HP Post
September 2nd, 2024
Settling In & A Few Reminders
The initial rush of the beginning of the school year has died down and Panthers are settling in. It is great to have routines set and to be able to focus on classes and academics. I have enjoyed joining classes and watching students engage in discussion and learning. From labs to citing evidence your scholars are busy!
Mid Term Grades- Teachers submitted mid term grades at the end of last week. If you did not opt for paperless report cards, please be on the lookout for grades to arrive in the mail this week. If you opted for paperless report cards you can access them through ParentVue. If you have questions about grades we encourage you to contact your student's teacher directly. Generally, email is the best way to make contact.
Lockers- All scholars should have a locker assigned to them at this point. Students are expected to put their backpack in their locker upon arrival and it should remain there until the end of the school day. As a reminder we do not allow bags in classrooms. The exception is a small (approximately 6X6) bag for hygiene products.
Lanyards- All students were given a lanyard with a name tag. Once student IDs arrive we will ask students to replace name tags with their ID. Lanyards should be worn at all times. We are working hard to normalize wearing lanyards as it is a PPS Board expectation to increase student safety in middle and high schools. Students may forget their lanyards at home at times. If this happens we provide them with a sticker to be worn for the day. We encourage students to keep their lanyard with their binder to make it easier to bring it daily. The first lanyard set was provided to all students. We will be checking this week in Advisories to ensure students have their lanyard, a temporary name/ID card and plastic ID holder. After this week's refresh if a student needs to replace their lanyard and ID holder there is a $2 charge for a new set. These can be purchased in the main office before or after school.
Tardies- We allowed students several weeks to establish routes to classes, adjust to lockers and navigate hallways. At this time we will begin fully implementing our tardy policy. After the bell rings students will be marked tardy by their teacher. An additional bell rings five minutes into class and students arriving to class after this time must go to the office to get a pink slip before they will be allowed into class.
If students receive more than three tardies in a week they will be assigned a lunch detention and contact home will be made.
Sixth Grade Mixer
This Thursday, October 10th we will hold a 6th Grade Mixer. This is a free event for 6th graders only put on by our fantastic 8th Grade WEBsters.
Who- 6th Graders
What- 6th Grade Mixer will include, games, dancing, treats, and more
When Thursday October 10th from 4:00-5:00
Where- Harrison Park
Why- To spend time with our new friends and celebrate being an Panther.
What Else- 6th Graders will receive permission forms to stay after school on Monday in their 7th period class. They will need to turn in their permission form to their 1st period Advisory teacher by Wednesday. On Thursday morning 6th graders will get a bracelet that will give them entry to the event. They must also have their lanyard to enter. Please note students may not leave campus and return for the event and we will not allow students to turn in permission forms at the door.
Questions? Please contact the office @ 503.916.5700.
Attendance Matters
Parents please be sure to call the office 10-15 minutes before picking up your students. This allows us time to get the student out of class and provide them time to go to their locker and get their things. We know sometimes parents are in a rush to get to an appointment and it can be frustrating to wait for a student to be pulled from class, retrieve their things and get to the office. Calling ahead will alleviate any issues. This is especially needed at lunch time when students can be in multiple locations.
Is your student going to be absent? These are ways you can notify us your student will be out.
Email us at attendance-harrisonpark@pps.net
Leave a voicemail on the attendance line 503-916-6824 anytime day or night.
Contact us though Let's Talk.
Please leave us your students name, grade and the reason for their absence. These are the best ways to make sure we receive your message in case one of our secretaries is out of the office for the day.
Drop Off & Pickup Reminders
Traffic before and after school is unavoidable. When dropping off a student using the front parking lot is okay. When picking up students after school we must keep traffic moving. If you use the parking lot for pick up, and your student is not ready to be picked up, we will ask you to either park and wait for them or to loop back around. We can not allow cars to wait in the front lot as it backs up traffic. Please refrain from parking in the handicap parking spots, and the striped lines between them, unless you have a permit.
There is parking available in front of the front parking lot on the street. Be aware it has signage that says "five minute parking, driver to remain at wheel" . For everyone's safety please have your scholar exit the car along the curb . Please do not have your student enter, or exit the car in the middle of the street as it is a hazard for your student and others.
Cell Phone Policy & Reminders
Harrison Park has largely been successful in keeping cellphones off and away during the school day. Our hope is our scholars can come to school and focus on learning and collaboration with their peers. We ask parents to support in this endeavor by being aware of our policy. If you need to contact your student during the school day please call the office @ 503.916.5700. We can relay a message to your student or have your scholar call you from the office.
1st Instance Staff will:
● Verbally remind the student of the cell phone policy “silenced and away all day”
2nd Instance Staff will:
● Remind the student of the cell phone policy “silenced and away all day”
● Write a stage one referral and communicate this to the student and refer the stage one referral to appropriate Admin.
● Contact the Student’s Parent/Guardian
3rd Instance The teacher will:
& Beyond ● Write a stage 2/3 referral
An administrator will:
● Contact the Student’s Parent/Guardian
● Relay to the Student and Parent/Guardian the school’s cell phone policy and consequences. Students will be put on the following Phone Plans:
1st time = Turn phone in for one week (5 school days)
2nd time = Turn phone in for two weeks
3rd time = Turn phone in for four weeks
Continued usage = Turn phone in for the remainder of the semester and/or year
Phone Plans:
Students turning phones in will check their phone in at the office and retrieve it at the end of the day.
B. Leave their phone at home during school hours.
Let’s all be ACCOUNTABLE, SAFE, and KIND by putting our silenced phones away during the school day.
SUN School Update
Harrison Park is a SUN school (Schools Uniting Neighborhoods). Funding for SUN is through Multnomah County. The goal of SUN Schools is to provide extended day opportunities for students, education and partnership with families and community resources.
IRCO (Immigrant Refugee Community Organization) oversees the Harrison Park program and is in the process of hiring Harrison Park's SUN Manager. Mrs.Dickey, Harrison Park's Principal, took place in these interviews this past week. Our hope is to have our new SUN Manager hired in the next few weeks. Once they are onsite they will begin planning programing and opportunities for our students and families. We are excited to get them on campus! Stay tuned for more information.
Upcoming Dates
October 10th- WIN (What I Need Day) and Assembly & 6th Grade Mixer
October 11th- No School, State Inservice
October 15th- School Starts @ 9:30
October 23rd- Early Release School out @ 1:45 (WIN, Assembly)
October 31st- Last Day of 1st Quarter
November 1st- No School, Grading Day
November 4th- No School Teacher Planning Day
What is Advisory?
In a few recent parent meetings there were questions about Advisory. Here are a few things to know about our Advisory program at Harrison Park.
Advisory takes place on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays for half an hour at the conclusion of first period. Your scholar's Advisory teacher is their first period teacher. Advisories also have another adult, or Advisory Partner, who comes into the class once a week, in most cases, to support with Advisory lessons. On early release days, like our last one, students will spend at least an hour in an extended Advisory lesson where our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Curriculum is delivered. Harrison Park's curriculum is We Do It 4 the Culture. This curriculum is one of three options PPS Middle Schools can use. You can find more information here: https://wedoit4theculture.com/
We also use Advisory as a home base for students. This is where they receive information about school events, receive instruction on AVID strategies, and more. Here is a list of topics we have covered in the last few weeks:
Organization Tips & Binders
MAP Assessment Information & Pointers (Why We Do It)
Planners (Instructions on filling them out, etc.)
Community Circles/Connections
Coming up- SMART Goals using MAP Assessment
Advisory is a time for students to make connections, get information and create a strong school family. If you have questions about Advisory please feel free to reach out.
