

We ask again that community members avoid Yale whenever possible in order to reduce traffic. It will be a Safe School Street again this year. You can learn more info about our traffic flow below and here. Thanks for support with this!

Questions? Contact Shane Nevius, PPS Safe Routes to School Coordinator, at snevius@pps.net or visit pps.net/saferoutes

(Translations are linked here):

******

Dear Families and Students,

We are so glad to have you back at school! We also wanted to remind you about actions you can take to stay healthy so you can stay in class and be ready to learn:

• Illness: Please keep your child home when they have symptoms that may exclude them from school.

• Student health conditions: Please update the school and nurse if there has been any change in your student's health condition during the time of the strike.

• Student medications: Please replenish medications that your student may need to receive during the school day. Also, remember to pick up your student’s expired medications from the school.

• State-required vaccines/immunizations: Ensure your student is up-to-date on all school-required immunizations. Students who do not provide proper immunization documentation by February 21, 2024 will be excluded from school. Primary care providers - including Student Health Centers and Multnomah County Health Department - provide no- to low-cost vaccinations to students.

• Access to health care: Multnomah County Student Health Centers and the Benson Wellness Center remain open during regular hours. Student Health Centers are a great place for students to receive sports physicals, well-child visits, school immunizations (shots), COVID-19 testing, vaccines & boosters, mental/behavioral health, age-appropriate reproductive services, routine lab tests, and prescription refills.

Health care coverage/insurance: People of any age or immigration status may be eligible for full Oregon Health Plan (OHP) benefits. OHP is Oregon's Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program. Click here to learn more about eligibility, and to apply or report changes online. Families who do not qualify for OHP can sign up for health coverage during the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace open enrollment period, occurring now through January 15, 2024. Financial help for Marketplace plans also may be available. Find out what coverage and savings you can get - and find free, local help - at OregonHealthCare.gov.

Do you have 1 hour a week to make a difference in children’s literacy lives? Volunteer for SMART Reading at Astor School. Tuesdays, 1:15-2:15 PM. Learn more here: https://smartreading.org. Or contact Greg Dilkes: astor.mu@smartreading.org

Interested in volunteering at Astor! Your child's teacher may have opportunities, but we also have a great volunteering program. Astor Shine is back for it's second year. You can learn more about the program and sign up here. Thanks for your partnership in supporting our programs at Astor!

Camps, Classes, & After School Programs:

• Rec Tennis Summer Tennis Camps

• Argay Park (Jun. 17 - Aug. 16)

• Glenhaven Park (Jun. 17 - Aug. 23)

• Skate Like a Girl Summer Camp (Jun. 17 - Aug. 23)

• PSU Jase Coburn Basketball Camps (Aug. 5-8)

• VIBE of Portland S.H.I.N.E. for Young Artists Summer Camps (Jun. 24-28, Jul. 1-3, Jul. 8-12, Aug. 12-16)

• Portland Art Intensive at Buckman (Jun. 17 - Jul. 12)

• Portland Metro Fire Camp for Women (Portland Jun. 21-23, Sherwood Jul. 12-14)

• VIBE of Portland East Winds Band Camp (July 22-26)
  (Spanish) (Russian)

• VIBE of Portland Music & Digital Art Classes for Kids

• Cognizart 360 Arts Summer Camp (Jul. 8-12, 15-19, & 22-26)

• OSU Summer Reading Program (Jun. 15 - Aug. 17)

Preschool Programs:

• Multnomah Early Childhood Program Peer Preschool Classes
  (Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali) (Korean) (Arabic) (Persian)

• Portland Parks Preschool 2024-25

Community Events & Information:

• Rose Festival Student Volunteer Opportunities (Jun. 1-7)

• AFS-USA Student Exchange Programs information sessions (Apr. 9, May 13, Jun. 10)

• Oregon State University Summer Dog-training Research Program for Children with Developmental Differences

• City of Portland 311 Non-Emergency Hotline
  (Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali)

Vaccinations, Health & Wellness:

• Multnomah County Free Community Vaccination Clinic (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays)
  (English) (Spanish) (Vietnamese) (Chinese) (Russian) (Somali)

• Multnomah County Student Health Centers (fliers in English, Russian, Chinese, and Vietnamese):

• Cleveland HS

• Franklin HS

• Jefferson HS

• McDaniel HS

• Roosevelt HS