News From The Abernethy Office

Happy Monday.

I hope you all were able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend! Last week I wrote about how Portland beat the record for 80 degree days, and here we are again! Although, I do think that rain is in the forecast for later this week.

As you will see in this newsletter, last week was a pretty busy week around school! I had so much fun out and about in classrooms and around the school. I can't wait to see what I can get myself into this week.

I want to give a huge "Thank You" Travis Young and the PTA for the awesome FUND Run last Wednesday! Travis really went above and beyond and out did himself with the balloons, the balloon arch, the music and organizing such a smooth event for our students! It was fun to see everyone running and all the families cheering as they came to watch. I was in and out of meetings with teachers all morning, but when I was able to step out and check out the activities I saw there were a lot of smiles and heard so many cheers and laughs.

It is on that note that the staff and I are excited to announce a new fundraiser that we are bringing to Abernethy this year! In the past we have worked with the organization Young Audiences and participated in Run For The Arts. Well, as Covid has changed a lot of things around us, it really gave Young Audiences a chance to reflect and reimagine their Run for the Arts as a fundraiser, "It is our responsibility to make sure that our programs reflect the values of Young Audiences, including those of accessibility and equity."

Last year they piloted their new version of a virtual "Fun" For The Arts. This year, we are able to participate IN PERSON! Fun For The Arts is a one day, region wide Dance-a-Thon! On November 18, 2022, every school in our region who registers, will participate in a dance party, or an activity that connects to it. For us at Abernethy, all students will have 30 minutes to participate in either dancing, quiet walking while listening, or not listening to music, or outside chalk drawing . Every student will count as a participant, as we get to name our definition of participation. Although we will encourage students to fundraise, as they can, participation in this event will not be based on how much fundraising they do. This year, all funds raised during this single day event will be collected into one pool of funds, all corporate and local business donations secured by Young Audiences will also be added. These funds will then be divided amongst participating schools where funds for your school will be based on the total number of participants you have within your school.

We know that this fundraiser is coming on the heels of the Fund Run, and as we do not get to set the date, there may be questions around why now? and What for?

Why Now?

The staff and I wanted to be respectful of all the work that the PTA does for our school, so we wanted to wait until after the Fund Run was over. However, the November 18th date is an already set date by Young Audiences. We want some time to get the word out and get the students excited!

What For?

We are specifically participating in this event for 2 main reasons.

• This is something fun for our students, something new and something worth trying to see if it is something we want to continue in the future.

• It will help us raise money specifically for:

• Art supplies - specifically looking at paint, construction paper, watercolor paper and many other supplies that the teachers use in their classroom art projects.

• Assemblies - We would love to bring back more whole school assemblies!

• Artists in Residence programs for our classrooms

Please look for more information coming home this week with your students, and if you have any questions you are welcome to contact me at mdunn2@pps.net or anytime in the school office.

Last week I had the opportunity to spend some time in Ms. Arthurs' 5th Grade class. I will tell you one thing, starting off with Just Dance really puts you in a happy mood for the day!

Last Friday I had the opportunity to spend some time in Ms. Siri's 1st Grade classroom! We had so much fun reading the book Mango, Abuela and Me - by Meg Medina, and then making cards for the teacher. However, I do think that we had even more fun when we took our selfie!

• October 19, 2022 - Abernethy’s FIT Assessment

• October 19, 2022 - 6:00pm - 7:00pm - OBOB Parent/Coaches Info Night

• October 20, 2022 - 10:20am Earthquake Drill followed by our Monthly Fire Drill

• October 24, 2022 - Diwali

• October 31, 2022 - Abernethy’s Fall/Harvest Celebration

• November 1, 2022 - Author Visit Assembly

Important PTA Dates

• Oct 20 - PTA General Meeting at 6:30

• Oct 23 - PDX Flea Fundraiser

• Nov 4 - Mini-Grant Deadline

Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah, literally “Head of the Year” in Hebrew, is the beginning of the Jewish new year. Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset on Sunday, September 25 and is the first of the High Holidays or “Days of Awe,” ending 10 days later with Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah is celebrated with many traditions, sweet symbolic foods and the sound of the shofar, the sounding of the ram’s horn (shofar) on both mornings!

The traditional way to wish someone a Happy New Year in Hebrew is by saying “Shana Tova.” In Hebrew this means “A Good Year.”

There are many traditions associated with Rosh Hashanah, including the following:

• Attending synagogue and spending time with family and friends.

• Reflecting on the year before and repenting for any wrongdoings and then reflecting on the year ahead to start afresh.

• Wear white and new clothes, symbolizing purity.

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement—is considered the most important holiday in the Jewish faith. Falling in the month of September or October,, it marks the culmination of the 10 Days of Awe, a period of introspection and repentance that follows Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. The holiday is observed with a 25-hour fast and a special religious service. Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah are known as Judaism’s “High Holy Days.” Yom Kippur 2022 begins on the evening of Tuesday, October 4 and ends on the evening of Wednesday, October 5.

Diwali

Diwali is a five-day festival, starting on Saturday, Oct. 22. This year, the most important day of Diwali falls on Monday, Oct. 24. Diwali is an Indian festival that is celebrated across multiple religions, including Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. Diwali “generally symbolizes the victory of light over darkness.” Similar to celebrating a New Year, Diwali also represents a fresh start for many. During the days of Diwali, observers will renovate, clean, and buy new decorations for their homes or new garments to wear. It is also recognized as a time to forgive, make peace, drop grudges, and settle outstanding debts. Family reunions are also common during this time to get back in touch with loved ones who may have lost contact.

Diwali is celebrated over a span of 5 days, with each day consisting of a different observed activity. Here is the breakdown of the activities:

• Day 1: Observers will clean their homes and shop for kitchen utensils or gold to bring good fortune.

• Day 2: Homes are decorated with clay lamps, or diyas, and patterns are created on the floor called rangoli using colored sand or powders.

• Day 3: This is often regarded as the main day of the festival where families will gather for Lakshmi puja, which is a prayer for the Goddess Lakshmi. This is followed by fireworks, celebrations, and feasting.

• Day 4: This is considered the first day of the new fiscal year, and is when friends and family will visit each other and exchange gifts.

• Day 5: On this day, brothers will visit their married sisters to spend time and present a lavish meal.

Is your child in 3rd -5th Grade?

Is your child interested in OBOB?

Are you interested in coaching?

Come learn the basics & stay to have your questions answered:

OBOB coaches & parent info night

Wednesday, Oct 19, 6pm-7pm

Abernethy Library

abernethybobinfo@gmail.com

This is a yearly process that verifies your home address and contact information, including emergency contacts. Please log into ParentVue to complete your child’s yearly verification as soon as possible. You may click here to be taken to the webpage.

Fidelity of Implementation Tool (FIT) Assessment

The FIT assessment is a tool that is used across the district in all of our comprehensive K-12 schools providing reliable information about current systemic practices to inform improvement planning at the school and district level.

The FIT also provides:

• schools with a broad range of focused feedback aligned with the science of education

• input from multiple perspectives, which can be difficult to collect in other ways

• opportunities to celebrate success

• process information to enhance school and district systems; it helps guide teams toward potential next steps

• a district-adopted common framework fostering aligned support for positive student experiences and outcomes

• accountability information to the state for designated schools

November 21st and 22nd are this year's Parent-Teacher Conferences. Here are the conference links for each teacher. If you click on the picture of the teacher that you would like to conference with, you will be able to sign up. If you have any questions about conference times please email your students teacher. Our goal is to have 100% of our families attend conferences. This is a great opportunity to have a conversation with your students teacher about what is happening in the classroom and how you can support your student.

This year’s Fun Run was a smashing success! We beat our goal and raised $38,000 for school programs, staffing and supplies. Our participation rate was 76%, with 253 of 331registered students obtaining pledges, and our total completed laps by our students was 2,276, resulting in total miles run of 597. Wow!

We had fabulous entertainment by the RockDojo duo of Brian Parham and Andrew Stromstad, who kept the energy high throughout the day, and refreshing oranges provided courtesy of Sheridan Fruit Company.

And lastly, how about that balloon arch?

What a great fundraiser to start our year, and a great day for everyone who turned out for the festivities!

Sunday, October 23, 11AM - 4PM, 240 SE Clay St

This Sunday, head on over to PDX Flea and check out the awesome items donated by Abernethy families. There will be furniture, rugs, clothes, housewares and more, all at reasonable prices, and all proceeds going directly to Abernethy!

Thanks to PDX Flea and Kate Sullivan for the donated booth. It is sure to be a great day—come join us!

And if you’re available to volunteer for some heavy-lifting or bartering and bargaining, there are volunteer opportunities still available. Sign up here.

We have received some great Mini-Grant Submissions already this year but there are still a few more weeks to go. We are hoping our community will come through with a ton of great ideas.

The next great idea could be yours! Don’t wait or hesitate! Submit your amazing ideas to:

https://www.supportabernethy.org/committees/minigrants or email minigrants@supportabernethy.org.

Thank you for helping to make Abernethy Elementary a great place to learn and grow!!

Submission Deadline: November 4. 2022

Our PE teacher, Ms. Hartle, needs help each morning setting up the gaga pit. This involves carrying 10 folding tables from inside the gym outside to the blacktop, opening them, and placing them into the shape of a decagon. Setup could take anywhere between 10-20 minutes depending upon the volunteer. This may be completed anytime before 10:30AM, including before school begins (ie during dropoff). If completed prior to school hours, a background check is not needed.

Please sign up here on Konstella. Thanks!

Thursday, October 20, 6:30 - 8PM in the Auditorium or via view-only virtual option (a link will be posted on Konstella the day before). All are welcome—and childcare is provided!

The purpose of the meeting is to vote on important topics, update the community on what is happening at the school and within the PTA, provide presentations on important topics affecting our community from time-to-time, and provide an opportunity for anyone in the Abernethy community to participate and be heard. You can find the agenda in the calendar event in Konstella.

In order to vote at a General Meeting, an individual must register as a PTA member at least 48 hours prior to the meeting. To cast a vote on either of the topics listed above, you must join the PTA no later than Tuesday, October 18 at 6:30 p.m. Sign up here.

With Konstella, you have control over your privacy and whether you share your personal information (email, home address, phone number, photos of your children) with other parents.

You also have control over how often you interact with Konstella: you may choose between push notifications, immediate emails, daily emails, weekly emails, a combination of those, or nothing at all.

For instructions on adjusting these settings, please see our explainer on the PTA website.