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The Eagle's Nest
4.18.24
Grout Family Newsletter
Looking Ahead...
April
TONIGHT! April 18 - Art Committee Meeting, 4-5:00 pm, Room 105
TONIGHT! April 18 - Workout for Grout @ Rep Movement 1100 SE Division St Suite #103, 6:30pm-7:15pm
April 24 - SUN Financial Literacy Class, 6-7:30 pm
April 25 - Talent Show Auditions, 2:30-3:30 pm
April 26 - Talent Show Auditions, 2:30-4:30 pm
April 26 - Movie Night @ Grout, 5:45 pm-8:30 pm
April 30-May 2 - Scholastic Book Fair @ Grout, 2:15 pm-5:30 pm
May
April 29 - May 3 - Kindness Week!
May 1 - First day of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
May 6 - 5th Grade Fly Up at Hosford, 9:30-11 am
May 6-10 - Teacher / Staff Appreciation Week
May 15 - Free! Ice Cream Social and PTA General Meeting @ Grout, 5-7pm
May 15 - 5th Grade Family Night at Hosford
A few things of note from Principal Self...
Dear Grout Families,
Spring is in the air and we are very busy wrapping up this year and planning ahead for next. I am excited to share about some upcoming events here at Grout, but first I would like to extend my congratulations to Alvin (3rd grade) for his wonderful art work and Lydia, Elizabeth, and Calvin (5th grade) for their participation in the choir at the HeART of Portland event earlier this week.
Budget / Staffing Update
As a district we are facing limited revenue, declining enrollment and rising expenses, which leads to a $170 million gap over the next 3 years. The district is able to mitigate some of this gap by using the district’s reserve monies. After that, there is still a $110 million gap spread over 3 years. What does this mean for Grout Elementary? For the most part, we were able to retain staffing levels for next year that allow us to provide the same or similar levels of support for students.
We will continue to have 12 classroom teachers (2 at each grade level) and 2 CB focus classrooms. Based on our current and projected enrollment, class sizes continue to remain within the district thresholds for each grade level. We know a couple of grade levels are at or close to those threshold numbers. We also know that the opening of the nearby apartment complex and general movement may cause those numbers to shift over the summer. The district has a process to request additional set aside funds if our actual numbers exceed threshold limits in the fall.
Where we saw the most impact on our staff was in our Enrichment classes. While students will continue to have PE twice a week and art, music, and library each once a week, we did receive reductions in our enrichment teachers allocated time to Grout.
Art Committee
Please remember to join us this afternoon for our new Art Committee from 4:00 - 5:00 pm in Room 105. We will be planning for this spring fundraising and art programming for next year.
Vision and Mission Development for Grout at Movie Night
We would like your input as we update our vision and mission for Grout. We are reaching out to various stakeholders this spring to get feedback on Grout’s vision and mission. Hearing from all of our families is an important part of this process. Please join us during the upcoming Movie Night on April 26 to be part of this process.
Cleveland High School Modernization
As you probably know, the district has been seeking input for the Cleveland High School Modernization. They are hosting a drop-in open house on Wednesday, April 24th from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the Cleveland Auditorium and Main Hallway.
Congratulations Alvin T.!!!!
Third grade student, Alvin T, from Ms. William's class, was honored with other PPS students at the annual HeART of Portland event. This year, the event was held at the Portland Art Museum. Grout's art teacher, Kendra Meyer, led the students in using modeling clay (Plasticine) to study Landscape and Color Mixing. Here is the description displayed at the event:
Third graders explored the plasticine-relief illustrations of children's book illustrator Barbara Reid, in particular, her book called Picture the Sky. This project challenged their abilities to mix colors and create textures to depict a sky in a painterly way, using a variety of colors, and stepping away from out-of-the-box blue. Both the movement of our "strokes" and colors of our skies combined to communicate a specifice mood in our work. The wondrous and ever changing sky can often tell different stories and capture our imagination.
Congratulations Alvin and Ms. Kendra!!!
Lost and Found
Our lost and found is overflowing! Please come and check it out and take home what you might be missing. It is located just inside the doors on SE 32nd and you can come check it out anytime before or after school or during the school day if that works better for you. There are a lot of really nice coats and sweatshirts just waiting to go home. If it isn't picked up by May 1st, we will donate it.
Talent Show
Looking for Talent Coaches (Talent Show Rehearsal Volunteers)
We are looking for adults with experience in performance and entertainment to help our student performers refine, develop, and elevate their performances. You must have a valid district background check to volunteer. If you have any background in performance or entertainment (dance, theater, stage/crew, music, etc) and are willing to advise students on how to improve their performances little by little, we would love your help. We'd need you during the rehearsal in the gym on 5/10 from 2:30-3:30.
For more information or to sign up, please email Mr. Solitaria (msolitaria@pps.net).
Save the date!
Grout Talent Show
Friday, June 7, 2024
- During school (students/staff only): 1-2 PM
- Evening Show (students, staff, family and friends): Doors open at 6:00 PM, Show from 6:30-7:30 PM
Questions? Email Mr. Solitaria (msolitaria@pps.net)
Upcoming Event at Cleveland High School: "The Boys Are Not Alright: Building a Culture of Healthy Masculinity" Thursday, April 25th at 5:30pm.
About the event:
Come join us for a robust evening discussion on how we can build a culture of healthy masculinity! More than ever, the young men in our community need adults who care about their well-being to know about the pervasive and often hidden impact misogyny has on their world, and invest in strategies that will allow them to become strong and loving men who respect and value people of all genders. Misogyny doesn’t just hurt girls and women, it degrades and diminishes our boys as well. But, our young men can’t be what they can’t see. They need role models and peers to provide positive and successful examples. That is why we are proud to have these men participate in our panel discussion.
Website to get your FREE tickets:
Learn about Inclusive & Adaptive Recreation Opportunities in Portland
Please see the attached flyer for more information.
Saturday, April 20
10:30-1:00
East Portland Community Center
Come Support the PPS Community Transition Program
The PPS Community Transition Program is holding a fund raiser on Saturdays April 20, 27 and May 11. If you are interested in supporting them, please visit their Spring Plant Sale to get your garden planted!
Youth Advocacy Liberation Leadership Summit
Are you looking to make connections with peers in the LGBTQ+ community? Are you curious about what middle school or high school might be like for you? Are you an educator or caregiver who wants to learn more about how to support your LGBTQ+ students? Do you want to learn more about how ODE supports and affirms LGBTQ+ identity in our state? You've come to the right place! Come be in joyful community to celebrate and affirm everything under the rainbow.
The event is Saturday, April 27th 9:15-2p. This day is for students 3rd-12th grade, their caregivers, and PPS staff alike. We'll bring breakfast, lunch, snacks, and entertainment, you bring the joy! For more information or to register, please contact your school counselor (astaples@pps.net).
Indian Education - MMIWGP Day
May 5 is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women/Girls/People Awareness Day.
In May 2023, President Biden proclaimed May 5th Missing Murdered and Indigenous
Persons Day. Lead by the Indigenous communities of Canada and United States, this
grass roots movement is working to prevent the assault and murder of Indigenous
people.
American Indians and Alaska Natives are 2.5 times as likely to experience violent crimes
and at least 2 times more likely to experience rape or sexual assault crimes compared to
all other races. Further exasperating the crisis is the lack of reporting of crimes and
persecution of criminals. The movement has widened to include all Indigenous people,
not just women and girls.
PPS Indian Education and the PPS Native Staff Advisory would like to bring a greater
awareness to our PPS community about Missing Murdered and Indigenous Women and
Girls Day. One simple way to show support is to wear red on May 5. Because May 5 is a Sunday, many school people will be wearing red on Friday, May 3. Please see the attached flyer for more information.
Teacher Feature: Ms. Meyer!!!
Ms. Meyer (formerly Ms. Yao) has been teaching in Portland Public Schools for eleven years. She started her PPS career at Boise-Eliot/Humboldt K-8, and then came to Grout 7 years ago! Now she teaches half-time at Grout and half-time at nearby Creston Elementary.
Ms. Meyer attended The Ohio State University, which had a highly selective graduate art education program that was challeging to get into! One of the best days of her life was finding out she had been accepted and could become an art teacher one day. After grad school and student teaching, she started working in museums - planning family days, touring school groups in galleries, and directing summer camps with hundreds of children. When asked what she likes about teaching, Ms. Meyer said, "I always thought the art room could be a place where all students felt good and could be themselves, as weird and wonderful and different as they might be. I want students to try hard things and then feel good when they succeed in something they never thought they could do. I think that a lot of kid art is actually way better than adult art, in terms of creativitiy, ideas, and even execution. My only disappointment is that I only get to see students once a week, but I know they could really thrive and grow with more visits. Maybe one day!"
Ms. Meyer has a daughter, named Miranda, who is currently a 7th grader and appears in some if Ms. Meyer's teaching videos. She also has a chiweenie named Moxie, and a sweet tabby cat named Trudy, who also appears in some of her teaching videos. Ms. Meyer began making videos for herself to use in class so that she could remember all of the details and demonstrate making art up close. She posts her recorded lessons on YouTube and now has 1.19K followers on her channel!!!
A little known fact about Ms. Meyer is that she loves to dance. She danced in college: ballet, jazz, West African, and Hip Hop. She is also a musician - playing piano, flute, and baritone horn - even in a marching band!
A joke from Ms. Meyer: "I really don't like those Russian Nesting Dolls. Do you know why?"
[No, why?] "Because they're just so full of themselves!"
PTA News!!!
Upcoming Events:
April 18, 6:30pm-7:15pm, Workout for Grout @ Rep Movement 1100 SE Division St Suite #103 Like Dine out, except you are working out! Sign up in advance, see Konstella.
April 26, 5:45pm-8:00pm, Free! Family Movie Night @ Grout (The Peanuts Movie)
April 27, 9am -12pm, Spring Garden Clean up @ Grout Garden
April 30-May 2, 2:15pm-5:30pm, Scholastic Book Fair @ Grout
May 6-10: Teacher / Staff Appreciation Week
May 15, 5-7pm, Free! Ice Cream Social and PTA General Meeting @ Grout
Want to Help?
We will need volunteers for all of the above events.
-Family Movie Night: Help to set up, pop popcorn, and run the concession stand. Sign up on Konstella.
-Spring Garden Clean up: Help fix the fence and clean up the garden at the Spring Garden Clean up. No sign up needed, you can just show up.
-Scholastic Book Fair: Help set up, run the fair, check out customers, clean up the fair. Many opportunities over multiple days. See Konstella now for sign-ups.
-Teacher Appreciation: Help plan, procure, and execute the plan for teacher appreciation week. Email groutpta@gmail.com to find out more. Some sign ups will be available on Konstella starting April 29.
Scholastic Book Fair
Get ready, the Scholastic Book Fair is coming our way (YAY!). Choosing their own books empowers kids and inspires them on their journey to becoming lifelong readers. AND, as always, every purchase at the Fair benefits our school.
The Spring event will take place from 2:15-5:30 on April 30-May 2 at Grout room 105.
Before the Fair, you can set up eWallet, a digital payment account for your child, for cash-free purchases. Anyone can contribute! Share each child’s eWallet so friends and family can add funds and give your kids more books to enjoy. If you can’t make it to the Fair, then shop at our school’s Book Fair online.
Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more and get started with eWallet and online shopping:
https://www.scholastic.com/bf/grout
Catch you at the Fair and happy reading!
Volunteers Needed for 2024-2025 Grout PTA Board
For the 2024-2025 school year, we will need to fill several positions both on the PTA Executive Board and positions that work with the board. Executive Board members meet once a month via Zoom (day and time TBD at August meeting). If you are interested in any of the following, please email groutpta@gmail.com.
Communications Chair- Make flyers in Canva for events. Post events on Facebook and Konstella. Not responsible for Dine Outs. Ability to attend month Executive Board meetings preferred.
Garden Chair- organize two garden clean ups, the Native Plant sale (very organized already), the summer watering (although it sounds like Trevor would be good to do this still), and possibly other garden needs as they arise. Apply for grants we have received regularly (once a year). Can be on the Executive Board or not, up to you.
Fundraising and Grants Chair- organize our granting process in the fall- sending out the info, collecting the grants, and sending out emails after decisions are made. Additionally, setting up the GoFundMe and possibly considering other fundraising options. Prefer this position is an Executive Board member and attends monthly board meetings.
Member At Large- Do you have something else you are passionate about and also want to be on the PTA Executive Board? Just email us with ideas or questions.
T-shirt/Merch Helper- This is a fall only need. The school helps to run a t-shirt design contest. Then this position works with teachers and our vendor to order the free t-shirts every student gets, and set up the community and staff merchandise stores. The Board decides on the shirt color and if we are going to increase prices as a fundraiser. Everything is usually finalized and orders are delivered (by us) before winter break. Does not have to be on the Executive Board.
Winter Festival Chair- Helps to coordinate and organize the other volunteers who put together the Winter Festival. We usually have 7-8 volunteers (several returnees) who help to organize, procure and run the Winter Festival activities. This job is really about corralling people, organizing ideas, keeping things on track, etc. Do not have to be on the Executive Board.
Community Resources
Highlighted items are new.
Contests
US Congressional Art Competition (entries due 5:30pm, Mon. Apr. 29)
(Rules) (Student Release Form)
Camps, Classes, & After School Programs:
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)
Rec Tennis Maplewood Tennis Afterschool Zone (Apr. 9 - May 28)
Portland Metro Fire Camp for Women (Portland Jun. 21-23, Sherwood Jul. 12-14)
City of Portland / Rose City Self-Defense Workshop Series:
Foster / Powell neighborhood, April 10 & 17
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)
Preschool Programs:
Portland Parks Preschool 2024-25
“Portland Parks & Recreation is holding a registration lottery for our Educational Preschool program for the 2024-25 school year. Interested families can apply now through February 21 to be included in the lottery.”Multnomah Early Childhood Program Free Preschool Classes
(Spanish) (Vietnamese)
Community Events & Information:
Prevention Rocks Conference: A free, family-friendly event focused on reducing youth substance use. (Apr. 20)
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: