McDaniel Family Newsletter

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Hello McDaniel Community,

This Monday, we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. MLK day is a day of reflection, action, and unity. It’s an opportunity for us to embrace his vision of equality, justice, and peace.

Let’s come together to not only celebrate the impact he had on our society but the ongoing work we all have in building a more inclusive and compassionate world. Whether through service, reflection, or spreading kindness, every small action counts.

This evening at 11:59 pm the forecasting system in synergy will close. RISING SOPHOMORE, JUNIOR and SENIOR STUDENTS MUST FORECAST IN STUDENTVUE. If your student has not completed forecasting, sit down with them this evening and help them finish forecasting in studentvue. Directions can be found here. Currently we have around 55% of students who have submitted their forecasting requests in StudentVue.

We have compiled student and family resources from PPS and local government agencies for families to view here.

• This FAQ answers many questions about the steps Portland Public Schools will be taking to safeguard staff and students going forward.

• The Immigrant Legal Resource Center Little Red Card (MHS will have these cards in the Main Office) This card is meant to help people assert their rights and defend themselves in many situations. These can be printed out and carried on your person.

• Know Your Rights for Families/Students (Oregon ACLU)

• Immigrant Rights Resources One Pager

• PPS’s Office for Civil Rights offers support addressing discrimination, harassment, and bias-related concerns

• McKinney-Vento serves all students who do not have a fixed, regular or adequate living situation

• 211: Calls are answered 24/7 in 150 languages at 2-1-1 or email help@211.org. Community specialists help families with resources pertaining to housing, food, financial assistance, legal assistance organizations, English lessons, and more.

• Racial Equity Support Line. The Racial Equity Support Line is led and staffed by people with lived experience of racism: (503) 575-3764, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

• Department of Justice Community toolkit developed by Oregon’s Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

Fentanyl Awareness:

PPS

Oregon Health Authority

Song for Charlie

Recover, Education & Action for Healthy Living

Tri-County Opioid Information

Big Village PDX

SafeOregon.com

DEA

District Testing Update: Wednesday, March 5th will not be a regular day at McDaniel High School. It is a district testing day. It is also a shorter day. School will begin at 8:26 and end at 1:30. Please read the information below about each grade level and the expectations for that day. Lunch will be provided.

9th Grade - 9th graders will participate in a Poetry Slam that day. More information to come from their teachers.

10th Grade - 10th graders will take the PreACT. It is a paper/pencil exam. Students need to be on time (8:26) that day. Students that arrive late will not be able to take the PreACT.

11th Grade - 11th graders will be taking the SAT. This is digital and they will need their chromebook and a charger. They will not be able to take the SAT if they do not have their chromebook that is fully charged. We do not have enough loaners to give out if students do not have their chromebook. Students need to arrive on time. Late students will not be allowed to test.

12th Grade - 12th graders will have workshops to help them finish any of their graduation requirements.

Any questions about this day, please contact Kerri West at 503-916-5220. Thank you.

Senior Updates:

Yesterday Seniors had a meeting with Mr. Skyles to get important information for this year. The slides will be posted on Trivory.

This year we are requiring students to have 80% attendance in order to go to the prom. Other schools have done this and we know it supports students with obtaining their ultimate goal of graduation. Any student that struggles with attendance can work with a Vice Principal, Dean, or our Attendance Coach to set up an individual contract to show improvement and meet the goal of 80% ADA for a selected amount of time before the dance. We are here to support students with this. Any questions, please contact Steven Collazo or Kerri West 503-916-5220.

Have a great weekend and we will see you all on Tuesday.

Adam Skyles

Principal

McDaniel High School

January 20th: No School - Martin Luther King Jr Day

January 22-24: Semester 1 Finals

January 27th: No School - Grading Day

January 28th: No School - Teacher Planning Day

February 1st: Senior Pictures and Quotes Due

February 19th: Immunization Deadline

Senior Portraits and Senior Quotes for the yearbook are due February 1st! Please click the links below to submit your information!

February 18th is the early bird deadline for OSAC. Please stop by the College and Career Center if you have questions or need assistance.

Join the BIKETOWN Youth Ambassador Program and get paid while developing leadership

and public speaking skills, promoting a healthy lifestyle and fulfilling your CRLE graduation

requirement. There are three available positions so apply today by scanning the QR code or

visiting the link on informational flyers posted around school.

Congratulations to McDaniel's Constitution Team who competed Jan. 11th in the We the People regional competition.

Co-sponsored by the Center for Civic Education, We the People engages high school students in a curriculum designed to foster understanding of the institutions of American democracy, including the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Each January, the We the People competition brings together high school teams from around the state. Students demonstrate their understanding of constitutional principles and have opportunities to evaluate, take positions and ultimately defend those positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues during a simulated congressional hearing.

34 seniors have been studying all semester in order to deliver a 4 minute prepared response and then answer 6 minutes of follow up questions from a panel of judges. Mia Caldwell, Eva Rishel, Rebekah Zahler, Florence Knape, Patrick Le and Anthony Truong, led by Coach Sunny Kakwani, were recognized with a unit award!

A THANK YOU! First off, I wanted to thank everyone for being such a great audience for Timothy Egan and OPB's "Think Out Loud". We had a few great questions asked (I know, so many of you had even more!), and from where I stood in the back, I witnessed incredible attention to an intense conversation about an important book and subject matter. An additional thank you needs to go out to Coach Chase Franks (the Grillmaster - please thank him if you see him...he volunteered, and said he loved doing that for you all!), our amazing librarian Nancy Sullivan (her hit casserole recipe will be shared below!) and the FABULOUS families whose contributions helped us provide lots of great food for our group (Here is the link to OPB's page that provides the opportunity to listen to our event!)Links to an external site.

The McDaniel student store is back online! Click here to shop for your McGear and show your support!

In last week's school newsletter, we announced the switch from Arbiter Sports/Family ID to Play On Sports for our Spring Registration platform. Earlier this week, Arbiter announced they had purchased Play On Sports. As a district, we are switching back to Arbiter Sports, and we are asking families to register their students using the link below.

Spring Sports begin March 3rd. If your student registered for a fall or winter sport, there is no need to complete a new registration. Please have them stop by the athletics office in Room 118D, and we can update their current registration to include their spring sport.

Please contact us at monicad@pps.net with any questions.

Winter Sports are in full swing! Schedules can be found on osaa.org for all sports! Check out our weekly calendars for bus and early release information! Tickets for home games can be purchased on GoFan!

We invite local businesses and community members to support McDaniel Athletics through sponsorship. By partnering with us, you'll not only enhance your business visibility within our community but also make a meaningful impact on our student-athletes. Your contributions help cover essential expenses such as tournament fees, athletic gear, pre-game meals, and participation awards.

To learn more or to become a sponsor, please reach out to our Athletic Director, Tyler Kelleher, at tkelleher@pps.net. A link will be provided to complete a sponsorship form. Your generosity ensures that our athletes have the resources they need to succeed both on and off the field.

What’s happening:

We are beyond excited to announce the return of McDaniel’s Literary Magazine: Mosaic. Mosaic will serve as an outlet for students and a place where art and literature will be compiled into one collection. We hope these submissions will highlight students' unique experiences and create a time capsule of our years in high school.

Facts:

This year, we plan to release two digital editions and compile work from both for a print edition in the spring. They’ll release on December 15th, March 15th, and May 15th respectively. The digital editions release to https://mcdanielmosaicmag.com/.

So far, the staff consists of two editors: Casey Coleman and Sureika Shore. We’ve been speaking to the teacher who previously ran Mosaic, Kelly Gomes, to learn about the magazine’s history, and working with the Editorial Leadership course to develop it in a new direction.

Quotes from the editors:

“I am very excited to bring back McDaniel’s Mosaic Magazine. This is a great opportunity for students. I hope to see the Mosaic continue to grow in the next couple of years. Learning this magazine's rich history fuels my hope for its continuation. A magazine that once made so many people happy will surely have the same impact on McDaniel students today.”

- Casey Coleman (Magazine Editor)

“As someone with a passion for art and writing, both creating and viewing it, I think it’ll be amazing to have a magazine that can once again archive the creations of McDaniel students. I know there are a lot of students in this school with a similar passion, and I hope even the students who’ve never had an interest contribute or read. A magazine like this is a brilliant opportunity to show the voices of our students, as they are.”

- Sureika Shore (Magazine Editor)

Opportunities to participate:

Submissions by students for the magazine will be open until November 15th, to be submitted via a Google Form (tinyurl.com/mcdanielmosaicmag). We take writing and art of any type (as long as non-digital and multimedia art is photographed or scanned), including video and music, with a maximum of 5,000 words for writing, 5 minutes for video and music, and some basic restrictions on AI and school-appropriateness. (For an idea of the guidelines— swearing allowed, hate speech not). For anyone else, we’d love for you to read and enjoy the online editions and consider purchasing the print anthology in May.

Background information:

The first McDaniel literary magazine was published in 2006 under the title: Origins. It was created by a club led by teacher Kelly Gomes and librarian Nancy Sullivan. The magazine used earmarked money as a part of literacy funding, this is how the publication was financially possible. Throughout the years, the Mosaic evolved and was eventually worked on within McDaniel’s Creative Writing class. Soon after the pandemic, the Mosaic was put on halt. The last publication was released in 2019. Now, in 2024, it is our duty to bring back the beloved magazine to students at our high school.

Our handbook:

All of our policies and guidelines are available in our draft Mosaic Handbook.

Thanks for participating in the press!

Casey and Sureika, Mosaic Editors

If you have a student that requires medication while at school or has a health condition that the school needs to be aware of, please reach out to Nurse Rob Nicholson rnicholson@mesd.k12.or.us or call 503-916-5220, option 7 then press 1.

Please note, forms and parent authorizations need to be updated annually.

Avoid clinic wait times!

Schedule an immunization appointment at your nearest Student Health Center now and turn in updated records to your school early

Deadlines for this year:

Jan. 15 to not get an exclusion letter

Feb. 19 to not get turned away from school

More info: multco.us/services/immunizations

¡Evitar tiempos de espera en la clínica!

Programar una cita de vacunación a su Student Health Center más cercano ahora y entregue los registros de vacunación escolares al día temprano

Fechas límites para este año:
Enero 15 para no recibir una carta de exclusión

Febrero 19 para no ser rechazado en la escuela

Más información: multco.us/services/immunizations

The McDaniel PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association) is looking for dedicated parents and guardians to join our team and help make this school year a success! We have several open positions and would love your involvement. If you’re passionate about supporting our students and staff, consider stepping into one of the following roles:

Open Positions:

• Vice-President (priority position)
• Fundraising Coordinator (priority position)
• Web Administrator (priority position)
• Volunteer Coordinator
• Membership Coordinator
• Safety Committee Coordinator
• Graduation Party Committee Coordinator

We are open to the idea of two people sharing a role, so feel free to team up with a friend or another family member if you prefer!

Our theatre classes offer experiential learning through hands-on activities, project-based interactive learning, real-world applications, and role-playing.

Our students need a wireless microphone system for their student-created plays and performances.

Theatre arts is a dynamic program with many opportunities for experiential learning in both academic pursuits and hands-on collaborations. Students develop valuable experience by participating in High School Theatre productions, studying theatre in our city, or seeking internships and other opportunities in professional arts organizations.

This project will help teach high school students essential theatre skills through a hands-on approach.

Do you shop at Hồng Phát? Please support the VDLI Capstone Program by purchasing Hồng Phát gift cards! Available year-round, these $25 gift cards can be ordered in any quantity by texting Mỹ-Tiên (503-515-7994). Pay by cash app (Venmo, Zelle) and arrange pick up at RHMS.

The VDLI Capstone Program sends 8th grade VDLI students to Vietnam on a research residency. The funds are managed by VDLI parents of the Research Vietnam organization.

Hãy ủng hộ Chương Trình Capstone VDLI bằng cách mua thẻ gift card của Hồng Phát có sẵn quanh năm! Quý vị có thể đặt bao nhiêu thẻ cũng được, mổi thẻ trị giá $25. Làm ơn nhắn tin cho Mỹ-Tiên (503-515-7994) để đặt thẻ. Thanh toán bằng Cash App (Venmo, Zelle) và sắp xếp nhận thẻ tại trường của con quý vị.

Chương Trình VDLI Capstone hỗ trợ các học sinh VDLI lớp 8 đến Việt Nam để thực tập nghiên cứu. Quỹ được quản lý từ các phụ huynh tình nguyện của tổ chức Research Vietnam.

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Vietnamese Language Tutoring

If your student would like Vietnamese language support outside the classroom, HPH can help connect you with a tutor. Tutors are available for paid opportunities, and some are open to volunteering. Contact HPH (president@hphpdx.org) for a list of available tutors.

Note: We ask families to email potential tutors directly to inquire about rates, availability, and to set up sessions, and payments as needed. HPH is not responsible for matching tutors with students, screening tutors, or resolving any issues related to tutoring services. We will continue to update the list of available tutors.

Counselors

Counselors are assigned alphabetically based on last names.

A-C: Tracy Morrison; tmorrison@pps.net; x81425

D-Ga & AVID: Erin Hale; ehale@pps.net; x81424

Ge-L: Crissy Phommachack; crphommachack@pps.net; x81423

M-Ro: Neomi Navarro; nnavarro1@pps.net; x81422

Ru-Z: Brandon Rawls; brawls1@pps.net; x81421

Newcomer Students and ELD1/ELD2: Brian Meyer; bmeyer@pps.net; x81207

Counseling Administrative Assistant/Registrar: Janna Holm; jholm@pps.net; x81420

PISA/Newcomer Registrar: Linnea Surla; lsurla@pps.net; x81417

Every McDaniel Student may get one free breakfast and one free lunch each school day from the school cafeteria.

Chromebook Pickup

If you have not picked up your Chromebook and you are a freshman or new student, you may pick up a Chromebook from the front office on Monday from 8:30 am-2:30 pm.

Student Accounts & Equipment

All students will receive a PPS student account for access to Synergy StudentVUE, email, G-Suite for Education, Destiny library system, and to sign onto school computers. All students will receive a PPS purchased chromebook that will be issued during the first week of school. Do not leave your device unattended.

Wi-Fi Access

Students can access school Wi-fi by using the network "pps-wifi-guest" on their personal devices.

Here are some key features our students will experience:

• The school day is from 8:26am-3:30pm
• We operate on an A/B schedule - students will attend 4 classes per day on a rotating basis (8 classes total)
• A Days include periods 1-4; B Days include periods 5-8
• Classes are 92 minutes in length on regular bell schedule days, 82 minutes on Flex days
• Most Wednesdays will be All 8 Days and classes are 44 minutes in length
• Flex days offer opportunities for instructional support
• Students will earn letter grades

Student ID Cards - REQUIRED FOR ALL STUDENTS

All students are required to have and carry a Student ID card. Our building doors are open before school and at lunch but remain locked all other hours. Students must show their Student ID card to get into the building during locked hours at the Main Entrance.

Student ID Number

All students have a six-digit number that is their assigned student ID number. Whenever you call or email the school, please have the student ID number available and use it if you are leaving a message or sending an email. We want to ensure we are assisting the correct student. You can find the Student ID in StudentVUE or ParentVUE

Attendance

The McDaniel community will see a greater focus on student attendance. Nationally, locally, and at McDaniel HS, student absences negatively impact student achievement.

Our goal for all students is to attend at or above 83% overall attendance rate for the year.

Attendance is the number one barrier in student academic achievement. When students are absent they miss content and most importantly the opportunity to get teacher and staff support. The following is how we mark absences per period.

• A = Absent

• L = Tardy (within 10-15 minutes)

• LAT = Late After Tardy (after 20 minutes)

• SKP = Skipping

If your student was marked LAT that means they missed half of the class. If your student was marked SKP that could mean a few different things. Either they were seen at school roaming hallways and didn't go into class or the student came to class when it was almost done. Other options are that they came at the beginning of class but left and didn't return or they left and came back towards the end.

Paying attention to your student's attendance through Parent VUE and seeing each period individually is important. If you see a lot of LATs or SKPs, they are missing a lot of content and support. If you have concerns with the accuracy of the attendance feel free to reach out to that teacher and verify it. As a school we are aiming for 85% or higher Average Daily Attendance (ADA).

Attendance is taken for every class that meets on a given day. Please report and excuse all absences to our Attendance Secretary at mcdanielattend@pps.net and click here for more information about Attendance at McDaniel.

This year we started a new policy for students who skip class.

Our biggest barrier to academic success is attendance. When students don’t go to class they miss instructional time and support time from their teachers and fall behind. To make up for that lost time we are assigning students who skip three or more times Saturday Detention.

Saturday Detention is starting this Saturday and it will run from 9:00 am - 11:00 am. Families will receive a phone call from an administrator or Dean notifying them and a letter will be sent home with the student. An administrator will be present and also a teacher to support academically. We will be contacting your students’ teachers for guidance on what they may have missed and need to do.

• The student should bring a charged Chromebook and other class materials needed

• And the use of cell phones will not be allowed

Skipping is determined by administration and teachers when a student:

… arrives over 40 minutes late (without an excused tardy by parent/guardian)

… takes an extended (unexcused) break of 25+ minutes

… leaves class with more than 15 minutes left of class without permission

If you have any concerns or questions please reach out to Administration,

Principal Skyles - askyles@pps.net

Keyla Santiago - ksantiagorodriguez@pps.net

Ian Twiss - itwiss@pps.net

Kerri West - kwest@pps.net

A reminder that only people with disabled parking placard/permits can park in the disabled parking spots. Vehicles that do not have proper placards or permits displayed will be subject to having their vehicle towed.

ParentVUE

Synergy ParentVUE/StudentVUE is a tool to help families stay informed about their student's progress, including grades and attendance information. User ID and password remain the same each year. If you have not set up your account or if you are having trouble accessing StudentVue or ParentVue,contact our School Admin Assistant, Ana Rosa Macias at amacias@pps.net or (503)916-5200. Also, you can download and install the mobile application from the app store.

Website

Visit the McDaniel website for many resources including details about upcoming events, contact information for teachers and administrators, study and test preparation resources, college and career information, and much more.

Trivory

Students and families can download the Trivory app on their phones or access it online. We use Trivory to send out immediate important school information about activities, clubs and athletics. This is also a great resource to find Tri-Met bus schedules and to see the daily schedule.

Email

Much of our communication goes out via email, including the weekly Principal's Newsletters. If you do not get these newsletters or other important school communications via email, please contact the Main Office at 503-916-5220 to make sure your contact information is current.

Remind

Portland Public Schools uses Remind for two-way communication between teachers and families. This allows or text, email and push notifications and phone calls. Please note, installation of the mobile app is not required to receive texts or phone calls. Please click here for more information about Remind

McDaniel SUN is looking for volunteer tutors from the community! Retired teachers or folks with teaching and/or tutoring experience are ideal candidates. Please share this IRCO volunteer position posting with your networks so we can make SUN Tutoring as robust as possible! After School Tutor - McDaniel High School SUN | IRCO

Questions? Contact Jack at (503) 407-8702 or johnt@irco.org"

• 2735 NE 82nd Avenue Portland, Oregon
• Stay updated by checking our website www.pps.net/McDaniel
• Follow us on Instagram @mcdanielhighschoolpdx @mcdanielhighschoolpdx.espanol
• Link to the McDaniel HS Trivory Page: https://trivory.com/mcdaniel
• www.facebook.com/PPSMcDanielHighSchool/
  
• Follow our TikTok @mcdanielhspdx