Wildcat Newsletter

Happy last week before Winter Break!

My name is Cézanne (Say-zon) Tyner and I am so excited to be Woodlawn's Assistant Principal. I live in the neighborhood and both of my daughters are students at Woodlawn Elementary. We have loved this community for some time and are ready to navigate all of us being together at both school and home.

We are all looking forward to some holiday fun these last few days before we will see you back in the new year 2025.

Cézanne Tyner, Assistant Principal

Thank you for your flexibility this morning during drop-off! Early this morning we discovered downed branches and lines in front of school. We blocked the road and did our best to protect all of our Wildcat and that meant disrupting the regular traffic flow and drop-off routines. The city and Pacific Power arrived by 8:00AM to begin removing the branches and managing the downed line. I am continually grateful to this community for their flexibility, attention to safety and most of all your kindness, especially when things are unexpected. We are in this together! #WildcatStrong

Mrs. Porter-Lopez

Woodlawn School will be closed from December 23rd until January 5th. There will not be any staff members in the building or answering phones, so please check the lost and found before your child leaves for break on Friday! We will see you back for Pajama Day on January 6th. Yay!

Now is a great time to update your child’s emergency contacts in Synergy for the new year. In order to do that, you must log in to Parentvue or contact the office at sluna@pps.net or kruss@pps.net. Thanks!

Food Pantry at Woodlawn School will be open TODAY 12/18, but will be closed 12/25 and 1/1. Pantry will reopen for normal hours on Wednesday 1/8!

As the holiday break is approaching families may need to make last minute child care arrangements. Did you know that 211info has a dedicated team of staff who can provide free referrals to child care, camps and enrichment programs for children of all ages in Oregon?

Families looking for holiday assistance such as food baskets, toys, clothing or rent can also reach out via phone, text or email to 211 for help locating resources in their area.

We are experiencing a high rate of illness in our school this week. Monday was the highest day of absence with “illness” as the reason since 2021 when a 10-day quarantine was required for any COVID-19 related symptoms. Tuesday was a little better, but still way above anything we’ve seen in a few years. We are encouraging frequent hand washing, open windows and not sharing materials. While this is not COVID, it seems to be a respiratory illness that can include a fever and nausea or vomiting. Students and staff have reported feeling fatigued.

Take care this week. Wash your hands often. We have lots to do this week in the classroom and recognize that this wave of germs is taking 48-72 hours to pass if contracted.

Please let the office know if you are keeping your ill child home. We can do more if we know more; students with no absent reason cannot be considered ill which could lead to delayed deep cleaning and inaccurate District support for those who are attending and healthy.

For the past 10 years, Woodlawn has participated in the Salmon in the Classroom project. This amazing learning experience is shared with all of our Wildcats through the leadership of our 4th graders. It’s been a tradition for our fourth graders to be the stewards and the experts about this process. We all get to share in the excitement because the tank is in the main office and our students can walk by it every day. Our eggs will be delivered on January 6th, the day we return from Winter Break.

Winter Reading Challenge

Cold days are the perfect time to curl up with a good book. Join your fellow Wildcats in completing the Woodlawn Winter Reading Challenge. Complete three activities on your game board and bring it to Ms. Freeman during your library time after winter break for a prize.

Need to find your next great read? Make sure to check out Sora and Tumblebooks on my.pps.net.

OBOB Extra Practice

Looking for extra OBOB practice before the battles begin? Checkout this awesome resource created by a PPS parent: https://obob.dog/

Happy Reading and see you in the New Year!

Ms. Freeman

The winner of our trivia quiz is Paige Byquist Garcia (Ms. Paige!) Ms. Paige got both trivia questions correct. Luretta Tinnon (Mrs T.!) is the longest continuous member of the Woodlawn PTA. And to choose the movie night movies, all wildcats put stickers on the movie poster of their choice at lunch time to choose their top choice from the 3 movies. The top three are sometimes chosen by the people who attend general PTA meetings and if there is not a meeting, then the kids of the PTA board help select the top 3 movies. Ms. Paige will win free merchandise. Watch for our January trivia, first newsletter of every month.

The PTA meeting originally scheduled for 1/14/25 is being moved to a different date to accommodate another important meeting: an Education Budget Forum with Families for Equity in Schools being held at Faubion from 6:30-7:30 on 1/14/25. All are welcomed and encouraged to join this NE Portland Community meeting.

Stay tuned for the new PTA meeting date!

12/21/24-1/5/25 Winter Break! No School

1/6/25 Wildcats Return to School, and PAJAMA DAY!

1/13/25 SUN Winter Programming Begins