Bulldog Bulletin 02.12.25

The weather forecast is teasing us again with the potential for snow this week, but it is also showing a potential for freezing rain and ice. Either way, it's VERY cold outside these days and some students are not dressed appropriately for the low temperatures we are experiencing.

Please be sure your child is dressed warm enough for the two 15-20 minute recesses they have each day. We do not allow students to stay inside for cold/rainy weather unless we call an official "indoor recess" due to extreme weather that may cause health or safety issues. For example, we would call indoor recess if we saw lightning, icy conditions that may cause injuries, extremely heavy rainstorms that would leave students soaking wet even with a coat on, etc.

Our teachers will continue to do their best to remind students to grab their jackets before recess and lunch-recess. Please be sure to check our Lost & Found in the cafeteria for lost jackets, gloves, scarves, etc.

Here's how to stay informed on PPS school closures due to inclement weather:

• PPS will send text alerts to families, students and PPS staff who have opted in to receive SMS text alerts on their cell phones. If you are a parent or guardian, a student or a PPS staff member, you can opt in to receive texts by texting YES to 68453.
• An automated phone call is sent to affected families.
• The District has a Twitter feed to relay closure, delay and emergency information. Follow @PPSConnect.
• Information also is posted on the PPS website and submitted to the media.
• Snow routes and alternative stops will be called for AM or PM or both depending upon the road conditions or weather forecast.
• Additional District announcements could come out throughout the day as the weather is monitored.

Click here to review the full PPS website on inclement weather & school closures.

Although the "exact" 100th day varies a tiny bit depending on which grade level you ask, we will be celebrating the 100th day of school at Richmond on Friday, February 14th. Our 4th/5th grade Student Leadership members have created a list of fun dress up themes to choose from to celebrate this big day together. Check out the many ways your child can participate!

This is just a friendly reminder that PPS schools are closed for the holiday on Monday, February 17th. I'm hoping we do not experience any icy conditions this weekend so that everyone can enjoy their 3-day weekend.

This cultural exchange with Sumaura Elementary School is a highlight for our school each year. Sumaura is located in Kobe, Japan and it is where our 5th graders visit if they choose to attend the 5th grade trip to Japan.

We start their visit with a welcome assembly that showcases their students' talents as well as ours, then the Sumaura students visit classrooms and attend Specials, recess and lunch with our students. It has been lots of fun seeing both Sumaura and Richmond students use both Japanese and English in their interactions with one another. Click here to check out the awesome dance the Sumaura students performed at the assembly!

Thank you to our staff and volunteers for supporting this cultural exchange. I also want to express my gratitude to the Richmond families who have opened up their homes to the Sumaura students during their stay here in Portland. They had the best time here! Some of our students and staff came outside to wave goodbye as the Sumaura team left for the airport this afternoon, and everyone was all smiles.

Please review the SEL topics for each grade level this week and ask your child about what they learned with their school counselor (K-3 Ms. Matty & 4th-5th Mr. Candor).

Kindergarten will be reading Personal Space Camp, by Julie Cook to review and practice ways to maintain safe boundaries in school.

1st Grade will be reading Ravi's Roar, by Tom Percival and discussing the parts of our brain that have to do with feelings and learning. We'll talk about how to manage our big feelings when we go to the "red zone" and "flip our lids."

2nd Grade will be discussing the difference between passive, assertive and aggressive communication. We'll practice speaking up for ourselves in kind and respectful ways.

3rd Grade will discuss the benefits of using "I statements" when resolving conflicts and practice how to do so with given scenarios.

4th grade is exploring identity and what factors impact our identities.

5th grade is forming questions they want to ask at Mt. Tabor Middle School and thinking about what we want to learn about Middle School before the transition.

Educational Assistant - 0.375 FTE - Richmond K-5

Job Opening ID: 28419

I would like to encourage anyone in our community who may be interested in a temporary part-time position at Richmond starting ASAP and ending at the end of this school year (June 2025) to apply today.

This Educational Assistant (EA) opening is a 15-hour per week, Monday-Friday, temporary part-time position funded by the last remaining funds we have from our Richmond Foundation's donations.

We are looking for someone who is patient, flexible, a team-player, loves to work with children ages 5-11, and can respond to radio calls and student needs as they come up throughout the day.

The EA's roles and responsibilities may include:

• Lunch & recess supervision support (lunch-recess blocks are from 10:45-12:30)
• Classroom academic support (K-5 classrooms)
• Social-emotional support for students (1:1 or in small groups)
• Behavioral support (supervising students who are independently calming down in a break space)

To apply, please click here and submit an application for Job ID 28419. The job will remain open until filled.

School Webpage HERE
District Student Handbook
Google Dismissal and Dismissal Changes Form
Want to Volunteer?
Fliers approved for distribution
Richmond Calendar
School Supplies Online Payment

Calling all PTA members and all community members who may or may not be PTA curious, no pressure to join or participate! Feel free to come and listen and ask questions without commitment!! Don't miss this chance to connect with the PTA! Discover what we've accomplished, get a sneak peek at our plans for the year, and see how your generous donations are being spent and making a difference. Let's work together to make this school year amazing!

One Off Volunteer Opportunities!

Zoom Information:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87951681408?pwd=mzm3RDHnH6qA6kWTyy8eIDyGOn6Wk3.1

Meeting ID: 879 5168 1408

Passcode: 290709

A belated HAPPY HAPPY NATIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELOR WEEK (Feb 3 - 7) to our AMAZING Ms. Matty and Mr. Candor. The school is so grateful and fortunate to have you support our students and I personally really appreciate all you do for the QSA/LGBTQIA+ affinity groups! Coffee is on us this coming Tuesday, 2/11!

PTA members will be available every Tuesday in our snazzy PTA red vests to answer any questions or just chat about what we do on the board. As an aside, your friendly Rich Coffee Broista NEVER EVER EVER imagined himself as a PTA parent. I didn’t grow up with PTA parents, I didn’t imagine I’d fit in with PTA parents, and I didn’t expect I could contribute enough time or knowledge to be helpful. But I do really need and enjoy community so I gave it a try. I chose Rich Coffee because it was somewhat low hanging fruit for me. I love to feed people and I worked as a barista for a few years in my 20s. And so, I found my way to the PTA by way of the coffee bean. Perhaps you like gardening or are invested in a green future (Super Green Team). Perhaps you are good with logistics and planning (support event planning). Perhaps you are good with running a business or administrative tasks (LEADERSHIP!). Or perhaps you just want to pop in here and there to help. We have a place for you at Richmond PTA. Sincerely from a non-PTA PTA parent.

On that note, f you’re interested in testing the waters of Rich Coffee involvement or even co-leadership, email me at richcoffeepta@gmail.com, message Jason Kyler-Yano on Konstella, or stop by and ask Cass, Isaac, Carly, or Jason about stepping behind the buffalo plaid tablecloth!

See you there every Tuesday in the cafeteria from 8:00 to 8:30.

P.S. Since this is the last week of Read4Richmond and a week that lives within Black History Month, I thought I’d uplift one of my favorite black authors. Octavia Butler, the prolific sci fi author can force you to turn page after page all while tearing your heart out, rewiring how your brain understands the world, and injecting a sense of hope and responsibility back into your being all between two covers of a book. See: Kindred, Parable of the Sower, Parable of the Talents, and many many others.

Thank you to all volunteers helping us to make the New Year’s Festival + Craft Fair successful and all who could join to enjoy it! Mochi was sold out , Taiko performances were amazing, love seeing kids experience pounding, and carrying around cute crafts, like Kadomatsu or Koinobori!

See you next year!

５年生の藤原先生のクラスで日本語スピーカーの募集をしています！もしお時間があり、興味のある方、ぜひ下のリンクからサインアップをお願いします！！

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094FABAE2DA2FEC34-2324#/

PTA Read 4 Richmond: February 3-14!

We are so proud of our Richmond Readers! Incredible work already surpassing the fundraising goal! You have certainly earned the special assembly (stay tuned next week for more details and dates). So far, both first grade classrooms and Maehara-sensei’s fourth grade classroom have the top reading time and will get priority seating at the special assembly. Let’s keep the momentum going through this week! (The last day to log minutes is this Friday, February 14th.) If your child has not yet registered, it is not too late to participate! www.read4richmond.com.

What a great opportunity to celebrate Black History Month by reading a book from this list of Best Selling and Classic Children’s Books curated by Mahogany Books, a black owned bookstore in Washington DC. Don’t forget to also stop by Portland’s very own black-owned independent bookstore, Third Eye Books off of SE 33rd. This last week of Read4Richmond, as is every week, is a great week to read a book by a Black author and get immersed in a Black Story!

Save the date - the Richmond Elementary Science Fair is back! Join us on Friday, April 18th, as the Richmond community comes together to celebrate our students’ creativity and scientific curiosity. Stay tuned for more details!

The Benefit is Oya No Kai’s primary fundraising event, and it’s a great party besides. We hope you will consider joining us. Feel free to start perusing the catalog online to start planning your bids!

Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025

Time: 6:00 – 9:30 pm

Location: The Melody Event Center, 615 SE Alder Street, Portland, OR 97214

Cost: $85/ticket ($50 for teachers & school staff)

Get your Tickets here! Ticket sales will close on February 20, 2025 or when we sell out, so get yours today!

The Annual Benefit can’t be as fun or run smoothly without wonderful volunteers. Some of the activities we need help with include:

• Event set-up
• Monitors for the silent auction
• Recorders/runners during the live auction
• Registration table
• Extra hands at the Dessert Dash and Wine Wheel
• Event clean-up
• And more! (See the full list of volunteer opportunities)

Volunteers working the event will be given a bid number and dinner in the green room. Volunteers who would like to have the event dinner and purchase a ticket, please let Victoria know before 2/14/2025 at benefit@oyanokai.org.

Calling all bakers!

To donate a homemade dessert or something purchased, please email: Holly Telerant at hollytelerant@gmail.com

Ideally, desserts would feed 10 people or more. Individual desserts (cupcakes, big cookies, macaroons, donuts) are easy to serve for a crowd, but gorgeous cakes and pies are popular too! Unfortunately, we cannot take desserts that need refrigeration.

Let us know if you would like contribute. Or if you are connected to a sweet small business, can work your magic to get something donated??

If you prefer to pitch in with your wallet, donate funds to purchase desserts to Ashley Parkinson:

PayPal: @AshleyJParkinson

Venmo: @Ashley-Parkinson-2

The wheel is one of the fun games during the ONK benefit night. Participants pay to spin the wheel then take home delicious wine and/or sake. All the money raised goes straight to our beloved ONK so everyone wins!

NOW is the time to donate wine and/or sake! Here’s what we need from you:

1-2 bottles with retail of $75 and up or

3-4 bottles with retail of $25-$50 or

2-3 bottles of sake any retail value

NW wines are always preferred (keeping it local) but not required. Pull a few bottles from your stash or visit a local wine shop to purchase your donation.

Email benefit@oyanokai.org to set up drop off of your donation.

Registration for our beloved annual JDLI tradition will open soon!

Westwind is a non-profit camp on the Oregon coast where Oya No Kai has hosted family weekends for over 20 years. These weekends enable the JDLI community to come together and build friendships through fellowship, relaxation, and fun.

Weekend 1: May 16-19 ($185 per person)
Weeknd 2: May 23-26 ($235 per person)

Westwind Lottery Opens February 21

Beds are limited, so we use a lottery system to make sure we can fairly determine who can attend. It’s free to register for the lottery.

All the details (including lottery registration links) are coming soon, but in the meantime, check out our video all about the JDLI Westwind Weekends! https://videopress.com/v/cMKvbfrs

We have 19 interns, a coordinator, and registration ready to go, but we lost our venue! We are scrambling to find a new spot for kurabu this year, and will open pre-registration in the coming weeks while we search.

Once the location is secured, Kurabu will be held over four weeks, June 30th through July 21st (except for 7/4).

Let us know if you have a lead on a location!

We are still looking for 1 more host family for Suzuri, 1st grade intern, from February to mid August! She is very active and always smiling at school. We hope to find the great family to support her last half of her internship in Portland.

March 10th, Monday, at 6:30pm, Richmond cafeteria

Nolan, who graduated from the program in 2024, recently returned home for a break from college in Japan. He is eager to assist Richmond students with any homework or improving their Japanese skills. Feel free to reach out to him for support