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Astor Connection
May 2024 Issue
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In This Issue
Principal's Message
Important Dates
After School Opportunities
Info, Reminders and Resources for Families
Resources
Health Services
Volunteering opportunities at Astor
PPS District Fliers
Principal's Message
Hello Astor Community,
The Astor PTSO Benefit is coming soon! Join us on May 4th from 4pm to 10pm as we celebrate our community and look forward to the future of our school. You can purchase tickets here. See the information and flyer below. Hope to see you there!
Our 3rd annual Asian American Pacific Islander Event is May 16th from 5:30pm to 7pm. Join us at the Astor playground as we celebrate the AAPI at Astor and beyond. It'll be a wonderful evening of food, music, art, and more. A reminder that all students and children will need a supervising adult when attending the event. You can see the flyer for this event below. Thank you to the AAPI event planning team!
The Roosevelt High School cluster is moving to an inclusive neighborhood school model for the 2024-2025 school year. Our district is hosting family listening sessions and you can learn more about those here. We'll have more information from Astor as the school year nears.
However, the important information to know is that our cluster's focus room programs are no longer accepting new students. This means that all of the students within the Astor neighborhood boundaries for next year's kindergarten class will be attending our school. As you can imagine, this is huge for existing and new families as they look to find community close to home and potentially balance two separate school communities. While this is a change from our current model, with the appropriate resources, information, and mindset, I believe that this will be a positive for all our families. Our educators at Astor are talented, dedicated, and caring. I know we have the right team to support all our students. Again, we'll share more about our plans and preparation in the coming months with you as we near August.
The draft budget is out from interim superintendent Dr. Husk. You can find it here. Past message about staffing at Astor here. There are several impacts to our staff, and we are continuing to advocate for additional student supports, lower class sizes, and staffing to assist our neighborhood model for the 24/25.
Finally, Astor Staff Appreciation Week is next week! Join us on the week of May 6th to celebrate our amazing educators for all they do each day for our community. You can sign up at the link below to bring items for a Wednesday Taco Bar and Friday Yogurt Bar for staff, too. Sign Up for Wednesday's Taco Bar (on May 8) and Yogurt Bar (May 10) here - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090445A4AF23A2F85-potluck
Have a wonderful May!
Warmly,
Blake Robertson
Principal @ Astor
Important Dates
Student and Family Calendar and Handbook
May
All month - State Testing (OSAS) on campus all month (Grades 3-8)
4th - Astor Benefit! Buy tickets here!
6th-10th- Astor Staff Appreciation Week!
9th - Mid-Term
9th and 10th - MS Rowing Trips with Coach K!
10th - RHS Unity Fest - At Roosevelt High School
16th - AAPI Event from 5:30 to 7pm
21st - CB Field Trip to Field Day
24th - 4/5 Oxbow Field Trip
27th - No School Memorial Day
28th - Site Council
31st - Safety Patrol Field Trip
June
4th - 8th grade to Bullwinkles
6th - 8th grade to Seattle
7th - Chromebooks and chargers due back
7th - Astor PTSO Carnival
10th - Spirit Week!
11th - Field Day!
12th - 8th grade Promotion and Dance - Final Day!
13th - 1st Grade Oregon Zoo Field Trip
14th - Kinder and 5th grade promotion
Important Notes
Astor Staff Appreciation Week! May 6 to 10!
Sign Up for Wednesday's Taco Bar (on May 8) and Yogurt Bar (May 10): https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090445A4AF23A2F85-potluck
Note about Classroom Visits and Meeting with Educators
It's important for our educators to maximize learning time each day. We kindly request that classroom visits are prearranged with your student's teacher in advance. So, visits to the classroom without prior educator approval are not permitted.
Additionally, if you'd like to meet with your child's teacher, we ask that you request a meeting. Teachers should have at least 24 hour notice prior to meeting. If you have an urgent need contact the main office for help. Thank you for your support with this work and ongoing partnership.
Champions Morning Care Interest Survey (reminder and update)
K-5 Families - Champions is starting conversations with our district on before school care. If you haven't already completed the survey here, then please take a moment to complete the morning care interest. This will be used with Champions to determine if they are going to be able to offer this service in the morning prior to 8:45am.
Attention Families of Students Served by Special Education
Please see the link below for important opportunities for families to learn more about the upcoming neighborhood school model and what to expect with special education for the 2024-2025 school year.
A Benefit Message from the Astor PTSO - MAY 4th!
Hello Astor community! Our Astor Benefit is coming up on May 4, 2024! You can purchase tickets here. Doors open at 4 o’clock. Tickets ($50) include two free drink tickets, dinner, auction activities and a live karaoke band to help us sing the night away.
The money raised at the benefit allows us to provide materials in classrooms, free events, food, field trips, extracurricular activities to our students and support for families in need for the entire year. Please join us and support our school, knowing that your contribution goes directly to our Astor students. Is it possible to top last year? Let’s find out!
And, we could use your help! Please check out these two forms if you can donate items/services for the auction or if you'd like to volunteer to help us. Help us make this Astor community event memorable! Thank you! (Also: save the date so that you can join our Benefit, too!)
Donation of Items/Services- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1aIFPypHFuJP80V9_RkJPT0-aXKW_mUqnTUV5T_JPuKs/edit
Volunteer Interest - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1h7ClDFbRsAziVtwQNRdWgwMx6Wb7_5frIfP0InHunTw/edit
AAPI Event! May 16th from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM!
We are so excited to invite you to Astor's 3rd annual AAPI celebration on Thursday, May 16th, beginning at 5:30 pm on our playground. We will have music, entertainment, crafts, games and food, all celebrating the rich cultures of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in our community and beyond! Please see the flyers below for timelines and activities. And, don't forget to bring a dollar to feed the lion! A reminder that all students and children will need a supervising adult when attending the event. Hope to see you there!!
Information for Families
Attention 6th and 7th grade families!
Please see the link below for an opportunity from the Multnomah Athletic Foundation for a student leadership and grant.
https://apply.mykaleidoscope.com/scholarships/Youth-Grant-Initiative-Application-2024
Attention 8th Grade Families!
PSU Community Counseling Clinic
Attention Incoming 9th Graders to RHS!
English Classes
the Multnomah library has a new English Class at the St Johns branch!
Right to Return
You can learn more about the right to return program here. Please share with any families that you know might be interested.
Positions at Astor!
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.
Summer EBT
Please see the link here for information regarding Summer EBT, which out families get access to this summer!
Supporting Families and Children with Grieving
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...
PPS - School Year Calendar and Start Times (reminder)
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...
After School and Summer Opportunities
Portland Parks and Rec Early Registration
Early Registration Opening Day for Astor (see the fliers below): Thursday, May 9 at 9:30 am. Please note that the Early Registration closing deadline is Monday, May 13 at 12:00 pm, three days before the general registration begins. This is for activities that begin between June 24 and July 28, 2024.
Art with Ms. Germaneri and Mr. Clarkson
360 Arts Camp
UP Youth Camp
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.
Info, Reminders, and Family/Community Resources
Traffic Pattern Reminder
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
Student Health Services
(Translations are linked here):
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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.
Interested in Volunteering at Astor?
SMART Reading
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
Volunteering at Astor - Astor Shine!
Additional PPS Approved Fliers
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: